Thursday 19 November 2009

Something Different ..

Here are some things I was very lucky to 'acquire' during my recent shift at Antiques on High - They are vintage, from the 1970's, collars and cuffs which have been hand embroidered with proper mirrors by craft workers in India (or thereabouts).

The collars and cuffs are embrodered onto thin cotton, within printed pattern lines as you can see on the detail picture above. I am supposing that you cut them out with a seam allowance all the way around, and then sew them on, with seam allowance tucked under, to your chosen garment, which I think should also be white as with the best will in the world, it would be hard to entirely hide the white fabric which holds them.

Aren't they exquisite? This green one is my favourite. Here is a detail of the back. The thread used is a thick woolen type of thread - or should I say thin woolen thread?. What I mean is that it is thicker than the usual embroidery floss, but thin like darning wool. All of them have a yellow and black chevron design incorporated, I wonder if this has a special meaning?

I guess those who like to embroider, could make these quite easily to their own design, to sell, or perhaps even for gifting to crafty friends or family members.

These lovely panels need to be cleaned. Very very carefully, by hand, in cold water and on a sunny day!


10 comments:

Gina said...

They are beautiful Julia... what a find!

Pomona said...

They are lovely - so unusual! Do you have plans for them, apart from washing?

Pomona x

Twiggy said...

ooo very lovely
twiggy x

Indigo Blue said...

This is the kind if thing that I could just stare at for ages. While you think about what to do with them, they would look stunning in a frame.

CurlyPops said...

Oh wow, they are really beautiful..

Pipany said...

Just makes me want to know about the person who made it. Such stories wrapped up in threads x

Jane Le Galloudec said...

mmmm... I can see a major problem here.... these stints at the antique shop are going to cost you money!! But I sympathise... I would not have been able to resist them either! and what's worse... I can remember wearing similar... dresses with square neck and gathered under the bust.. with large bishop sleeves gathered into the cuff which would be buttoned. But I remember my dress as being a neutral - natural cheesecloth colour with the embroidered bit added... and they were embroidered on natural cheesecloth too, not on white. do I still have the dress? sadly no. :-(

Gone to Earth said...

They're lovely. I think they are czlled shisha mirrors and you sew them on in quite a particular way. I've a link to a turorial somewhere I'll send it to you and you can have a look.
(You're verification thingy has just asked me to type in 'kurvy' - :) appropriate for corsets)

Janean said...

what a great idea to use vintage collars! yay!

Diane said...

I sense that your shifts in the craft centre may be bad for your financial health!! Too much temptation on a regular basis!! They look divine. xxx