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Category: Embroidery

Fun or Frightening?

I’ll let you decide!

Front cover of Fun Faces in Embroidery by Anchor School Embroidery. 1974

I have to admit, I like clowns. I also like horror movies and true crime stories, so make of that what you will 😉

Today’s free embroidery download is an Anchor School Embroidery leaflet from 1974. It has a complete design for a clown pillow, plus a sheet of features you can use to create your own faces. There’s some facial hair that would make a pretty awesome hipster pillow!

Check out Fun Faces in Embroidery by Anchor School Leaflets, 1974

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Embroidering on Polka Dot Fabric

Cover of Spot Embroidery by DMC, 1965

I have another free download for my fellow embroiderers! Spot Embroidery, a book of designs to work on polka dot fabric. Published in 1965, it’s full of fun designs based on backgrounds of different sized polka dot fabrics.

The designs range from all sorts of animals, to geometrics, flowers, and even pots and pans for the kitchen! Use them as borders, or motifs.

Check out Spot Embroidery by DMC, from 1965.

Sarah

And So To Embroider – Decorating Cushions and More!

And So To Embroider bulletin 30 by the NDS
And So To Embroider 30

This week, in bulletin 30 of “And So To Embroider” by the Needlework Development Scheme, we learn all about sewing and embroidering cushions. Quilted cushions, designing cushions, bolsters and trims. We also find out exactly what a “housewife opening” is, and I discovered that I’ve been using them for years!

In previous weeks we’ve discovered all sorts of new techniques.

And So To Embroider 29b: Designing with Flowers, teaches us how to design from nature using floral motifs, complete with projects.

And So To Embroider 28b: Designing with Letters, features a full cross stitch alphabet and teaches us to design monograms in a large range of styles including Assisi work, padded satin stitch and more.

And So To Embroider 27b: Edgings and Trimmings, is full of tips and techniques for adding fringes, hem stitching and trims.

And So To Embroider 26b: Designing with Leaves, contains a lovely mid century needlework bag with leaf design to make, a cushion project, new embroidery stitches and tips for designing your own motifs and projects based on leaf shapes.

And So To Embroider 25b: Designing Four Aprons, features patterns for sewing three aprons, with design ideas for a fourth, plus lots of other projects for your kitchen.

And So To Embroider 24b: Preparing to Embroider, covers the right needles and transfer techniques for a range of materials and styles of embroidery.

And So To Embroider 23b: Embroidery on Woven Textiles, teaches us to look at woven textiles in a whole new way, and to put the floating threads in a weave to good use as part of an embroidered design, or even adding tassels to them.

And So To Embroider 22b: Designing for the Breakfast Table, features a range of projects for a special “breakfast in bed” tray or dining room table.

As always, I’ve included modern video and photo tutorials for any techniques included, for my fellow “visual” learners.

You’ll find all of these, along with bulletins 1 to 21 (and a whole lot more!) on the Vintage Needlework Books page. I hope you’re enjoying them, and I’ll continue adding a new leaflet every week until the end of the series.

Sarah

And So To Sew – The Full Set Now Available

And So To Sew bulletin 23a by The Needlework Development Scheme

The full set of vintage “And So To Sew” by the Needlework Development Scheme is now available! Covering everything from the basics of dressmaking to a range of mid century patterns to make, “And So To Sew’ was a part of many girl’s school life in mid 20th century Britain.

Don’t forget that here at Knitting-and.com, we’re still making a new issue of “And So To Embroider” available every week, with 29 bulletins uploaded so far. This week’s leaflet covers designing with flowers.

You’ll find all of the “And So To Sew” bulletins and every “And So To Embroider” bulletin I have made available so far on the Vintage Embroidery and Sewing Books page. There’s much more there too, with over 70 titles to choose from!