National Embroidery Month: Nostalgia is not a Strategy

At the beginning of this month, I mentioned that I had begun an embroidery based on inspiration from the speech given by our Prime Minister, Mark Carney, at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. This was a speech that had immediate impact, but for me it also influenced an embroidery idea.

A phrase from this speech struck me as soon as I heard it: Nostalgia is not a strategy. Now, in context, the PM was referring to the state of the world and focusing on politics the way they are now, not as we want them to be. I agree with this! But it also immediately had shades of other meaning for me, applied to other contexts. As general life advice, this seems solid! And in light of tradwives trying to claim embroidery for themselves when stitching has always been, and very visibly so, a protest medium -- I thought this was a perfect candidate for a stitched piece. 

So I created a nostalgic looking floral spray, choosing a more nostalgic colour scheme as well. The irony appealed to me. It was a fairly quick project, though would have been quicker if I hadn't kept putting it down for days! 

I used Canva to design my original sketch, and then traced it onto my fabric. I like to use thrifted linen napkins to stitch on, as the quality is good and they are usually about the right size for small projects. That's what I'm using here. But because it was a lighter weight, I also put a layer of lightweight cotton behind it to add some structure and hide any carried threads. 

I used my favourite stem stitch (2 strand) for the word Nostalgia and the black lines around the text. I used 2 strand whipped back stitch for the rest of the printed words. The darker leaves were fishbone stitch, the bright ones satin stitch, stems were stem stitch, all 2 strand. The outlines of the brighter leaves were one strand stem stitch. As for the flowers, they were long and short stitch, with satin stitch yellow centres on the small purple flowers and french knots for the larger flowers. I just chose colours I liked, and didn't really keep track. 

I will likely mount this in a hoop as wall art, as I feel like that meets the nostalgia factor of this piece. But I will have to find one and paint it black first. I usually use my plastic hoops for stitching so don't have a wooden one lying around! 

In any case, I really enjoyed stitching this quick project and am so pleased that I actually started something timely while I was thinking of it! And that I pushed myself a little to finish it before National Embroidery Month ended! I hope you enjoy it too. If you want to stitch this one yourself, here is the pattern I made with the help of Canva -- I shifted the small sentence over a bit to the left when I traced it, fyi. 

Thrifty Sewing Fun

I haven't been out thrifting as much as usual over the last few months - weather and a busy schedule have both affected my shopping time! But I got out to my favourite thrift stores recently, and have some wonderful new finds to share. 

I have been lucky with some greens -- the solid green is a linen blend, quite soft and with a blue/yellow shimmer. I'm thinking a summer dress. The bottom fabric is a quality jersey, just enough for a nice soft tee. Probably the Kirsten Tee by Maria Denmark, as I've made it before and it is a great staple. 

And I found some sewing patterns! Harder to find at the thrifts lately as my favourite shop has inexplicably decided they are not putting out sewing patterns in their craft section any more. :(  Found these ones elsewhere. 

My luckiest find lately, however, is this really fun lapel pin! I love brooches and this one was irresistible, for obvious reasons. So cute. I'm sure I have many things to wear this with. 

And adding one more bit of fabric...I just came across this fab sheet in the linens aisle on my last thrifting trip. I don't think it has ever been used. And it's so very 80s I couldn't let it go. Had to buy it and will now have to figure out what to do with it. But I love this print! It's so much fun finding odd bits while thrifting, even if I have slowed down with how much I can bring home with me. I really enjoy this part of my sewing life :)

Weekend Review: The Dream Stitcher

The Dream Stitcher / Deborah Gaal
Anchor House Press, c2018
295 p.

This was a random discovery for me, via my library, and a great find. It's a novel that moves between the USA in 2008, and WWII Poland, following a family line of women. It starts out rather fantastical, and has elements of magic throughout, particularly in regards to embroidery. But it also has realistic historical content and strong characters.

Goldye is the titular Dream Stitcher: in Poland she discovers an uncanny skill at embroidery early on (readers will know why). She's taken in by Kaminski Fabrics, and stitches magical wedding dresses for Christian brides. When the Germans come, Mr. Kaminski claims her as an Aryan niece from France, and Goldye changes her name to Anna to survive. But she is still in love with her Jewish resistance fighter, and uses her magical embroidery to fight in her own way. She's so good that a German officer takes interest in her, and requires her to accompany him to France to interpret the mystical imagery of the Bayeux Tapestry, which the Nazis are convinced tells of their victory. 

In 2008, we meet Maude, recently widowed and in financial straits. She has to take her mother out of the home she's been in, too expensive to continue it. When she moves her mother Bea home, she brings along a large recreation of the Bayeux Tapestry that the nurses say she stitched while there, even though Maude has never known her mother to sew anything at all. Maude's pregnant daughter also moves home, and they try to understand the family secrets that start leaking out, especially due to the large tapestry Maude has hung in the living room. 

I thought this was a fascinating read. It melds history, fantasy, mystery and some thriller-y bits too. Plus there is a lot about the magical power to stitch reality that Goldye holds, and what it can and can't accomplish. There are a couple of troubling scenes of sexual violence, during the war, readers should be aware. It can be hard to read, but it's all disturbingly real. The historical elements are strong and the WWII sections are compelling. 

When we hit the contemporary chapters, it is fascinating to feel the difference in narrative tone. Maude is flippant and childish at times, and the writing reflects this. It's like the whole story turns into Maude's story with a minute adjustment to tone. I thought it was really interesting! Maude's story slowly begins to link into Goldye's but what I thought was coming was not what was finally revealed. What a great build up to the conclusion, it surprised me. 

This was an unusual read, unexpected and memorable. I'm still thinking about it. The embroidery was a key part to the book, and makes me want to go see the Bayeux Tapestry - it's in England starting this fall, at the British Museum, for the first time in nearly 1000 years. That would be fascinating. 

But the characters and the creative storytelling are also fresh and engaging here. I am so glad I stumbled across this book. 

Agustina Boxy Top in X-Rayon

I made a little tester project this week! I wanted to see how this Agustina boxy top (by Fabrics-Store) fit, since I'm thinking incorporating some fabric/art techniques into a boxy top project -- I have a couple of choices which I've made before, but wanted to test this one as well.

Fortunately for me, I also got this fun fabric (is it bamboo or x-rays?) at my Garment Guild meetup to test it out! This is a heavier weight rayon and there was enough to cut this out comfortably. 

I made a M/L, and added 1.5" to the length. I made a narrow hem on the bottom so if I wanted a deeper one I'd add a bit more length. 

I like the way this fits, not too boxy and the shoulder and arm area is a good fit. The neck band is sewn using my favourite technique, one I learned with the Sorbetto long ago. The instructions have links to blog tutorials for this step, which would be handy if someone hasn't done this technique before. 

I also like the detail of the sleeve cuff, I think it adds something a little extra to this simple pattern. This only took me a few hours to cut and sew, and I am pleased with it. I may use this pattern again. 

Cover Designs! #41: Dolly All the Time

 

Cover Designs is a feature in which I try to match up the outfit on a book cover with a dress pattern and sometimes even potential fabric matches as well. Today's pick is Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan. It is coming out in May, just in time for a perfect summer read. 

What's it about? Here's what the publisher says:

Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.

So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high-society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself—can she really start now?

How can we match up that summery boat attire to a pattern? Maybe by trying this Dana romper by Sew DIY -- it looks just perfect for Dolly! 

Or, you could try this Ellis Romper by Tiana's Closet for a comfy elastic waist version. It's even in Dolly's colours! 

Throw in a bonus men's pattern for shorts and tee, like this one by NovaPattern, and you can make his look to match! 

If you use a red linen like this option from Pure Linen Envy, you may get a nice light outfit! 

If you want something drapier, try a rayon of some kind, perhaps like this challis from Mimi Fabrics. 

Whatever you might choose, I hope you are starting to think about summer and maybe taking a little day trip on a sunny sea! 

Weekend Review: Expressive Embroidery

Expressive Embroidery / Chloe Amy Avery
Ramsbury, UK: Crowood Press, c2025.
144 p.

 

This was a fresh, interesting read! It's not about patterns, it's about learning the basics and then using stitch as expression of your own artistic outlook. Written by an artist, it starts from the design side of things rather than the technical, and it really is what is says -- all about expression in stitch. 

The examples and projects in the book are all Avery's distinctive work, very painterly. The projects are near the end, and are all small projects intended to teach a technique or method, not really a "project" project. Anyone who has been embroidering for a while will have to relearn, as the specialty stitches and techniques of traditional embroidery aren't the point here. We see a lot of straight stitches, overlapping, using colour as the primary focus. The pieces can feel like sketches, with many of them showing different techniques for finishing, mounting etc. There is even a short bit on machine assisted embroidery (freehand, not computerized). 

But beginners will be interested too. The book contains some of the basics of fabrics, threads, tools and techniques -- there are a handful of standard stitches shown but there's also an emphasis on freestyling. Plus there are chapters on design and colour, from an artistic perspective, including how to notice light and take inspiration photos for your own creations. A reader who is wanting to create their own designs and/or their own distinctive style will find this book inspiring. 

Stitchers looking for a new perspective outside of traditional embroidery, especially those interested in stitching as an art form, will want to read this one. I found it really engaging. 

BHMPD Challenge: Daphne Maxwell Reid with McCalls 9125

For my first project of the month, I made up the tunic from this McCalls 9125 Daphne Maxwell Reid design. It is also a project for the Black History Month Pattern Designers Challenge! 

I picked up this pattern while thrifting a few months ago, and haven't been able to get it out of my mind. So I found a lightweight cotton in the stash and went for it. So, this also fits into the PatternReview Stash contest :) 

I chose to make the short tunic with longer sleeves for this project. The pattern includes two tunic views, a light over-jacket, pull on pants and a skirt, and a scarf. A whole wardrobe here! 

I had this lighter weight cotton with a great print, so chose a simple pattern to highlight it. The tunic has a rounded off squared neckline (a favourite style for me) and slits in the side seams. I really like the details in this otherwise simple pattern. 

I was careful to line up the centre fold along the middle of one motif so that there would be balance in the print. It was pretty straightforward! Front, back, sleeve and facing pieces. I did shorten both the body and the sleeve, by about an inch each. I ended up making a deep hem on the sleeve so I could fold it up in a little cuff, as well. If I did this again I would add a touch of width to the sleeve to allow for more room for a cuff. It works here but another half inch would make an improvement to fit. 

I gave the bottom a narrower 5/8" hem and feel that it worked out pretty well! I really like the colours here and the traditional print -- although the colour is hard to capture in these photos. I think that maybe it's really halfway between the closeup of the side slits and the large photos. 

Daphne Maxwell Reid is a former model, an actress, photographer, and fashion designer - including creating patterns for the Big 4. I have found a handful of her patterns from the 90s at my local thrift stores, and was really drawn to this one! I love this tunic and this fabric, and I still have lots of her patterns to try out! 

As styled on this still chilly day