A-Z of Heirloom Sewing, our Book of the Month

Dionne    Book of the Month, What's New     country bumpkin, handmade, heirloom sewing, materials

Another winner from Country Bumpkin

In a world of consistantly declining sequels and deteriorating variations on a theme, Country Bumpkin maintains their first class standards with their latest offering A-Z of Heirloom Sewing.  We bought our first copies on reputation alone and are not disappointed.  Neither are our customers, those copies sold out within a week and our latest shipment is rapidly heading out the door.  The reason every good Needlecraft shop and every stitchers library should hold these books is simple.  They have the best explained and illustrated product on the market.  An absolute beginner can pick these up and create something lovely.  A more experienced stitcher can hone their skills. 

A-Z of Heirloom Sewing contains all those skills and techniques Grandma tried to teach you, and you promptly forgot.  The breathtakingly beautiful finishes of yesteryear are brought to life and shown simply and clearly with descriptions and photographs that boulster the confidence of any stitcher tackling a simple dress with an embellished collar or a new family heirloom that will be photographed from every angle and handed down for generations to come.  While most of the illustrations appear for children’s and babies clothes, many of the techniques can be used for more delicate garments such as a traditional nightgown or a wedding dress.  In a world that has focussed on mass production, Country Bumpkin’s A-Z series has been at the forefront of preserving the knowledge bank of traditional needlework techniques and shown us some nifty tricks and shortcuts to creating a traditional look with modern materials.  Available in store and online now RRP $34.95.

When bad things happen to your nice stitching

Dionne    Feel good stuff, What's New     celtic autumn, lavendar and lace, materials, stitching, teresa wentzler

Heartbreak!   You have invested money on materials, and countless hours of your precious time and your beautiful piece is ruined! 

I once dropped a cup of coffee on Teresa Wentzler’s Noah’s Ark, after swearing, I threw it in cold water immediately.  It was milk coffee and protein in milk will set if heat is applied first.  It worked a treat, but not in the same league as permanent damage ie super glue.  Suggestion here is wait until dry, and prick all the holes with a sharp.  Then roll the fabric diagonally, sideways and up and down between your fingers to make it flexible again.  There is very little you can do with the stain if there is one, and if it is very obvious, stitching over it with an added design may be your only option. 

If however it isn’t your fault and somehow a product changes colour as you put it on, as in the case of one of our customers.  Her cross stitch Lavendar and Lace, Celtic Autumn was nearly finished, imagine her disappointment as she realised the feature beads in the dress and around the border were slowly changing from the pumpkin orange in the packet to a big bird yellow the longer they were attached to the piece.  We have exchanged the beads but the magic of the piece is gone and she just cannot bring herself to take the beads off and replace or even look at it. 

Based on past experience I know if it was me, I would stuff it in the cupboard and not look at it again … ever!  What would you do?