Day6 of 100 Days

This flat iron probably sums it all up for me. I think it is a standard Salter's flat iron, but someone hasn't wanted to let it go, and painted it after it was finished with. The colours seem to be 1950s to me.

And I am a descendant of the Salters of Salters Scales (and irons), so these ones particularly interest me.

This one could do with a little clean - but isn't all that bad. I am working on my own rusty one at home, and it needs more attention than this one.

It's All Too Much!!!!

It's all toooo much for me. I need to see iron photographs from other people. And Trivets. And to talk to people about dating irons.

So I have formed a Flickr group Antique Irons.

In the hope others out there might have pictures they would like to share - with and without names and dates.

I can't help it - it is in my blood (more tomorrow!).

Day 5 of 100 Days

Today it is Trivets - for Irons. Which are usually Iron Trivets too. These two are beautiful, even though one is broken and mended. They come from a time when we did not easily throw things away.

And they would have been essential for the spirit irons - you couldn't stand them on end, or put them on the stove.

Tomorrow the Flat Irons start.

Day 4 of 100 Days

Here is my detail from the Sarah Carter Collection at Old Gippstown (previously Gippsland Heritage Park).

I have decided I will try and stick to that collection, although maybe an iron or two will creep in from other buildings as we reorganise them - the best collection is heading for the window at Sarah Carter's.

This one is the Mrs Potts - the iron I grew up with in the 1950s and early 1960s, as I did not live in a home with proper electricity until I was 12. My mother would have a number of these sitting on the stove, and you went from one to another with the detachable handle. As one cooled, you put it back on the stove and picked up another. Ironing in summer was murder, as it had to be done near a stove hot enough to heat the irons.

It was first patented in the USA in 1871 by Mrs Potts.

And here is a follow-up from yesterday. Although I could not date yesterday's iron, it has to be earlier than this one, which I can date.

This one is from Stratford Historical Society - where we know the exact date in 1947 that it was purchased. It was bought by a student nurse with her first pay, so that she could iron her starched uniform.

Day 3 of 100 days

Here is my iron for Day three - yesterday's blue enamel spirit iron has morphed into a blue enamel electric iron!

I know one iron much later than this is from 1948, so I reckon this one is somewhere in the 1920s to 1940s range. With a very early pin, unlike the flat ones we have today, and a bakelite handle.

Just think how ecstatic the Crazy Patcher would have been to get an electric iron! And this one will sit on its end, so trivets are on the way out.

My Mother, wonderful crafter that she was, was still using irons heated on the stove into the 1960s. We haven't even started to look at them yet.

Day 2 of a Hundred Days

Here is another Iron for Day 2 of 100 Details in 100 Days.

My best guess for this one is 1930s - you will see why tomorrow. Although it may be a bit older.

So, imagine doing your Crazy Patch in the 1930s, still with highly inflammable liquid running a fire in the iron. You can see the handle has caught fire at some stage.

As Allison said - scary stuff!

100 details in 100 days - Day 1

Sharonb has started a minor (or maybe it is major) movement with 100 Details in 100 Days. These, in her case are seam treatments. And a wonderful group are joining in, and stitching along. Or posting their own details.

Life is too busy at the minute, but I do so want to join in - so I am going to do 100 details in 100 days - only mine will be details from the collection on which I am working - and all will be somehow related to Crazy Patch. Some times the bow I draw may be a little long - but I will get there.

For the next few days it is going to be irons - ironing as each piece of fabric is pieced in is important to me.

Here is my favourite iron - as yet undated. It is a spirit iron with a beautiful wooden handle and detailed plate below it. Imagine doing your ironing with the iron being warmed by a flame from the highly inflammable petrol or shellite used in the irons.

This one will be off for a good cleaning and oiling soon - but rusty as it is, it is still beautiful.

Day 1 down - back tomorrow for Day 2

Buttonmania is having a Sale

If you are in Melbourne, Buttonmania is having a Sale!!!! Al this week until Saturday.

How do I know? GirlPrinter is moving to the same building, and has discovered Buttonmania!!!!

I cannot believe how things sometimes come together.

Wonder if she has found the Japanese fabric place yet, in the same building

Sharon has been Squidooing

Oooh, Sharonb has been Squidooing.

Check out her Crazy Quilt Squidoo, and then look at the "My Other Lenses" link below her profile, on the right.

Looks like as much fun as you can have with all your clothes on.

Need a Map a cut lunch and a compass

I need a map, a cut lunch and a compass to find my way home ......

It started like this:

I regularly read the news on the Net, on our National Broadcaster, the ABC. And, on the sidebar they now have these blogs, one of which is Articulate, for the "arts". Now usually I have been a bit disappointed with these blogs - but this one caught my eye as it sort of started out about World Knit in Public Day, and that sort of thing.

Then it was on.

That led me to Craftivism (you need to go in at that point to see the Purple Sheep, and check out the explanation of Craftivism), which led me to the Craftivism blog. Fascinating stuff if you are into academic discussion and want to really strain the boundaries of your mind.

Which led me to Museum Blogging, and the discussion about Craft Hierarchies - you know all that stuff about is it art, or is it craft, or what do you call it. And what Australians call it, as opposed to what others call it. And there are all these sidebar links about the higher end of Museum Thought.

I could be lost in there all day. Except it is my day to head out to my museum (all 42 buildings of it, 43 counting the Cockie's Cage, which I find someone actually catalogued as a building!!!!), and I think my dialogue will be more with a mop than an academic.

But I have had an e-mail talking about another sampler there that has reappeared ......

Stand by for pictures.

But then I went down another by-way, and found this project on Craftivism ....

Be nice to see some of "our type" on there. I wonder if I am game to send a picture of me ....

Spirit Dolls

Have just been looking at the Spirit Dolls on Robyn Atkins site. And her blog, Bead Lust.

I forget whose blog it was that pointed me in that direction, but thank you, to whoever it was.

A little bit of stitching is happening on the Dragonfly Wall hanging - I don't know why I put a backing on - it is going to look just as "busy" as the back of the joined blocks. But then, no-one sees it. Or, if they do, they can pass on the inclination to judge. *grin*

More on the old embroidery

Thank you all for your comments on the old embroidery. We have now been able to get it off the wall, and it may or may not be quite as old as we thought - ie early colonial. But it is very old.

Still shooting through one piece of glass, this is a detail of the ship - very complex.

And this is a section of the rear - where the paper has totally shattered away.

The larger version of this is HERE.

There are a few interesting things on the rear. It is very old, as I know how to recognise hand-made nails, and I think it has been framed using them. However the remnants of a framer's label (totally unreadable) can be found, so it is unlikely to be colonial framing.

And the thing that interested me most, as seen here, are that the colours are much more vivid - in a totally different palette to that which I expected. I am going to look at it a little further, but the main threads appear to be something like a very loose #8 cotton a broder. With the rigging of the black being like sewing cotton.

So that's me for a couple of days - back about Thursday. When I may have something to show off from around the edges of the Dragonfly wall hanging.

I'm Bouncing

I am in a state of confusion - I now have three people who have e-mailed me over the past few weeks (some a few times), who now tell me I am bouncing. One is at Hotmail, so his bounce messages tell us nothing.

But if there is anyone out there who has a bounce for an e-mail to me (not a comment on this blog - an e-mail to me), or who gets one and can print and mail me the full headers - we would really appreciate it here.

It has got us beat, as some e-mails are obviously getting though. Some get bounces, some don't get anything, but I don't get the e-mails.

So if anyone e-mails me, and gets a bounce that tells you anything - can you find a way of letting me know. Maybe even by putting a comment on here, giving what it says is the reason for the bounce or the error number - that will get through to me.

Thanks. :)

UFO alert

Yep - It is a UFO alert. Yesterday I had a lovely day at Maggie Robertson Design, working on my UFOs. There was only Carole, from MaggieR, Wendy and I, and a lovely big workroom. So I could spread right out, and work slowly and precisely.

First, it was the fans. First layer of binding is on:

Then it was the Dragonflies - first layer on too:

And finally I got to cut strips to audition them for the Peacock Wall Hanging:

Now - all these are square. Trust me. It is difficult to get an exact;y right-angled shot of something on the floor when you are teetering on the first from the top step on a small wooden ladder. Come to think of it - I could have done the dragonflies and fans standing on a chair!

I am booked in there for next month's UFO day, when hopefully these will be finished. I am still thinking on extra embellishment to go around them. Thinking braid and beads, and trying to decide if appropriate, for Fans and Peacocks. But maybe embroidery for the Dragonflies.

Stand by .....

Oh My Sainted Aunt

Oh My Sainted Aunt. My block for the Breast Cancer Raffle in Omaha in the USA was mounted as a single block wall hanging - and someone paid $66 for it. I am in awe.

Kate does a wonderful job on these - wish she had a blog!

You can see the process of making the block HERE.

Sampler - better picture

Only a quick post this morning - I am off to a UFO Day, and who knows what I might come home with.

In the meantime, I have managed a better picture of the 1842 sampler, this time through only one lot of glass, and out in natural light.

The very, very large one is HERE.

Any comments welcome - Pamela, I still don't know if it is silk or not, but the stitches are very close.

Mystery Embroidery

As you may have gathered, I am enjoying doing some work at the local museum. Where this embroidery now has my attention.

A very large size is HERE.

What has me, is that this appears to be a very early embroidery of a colony, possibly with icebergs in the background.

I'm not sure if it is Australian. There is a rough Union Jack on one flag, and this one with stripes and three stars on the right:

The very large one of that is HERE.

The whole thing is mainly long stitch, and has me fascinated. Does anyone know the flag, or have any suggestions as to what I should be looking for???? Nothing is known about where it came from. These photographs are through glass in low light, so don't show just how complex and detailed this work actually is.

You can get some idea of the size from Joan's hand under the photo - it is quite large, and in an old frame.

Do go visit Allison

Allison Aller is doing it again. This has to be one of my all-time favourite blogs. Allison is just back from, is it a week, away with Martha Green and others, and is posting beautiful, detailed photographs with the most insightful commentary.

A must, must, must to read.

Thank You. Allison.

Little Sewing Machine

Not a lot of blogging time around here lately, as life is busy.

So I hope you are not tired of swing machines - this one is a beauty

It is a model A Wanzer from Canada, from about 1875.

When I first saw it in its glass cabinet, I put it aside as a toy machine, as it is only 27cm (10.5 inches) high. But a later examination and research has shown it to be a "proper" machine.

And can you see the fabric on it? It is a bit hard through glass, but it turned out to be the wrong side of a rick rack sampler - different ways of sewing it on.

I took more photos yesterday (these were from a week ago, or so), but shortly after, my camera (read DH's brand new camera) was stolen.

Not happy here.

Back in a couple of days. If you are tired of sewing machines, I am going on to irons next!

An 1870s Singer

Today I was out cataloguing Sewing Machines again (Googs - didn't get a chance to get back to you - Fridays until further notice - although I realise some people are going globe-trotting).

This one was my pleasant surprise.

This is possibly an 1870s treadle - I didn't realise they made them that early as treadles. It is beautifully inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and I am itching to give it a very gentle clean.

It has an ingenious folding box cover, and beautiful ironwork for the base.

It was just so unexpected - when I saw it across a locked room, I thought it was good - I just didn't expect it to be this good!