One thing that was an adjustment for me when we moved to the country two years ago was the lack of thrift stores. I was used to living in an inner ring suburb that had many thrift shops. I love to go wandering around a Goodwill to find vintage linens, handknit baby sweaters and other treasures. The positive flip side of moving to the country is that there are a whole lot of antique shops. We have two or three on our town's square and there is a fabulous one in the neighboring village.
I purchased an antique Jenny Lind toddler bed for Tess there the other day. It is very sturdy and cost less than one of the plastic race car/princess types that can be found at Walmart. One thing that I've had no trouble finding at any of the local shops is redwork. I am so fond of redwork and I think it looks cheery any time of year. I found a vintage redwork crib-sized quilt a couple of days after I bought the bed. The shop owner said it was made in the 1930s but it could've been made a few years ago. It is in wonderful condition and is not threadbare or stained in any way. I am pretty excited about the pair!
Here's a closeup of some of the quilt squares.
Here are a couple of vintage redwork, cross-stitched table runners that I've picked up over the years. I can hear my mother's voice in my head telling me that I should have ironed these before posting photos. :)
One wonderful book of redwork patterns is called Redwork from the Workbasket. It is a compilation of patterns from the crafting magazine The Workbasket, which boasts a sixty year history. I am working on a pattern for a pillow that reads "Sweet Dreams". I'll post photos as I progress. :) There are so many nice pattern books and many, many free patterns to be found online for people interested in redwork or embroidery in general.
Do you do redwork embroidery? What are some of your favorite sources for patterns?
Thank you for visiting today!
