Souvenir de ma Jeunesse

A treasure to an embroidery fan, "Souvenir de ma Jeunesse" should simply translate to "Memories of my Youth" or "My Childhood Memories". This is what they called the "sampler bands" that were also reffered to as "pronklap"; stitched by Dutch schoolgirls in the late 19th & early 20th Centuries and were often the result of a year of school where girls learned different embroidery stitches & sewing and crochet & knitting techniques that they would be needing throughout their lives.

These sampler bands would generally start as simple techniques and would lengthen over the years with new additions as exercises were becoming more sophisticated and difficult. Some of these bands reached several meters long!

The girls of the grande bourgeoisie and nobility did not attend public schools but were trained in institutions or by residing instructors (like a governess or nanny).

These samplers are again very popular today and are being reproduced by contemporary Dutch stitchers!

Some nice pictures of Joke Visser's at l'Aiguille en Fête held this year in France; again from her stand, pictures taken by Tempus Fugit and some lovely samples at Berthi's blog. And last but not least, have a look at what my dear Gigi is showing us from her collection - probably the wildest of all!

Aaaaand finally, here is my humble sample that is about 125 cm long obviously not by a noble Dutch lady :)

All the info above are my recollection of what I have understood from the online Dutch-English translations over the months. So, please anybody with better knowledge, correct me!

A Textile Lover's Diary

Wonderful source!

Good morning everybody :)

To give you an idea as to where the latest free pattern comes from, I want to post pictures of the lovely doily / runner from possibly late 19th or early 20th Century ... The origin is France and it is a beautiful combination of filet (net) lace and richelieu!

When I bought it, it had a nice companion and here they are for your perusal :)

I do not yet know the technique of the joining lace. May be reticello or point coupé! Bobbin lace?

And here is another beautiful filet lace in my possession :)

 

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...

... filet lace making is a cure for nervous prostration? The New York Times, March 1st, 1914

Many Women of Fashion Learn the Art on Physicians' Advice Did you ever hear of Filet Lace making as a cure for nervous prostration? It is!

A famous maker of 'real lace', who supplies wedding veils and bridal caps to many of the country's prominent brides, and whose corps of assistants give lessons in all the latest stitches to women just as enthusiastic to learn them as they are to learn the latest steps of the newest dances, says that the curing of nerves is one of her regular occupations. Many women come to her to take up Filet Lace making on the recommendation of their physicians; and if they stick conscientiously to this diversion they almost always find relief.

It is the steady, monotonous work, both for the mind and the fingers, coupled with the fact that the attention is concentrated pleasantly on the working out of a given pattern, that makes Filet Lace making valuable as a nerve cure.

So much for the therapeutic value of Filet Lace making. It has another value that appeals to womankind. For this beautiful lace, used so lavishly on the wonderful pieces of household linen that the best shops show, can be made at comparatively small expense. And the work is neither very difficult nor very tedious.

Source : Filet Lace by the Sea

Le Filet Brodé, a free digital download from The University of Arizona (French text)

Erik Johansson

Some strange, but generally interesting photo & retouch!

Bu kanaviçe deseni bila-bedel buradan indirilebilir. Siteye ulaşmakta zorluk çekiyorsanız lütfen benimle irtibata geçin, ben size yollarım. Şayet deseni beğendinizse, sizden gönlünüzden ne koparsa bir bağış yapmanızı rica ediyorum. Sokak hayvanlarımız çok çaresiz ve yardıma muhtaç. Lütfen yardımınızı esirgemeyin. Bağış ve bilgi için burayı tıklayabilirsiniz ... Sonsuz teşekkürler!

This is a free cross stitch pattern. You can download the PDF at my webpage Patterns by Pelin Tezer under "With My Compliments" ... If you like the pattern, please make a donation to BGD an animal welfare association in Turkey, they need your help.Thank you!

C'est une grille point de croix gratuite. Vous pouvez telecharger le PDF chez Patterns by Pelin Tezer sous "With My Compliments" ... Si vous aimez la grille, SVP faire un don a BGD une association protectrice des animaux en Turquie, ils ont besoin de votre aide. Merci beaucoup!

İlk duyarlılığı benim sevgili Brezilya'lı arkadaşım Wal gösterdi ve hem bağış yaptı hem de kendi, yine bila-bedel hemen bir desen tasarladı. Ona tüm muhtaç dostlarımız adına teşekkür ediyorum. Deseni onun blogundan gün içinde indirebilirsiniz. Yine, bir sorun olursa bana ulaşabilirsiniz!

First reaction came from Wal of  WDC Design ... Wal was very generous to not only make a donation but also contributed with a design that will be posted at her blog today. I am thankful to the day she chose me as a friend. Bless you my dear sister across the ocean :)

Ma tres chere amie Wal de WDC Design a rapidement fait un don et a offert une cadeau pour nos amis les animaux! Vous pouvez trouver la grille a son blog aujourd'hui. Grace a toi ma chere Wal!

Cirque du Soleil

And many more HERE

Progress on the hand-sewn dress :)

These ain't balloons ...

... but naturally dyed wool for carpet weaving!

From our picnic trip with my friend to a nearby small town yesterday. I was very lucky to discover these wonders while looking for a spindle. Managed to convince the lady (from a weaving workshop built within their residence) to sell me a few balls. These are hand-dyed, hand-spun wool which were prepared to be used in one of the regional handwoven carpets. But as it appears, as many traditional crafts in Anatolia, it will remain a hibernating dream for a long while until newer generations take a step to rivatilize the tradition! The elderly lady had them stored in a deep corner of her supplies/storage for some years and has decided to share them with us prior our departure. As it seems, she may never get a chance to use them due to health problems on one of her shoulders!

I was also very lucky that she had a spindle for sale and she even performed a short course as to how to use the wooden spike.

Progress on my handsewn dress :)

I was watching tv the other night and our female cat jumped down the sofa and started curiously watching something on the floor. I always check whenever she is alert. We live in the middle of nature and you never know what is visiting with us. This time it was a small scorpion who was released back to nature (outside our territory) after the postures below :)