Images of my visit to the Almonte Textile Museum

By on 9-30-2011 in Mixed Media, Original photos, Places to See, Vintage

My visit to the Almonte Textile Museium during this year’s Fiberfest was a wonderful treat. Upstairs there is a wonderful display of machinery as well as wooden spools and spindles. I spent almost two hours there taking one shot after another knowing they would be beautiful. I love earth tones and the machines are rusted, the spindles and spools are made of wood that has been polished through long handling. One word describes them to me and that is magnificent.

spools

Spools and spindles are sitting in large cardboard boxes beside the machines they were used on.

spindles from old cotton mill

weigh scales

This Toledo weigh scale caught my attention as I was leaving and had to go back to take more photos. I love the colours and the inner workings of this piece of equipment.

mill scale close up

scale close up

weigh scale close up

Shuttles were displayed in a box as well. How many hands have used these tools? How I wish they could tell us their stories.

shuttles

Vintage Autumn Embroidery

By on 9-21-2011 in art quilts, Embroidery, Vintage, Vintage Patterns

Pumpkins, wheat and corn cobs fill this cornucopia. It is a perfect embroidery pattern for this time of year. This is another pattern from the vintage McCall’s transfer books.

cornucopia with pumpkin

This cornucopia would be great on your Thanksgiving table as a runner or table mats. As an embroidered centerpiece among a maple leaf blocks it would be stunning, or used as a pattern for an appliqued block it would be a more modern table quilt.

Gene Autry, the singing cowboy…my first ATCs ever

By on 9-15-2011 in Digital Images + Collage, Mixed Media, Vintage

These are my first ATCs. The topic was the Wild West and I thought of Gene Autry right away. When I was a young girl my mother made me a cowgirl outfit for my birthday and added cowgirl boots, hat, guns and holster. I wore them to the Toronto Canadian Exhibition where Gene was starring. He spotted me and waved Hi. A great memory.

Gene Autry, the singing cowboy

Gene Autry sang “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” as well as other cowboy and Christmas songs. I can still remember him singing them.

Gene Autry, the singing cowboy

These ATCs were so much fun to make, beginning with finding vintage images to putting them together along with backgrounds in Photoshop using layers, styles and filters to make them all fit on the little 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ cards. I made the decision to sew them together to continue on using fabric for my creations.