Tag Archive: linen

Trips I Wish I Had Been On

As I have become the family archivist, I have gotten to virtually experience world travels.  My in-laws visited many countries in the 1980s and 90s, and sometimes their tours included textile centers.  Here… Continue reading

A Compendium of Sail Information

The most interesting thing to me about the Age of Sail is the textiles used to make the sails.  But as I have tried to find out more about them, I have been… Continue reading

A Weaver’s Counting Rhyme

These towels are based on a draft from Malin Selander’s Swedish Handweaving, which has a lovely cover that looks like a handwoven inlay. I love this book, but since it was issued in… Continue reading

A Family Textile Collection at the Smithsonian

Look at these two very similar samplers — They were made 57 years apart, the second one by the great-niece of the first, and based on her design. Many of us make quilts… Continue reading

A Treasury of Textiles

Today is Bastille Day, and while the crowds outside are celebrating with music and fireworks, let’s slip down a cool dim hallway to lose ourselves in a treasury of French craftsmanship. From 1732… Continue reading

Say It With Linens

A few years ago I bought some vintage raw silk yardage and a single-size linen sheet with gorgeous hem-stitching.  I finally got around to turning them into pirate shirts for my daughter and… Continue reading

We Interrupt Spring Cleaning…

As I have mentioned before, after our daughters grew up and moved out, my husband and I downsized from our typical suburban home, into a cottage that his family had built on their… Continue reading

Color Party, 1905-style

Working on the color blocks quilt reminded me of my favorite idea from that wonderful one-dollar bargain book, Bright Ideas for Entertaining, by Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott, 1905. Obviously these people were not… Continue reading

Early 1900s Boy’s Outfit

When you have old-fashioned skills like spinning and weaving, people assume you know about all things historical, and ask you to speak about them, especially to kids.  Because I think it’s so important… Continue reading