Free Children's Vintage Cross Stitch Patterns

Looking through my stash of vintage cross stitch patterns I decided to add a few more free patterns, this time children's themed patterns.  The first two, old fashioned little girls, would be super easy and fast to sew, could be quickly stitched into holiday ornaments or stitched side-by-side for a pretty sampler for a little girl's room.

Sunbonnet Sue style:

This page depicts several old fashioned scenes of children playing..... love the skaters!

Not children, but these patterns could be used to decorate children's clothing or maybe embellish baby sheets, the bunnies, squirrel and Doxie dogs are pretty darn cute!  Of course, the scary kitties would be better for Halloween decorations and the rooster would be great on a tea towel.

And I don't know the story behind this but it reminds me of a storybook tale ..... perhaps Hansel and Gretel?

 Coming from the same page are these adorable bunnies.  Love the repeat pattern!

There is something charming about old fashioned imagery that never seems to go out of style.  These vintage cross stitch patterns are just as sweet today as there were 100 years ago when there were first published.

Vintage 1940s Tablecloths

Recently I came in to possession of some bright and delightful vintage tablecloths from the 1940s and 50s.    The imagery is charmingly retro that would still work today.  These vintage tablecloths have the typical spot here and there, and maybe a pin hole or two, but something you'd expect after all these years.

This chicken tablecloth is one of my favorites!

The tablecloth below has a retro Hawaiian feel to it and I love the teal and rose colors!

And can you guess the theme of this next tablecloth?  Perfect for a Tex Mex barbecue and the colors are BOLT, this tablecloth doesn't have much fading at all, really crisp.

There are a couple of Colonial themed tablecloths including this one.  This vintage tablecloth is printed but has the appearance of embroidery.

This tablecloth would be perfect for a little girl's tea party, it's covered in dreamy little girl activities including this pony ride.

These are just a few examples of the terrific vintage 1940s tablecloths currently on hand.  You can see these and others in my Etsy shop.  They make a bright addition to the kitchen breakfast nook and the imagery is just as charming today as it was when they were made.

Vintage Christmas Cross Stitch Patterns

Christmas is a little more than a month away which leaves plenty of time to create using these vintage Christmas cross stitch patterns.  These cross stitch patterns came from an original vintage pattern book from the 1920s.

The first thing that comes to mind are Christmas ornaments!  The first chart could easily be made into a Christmas ornament and personalized with the family monogram.  What a unique gift this would make for someone special!

In addition to ornaments, the swag above would look charming on napkins, tablecloth corners or even pillowcase edgings.  Below are all the letters of the alphabet for easy personalization.

And here comes Santa Claus!  These Christmas ornaments would take a little longer to create but would look great on any Christmas tree and would make very special gifts!

Time to get cracking!  With Christmas just around the corner, time to get out the trusty embroidery floss and start stitching!  I just love this timeless, vintage Christmas look and can't wait to get started with these fun vintage Christmas cross stitch patterns!

Vintage Rag Scrap Quilt

Since I'm on a quilt theme, here's another vintage quilt that's a real sweetie.  This one came into my collection through an online auction.  Although I'm not certain of it's age, it's definitely vintage and well loved.

The colors are a bit faded, especially the pink which I suspect was once actually red.

The elements that I find so attractive about this vintage rag quilt are it's scrappiness and randomness.  It reminds me of a crazy quilt but without the embroidery.  Yet it's still orderly with it's predictable pink diamonds.

Here's a good shot of the hand quilting.  Not tiny, perfect stitches but the whole quilt is lovingly covered in hand stitches.

The fabrics include a lot of plaids but also sweet prints like these.  Makes me think that maybe this was made in the 1930s or 1940s.

Considering it's size, which is twin, the use of plaids and that the pink looks like a faded red, I wonder if this sweet quilt was made by a loving mother for her son.

I just adore vintage quilts and truly admire the amount of time and effort that was put into these handmade treasures.  This vintage rag quilt is a perfect example of that.

Vintage 1930s Double Wedding Ring Quilt

This incredible, vintage 1930s Double Wedding Ring quilt is in pristine condition.  It is completely hand quilted and was lovingly pieced together decades ago.  The colors are crisp and traditional for the era.

Probably the most amazing thing of all about this quilt is what it cost.  I have seen vintage 1930s Double Wedding Ring quilts in antique shops, antique malls and for sale online.  This sweetie was found in a thrift store.  A thrift store!

Someone gave grandma's lovingly made Double Wedding Ring quilt away to the thrift store!  And I picked it up for 15 bucks.  I saw it out of the corner of my eye and snapped it right up, I knew what a treasure I had found!

Check out the handwork of these stitches on the curve of the Double Wedding Ring:

Here you can see the backing of the quilt and it's sweet shade of lavender.  Interestingly, the purple used on the front of the quilt is a different shade than the back, a brighter, redder purple.

The take home message is keep your eyes open, you never know what goodies you'll find or where.  For $15.00 I purchased a real treasure in this vintage 1930s Double Wedding Ring quilt and you can bet that I ALWAYS check the quilt section when I visit the thrift store!

Vintage 1930s Dresden Plate Quilt Pattern

It's been so long since these Dresden Plate quilt pieces came into my life that I really can't remember where I got them.  More than likely a rummage sale, garage sale or the like.  All I do know is that these little treasures probably were made in the 1930s considering the fabric and the popularity of the Dresden Plate pattern at the time.

Since the sun provided such wonderful light yesterday, I decided to take advantage of it and photograph these unfinished quilt pieces.

I have a warm spot in my heart for 1930s fabrics and these pretty prints are still bright and cheerful after all these years!  These Dresden Plate quilt pieces have a variety of colors and print sizes that give the overall look a balanced feeling.

The grey striped fabric on the left is intriguing with it's modern take on the leaf motif.  One of the things I love about 1930s fabric prints are how they are sweetly old-fashioned, yet new in design.

The seamstress sewed the Dresden Plate pieces by machine but turned down the edges by hand.  Here you can see the her hand basting in preparation for appliqué.

There are six of these beautiful Dresden Plate pieces waiting to be turned into a quilt, it's just a matter of time.  Fortunately, they will blend beautifully with current reproduction 1930s fabrics and a new, yet retro quilt can be made easily.  Well, time to get to work!

Girl Scout Sweater Pattern

I've been digging through my vintage Girl Scout collection of books and memorabilia and came across this sweater pattern.  It comes from a vintage Girl Scout handbook for the older girl.  It appears that after the sweater is knit, the trefoil design is cross stitched on.

What makes this a neat project is that you could cross stitch the pattern onto a ready-made sweater if you aren't a knitter.

This would also be a great project to do with younger Scouts too.  Have the girls practice their cross stitch embroidery on simple grid fabric as they learn to sew.

A terrific knitting and cross stitch pattern from a vintage Girl Scout handbook ready for Scouts today!

Vintage Ann Orr Cross Stitch Patterns

Here  are some sweet vintage cross stitch patterns by Ann Orr that would be so lovely to create today.  Feel free to print these little sweeties and stitch away!  You may want to enlarge them first for easier reading.  These vintage patterns were originally published in the 1920's and come from an antique pattern book.

Either of these would look so nice in a baby nursery, a little sunbonnet girl and alphabet.

Fruit for the kitchen, this would make a nice house warming gift!

Stay tuned for more free vintage Ann Orr cross stitch patterns coming soon!

Button, button, who's got the button?

One of the perks of having a sewing business is being surrounded by pure loveliness like these Czech, iridescent buttons.  These buttons just shimmer and dazzle in the light!  I've added them to numerous projects from pretty little dresses, to coats and craft totes.  These buttons always add a little extra something to make the final product special.

A collection of Czech glass buttons.

Beautiful lavender

Blue and gold

Tulip motif

Awesome modern pop to this one!

These Czech buttons come in varying sizes from quite small to very large.  I've found them at several locations but by far the best source for me has been online auctions.  They can be spendy, but oh so worth it if you was to add pop to your favorite sewing project!

Here's an example of a pretty little craft tote that I made and embellished with one of the rose glass buttons.  It really added the right touch to the final product.

Happy crafting!

Starting at the Beginning....

Sentimental Baby began in 1998 as a specialty garment business specializing in custom Christening or Baptismal gowns, First Communion and special occasion dresses featuring hand embroidery, high quality fabrics and vintage laces.  Here are some examples of work from this early time.

This sweet First Communion gown and head piece were made out of Swiss Nelona batiste fabric, vintage and antique laces and was detailed with hand smocking and delicate silk ribbon hand embroidery.

First Communion Dress, photo by Susan Ewbank.

Another early example is this special occasion dress showing the front and side sleeve.  It was also created with Swiss Nelona  batiste fabrics and beautiful antique and vintage laces, and detailed with hand embroidery.

Bullion rose detailing on sleeve and collar.

Antique laces and shadow work embroidery at the hem.

Occasionally I'd work in either silk or, as in this example, wool.  This little coat also features hand embroidery on the collar, the handmade buttons and on the sleeves.

Rose bullion embroidery on collar and handmade buttons.

Sleeve detail.

These early pieces are some of Sentimental Baby's favorite First Communion gowns, specialty dresses and dainty little coats!  I'll share more soon!  :-)