Vintage Recipe Cards for Crafting

Here's something new... but old!... and fun!  Vintage recipe cards!  I am an avid fan of Pinterest and one day while surfing for inspiration I came across a collection of vintage recipe cards that someone had put together.  Curious, I began looking around to see what others had created with these beautiful cards with the lovely, rich patinas and found some marvelous creations!  I was so inspired that I created my own "Vintage Recipe Cards" board which you can see here:

http://pinterest.com/sentimentalbaby/vintage-recipe-cards/

So I dug out a few that I have on hand to share with you for your craft projects.  These free vintage recipe cards can be downloaded and printed for any number of things.... scrapbooking, printing on fabric, collage, etc.  Or, used for their original purposes, the recipes look pretty yummy!

Here are some preserve and jelly recipes:

And pickles:

Now we're talking, pie recipes!  

These vintage recipe cards came from an estate sale and I don't know who they once belonged to.  I do know that whoever she was, she had lovely handwriting and a great love for creating yummy goodies in the kitchen.  I have several of these vintage recipe cards and I'll be sharing more.  Now let me think.... what else can be done with these beautiful, vintage recipe cards.... Christmas ornaments.... picture frame.... paper doll house mini.... I feel some inspiration coming on!  Time to get crafting!

Vintage 1920s Filet Crochet and Cross Stitch Patterns

As promised, more free vintage cross stitch or filet crochet patterns!  These patterns are more of the same series that I scanned recently so they're from the same time period, the 1910s and 1920s.  Just like the others, you can either use them as a template for cross stitch or, if you're into crochet, filet crochet.

The first two are pretty sprays of flowers that kind of remind me of fuchsias or lily of the valley:

A nice old fashioned rose pattern:

Easy little flower motif:

Here's another pattern that would look so sweet on a baby dress yoke, either cross stitched or filet crochet.  Love this little pattern!:

Nice corner patterns for hankies or napkins, these would also look great in the center of pretty handmade pillow covers:

This one's pretty elaborate but could be used for sheet edgings or the ends of a table runner:

I hope you enjoy these patterns as much as I've enjoyed sharing them with you!  And to think, it all started with a search through my vintage pattern book collection of something else entirely!  Now that I've hit the books, let's see what else I come up with to share.  Enjoy!

Free Vintage Colored Cross Stitch Pattern

As promised, here are some terrific vintage cross stitch patterns free for your use -- enjoy!  These patterns came from my vintage pattern book collection dated to the 1910s and 1920s.  The beauty of these patterns is that they are, for the most part small, so they can be stitched relatively quickly.  And there is no color chart for embroidery floss, so you can adjust the colors to your personal preference easily to match your decor.

These little cuties would look so pretty on a baby's dress or on a handkerchief corner:

Something for the animal lovers... love the crouching cat in the upper left corner:

The couple at the top of this chart have a sweet, old fashioned look to them that would be perfect on a sampler:

Simple patterns for corner work:

This is just beautiful, a pretty bouquet for a larger project.  And the charts at the top would make a nice edging to tea towels or finger tip towels for the guest bathroom:

 Swags and kewpie dolls awesomeness!:

More simple and easy projects, easy enough for beginning sewers or more experienced stitchers who have gift giving on the horizon:

You might want to blow these up for easier reading.  I have a few more vintage patterns to post in the next day or two for either cross stitch or filet crochet.  Just love these old time favorites -- happy stitching!

Log Cabin Quilt and 1930s Reproduction Fabric

Today I received a delightful surprise in my email inbox -- a photo of this beautiful lap quilt made by one of my wonderful Etsy customers for her very lucky mum.  She utilized the reproduction 1930s fabric that I stock in my Etsy shop, in addition to some complimentary fabric she acquired for the project and backed it with warm fleece.  The log cabin pattern lends itself well to this type of project, you can make your quilt practically any size without a lot of adjustment.

Here's the beautiful quilt:

Two fabric bundles were used for this quilt, this one:

And here's the other bundle:

I'm so excited to share this work, it's terrific to see the creative process in action.  This lap quilt, using vintage inspired fabric and a traditional pattern resulted in a very lovely, warm and cozy work of art, like a hug, wrapped in love.  Sweet!

Free Simple Vintage Cross Stitch Patterns

Like I promised, here are more vintage cross stitch patterns from my vintage pattern book collection.  These are simple, easy patterns that should come together quickly and can be done in your favorite colors of choice or in monochrome.  If crochet is your thing, these can also be used for filet crochet just as the first pattern indicates.

In honor of Easter, the first pattern has some really cute little bunnies that would look adorable on baby's bib:

Love the little gnomes in the center of this pattern page and the roosters at the bottom!  What a great motif for kitchen towels:

Here are a few simple corner patterns for napkins or small pillows:

Dainty little floral patterns would look lovely on a baby's yoke dress, either cross stitched or filet crochet:

 Stay tuned, coming up next, more vintage color plates for cross stitch embroidery!

Free Cross Stitch or Filet Crochet Patterns for Baby

On a bright, sunny day like today, you'd think I'd be out reveling in it.  But no, I'm totally absorbed in my vintage pattern book collection.  Naturally, I was looking for one thing, got distracted, and found these charming patterns instead.  These patterns came from a few different vintage pattern books dated from the 1910s and 1920s and all could be used for baby or toddler themed projects.  They can be worked in either cross stitch or filet crochet.

This first set shows an example in "plate 27"below of a small bag with these "School Days" images embroidered on it.  I can imagine these little girls embroidered on a sweet toddler's dress or on a babies pillow or sheet set, or even a lunch sack made by mom for that first day of school.  Or if crochet is your passion, these charts would be easy to read and could be adapted to any number of projects.

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The following patterns came from a different vintage pattern book dated 1916 and could be used for dainty baby clothes, caps or booties, blankets, diaper covers, you name it.  Or they could be used for napkins, book covers, embellishments to your clothing or tea towels.  I especially the the nautical scene on the second page:

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If you have experience sewing and want to combine your love of cross stitch, sewing and crochet into a special dress for your favorite little girl, here's a neat project for you.  The first page below describes the process, you just need to either have a plain, simple old-fashioned style dress already, or you could make one yourself out of lawn or fine cotton.

Here's the instruction sheet:

The yoke embroidery pattern:

And the yoke and sleeve crochet charts:

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The following vintage patterns came from a lovely vintage 1922 pattern book.  These are also suitable for either cross stitch or filet crochet.

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I'll be posting more vintage cross stitch and filet crochet patterns, some in color and some like the charts just above, so stay tuned.  Who knows what I'll find next in my vintage pattern book library!