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Costuming and Chaos

The world is a pretty overwhelming place right now. Here in Washington, all the schools in 3 counties just closed for 6 weeks. The grocery store is absolute chaos. Life as we know it is suddenly suspended. For my own sanity, I want to escape into a world of pretty dresses and tea parties. To
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Embroidery Inspiration – Valentine’s Day – Love Tokens

Happy Valentine’s Week! Love never seems to go out of style, so this week I’m taking a look at embroidery that features expressions of love, hearts, and other romantic elements. This 18th century letter case would be the the perfect place to store love notes, don’t you think? It’s made from red silk damask embroidered
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Embroidery Inspiration – Shoes

I love pretty footwear from all eras, but beautifully embroidered shoes have a special place in my heart. Perhaps it’s because shoes are one of the few pieces of clothing or accessories I’ve never made, and when combined with embroidery, they seem tantalizingly unattainable. In past centuries both hand embroidery and hand-made footwear were much
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Embroidery Inspiration – Aprons

This week’s embroidery inspiration is aprons – especially the delightfully impractical kind covered in ornate embroidery. While most aprons serve the practical purpose of keeping one’s gown clean, they can also be the perfect canvas to showcase your wealth or embroidery skills. While I generally prefer items to have a nice balance of form and
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Embroidery Giveaway – “Hannah” Pocket

Time for another giveaway! This month I’m offering up a copy of the “Hannah” pocket design. This design is based on an extant example in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession number T.42-1935. The machine embroidery design is digitized to be used with thicker threads like Madeira Lana Wool Blend Embroidery Thread*, 30 weight silk embroidery
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18th Century Embroidered Pocket Alignment Tutorial

Recently, I was asked about a pocket alignment tutorial video for designs like my mid-18th century pocket and new “Hannah” pocket. Video tutorials have been on my list for quite a while, so I got busy and recorded one to share with my sew-along group on Facebook. Speaking of the sew-along – the group was
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18th c. Hannah Pocket Embroidery Design

A new 18th c. pocket is joining the Romantic Recollections line. The Hannah pocket embroidery design is dated to 1718-20 and is named after the young lady who embroidered it, Hanna Haines. The original pocket is in the collection of the V&A Museum, and details can be found on the VADS Pockets of History page. The
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18th c. Fichu – Corner Options

I’m working on the 18th c. fichu from the Met this weekend, designing a corner (or maybe two) and some engageantes to match the border and tapered end I created in August. This involves a bit of guesswork, since there is only one view of the fichu on the museum’s website, and no information about
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Historical Hand Embroidery Patterns Are Here!

NEW! Historical Hand Embroidery Patterns The second most frequently asked question* this year has been, “do you sell historical hand embroidery patterns?” Finally, I can say YES! Romantic Recollections now offers historical hand embroidery patterns, machine embroidery designs, and custom orders. I’ve been busy these past few weeks, crafting the new PDF format so that the historical hand embroidery
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A Regency bonnet veil

Earlier this summer I received an inquiry about making a Regency bonnet veil, which was exciting because I hadn’t considered that application for my embroidery designs. The inspiration example showed a length of wide antique lace, very delicate and flowing. Of course, embroidery and lace are different, but good lace in wide widths can be difficult
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