A Blast From the Past

UFO's are nothing new to me. Nor are finished project that never found a home.

Like this. A single pillow case (the mate is still not finished being embroidered.) with crochet lace for the edge. These projects survived 3 moves! Finally, I am getting around to finishing them.

The crochet? Its a pattern from a booklet sold by Woman's Day magazine sometime before 1978. I made a lot of crochet lace from that book. 10 years ago, when I was moving, I gave some lace to my D-I-L, a lace collar and cuffs (That she too, has failed to use! No doubt someday my granddaughter will have the opportunity not to use it too)

I have 2 rings of this yellow lace (42 inches each) to trim the edges of pillow cases I started to embroider before 1978--  some 37 years ago! 

I found these pillow cases (and another pair--not embroidered at all)  while on my hunt for the white embroidery floss.

I have been finishing up the other case, and will give it a good wash (this one was washed earlier this week) and sew on the lace and have a pretty pair of pillow cases. These kits (pre printed cases) are so old, they are 100% cotton. I have had completed sets in years past—my summer pillow and sheet sets.

100% cotton is cooler feeling (more absorbent) than poly-cottons, and my summer sheets used to be embroidered cotton top sheets, and embroidered pillows, and no spread or coverlet at all. I feel (and have always felt) that embroidered sheets were pretty enough on their own—just pull up and smooth the sheet, fluff the pillows with the embroidered ones on top and the bed was made and pretty enough.

The sheet wore out over the years, and finding 100% is not as easy. But maybe at some point I will make an effort and make some more/new embroidered top sheets and pillow cases. I still don't have any window air conditioners, and I need cotton sheets more than ever. (NYC is in a near heat wave—it won't quite reach 90° ( 32°c.) today, --but last night (overnight) was hot too, with the low being 78° (25.5°) which is uncomfortable warm. Tomorrow will be back in the 90° again, but at least a little less humid.

As for the white floss and grommets? A BUST! I had not realized my local ACMoore store was closing—and my visit there Tuesday was a sad experience. A few bits here and there, but nothing much is left at all. There was some floss, but white and black, gone! And grommets (and all scrapbooking material) gone--except for a few picked over bits.

What I did find was some #3 purl cotton in a silver white, (and some silver floss) and some off white (a cream shade)--I think the sneakers are going to be done in the silver and silvery white... the cream? Well it will be used for something, at some point.

I have 2 options left for the grommets—Michaels, and a local store (well not local to me, but local to my DD) that is one of those have everything stores –it's called Raindew—and it's a small chain(3? 4? stores) in Queens. Next week my DD and family are off to New England—a wedding and a week away for some rest and relaxation. I'll be visiting to feed the cat--not my granddaughters, and will stop in Raindew to see if they have what I need.