Embroidered Heirlooms

Those who follow this blog regularly might have realised that I do love embroidery. Handmade embroidery is especially exciting to me - the idea that somebody painstakingly and patiently worked their way through the cloth with thread and needle, bringing out colour and design.
I don't know why this fascination really, but some fine embroidery is really worth keeping and enjoying as often as possible. I don't snob machine embroidery when it's well done however, but obviously, handmade is always much finer.

Take this dress which you can see better here.....

I think it is particularly suggestive of the era it was made in. It combines two of my favourite characteristics when I'm out hunting for special vintage finds - it belongs to the 1950s, and it's including embroidered floral designs. This would have been the kind of dress that required you to wear a slip underneath just not to have anything seen through, or a frothy underskirt that would have also plumped out that skirt exquisitely. I still remember I used to play-act with one such skirt when I was a small kid - it was pink nylon, tiered with lace and some soft netting.

I thought this delicately made billfold is especially cute. Check it out here. From this listing I found out that this type of embroidery is called hardanger embroidery but also whitework embroidery since it is done with thread of the same identical colour to match the pale fabric.

 Something contemporary like this sweet blossom bag which you can view here
is hand felted and adorned with ribbon embroidery and brass flowers. I think it is adorable and quite unique. Felting is a very particular technique which I've been seeing used quite frequently lately.

I must say that I once owned a blouse somewhat similar to this one, though not so colourful. Unfortunately I must have given it away many summers ago. This unique vintage item comes from the early part of the last century (1930s) and apart from embroidery includes other special hand-made techniques such as smocking. You can see it better here

These slippers I had included in a Treasury some time back when I was still bemoaning the arrival of winter and tried to create a cheerful Treasury with alternative ideas to drab winter wear and most of the items actually sold, so I assume visitors to that Treasury really liked what they saw.

I find these slippers particularly pretty with their sequined leafwork. Check them out here

And then there is this awesome dress....

you can see more of it here

Very bohemian, it also includes, apart from the embroidered floral designs, also

crotchet trimming and satin ribbons... Isn't it simply fantastic? I love it. Isn't it fun?

Thanks to the Etsy sellers who allowed me to use images of their wares, namely

Stellahsgroove, Jeanjeanvintage, StarBags, Gemma2010, Naranja37 and Vdingy.

Cleaning Delicate Materials

Recently I was trying to clean out some vintage clothes which came my way. The selection is quite impressive and the variety of eras range from the 80s through to the 70s and 60s. I found myself having to launder them, just to refresh them before putting them away. As I researched some of the materials, I found out for instance, that silk, which incidentally is one of my most beloved textiles, was not run-proof before the 80s. Sure enough, one dress, a fuschia pink evening fitted gown, did have its colour run as I handwashed it all so delicately.

Textiles for Fashion

In some instances though, I am sure that unless one finds an expert laundery which is professional in handling the really delicate laces, embroideries and really old textiles, then it's best to leave things be.

Kazakh Embroidery

Another issue is recognising textiles which are in garments that do not come with an identifying label. Many times, I find myself at a loss - is this viscose or a mixture or is it silk? Some silks are quite thick, others are sheer and then there seems to be a fine boundary line between sheer chiffon and a particularly delicate kind of silk.

Pink Blouse

Things become complicated when delicate materials are embroidered with threads that tend to run. How on earth do you clean those? Is dry cleaning enough? One lady mentioned steaming clothes... but how is that done? And is it suitable for all kinds of garments?

Silk

Another issue - moth-eaten woollens. Along with the lot of clothes I had to clean, I discovered this beautiful multi-coloured check jacket... really warm and chique. BUT! Moths had been at it and the textile was eaten right through in some places. I decided, it was best to get rid of it before other clothes got infested. Am still wondering whether I could have done differently, but who would have wanted to wear a moth-eaten jacket anyway?

Tattered Silk

Do any FairyFiligree readers have any hints or pieces of advice to share about this topic?
[For this post I used Flickr images for the very first time. Click on the captions to find out who took these marvelllous images.]