Friday, January 8, 2010

Two finished Valentine Pillowkeeps, vintage-style

After much thought, I decided to finish the Be Mine by The Sampler Girl vintagey instead of leaving it white. I also stitched another one today by Primitive Betty's which is also a freebie at her blog site. This one says "Oh Sweet Valentine". I saw it this morning on her site and decided to stitch it today.
I went back into my thread jar and on the Primitive Betty freebie #1 I used some blue for the peacock. I also finished freebie #2 from Primitive Betty's site which says "Valentine" but I haven't aged it yet so stay tuned tomorrow.

This was before aging with coffee. I really debated hard on keeping it white or dying it. There's not much stark white in my house, so I tried these two tonight and I really like them.
The following pictures may not occur in order......sorry, this computer is not like my old one and there may be duplicates I can't remove. Anyway.......................

This is the finished Valentine freebie #2 from Primitive Betty's blog site.
This is the pretty fabric before which I could easily have kept white with white linen but.........you know I changed my mind at the last minute.......it happens sometimes lately.

Here's my pan, just an old cookie sheet of which I poured some old coffee leftover from the perculator this morning in the bottom and then took a deep breath and threw them in there!

After soaking and rinsing them, I then soaked again for a few minutes. I didn't soak it but about 10 minutes max. Different linens will take up the stain faster sometimes so you have to just work with it until you have achieved the color you want. Remember that usually (usually) the linen will dry slightly lighter. So for a really, really vintagey, old look I just take the grounds with my fingers and rub like I am in First Grade with a new pack of Crayola's. Speaking of that, I start to remember sitting in the corner in the "No Fun Chair" in my kindergarten because I couldn't stop using my crayons when I was supposed to......LOL Ok, back to the present..........

I'm preheating the oven here. I recommend 200 instead because I almost scorched the bottom of my linen. Again, watch it. I really didn't let it get all the way dry. I left the coffee grounds on the linen until dry, then brush them off----that's if you want a really aged look.

More coffee and cookie sheets (with alot of stains, sorry). I knew how this would turn out because I cut a inch piece and tested it beforehand. I loved the change in color.


Rub, rub, rub. I wouldn't recommend rubbing this red floss very much. There was a slight bit of color stain around it but only my Virgo self probably can see it. Of course this floss is DMC. Overdyed threads are not color-fast, therefore if you want vintagey linen and use overdyed's, always stain your linen first before stitching.


Inserted in the oven here for a brief 10 minutes max.
Lots of pressing and cutting out seams so a little of the heart fabric would show up in the front.
I had an old ball of yarn that Thomas brought to my attention as I was in the basement at the sewing machine and he was perusing the basement, lounging all over my laundry piles and stuff......LOL So, I used it and my and an old red button for a little accent.
Don't they look sweet together?
My hands still smell like coffee right now! ;)
One thing I want to do is to finish staining Primitive Betty's freebie "Valentine" that I stitched tomorrow to add to my basket. I plan to cut out some fabric hearts and sew them to also add to a larger wooden bowl when I'm finished. This is definitely keeping my mind busy and I need to keep my mind busy right now.
Have a great restful night.
Jennifer

22 comments:

  1. Nice job, Jennifer. When are you stitching pink for Valentines? ;)

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  2. LOVE it, LOVE it, LOVE it!!! The vintage look is great... I've coffee dyed before, but I really like the idea of rubbing on the grounds to make it really aged.
    Can't wait to see the next one Jennifer! :^)

    Tracey

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  3. You have inspired my to borrow a cup of coffee from a neighbor (I am strictly a tea girl) to do something similar. Thanks for the great idea and detailed instructions.

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  4. I love what you did!! I would be shaking in my boots as to how it would turn out but it really turned out beautifully . I have to get stitching more, enough of this housework etc!!!Have a great weekend!

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  5. Hey, tea staining is pretty too. That's one thing I haven't tried yet. You can also use tea and coffee together to make a nice color as well. I just make coffee every morning and hardly ever make a big pitcher of tea unless it's summer.
    I like hot tea though.

    Thanks, Parsley. I hope to stitch something pink soon....maybe. I've got to finish Northanger Abbey. Then on to A Tulip for my Love which is a nice size little piece......
    Tracey, I think I rubbed too much tonight as it got quite dark in some spots but actually it looks pretty good that way if you want it to look old. It will definitely look worn.
    Jennifer

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  6. Hi Jennifer!
    Oh, you should see my house....this week I haven't done a thing for as housekeeping.....or last week either except in my dining room. But, I think I need to catch up on some things tomorrow like the avalanche of laundry to fold downstairs. LOL

    Jennifer

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  7. Oh, very nice and aging of the canvas, like a lot to me, I must to try! Wonderful work!
    Thank you!

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  8. Jennifer. the finishes are gorgeous. Not to mention how great your photos and directions are!! Thankd for inspiring me.

    hugs
    -missy-

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  9. I saw a similar technique once with using tea to stain the fabric so it looked old. I've never aged any of my stuff as of yet. However, I have had to clean a piece that looked aged and shouldn't have been. It was a wedding sampler that one of my former roommates made for one of my friends. I do not know what that girl had on her hands while she was stitching but it took me awhile to soak the stain out of it. Plus she did not know how to mount the thing. I washed it and remounted it on acid free board (that was before I learned how to stretch) and now it looks a lot better hanging on their wall.

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  10. The pieces look wonderful. I'll have to give it a try this weekend while I am doing some little pillows for grandson's nursery school teachers for Valentine's Day.

    Stay warm and don't worry about laundry!

    Sandy in NJ
    Pecsan114@optonline.net

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  11. I love how they turned out! I have a piece I want to dye for the vintage look and I was afraid to do it. Now...here goes...

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  12. I love how they turned out! I have a piece I want to dye for the vintage look and I was afraid to do it. Now...here goes...

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  13. Love your vintage finishes, Jennifer! Thanks for sharing the pictures and how to's!

    Robin in Virginia

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  14. Jennifer,

    They came out perfect! I was laughing when you said your hands still smell like coffee - that was me last week! And, the next day when I went to iron my hubby's work clothes, I could smell the coffee as soon as the steam hit my ironing board!

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  15. Fantastic job, Jennifer! I absolutely love them and think they're so much better vintagey looking!

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  16. Great finishes Jennifer. Lovely stitching as well. I just took the time to read through your blog and see what I all missed recently. Love all your pictures....especially the ones from little Abby. So cute how she got caught stealing from Ren.

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  17. Thanks for sharing the tutorial! I always love checking out your blog and what you are up to! The look is great. I've only tea dyed before but didn't do the over part. hmmm.....I see some experimenting coming up.

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  18. Two finishes are lovely. Thanks for the detailed instructions.
    Hugs
    Pilar

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  19. Two lovely finishes.Thanks for the detailed instructions.
    Hugs,
    Pilar

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  20. What a great job....love both of the finishes! It's amazing how both changes just coffee staining the fabric. Great finishes!

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  21. Your wee pillows are just gorgeous - love the antiquey you did, it's great! :D

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Comments are welcome at the homestead at any time! I appreciate your time out of your day to stop and say hello!!
I hope you find some useful information and gentle inspiration for your day.
Jennifer