About 37% Ironic
Thanks, Ashley! Your Texas nostalgia post gave me the perfect phrase for this project! It describes your affection for Willie Nelson and mine for these sunbonnet girls. There is something about these vintagey embroidery transfers that I love, but indeed that love is at least 37% ironic. This one is an Aunt Martha design; the Aunt Martha designs range from slightly bizarre to kitschy-cute to offensive (scroll down to read about Olga's finds at Hobby Lobby). These, however, fit snugly into the sweetly kitschy category.Remember when you were a kid, and you woke up with a Saturday stretched in front of you, filled with possibility, and you had a Plan? Maybe you thought "I'm going to sew a new wardrobe for my Skipper doll!" Or "I'm going to ride my bike down to the creek and look for turtles!" Or "Today, I'm going to eat pancakes and then I'm going to put on my tennis shoe roller skates, take my radio outside and skate on the driveway All Day Long!" Nothing matches the enthusiasm of a kid with a plan. I see it in J, especially. He can be at his watercolors within minutes of waking up.
Well, yesterday, I woke up with a Plan. I had no pressing obligations other than to keep the boys out of the emergency room. It was a beautiful day, the boys were playing on the swingset, the Cavs were on TV, and I said to myself "Today, I am going to embroider!"
Once I sat down to stitch it, I realized that it was perfect for Project Spectrum! Where I might have been at least momentarily paralyzed about color choices, I was able to just dive right in ... I let PS pick my colors for me. I've decided to do a sunbonnet girl for each of the PS color groups. I have no idea what I will do with them; this is stitched on a plain Target cloth napkin (awesome for stitching, BTW). Ideas will be warmly welcomed.Link-o-Rama!
- Vintage embroidery transfers just your cup of tea? You must visit Floresita's Vintage Transfer Finds!
- Or, perhaps you prefer your embroidery on the salty side? Look what Vera made! She's also got some great stitching links at the end of her post.
- From the Department of Serious Project Commitment, see Jane's klosterstitch in progress. It's impossibly, beautifully worked.
- I'm just catching up with Marly's podcast, Yarn Thing, and I love it. It's like having a friend at your kitchen table.
Labels: Project Spectrum 2.0, The Dept. of Other Crafty Goodness
posted by Laura at 8:31 AM
17 Comments:
Awww... I have Texas nostalgia, too! And it is really fitting to say the whole kitsch thing is only 37% ironic - that's definitely how I feel about my collection. There's a part of me that loves saying I only see the irony in my vintage transfers, and another part of me just thinks kittens in bows are too, too cute... ;D
Adorable! Irony is easy -- it's the 63% earnestness that takes guts to admit. Like Floresita, I too love kittens in bows.
Have you seen Yarnstorm's blog? She collects both the transfers and completed pieces, although she calls them 'Crinoline ladies' - they look pretty similar to me.
Good Lord, I used to write some long-assed posts, didn't I? I saw the title of your post, and then I thought, oh, I'm going to comment about the crazy transfers at Hobby Lobby, and you totally beat me to it! :-)
Lovely embroidery work, lady. And what a lovely day. I especially enjoyed your memories of what fun was when we were kids, and find myself desperately wishing that I could do the pancake and roller skating day.
Very cute! I love embroidery as well, although I rarely actually do any. Yours is perfect for Project Spectrum
I think I earned the embroidery badge in Girl Scout several times over. In fourth grade (1976) I spent all free time embroidering my jean shirt and then wearing it with pride with my rust colored husky levi cords!;)
Super cute. And I'm with the others - I like the earnestness.
Very cute - I have a quilt of the little sunbonnet girls (I'm sure it has some "real" quilt name), and I love it. Yours is very nice. I"m hoping to get some embroidery done this summer, in all my "free" time!
It came out beautiful. Hmm, I say, use them as napkins. (We always use cloth napkins in my house.) Just don't use them when you have spaghetti or anything else messy - they are too pretty!!
Yes, perfect for Project Spectrum - great embroidery. I have a lot of respect for you that have the patience for embroidery - it's so intricate and takes so long...
Asaknitter
www.knittingnutter.com
Great post.
Ah yes...the great Saturday Plan of childhood..I do remember that delicious feeling. Thanks for capturing it so well.
I'm sad to say that I don't remember that feeling. Thank you for encouraging me to go out and find it next weekend!
love your little embroidery girls. I get the ironic vibe--but also the earnest love, too!
I'd raise my love for this little sunbonnet girlie all the way to a 70% earnestness level! She is gorgeous.
And that Saturday feeling: yep, I'm feeling it a lot lately, being on the edge of summer vacation. Hurry up, finals: I've got PLANS!
You are so nice! Thanks for linking my podcast...that means you really truly like it huh? LOL
Hope to keep you happy with it.
Catch you later!
Marly
knitthing.blogspot.com
knitthing.mypodcast.com
Is there anything you can't do, lady?
I particularly appreciate the special ingredient: irony. That just makes it rock all the harder.
It's beautiful!
Love the sweet little embroidered towels! And this must be the best post title ever.
I find that my like of embroidery patterns changes all the time. Sometimes i am drawn the 'cutesy' sometimes to the 'vintage, traditional' and sometimes to the 'radical'. They each have their place and value i think. :0)Love your lady, it's absolutely adorable. And i love you having 'a plan', i am always one for having a plan otherwise i would just be lost! :0)
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