This collection started approximately 2010 when I found a beautiful black panel with four rows of tea cups – no two the same. I enjoyed the process of cutting the rows apart and designing the tea cloth in the middle. But one project leads to the next… What do you do with the leftovers?
Answer: you reclaim that lovely cut work/crocheted piece from the grandma box of pieces that she created in the 30s and 40s and make it part of the set by adding on borders…
With my new sewing machine – the Janome skyline seven, I was able to add in some extra embroidery on the centre cloth [see the pink and green stitching]. And created appliqué pieces in the borders, with decorative stitches to match. The border appliqués are meant to be Paris bakery and Café store fronts – Inspired by the coordinating fabric with fancy cakes on it.
Now I’m on the last phase of quilting it all together… Not so easy because of course the crocheted part of the centre square is stretched out on one side by a. Inch. It will present lovely challenge for how I might “quilt that out”
To use up all the leftover fabric and reclaim more crochet work from my grandmother, i plan to do a coffee table runner, another runner for the buffet, a tea cozy and lol slightly over the top – perhaps a menu cover and develop a standard “paris tea’ menu. (suffering from a deprivation of arts and crafts at some earlier stage of life… must repattern that! LOL)
Wish me luck!
Carolyn
carolynwinter.org 