Goldilocks and post-porridge madness

free pattern - click to get larger size and print!

This sheet tells the story of Goldilocks and the three bears - so there's a lot of porridge-eating and running from bears. Additionally, Goldilocks appears to get confused and as you see above, does a bit of bear-chasing, herself. Baby Bear steals the show with some cute antics although what he's doing in that tree - eh, let's not go there. :) There are also beautiful cross-stitch border designs. My envelope is in good condition but the transfers are partially cut, used, and incomplete. I'm missing the cute motifs of Papa, Mama and Baby Bear taking a walk.

I've never stitched this pattern before - have you? I did stitch another of the Goldilocks images, though, and it's looking pretty cute:

Maybe I'll scan that one someday if you're good. Or, maybe I'll get really lazy and not do it. Please don't judge me. :)

Gay Kittens and Puppies For Every Use

free pattern - click to get larger size and print!

Oh, I think you'll recognize these shocked pets. Truly cuteness overload on this sheet - never have I seen so many cute dogs and cats doing such unbelievably impractical things! There's a kitty in a sombrero, a stern-looking puppy in a sarape, Russian clad puppy and cat doing a dance, a stately looking dog and cat playing cards, cross-stitched scotties, a stargazing pup in pajamas, and numerous sweet dog and cat heads. They are all adorable, but most hilarious, for me, has to be the kitten and puppy caught unawares in their skivvies - pets in underpants?! And they're all very gay, as the envelope declares.

Some motifs on my sheet have been cut and used, and the sheet has (age?) spots. Nevertheless, they're adorable.

Gay "South of the Border" Motifs

free pattern - click to get larger size and print!

So, it's been quite some time since I shared patterns with you. I decided to re-post some old patterns I had removed. A lot of these are patterns you downloaded in the past and have asked me about, so I'm happy to share them again. These are all vintage patterns that are in the public domain. Some of you may remember the name of the defunct company associated with these patterns - I won't use the company name since it is trademarked and owned by someone else. Hope you enjoy them! :)

I found these inside another envelope, but I could tell by the number at the bottom (133) that this was from another set. My piece has the two cute boy and girl dancers, a couple of cactus and a cross-stitch border. I've wanted this set for a long time, so this was a great "teaser"... :) Oh, and I didn't call her gay. The envelope did. I swear.

My stitched-up version of this senorita is my all-time most popular Flickr pic. Funny huh? It is probably my favorite project, though. Have you stitched up the senorita? Please leave a link so we can have a look see! :)

Beautiful, and long overdue

Isn't it amazing how quickly time passes when you get old? Because I can hardly believe that I waited 2 long years to share these with you. But there it is, the postmark on the envelope proving me wrong (or old). :) In any case, these two lovely floral patterns come from the generous Jane who maintains two beautiful sites dedicated to Japanese embroidery: www.nuido.org.uk and www.japanese-embroidery.blogspot.com. 2 years ago she sent me a package of loose transfers from assorted English magazines with dates ranging from the 40's to the 60's - these 2 were unidentified and undated, but my faves.

Don't you love that complicated, textured pattern above? It's delicious, even in black and white. I can just imagine my crafty friend Carina picking the perfect colors to make this piece come alive (and by the way she's hosting a giveaway featuring her amazing embroidery and a new book on her blog.)

Just as much as I love the complexity of the first pattern, I love the simplicity of the second:

I can totally see this pattern stitched beautifully using white or light-colored floss on natural linen...

Thank you so much Jane, for your generosity, and I hope you'll forgive me for how long I waited to share these, they are treasures!

Giveaway on Feeling Stitchy!

Hi all! I'm giving away one copy of The Kitchen Linens book over on Feeling Stitchy.

If you love vintage transfers or collecting vintage embroidery, this book is right up your alley, so go checkout the giveaway!

Frouffy Pillowcases

Because one always needs frouffier pillowcases. This was in a pile of scraps I had, no label, no manufacturer - it is green-lined. I even tried ironing one of them (there were 2) and it worked!

And yes, that's an actual new scan you see up there! It's fairly impressive considering I scanned it using an almost-dead hard drive. In fact, the sheer effort it took my sad, wheezing, clicking hard drive, sent it to the grave. That's right, people, I worked my computer to death. For you. Enjoy! :)

By the way, I've been getting a few repeated questions that I haven't been able to answer due to time constraints (and no computer). Please read the FAQ on the right hand side and that should answer any questions you have about transfers that have gone away.

Patterns from other peeps...

I know, it's been awhile since I've shared anything of my own. What with my personal life and my trusty Mac being on the fritz, I haven't been able to scan anything new.

So I thought I'd share some links to patterns from other generous people:
from doe-c-doe:
2 Spring flowers
3 cute teacups and kettle

from wee wonderfuls:
Spring cleaning Stitchette

from Badbird:
Hearts and birds (January free pattern)
Folk rabbit (March free pattern)
Bird and Flower sampler (November free pattern)

from Annie Oakleaves:
Buggy
Eenies
Cute animals

from Polka dot bunny:
Forest animals