Completed "Love from home" heart

I was able to get it completely finished in time for Mom's birthday! I was beginning to think I would have to make it be a Mother's Day gift.  : )

I spent the whole day yesterday at Sandy's stitching and got a lot done. Then this morning I added some silk ribbon leaves and some crystal butterflies before sewing it into a pillow. I cut some vintage fabric 1  1/8" bias and gathered it to sew around the edge. To cover up the gathering stitches I stitched a feather stitch on top around the perimeter. I used some Trenway silk cord, and my fingers got really sore by the time I was done stitching that down.

For the backing I used a vintage linen napkin from Sandy that I tea-dyed. I really like how it turned out and I think Mom will like it as well! Happy 93rd birthday, Mom.  : )

"Love from home" project

I started a new project this week. This winter I read a bunch of letters my grandmother wrote to my mom and her sister Charlotte when they were in college in the 1940s. I always liked how Grandma closed her letters with such warm regards....simple but rich. 

I am thinking of a project using various phrases from her letters, but in the meantime I am taking my favorite and am going to make a small heart pillow for Mom's 93rd birthday in March.

 I have stitched the closing using a single strand of embroidery floss. I tried using the stem stitch but I wasn't good enough at it to make the writing clear, so I used the back stitch. I like how it turned out. The linen fabric in the base is from mom's grandmother and over 100 years old.  I am experimenting with different antique lace pieces. It can be intimidating to cut the beautiful lace, but I'd like it to be used and enjoyed rather than being stored and aging silently.