2021 Heirloom Casket Toye & Ornament Kit

 Flemish Coffer

A Tisket A Tasket.... a lil Coffer for your Casket!  I am so excited to share my new 17th c Flemish Embroidery-inspired Christmas ornament kit with you all! It's not just an ornament either, as it is so tiny it can easily fit into a casket~

Its beautiful dome top coffer shape was inspired by a tiny antique one I saw several years ago. Embroidered in beautiful silks and real gold threads and plates, it will look stunning on your Christmas Tree

Of course, it opens and is finished beautifully on the inside. All the materials you need to make one is included in the kit!

There is space on the back panel to personalize with your initials and date~

It fits in the palm of my hand. This dainty very feminine little coffer measures just 2.5" wide, 1.5" deep and 2.25" tall.

This would make such a beautiful gift box for a special treasure....

Or a special spool of thread!

This sixth edition of my Heirloom Embroidery Kits is available now for preorder in my ETSY shop!

 If you would like to be added to my mailing list for Ornament notifications, please add it to the notes on your ETSY order or email it to me at rlkinnison@yahoo.com. ETSY does not share email addresses of  buyers with sellers!

A Summer Weight Suit

  To Celebrate Summer, 1825-40 Style!

Happy July! I hope all of my US readers had a happy & safe holiday this past weekend. I am now home from a up to see my parents in Washington. It has been over 2 years since I had seen them due to blasted covid! It was HOT.  Pip cooked an egg on the sidewalk on a 105+ degree day...and yes, I have the video to prove, it really does work!  I had planned to put up this year's ornament kit for sale when I got back home, but as usual, I am a little behind. I took work with me on my trip, but just couldn't wrap my brain around it so here I am, behind as always. Hopefully, I'll get it done and up later this week! 

In the meantime, I wanted to share a peek at this stunning little buys suit. I have a wide date on it from 1825-40 as it is so hard to date more everyday wear for boys that dont have fashionable cuts to help date them. The high armscyes, curved back seam, turnback pointed cuffs and faux waistcoat can all be found in garments in that time period window. Straps on petticoats and trousers were very common in 1820-30 periods, and some even crept their way into the 1840s. 

One thing that I love about this particular suit is its condition. It was not worn once on some special occasion and put away. It was a daily use garment and it shows magnificently by the wear and repairs. The above view of the trousers is the backside of them. Note the coarse printed insertions center back...this is not an alteration. The waistband, this back section that would never be seen when worn with the jacket, and the lining of the jacket is all original construction. The plaid fabric has been pieced together from several tiny pieces~ most likey leftover scraps from Mom or Dad's clothing. The trousers are open from the crotch to the waistband in the back, as shown. The cut of the seat is full to allow ample room for the bum when sitting.

Here is a closer view of the piecing in the back. No evidence of back closure, these would have been pinned closed. 

The linen straps have been lengthened. In the above photo at about the 3:15 pm position, you can see the seam of their original length.

The fabric is a summer weight, very light and thin. There are several worn holes to both the front and back of the trousers. Some are mended, some not. 

I love the woven design of the fabric...a woven plaid not printed, but with random streaks of blue that breaks up the pattern and makes it look very organic. 

The tunic or jacket is wonderful. The body and arms are fully lined. No lining to the skirting. Lovely little turn-down collar. Piped seams. All original buttons have been removed. Construction includes an inner faux waistcoat~ meaning that the front closure is basically a double flap so that it looks like the little guy is wearing a matching inner waistcoat. The outer flaps fold back to form a fashionable lapel.

Remenants of original buttons remain on the lining.

The back view~ from shoulder to trouser hem this set is a mere 28" measure. Cute!

Worn in the usual places, bum, knees, elbows....  

Here is a tip when trying to decypher original garments and wear, from 'fakes' (garments made to deceive)...

Elbow wear is nearly never at the actual 'elbow' but below it. When wearing a long sleeve jacket we tend to jet the arms out forward before we bend them, say to rest the elbows on a table. This, along with bending of the arm, hikes the sleeve up the arm...wearing the fabric in an area down closer to the wrist. 

Would Ye Be Interested???

 In Finishing Workshops?

 I have been entertaining the idea of offering either in-person or online Finishing Workshops. Students would bring whatever project they need help or guidance with and work on that. Would ya'll be interested??

 The project would not have to be mine either.  You could bring a Christmas ornament you need a little help with to get together, or any wooden box or casket you need help with covering. 

      For in person class I would bring my tools to help with finer box/casket fitting and adjustments. 

 I love this idea because I can help you to achieve your dreams for your embroidery! Not all embroiderers have my woodworking background or have the right tools to get everything ship-shape.

For a beautiful finished project, as much time and care should be spent on the finishing as the embroidery itself.

I have lots of tips and tricks I can share....

Please let me know what you think. If there is enough interest, a Finishing Workshop could be in your future!

Hand Sculpted Bespoke Figures for Stumpwork

 Precious Ones...Sooooo Tiny

I sculpt figures for stumpwork embroidery from papier mache to whatever pattern I am given. I don't use any kind of molds, ever. The faces are usually about the size of my thumbnail, like the ones above. Even without paint, they are characters! My latest ones though, I just had to share~

I was asked to make a set of seven figures that are... oh my golly... soooooo tiny! I have never sculpted this small before and it was a serious challenge to get features this minute to be visible from a distance.

Each is boxed individually to help protect them until they are ready to be attached to the embroidery. I sculpt each set directly over their full size pattern to ensure they are a perfect fit.

Such tiny delicate little hands and fingers~ they were seriously hard to hold onto to even sculpt. I now with 100% certainty realize the limit to what I can and cannot sculpt. I know I couldn't go any smaller than these ladies!

Large or small, if you would like me to make you a set of figures for your embroidery, just drop me an email to rlkinnison@yahoo.com.

Heirloom Ornaments ....

 Heirloom Materials!

When I say that my ornament kits are heirloom quality, I mean it. I like to think of them as the perfect way to introduce yourself to working with the finest materials available. Real gold and silver metal threads. Real seed pearls. You are what you eat~ you should expect no less in one of my embroidery kits. The beautiful threads above are included in the 2021 ornament kit~ I think Rumplestilskin himself would be envious!

There are gilt spangles and gilt Grecian Twist...so luscious.....

Clockwise from the left  is gilt rough purl, which is a hollow spring coil of gold wire... real seed pearls, and non tarnish check thread. Real gilt check thread in a small enough size is not available currently. This that I  have chosen for you is so sparkly and beautiful you will love it!

Along with the 2% gold Elizabethan Twist shown in the first picture, there is both broad and narrow crenelated gilt plate. I show you how to keep it from tarnishing so much in my instructions!

Now, back to my earlier post on the amazing camouflage abilities of couching with Trame...can you see it anywhere??? (and this picture is seriously magnified!)

14 Years in a Row...

  2021 Early American Life Directory of Traditional American Crafts

Wow. What an honor. I have been juried into the Early American Life Magazine Directory Of Traditional American Crafts for 2021, my fourteenth consecutive year.  THANKYOU to all of the judges! These two fine 17th c bead peddlers were my entry for this year.

I love to make dolls to represent different periods. These are tiny 6" girls, very challenging to make this small. They both have period-correct wardrobes and I thought you would enjoy seeing what is underneath their outers.

I have made a couple of sets of twins, and sibling dolls occasionally. It is always fun for me to see how different they come out. No matter how hard I try to make them the same, they always take on their own unique personalities. 

I usually always give my girls pantaloons for modesty's sake, but actually, pantaloons were worn in the 17th c. Over her pantaloons she wears a period correct ankle long shift and cap.

I love this picture of her sister...perhaps she is a few minutes older...not much. She is helping younger to dress.

Both wear silk gowns trimmed with silk ribbon trim.  I stitched her hat from a bit of an antique kid glove and trimmed with real tiny feathers. Hats such as this were commonly worn by women in the 17th c.

Their clothes are removable, and bodices are fully boned and lined.

I love every aspect of doll making~ and that includes the stands! I made both of their stands to resemble a cobblestone street corner when placed together. I like to imagine myself standing right there alongside them...selling beads~ what a glorious day!

Silk Threads...

One of My Favorites!

One of my favorite silk threads is Soie Trame. These colours shown above are included in this year's ornament kit. Aren't they beautiful? I love gazing upon spools of gorgeous thread just as much as what I make with them.  Will you use the entire spool for the kit? Heck no! A spool of Trame silk lasts for eons.

Trame is a very fine straight filament silk~ it has no twist in it. In the picture above it is the fine gold silk on the left. The purple on the right is one stand of Soie Ovale, which is also a flat filament silk. They both are beautiful when worked in satin stitch, but as you can see, the Trame is just sooo much finer than the Ovale. When trying to embroider weensie designs, scale is everything. The Ovale is just too thick, and while it can be divided....why would I want to do that when I can just use the much finer Trame?

The corn and gilliflowers on the ornament are stunning worked in long and short stitch with Trame.

But my favorite use for Trame is as a couching thread. It's just so fine! Instead of distracting from what it is being used to couch down, it simply fades into the background. All the metal threads on the ornament shown above are couched on with Trame!

I like to double it up in my needle as shown above. I use one long piece, pass it through the needle, and knot it on the end. This way my needle is captive and won't keep coming out of the eye. 

A tiny 2mm f4 size gilt spangle attached with Trame....

A double strand is used to couch crenelated gilt plate. Once finished you won't even be able to see it! I love this thread and if you have some in your stash, I hope you will pull it out and use it!