Antique French Textiles, Civil War Blues, Favorite Tool and More!

I have really gotten into making these puzzle balls! Each one is completely hand-stitched, which is much more time-consuming, but very much worth the trouble.

I can sit with my husband in the evenings and work on them, rather than being in my workroom by myself.

And stitching antique textiles with needle and thread by hand is wonderful!

Three of the four fabrics pictured below are antique textiles from France: ticking, damask, and a floral print. The last fabric is a vintage damask that I hand-dyed.

I never thought needle-nose pliers would be so handy, but I use them in nearly every thing I do in my workroom... jewelry-making, wire-work with my folk art pieces, turning fabrics, and stuffing those fabric items with small openings.

This blue puzzle ball went to a customer who decorates with prims... especially Civil War era. It was made using recycled wool and reproduction cotton prints. The prints look light in this photo, but they are aged more than they look here.

These are the fabrics I used, minus the velvet. It didn't quite work out so we decided on the wool. You can see the colors better in this photo.

And these are the fabrics I am working with today...
an ivory (but aged) linen,
a reproduction dusty pink cotton that looks like watered silk,
a vintage (possibly antique) brown floral,
and another reproduction cotton print.

The brown floral is a scrap that had bits of green corduroy in the seam. I can't remember where I purchased it, but I had been saving it for a few years. It has a really nice weight and texture for cotton, not the cheap thin stuff you find in stores now.

Now that I've started making these puzzle balls, I am excited to dig deeper in my tote boxes of antique and vintage scraps. So many ideas... so little time! ;)

Have a wonderfully blessed week!
Lana