Uses for Vintage Embroidery

I read an article today about using Vintage Embroidery in fiber art/mixed media art by cutting up the pieces and doing various things with it— but I stopped in my tracks when I got to the part about gluing down these old embroideries to a mixed media project.  There was something about gel and gesso in the next paragraph, but I had paled and begun to hyperventilate by that time and didn't catch the gist what further crimes were being detailed.

After all the hours of work that went in to creating the dresser scarves, hankies, tablecloths, bedspreads and clothing embellishment, I just couldn't do such a thing.  In my little world,

Glue + Fabric = no No NO!

There are enough vintage pieces that are soiled or damaged (when I see where oily hands have been wiped on some heavily embroidered doily my teeth clench together), and these can be cut up and the pieces SEWN into a new creation.  Glueing shows a marked lack of respect for the efforts of women who spent so many hours bent over their work in the name of beautifying their home and making a warm, nurturing environment for their family.  There should be a better way to gently use these damaged pieces.

Ah, I hear you asking, "Such as?"

Wrist Cuffs.  Christmas Stockings.  Pockets for totes or a little girl's dress.  Crazy Quilting.  Book covers (I am thinking about the kind that have replaceable notebooks inside the covers).  I have a friend who used some of these pieces in a beautiful pair of appliqued and embellished curtains for her dining room.  Rebecca Ringquist uses vintage linens as bases for her samplers (intricate and a huge dose of fun) and compelling story embroideries.  I even used the side panels of an embroidered bedspread that had been ripped beyond repair to make a pair of valances for the guest bedroom that Bethy uses when she spends the night with us (she loves the blue birds swooping down to the lilac flowers above the windows).  Mandy Pattullo has made recycling textiles a pure art form.

As for the undamaged pieces: while  there is nothing wrong with recycling/upcycling vintage linens, the beautiful old pieces in good repair have another life, in the right hands.  The most interesting home decor isn't always from the pages of the latest design magazines.

Recycle Responsibly!