Thursday, June 7, 2012

Throwback Thursday....


While going through "The Bin"
(the place unframed finishes live),
I found a couple of vintage finishes languishing
on the very bottom.  Time to bring them
back to life (at least briefly) on my blog.

My oldest.....
I still have this book but am too lazy to look for it!
Good old ivory 14ct. w/ DMC
Circa early 1980's

This was probably my first "big" project when
I started stitching.  I was definitely a teenager
when I started stitching it...maybe 15 or 16. 
My grand plans were to finish it as a wallhanging
 but it was not mean't to be. 

 

I remember the design had two colorways...
pink or yellow. I picked yellow to match
my teenage room... too bad it never
made it to the wall.

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Another oldie...
D Morgan "Home Again"
Stitched on 14ct w/ DMC
Circa early 1990's

I stitched this one in the early 1990's during
my lunch hour watching the Young & Restless. 
I just knew this would hang in my house
someday.   Not sure why I liked this one so much,
but needless to say, it has never seen my house!

My favorite memory of this one involves the
original chart, which I still have.   I used to
drink Slim-Fast for lunch
(back in the good days when it was a powder and you had to mix it in the blender).  

I left my container in my car one day and the
southern heat caused pressure to blow the top off
and spitting my remnants all over my chart,
which was laying on the seat.  
Thank goodness my stitching was spared!

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And even older....
P Buckley Moss "Sisters"
Stitched on 18ct aida w/DMC
Circa mid 1980's

I know I stitched this one in my teenage years and
only remember it seemed to take forever to
finish.  Pretty sure it was all of the half stitches
on18ct aida as well as the backstitching.
This was to be the first of many P Buckley Moss
designs I planned to stitch. I love her style. 
Unfortunately, it was the only one.
I still like this one.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

And lastly...

I still have this book too but am too lazy to look for it.
Stitched on 14ct aida w/DMC
1990

It is easy to see this one was stitch in 1990.  
Yes...it the proverbial "country" design that I
know we all have in our stash as well as finishes.
I do still like it, though, with the bright red
and greens of the melons

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Psst....I have a confession!

I used masking tape on my edges when I first
started stitching.  I can only imagine that I read
that somewhere because I can't imagine I
would think to do that at 15.


Yes....it has been stored that way all of these years
and I just tooked it off.   Sigh...I know.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Well....how many of these have you stitched???
Thanks for visiting and happy stitching!

45 comments:

  1. Darn, I use to have the Home Again. I love that picture...lol it's funny to look back at what we stitched when we first started; I started in 1984; my tastes have changed so much; but I do want to look for my Home Again book now..lol

    Hugs, Shar

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  2. I love Sisters. What fun to look at these old stitches. Have a great weekend.

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  3. I remember seeing Home Again and always wanted to do it but never got around to it. And I also remember using masking tape on my projects when I first started stitching.
    Happy Stitching
    Denise

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  4. When I started I used masking tape also. I think a lot of the books said to use that back then. I know what you mean about the P Buckley Moss. I did one and that was enough. It had some really wacky three quarter stitches. The Sisters looks great.

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  5. Masking tape was the thing years ago! I remember my sister teaching me cross stitch and that's what she used!

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  6. Masking tape on the edges of the aida cloth? I'm guilty as charged as well. And then there was a big breakthrough when Fray-Check was introduced... like that ws any better for fabric than the sticky tape was!

    What fun to see all your old projects, Karen! I'm so glad to find I'm not the only one with stuff from the early days hanging around.

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  7. I'm also guilty for using masking tape...it's so easy and quick! Your old projects look great.

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  8. I stitched at two different times and the first time I also used masking tape. My daughter has several pieces, and friends and relatives have others. I have none from the first time... But I have been stitching steady for the past six years, and come a long way. I have a little drawer full of pieces yet to be finished... Working on it! It was fun to see your pieces from your past!Hugs!

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  9. LOVE seeing your teenage stitch projects!!!! I did the masking tape thing too when I first started. You really had great projects back then!!

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  10. It is really great that you have those pieces from when you were a teenager. There for a while, I collected D Morgan designs, and I think I still have quite a few kits of her designs....... I think part of the reason we used masking tape was because that was the way to protect needlepoint canvas edges from tearing up the fibers. What is odd, I have nothing that I stitched up until the early 2000's. Before that, I either gave away or threw away any of my "masterpieces"!

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  11. Great that you kept all those finishes. The KAREN one you shoud really hang. It is very pretty. Thanks for sharing your memories with us :)

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  12. Wow~ How fun it is to look back at all these projects~

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  13. What a trip down memory lane! I too have 'projects' that have discolored edges from masking tape - it must have been 'the thing' to use back in the day.

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  14. Those are all lovely! You should finish them. I love the one of your name. I'm not a fan of yellow, but it looks great on that piece for sure. :)

    Jen

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  15. I had to chuckle when I read about using masking tape on the fabric edges because I did the same thing. I believe I started cross stitching in the mid-1980s, and must have read the suggestion somewhere. Of course, that was before the Internet, so perhaps in a book? I occasionally come across an old piece that still has it on the edges, and peeling it off leaves that yucky residue. I'm glad we're more educated now!

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  16. I had still used masking tape up to LAST YEAR! I had no clue...none...until I started reading stitching blogs. I learned real quick. I still have a few unfinished old wips. I just loved your post. Thank you for the laughs (have the original chart to lazy to look for it:) I have those hiding charts myself:)

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  17. Great to see what you were stitching back in the day!
    Have a great weekend!

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  18. Wow! I remember most of those patterns, all except the one with your name. I stitched a Moss piece, like you had plans to stitch more, and never did! I stitched the Cameo Geese, and yes, I still have my patterns too!

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  19. They're all lovely - the D. Morgan piece is so pretty!

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  20. What a fun post! I used to use masking tape too -- I think someone told me that was the thing to do. So yeah, it must have been out there somewhere! I love seeing everything! What a trip down memory lane! And the chart -- whew! Glad the stitching was spared! Slim Fast would not come out very well! I think my favorite is the P Buckley Moss -- so nice! Although your Karen hanging is gorgeous!

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  21. I have the 'Home Again' chart in my stash and I have a PB Moss pattern somewhere also! I have fab for the first one but all these newer patterns just keep calling for my attention! Nice finishes though Karen; can't wait to see how you'll finish them. Have a great weekend!

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  22. I love seeing all your old projects, Karen!! Knowing the story behind them is so much fun!

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  23. Ah, yes, the old masking tape thing! I think most of us stitchers from the 80s used that way to keep our fabric from fraying! Lovely trip down memory lane, Karen :)

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  24. OMG, your 80's stash was mine, LOL. I started that P. Buckley Moss piece and I stitched the House piece too. Can't remember who I gave it too. Used masking tape on the edges too ;-). It's funny to look back, LOL!!!!!

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  25. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I have many patterns from years ago that I look at and think...Did I really like that design then? The 90's country designs make me giggle. I still think you should finish off the Karen design. Love it!

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  26. Thanks for taking the time to share your Throwback Thursdays with us. I love the stories!

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  27. A lovely trip down memory lane.

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  28. I used masking tape years ago too, I think it was always suggested. I'd have the horrors about it now if I put it anywhere near my stitching!!! Fun to see your pieces from way back. I've got ones like that too lurking somewhere in amongst all my stash!

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  29. These brought a smile to my face as I remember a few of them from back in the day! I grew up using masking tape as well. It must have been the thing to do. I switched and started zig-zagging my edges because I could never find the masking tape! LOL!!!

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  30. How wonderful that these old pieces have come out again, i think we all started by using masing tape down the sides, i know a lady who still does it - no, it's not me LOL.

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  31. Karen
    Thanks for the trip down memory lane...you'll find many of the same pieces tucked away in m sewing room...LOL! I, too, think you should finish KAREN.
    Are the cross stitch police listening??? I still use masking tape BUT...I cut my fabric a bit larger and then cut the taped edges off!
    Busy Hands...Happy Heart
    Patricia

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  32. I have a few finished things that are not framed yet, but not many. Maybe four or five. Nice to see so many things from your youth. They must have lots of memories attached.

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  33. OMG!! I just laughed sooo hard! The masking tape part got me. No joke--- a while back I found an old sampler, my very first attempt at cross stitch. It is done on aida cloth (yikes! did I actually use that?), and YES, I sealed the edges with masking tape!! Too funny. I thought I was the only person who came up with that hair-brained solution (PLEASE don't be offended- I mean no insult). Thank goodness for enlightenment :>) !

    -Sherry-

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  34. Karen, I'm sure that was a trip down memory late for you!

    I've got that self same bin hiding under my guest bed and you know what it dosen't bother me that those pieces are in there!

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  35. I loved seeing some of your older pieces.

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  36. Yaptıklarınızın hepsi cok güzel bayıldım elerinize saglık.wonderful......

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  37. What a beautifull old pieces!!
    Enjoy them so much..
    Are you going to do something with them in your home??

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  38. What a fun trip down memory lane! I smiled to myself as I looked through the pictures because, yeah--I was SO hooked on D. Morgan pieces! I remember collecting all her charts, never stitching one, selling them at half price to somebody just to get rid of them--and then the buyer sold them on Ebay for MUCH more than what I had originally paid. LOL The P. Buckley Moss--I love her artwork. I wish I'd kept the one piece of hers that I was actually close to finishing.

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  39. Karen, I love your throwback posts! I don't know what happened to my first finishes. My mom does have the "Irish Blessing" I stitched for her bday one year hanging in her front hall, but other than that ... who knows!
    P Buckley Moss was a favorite of mine also! Even as a teenager I had a collection of "must do" designs and had many of the Moss charts.
    Didn't everybody use masking tape on our aida edges?! How far we have come!

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  40. Wow, you have some lovely stitching there!
    Nice to see some of your older projects.

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  41. Hi Karen, I just tagged you in my blog. Go check it out and have fun.

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  42. It's like a journey through one's stitching history when you pull out these bins and take out the stitched pieces. I do it from time to time, too, and each time I'm surprised what I stitched in the past. And I discover projects I had completely forgotten about.
    I really love the Home Again piece.

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  43. I have a friend who has Home Again hanging in her family room. The design stands the test of time and doesn't look too dated.

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  44. Wow! You should really finish those since you did all that work stitching them. By the way I just wanted to let you know that I tried your tip with the fabric tac for trim on a pillow. Worked great and love how it turned out. I also love how it hides my sewing imperfections. Thanks so much for sharing it.

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  45. Masking tape was definitely recommended. I've got a couple that I did with that "technique."

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