Vintage Seam Tape Ribbon is here!

The Vintage Seam Tape Ribbon has arrived...or at least the first wave of it. I will list a dozen colors today...stock and right off the roll. Now....next week I will begin to over dye some of it for a WOW vintage look. I experimented already on some bright red and brought it down to a deep antique red and was very pleased. Next week I will work with the pastels and tint them a bit. The stock ribbon will be $2.50 for 5 yards on a card. The over dyed will be $2.99 for 5 yards. This is rayon and has a soft sheen to it but not too shiny so it looks vintage. Great for edging pillows and cushions, making flowers and sewing them on little gifts. I make  the same ribbon  flowers (that I used to make tiny flowers) and use the larger ribbon. Then you can sew them in place on all your projects. I like to finger press them flat for a vintage look. I will show some examples of this in weeks to come. There are only so many hours in a day...and believe me, I wish there were more! A dear friend of mine asked if I ever sleep or do I run on a battery pack! I didn't want to let the secret out...but I have several battery packs!

I will also be listing some hand tinted cotton seam tape next week. It is a nice  quality tape and still very flexible like the rayon is but has a more textured feel. I thought I would experiment with dyes on this...I only have 1,000 yards of the cotton so far...hard to find it on rolls from suppliers....but if there is some out there I will find it!

I should have dozens of colors of rayon ribbon tape listed in the weeks to come....then I need to find the next trim....off hunting again!!

Nancy

Hand dyed pastel chenille and ric rac trims

Another busy week adding new pastel chenille and ric rack colors. I thought a soft pink, gold, aqua and purple would be nice for Easter...or any time of the year. This chenille trim is the widest I have and is about 3/8" wide and thicker than the other two sizes I have. I have also dyed it in honey and taupe. I love to add new colors on a regular basis but it is a lot of work and does take some time for the trims to dry.
I will be listing different sets of trims this week, some with eyelet trim and some ric rac and chenille sets.

I hope to be done with the dyeing soon so I can have a chance to "play" with trims on some projects. I love to see the projects you ladies create and I am always browsing your blogs and admiring your work. One can't work all the time!

Speaking of which...I need to go list some trims!
Nancy

Vintage Seam Tape Ribbon will be here soon!

Yes, I have had a request for another product that will be added to my inventory next week. Vintage seam tape ribbon, that beautiful silky rayon ribbon you see used on lots of Blackbird Designs. One of my favorite customers told me she loved shopping in my store because she could find everything in one place. I think I will have to add quite a few more items to the inventory but I appreciate the compliment. And believe me...I am working hard on adding all these trims and sewing notions to my store.

I will post pictures after the seam tape arrives and is available. I will try to do a few creative things to the ribbon and see how they turn out. Watch for the announcement!

I will also be dyeing more colors of the chenille trim this week....I wish there were more hours in the day! I keep telling my best friend that I will continue to work 7 days a week for another year but then it is vacation time. It has been 12 years since I took a vacation...I am due!

I will post the new chenille trim colors later this week......back to the dye pot......

Nancy

Mini cotton Chenille trim is here!

This has been a fun week and a busy but productive one. I have been dyeing lots of mini cotton chenille trim. This mini trim is great for all of those little pillows, pin cushions, boxes, jar lids and anything else you can think to decorate. The possibilities are endless. I am even going to do a sampler with this mini trim as a divider between sections...pattern in the works right now. The mini trim is 1/8" wide.

I like to sew my trims on rather than glue them on. No chance of a glob of glue on a precious needlework project. The couching technique for sewing on the trim is the easiest for me. The trim is put into any position you want and sew stitches over the trim to hold it down. Don't pull the stitches too tight and it won't ripple and pucker...unless that is the look you were aiming for.

You can make flowers by cutting small pieces of trim and sewing them down as shown in this picture. Sew the trim in a straight line...or curve to fit the shape of an object... zig zag it like ric rac trim. Have fun and be creative.

You can leave it fluffed and round or flatten it....if you were wanting it to border a photo in a scrap book it will lay flat when pressed. Finger pressing is usually all it requires.

I will be listing pastel colors and a wider Chenille trim next week.
For now.....it's back to the dye pot!

Nancy

Hand dyed cotton eyelet and Mini cotton chenille trim

I have been very busy this week dyeing mini cotton chenille and eyelet trims. I will be adding new colors as I add them to my inventory but I  decided to start with some basic stock colors; colors that I will repeat and keep in stock. Shown above are a few of the new colors for eyelet trim. Paprika red, golden yellow, pastel pumpkin, Robins egg blue and carmel browns. The cotton eyelet trim is 2" wide and is 4 yards per package for $2.99.
 
The mini chenille trim colors are paprika red, golden yellow, Robins egg blue, spice, cranberry wine and dark forest green. The mini chenille is 1/8" wide and there are 5 yards on each card for $2.99.

I will be listing these trims later today in my ebay store.

I will be adding fancy lace trim next week along with pastel chenille colors and  a wider chenille trim. After all...you can list all these goodies at once!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Nancy

Cotton Chenille yarn trim coming soon!

Yes ladies....cotton chenille yarn trim will be here soon. I have ordered a ton of it...well, not quite a ton, but a LOT and as soon as it arrives later in the week I will begin to dye it in dozens of beautiful colors. I will have several sizes to choose from and I will post pictures as soon as it is finished. I had several customers ask me to add this item to my inventory and I was happy to do so after a long hunt for the product!

Watch for my post announcing it's "arrival"....I can hardly wait!

Nancy

My Soul is fed by Needle and Thread

My latest design that a customer recently requested; I stitched this one in soft shades of antique rose and sage greens. Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss of course......on punched paper. I may have to do a chart for this one as requests are already coming in. I get caught in the middle...me and my regular customers love to stitch on perforated paper for the antique motto look....and then there are the counted cross stitch ladies....so I need to make everyone happy!

I need to get back to dyeing trims but I had to stop to stitch this motto.....after all.....my soul is fed by needle and thread!

Nancy

Hand Dyed Ric Rac

And then there's ric rac...one of my favorite trims of all time. Maybe because it looks so old fashioned...and adds so much to all those little pillows, ornaments and other goodies. And of course you have to have it in delicious...over dyed.....slightly variegated antique colors for all those great finishes. Red, brown, toffee, caramel, antique blues, soft faded green, etc. One can never have enough trims if you ask me.....just look around here...it always looks like a factory exploded everywhere! You gotta love it.....

I use 1/2" cotton ric rac that I purchased in a bulk lot. I like the slight variations in the weave of cotton that make it look antique....gotta look antique around here. It is hard to find anything new in this house. Eccentric might be a good description of me....a very good description but at least I admit it!

I have dyed some eyelet trims and lace and will be listing them soon.....still experimenting with colors. I would love to just dye trims all day long but the regular orders and daily work slow me down....or maybe age....can't tell which! I will be posting more pictures soon....

Bye for now.

Nancy