Monofilament thread (a.k.a. "invisible" thread) is similar in composition to extremely fine fishing line. It comes in clear and smoke, the clear for use on light fabrics and the smoke for use on dark fabrics. Monofilament thread is strong and not difficult to use; however, there are a few tips and cautions I'd like to pass along.

I generally use monofilament thread in the top of my sewing machine and regular thread in the bobbin. If you use monofilament in your bobbin, wind the bobbin slowly as the winding process will generate heat with this thread. For the same reason you should sew more slowly when using this thread. Loosen the top tension and sew a test piece to check the stitch prior to sewing on your project.

If you do decide to wind a bobbin with invisible thread, you may need to loosen the tension on the bobbin case. You must be VERY careful if you do this, as it can be difficult to reset the bobbin tension. I have an extra bobbin case for just this purpose. I do not change the settings on the bobbin that came with my sewing machine.

Cautions: You should not use invisible thread on any item intended for a child under the age of three. If used in a quilt, for example, it's possible that a small child could wrap a loose thread around his finger and cut off circulation. It's very difficult to see on a little finger.

Also, you must be very careful with this thread around pets who can easily swallow it. Cats are especially susceptible. Invisible thread will not show up on an x-ray and can cause a section of the animal's intestine to become blocked. If your pet swallows this thread and begins to pass it in a BM, DO NOT attempt to pull the thread out of the rectum as it can knot around the intestine or bowel. Instead, simply snip off the end as it passes out the rectum. If your pet seems in distress, be sure to contact your vet.

I absolutely love the color purple, rich, lush, and evocative of Victorian design. And over many years of working with this color, I've learned a few dos and don'ts of combining shades of purple that I'd like to share with you.

Purple is either red based or blue based, which means it will tend either to the red side of the color spectrum or to the blue (purple is a combination of the two primary colors red and blue). If you've ever mixed two shades of purple and they just didn't look or 'feel' right together, it's likely because you were trying to mix a red based purple with a blue based purple. It doesn't work.

That's why red based purple and the color red will work together (think of the Red Hat Ladies colors) and why blue based purple will work best with shades of blue and green.

If you aren't sure whether you've got a red purple or a blue purple fabric or trim, just compare your item to a piece of true red and true blue fabric. If the red looks best, then you have a red based purple; if the blue looks best, then your purple is blue based.

Happy sewing!
Flo

These pretty flowers can be made quickly and easily using wired ribbon, a circle of cardboard, and a hot glue gun. Use them on any project that doesn't need to be washable such as a hat, an elegant tote or evening bag, a tieback, a pillow that's just for display, etc. When finished, each flower will measure about 3-4 inches across, depending upon the amount of ribbon you have chosen to use.

Materials:
Wired ribbon, 1-1 ½ yards, 1 ½ inch wide
Cardboard
A hot glue gun

For each flower you will need 1 - 1 ½ yards of 1 ½ inch wide wired ribbon. Use 1 ½ yards for a 4 inch flower or 1 yard for a smaller bloom. You can use solid color, variegated, or sheer ribbon depending upon the look you wish to achieve. Begin by cutting out a circle of cardboard about the size of a half dollar or a bit smaller. Next, gently pull one end of the wire in the edge of your ribbon to gather the ribbon. If you are using 1 ½ yards, you may want to work from both ends of the ribbon to make the gathering easier. Pull and gather gently so as not to break the fine wire in the edge of the ribbon.

Allow about 5 inches of one end of your ribbon to remain flat. Fold down an inch or so of this end at a 45 degree angle and roll the ribbon tightly to form the center of your flower. Stop rolling when you reach the point where your gathers begin. Using a daub of hot glue, fasten the flower center to the center of the cardboard.

Allow the hot glue to dry. Then hot glue the gathered edge of the ribbon in a tight circular pattern around the center. Don't stint on the glue. It's important to glue your circular rows closely together. When you are finished gluing, add an extra daub to ensure the wires won't come loose and cut off any excess. I draw the wires to the back of the cardboard and add glue there also.

When the glue has dried completely, you can shape your flower's petals as desired. Add a few leaves also made from wired ribbon and you'll have a charming bouquet that can be hot glued onto a number of items.

If you'd like your item to be washable, you will need to use a piece of stiffened fabric or buckram in place of the cardboard and gather the ribbon using a running stitch. Use a stout needle and heavy thread to stitch your gathers to the buckram backing as you go.

The pattern for this fan is found in Jenny Haskin's beautifully photographed book Victorian Splendor; the machine embroidery design is from her Victorian Lace collection on CD. The design was stitched in rose pink, grape, olive green, and metallic gold and embellished with glitter paint, Hot Fix crystals, and bits of trim and lace. This project will take a day or two to complete, but it is not especially difficult. This fan is large, about 18-20 inches across the bottom edge when completed, and very decorative.

I used gold silk dupioni for the fabric base of my fan; I aged the color with potassium permanganate (dyeing instructions are given below as a separate project). The two stitch building panels were sewn on a Pfaff, but you could utilize whatever stitches you prefer from those offered by your sewing machine manufacturer, so long as you retained the look of the original design. The panels are each completed separately and joined at the bottom; a tassel, a large jeweled button, and beads hide the join. For stability the panels are connected on the back of the fan at the top edge about 1/3 of the way down using small lace designs and silk ribbon, hot glued on. This allows the fan to open and close normally.

I hope you will try this project. It teaches some valuable techniques and is suitable for someone new to machine embroidery.

My two favorite flowers are roses and carnations. This pretty dried Victorian arrangement in it's rectangular footed green metal container is the result of my inability to toss flowers into the trash. Whenever I've received a gift of flowers or have purchased them for myself, I dry the roses and the carnations.

As soon as the flower heads begin to droop but before any petals fall, strip off the leaves and wire 3-4 flowers together, making sure to keep the flower heads at different heights so as not to crush them. Hang upside down in a warm room out of the sun and they will dry in a week or so, depending upon the humidity in your house.

Arrange them any way you prefer (taller stems in the center; shorter ones at the edges) using floral foam inside your container. Dried baby's breath tucked in between the flowers looks nice and fills out the arrangement. For a large arrangement, I simply keep adding flowers over time. When you're happy with the way everything looks, spray thoroughly with any cheap ultra / super hold hair spray which will help the flowers to hold together over time.

I saw this stunning beaded drapery tie back / hold back, and immediately my imagination went to work. Surely, I thought, this could be used for more than draperies. Then I found a pretty rhinestone belt buckle with a pink butterfly in the center surrounded by lavender flowers and aha, I thought, a marriage made in heaven. The tieback is about 28 inches long overall; the two end loops are beaded wire which can be wrapped around the end of the buckle and fastened in place with ribbon or thin wire (wrapping it will shorten it the belt to about 24 - 25 inches). A length of velvet ribbon on the other side of the buckle will hold that end. It's just an idea, and if I can make it work I'd imagine that any fashion conscious teen would love this unique belt over a pair of jeans.

Another idea that I had was to line the inside of the hold back with satin and use it as the strap for a Victorian beaded tote. The loops on the end would be easy to affix, so I think that I'll try that approach (I have two more beaded hold backs in darker colors that would be perfect for a black velvet bag) and see what I can come up with.

In any event, the tie back and the buckle do look pretty together. And if neither of my ideas work, there's always drapes.

This is another project that I'm working on. I used light rose burgundy silk dupioni for the center, first over dying it with postassium permanganate to soften the bright color of the silk. The designs are from Jenny Haskins' Victorian Roses and her Scrolls and Curliques CDs. The embroider was done on my Janome MC 10001 using the large hoop with the design work done on my Macintosh computer and transferred to the MC 10001 via a compact flash card.

I frankly don't spend a lot of time on the designing end of a project such as this one, as I can always add another flower or set of leaves if I feel it's needed. I began by stitching out the light pink scrolls and curliques and then I added the roses and the leaves, in some areas over the top of the scrolls. I picked pink, rose, gold, yellow, bronze, etc. as my color palate.

I'm still trying to decide what I prefer to finish the edges of this pillow: bullion, scalloped berry toned fringe, lace.... so many options. (And if you saw my personal stash of trims you'd agree!) What fun!

This fun storage box is not only attractive it's very useful. I store my supply of greeting cards in mine, but it would also be a marvelous magazine holder. I selected pink, rose, and lime green for my colors; choose any combination that appeals to you.

Materials
-A large Tide (or other brand so long as it's heavy duty) detergent box
-Sticky backed fabric in your choice of color/ pattern. This paper comes in a roll and is available in most craft shops.
-Fringe, satin roses, and small silk flowers, artificial birds, and anything else that appeals.
-A few yards of pearls and narrow wired ribbon

The first step is to cut the front of the box to add a bit of interest. I used a plate to trace a semi-circular pattern on the front; and I traced the box itself to cut the bottoms and sides from sticky fabric. After you're happy with the shape of your box front, starting on the outside face of your box, cover the bottom and then the sides. Cut small darts in the sticky paper to fit the front circular pattern, folding the edges of the darts to the inside of the box. Next cover the inside of the box, trimming the top edge neatly. Finally add a rectangular piece to the bottom. You may have some overlaps but after your box is decorated, no one will ever notice.

When the box is completely covered, the fun begins. Hot glue some pretty fringe all along the top outside edge. I used a lime rayon tassel fringe (and yes, I do sell it). At the very top, where the inside and outside edges of the box meet, glue on a row of pearls. I also added fringe to the inside, but then I've never been accused of understatement. On all four sides. I hot glued bouquets of silk and satin flowers, ribbons, bows, and coordinating birds so that my box would be attractive from any viewpoint. I also added some clumps of satin roses in the corners for additional color. Let your imagination run free and have fun!

This pillow was made from cream silk dupioni embroidered in the center with a Jenny Haskins machine embroidery design in dark green, gold, and purple. But any large design would work as well. The outer edge of the cushion is embellished with 100% rayon lace tinted to a rich deep brown with potassium permanganate and clusters of cream satin roses. I added more of the same lace (un-tinted) around the center design and enhanced it even more with silk ribbon embroidery in shades of green, blue, and lavender.

As a final touch I stitched a 6 mm white pearl in the cross hatching of the center design and clusters of gold beads in various palces on the bow for a bit of sparkle. All in all it was a fairly simple pillow to put together. I hope that this project gives you some ideas for making your own creation.

These jars are extremely quick to put together, they make charming gifts, and they are perfect for storing trinkets, jewelry, or bath items. And they will fit in perfectly with your Victorian décor. I have a collection of them on a shelf in my bathroom.

Materials:
-Satin roses in your choice of color
-Attractive small jam or jelly jars with lids. Pimento jars also work well.
-A hot glue gun
-Some pretty 1 inch wide wired ribbon in a color that compliments your roses
-Any other trims that appeal to you and that would work such as narrow gathered lace.

As previously noted, I sell trims in my eBay store and I have a huge selection in my personal stash. The roses that I used in this project are some of the ones that I sell (satin rose ribbon garland). I simply cut them apart.

Beginning at the outer edge of the jar lid, glue the little roses in a circular pattern, close together, until the entire lid is completely covered. A pair of tweezers will help you to pick up the roses easily and protect your fingers from hot glue. You could also begin by adding a row of narrow gathered lace around the jar lid and add your roses. In the center, use a contrasting color rose or silk flower or a pretty gold charm. Allow the hot glue to dry.

Tie a length of wired ribbon around your creation, add any other trims that strike your fancy, and you're done! Add a gift tag and a small treasure inside, and share with a friend.

There are many products available on the market to tint or dye lace but I prefer potassium permanganate, a crystal chemical usually used in ponds to treat fish diseases and fungal infections. It is available from most pond and aquarium suppliers. A little goes a long way, so purchase the smallest quantity that you can get.

When dissolved in water, potassium permanganate is a deep violet purple color, but upon oxidation it changes to a rich golden brown perfect for Victorian projects.

NOTE: Potassium permanganate is poisonous if swallowed. Keep it away from children and pets. Dispose of any leftover liquid properly.

Materials:

Potassium permanganate crystals
2 plastic, non-food containers; one needs to be large enough to hold the lace or fabric you want to dye. I usually dye 2-3 yards of lace or a yard of fabric at a time.
Latex gloves
1-2 plastic teaspoons
A small disposable paintbrush

Potassium permanganate is a permanent dye so work in an area where spills won't be a problem. Use disposable gloves to protect your hands from staining and cover your work surface with several layers of newspaper. The hotter the water that you use, the faster the dye will take. Remember that your lace will be several shades lighter when it is dry. Polyester doesn't take dye well; I use only rayon, silk, etc.

Begin by preparing your two dye baths. Add hot water to the largest container until it's about two-thirds full or until there's enough water in which to submerge your item. Add ¼ teaspoon or so of potassium permanganate and stir until the crystals are completely dissolved. In the smaller container add a cup or so of hot water, another ¼ teaspoon of potassium permanganate and again stir until the crystals are dissolved. This second container of dye will be used for 'painting' or accenting your tinted lace.

When your dye baths are ready, wet your lace completely in clear water. After it's thoroughly wet, completely submerge your item in the larger container of dye. Leave it until the color is 2-3 shades deeper than what you want in the final color. It will only take a minute or so to get a rich brown. Remove the lace, lay it flat, and use the smaller container of dye and your paintbrush to add deeper accents.

When you are finished accenting your lace, rinse it thoroughly in clean water; allow to dry.

I created this jewelry holder for the sheer enjoyment of looking at some of my glittery and colorful stick pins, necklaces, and pins. She stands on a table beside my bed and a collection of family photos in beaded frames. The base of this mannequin is a pink pin cushion about 16 inches tall that I picked up at a local discount store.

I painted the base and the knob at the top of the pin cushion with metallic gold acrylic paint, and I used fabric glue to add long beaded fringe to the mannequin's bottom edge. Next, I added bows, hand painted lace, pearls, etc. to complete the design. The final touch, of course, was to pile on the jewelry. In keeping with Victorian philosophy, more is always better!

This project is so easy that even an older child can do it. There's little that you can do that wouldn't work just fine, and it's a great way to use up those bits and pieces of trims that you've collected.

This very Victorian lampshade was easy to make, since it uses an inexpensive shade and base that I purchased at a local discount store. I use this lamp on a tea table surrounded by a Victorian fan, teapots, delicate bone china cups and saucers, rose jars, etc.

The roses and leaves were embroidered individually on my Janome MC 10001 using Sulky threads in pink, rose, red, gold, yellow, bronze green, etc. The designs are from a Jenny Haskins Victorian Rose embroidery CD. but any flower and leaf designs would work as well.

I used sticky stabilizer and a layer of organza in a color that matched the shade for the base of the roses and leaves, since the designs were not stand-alone (i.e., able to hold together without a backing fabric). I chose organza since it's thin and not too obvious beneath the designs. When the rose and leaf designs were stitched out, I carefully cut around each design with sharp scissors. I then ran a very thin bead of June Taylor Fray Block (which dries with a soft feel) around each design. The butterfly designs are stand-alone lace, so those I simply embroidered on wash away stabilizer and soaked them until the stabilizer dissolved.

To assemble the shade, I used fabric glue to attach the various elements in a pleasing design. It's not difficult to create a three dimensional effect by bending the flowers and butterflies. A couple of pins will hold the designs in place until the glue dries. The trims at the top and bottom came, of course, from my eBay store. As a final touch, I used a fine line permanent marker pen to add boughs and curlicues.

This is an easy project and very decorative. I hope you'll give it a try!

To begin this easy to make project, I used three rectangles of black aida cloth (the type used for counted cross stitch) and embroidered each with cross stitch rose designs from a Pfaff machine embroidery card. In one panel the roses are red, in another yellow, and in the center they are purple. The same design was used for all three. With an oval shaped piece of cardboard, I traced around each rose with a white quilt marking pen. Using one of the built in stitches on my Pfaff 7570 and metallic gold thread, I added a frame around each rose, stitching over the marked lines.

Once the 3 blocks were completed, the next step was to put the top of the wall hanging together. The pansy fabric is especially pretty, so I used it for both the sashing between the three blocks and around the entire piece. The sashing strip below the bottom block forms a 45 degree angle to add a bit of interest. At the very top, I added two hanging loops. When the top was complete, I cut out a backing piece from the pansy fabric and a piece of thin batting the same size as the top. Instead of binding the edge, I stitched the three layers together on the wrong sides leaving an opening for turning. (Be careful not to catch the hanging loops when you stitch and be sure you've got the layers in the right order.) I then turned the piece to the right side and used a length of fusible tape to close the opening. A quick press left everything nice and flat.

As a final touch, I added more embellishments (of course). I embroidered some free- standing butterflies in a mix of colors and glued those on here and there. A bit of silk ribbon in different colors was added to the top of the frame in each block. The bottom of each oval was decorated with satin roses, metal jewelry findings and beads. To complete the look, I attached stick pins and sparkly pins (better than leaving them unseen in a drawer). And of course I just had to add beads and a gold tassel to the very bottom of the 45 degree angle.

Anyone can create beautiful hand painted lace, even older children. The supplies are inexpensive, easy to find, and the results are stunning. Hand dyed lace can be used on any number of projects but looks especially beautiful on Victorian items.

Supplies:
-Lace by the yard or lace motifs. Rayon lace gives the best result. Poly lace cannot be satisfactorily dyed.

-Three or 4 colors of dye. Either powdered dye such as Dylon or liquid such as RIT. If you use powdered dye, mix it with only 2-3 tablespoons of water and refrigerate any that is leftover. It is important to keep the dye concentrated for this project as the lace will dry several shades lighter. You can create almost any color from red, yellow, and blue dye, but if you aren't comfortable mixing colors, then pick your favorite palette. To soften your colors, you can add a few drops of brown or black dye to your colors.

-Aluminum foil to create a painting surface and contain the dye or a large, shallow plastic container. I use foil and turn up the edges several times to make a disposable container.

-Brushes. I use inexpensive ¼ or ½ inch flat bristle brushes that come in a package, one for each color of dye.

-Latex gloves (optional).

-Small containers- shot glasses work well- to mix colors. You will need one for each color that you are using. If you mix colors, you can also create a small container out of aluminum foil.

-Newspapers to protect the surface that you are using.

Begin by thoroughly wetting your piece of lace (I recommend beginning with a lace motif rather than yards of lace which can be awkward to manage for a first project); lay it right side up on the foil. Using one brush per color, begin adding dye to the various portions of the wet lace. You might use yellow for the center of flowers, pink/red for petals, green for the leaves, etc. The colors will blend and run together creating new colors and will dry considerably lighter than the piece appears when wet. Don't be concerned if the area under the lace becomes saturated with dye; the results will still be beautiful as the colors merge.

When you have covered all of the lace area with dye, rinse off the excess color in clean water and set the piece aside to dry on paper towels or on a sheet of aluminum foil.

I have two embroidery capable sewing machines, a Janome Memory Craft 10001 and a Pfaff 7570 plus a Viking five thread serger. The MC 10001 supports large format embroidery and connects to my Apple Macintosh computers via USB cable or a compact flash card. Janome design transfer software requires Windows OS, so I have installed Virtual PC and Windows Professional on my Macs. Newer Macintosh Intel computers will run the design / design transfer software directly without the need for Virtual PC.

I use my MC 10001 almost exclusively for embroidery since it supports stitching out large designs without the need to re-hoop. My Pfaff 7570 (purchased in 1995) is the older of the two machines, but it is a workhorse. It also embroiders, but the maximum size it supports is 4 X 4 format, so I use this machine primarily for regular sewing and quilting. Even though my Pfaff is more than 10 years old, it has an amazing assortment of built-in fancy stitches which I use extensively in my Victorian creations. I often work on both machines concurrently. I set the Janome up for embroidery and while a design is stitching out on it I will be merrily quilting away on the Pfaff.

I use my serger for heirloom sewing (more on that later) and for piecing quilt tops from materials like flannel that tend to fray.

Both the MC 10001 and the Pfaff 7570 were top of the line when I purchased them. I have never regretted what I spent on them. Both continue to serve me well and have been completely trouble free. If you are looking for a top of the line embroidery machine and don't want to spend $5000 or more for a new machine, consider purchasing a good used machine with a warrantee from a reputable sewing center.

Other equipment that I consider very useful is a Martha Pullen thread stand and a large plexiglass table that fits my Pfaff and makes quilting easier due to the support it provides. A thread holder (mine is attached to the wall of my sewing studio) makes for easy storage and of course there's scissors. I like Ginghers and have 3-4 in different sizes. Be sure to get the sharpening stone as well. Finally, of course, for quilting there's rulers, rotary cutters and mats, and well... lots of 'other stuff'!

This is the project I'm currently working on. It's a small quilt, about 54 inches by 54 inches composed of four blocks with gold satin fabric used for the sashing around the blocks and the border.

The center of each block is over-dyed gold silk dupioni (I used potassium permanganate to tone down the color) embroidered with Jenny Haskins machine embroidery designs and butterflies from a Martha Pullen heirloom collection CD. The border around each gold dupioni square is pink floral tapestry. The large pink cabbage roses were cut out individually from a cotton fabric and appliqued around the edges of each block and the tapestry sashing using clear monofilament thread.

I added additional decorations- hand painted lace, small round or oval figural appliques, etc.- for more interest. The next step will be to apply iron on fleece to the back of the quilt and stipple the gold dupioni areas using gold metallic thread. The photo below shows the details of one block.

I just thought I'd share this one with you. I hope it will give you some ideas for your own quilts.