This week I’ve been thinking about how exciting it is to be a crocheter with all the fantastic patterns that are available. When I first started crocheting over 40 years ago (I can’t believe that!), I never dreamed all these wonderful magazines; books and patterns would be so readily available.  Don’t you just love it?  
     I would always visit the local yarn shop in Berkley Michigan which mainly catered to knitters.  I would look through the book racks for crochet books - there were none.  When I asked at the desk the women went in the back room and brought out one crochet book with baby fashions so I bought that.  I hated not having good designs in crochet.  As I walked out of the yarn shop that day I vowed to design great things in crochet that would make people ask: “Is that crocheted?”  Designs that would make people want to crochet as much as knit.  

Choosing a Storage Area
You can slow down textile aging by selecting an ideal storage area.  The ideal area for heirlooms would be a dark place, with a clean and insect free environment at a temperature between 65° and 70° with 50% humidity. Storage in attics or basements is not recommended.  Basement humidity is too high and attic temperatures fluctuate too much.  A few ideal places would be a closet, cedar chest, a drawer or chest of drawers reserved just for the storage of family heirlooms.  Make sure the piece does not come into direct contact with wood or cardboard by wrapping it.

Inspection
Remove your items from storage every three to six months to let them air out and inspect them for signs of bugs or new stains. Spread them on a flat surface and air them out, first on one side and then the other.  

Enjoy the great heirlooms you have created or adopted, but be sure to care for them so other generations will enjoy them too. I encourage you to apply some of this information when creating your beautiful works of art.  I hope you will create needlework for family and friends to cherish in this generation and the next.

Vintage Doily Book - Pansy Doily

There are fantastic heirlooms to crochet at MaggiesCrochet.com.  Some of the most popular crochet patterns are the vintage doilies in my Vintage Doily book.  This book contains several classics; Grape Doily, Calla Lily Doily, 2 Pansy Doilies and Pineapple.

Have a great day!

When our family lived in Michigan we lived in a fantastic neighborhood that really knew how to celebrate Halloween!  One woman would dress up in a professional witch costume with a wire harness hooked to her back.  She had a big black cauldron with steam rolling off the top.  She was surrounded by tombstones and dry ice provided the eiry haze on the ground.  With neighbors from near and far and TV camera crews ready, she would be hoisted up into the air cackling away on her broom.  She would fly across the street to the top of the neighbors house and then turn around for her round trip home! It was so much fun watching this event each year.
     For me Halloween was about being silly and having fun.  There were so many people in our neighborhood that used their creative talents to bring smiles and wonderful memories of a lifetime to so many people.  For this I will be eternally grateful. 
     This week we are adding playful and festive Cuddly Kitty and Precious Pumpkin Romper Sets crochet patterns to the MaggiesCrochet.com website. 

Precious Pumpkin Set

Your child will steal your the hearts of everyone that sees them in theses adorable creations you have crocheted!  It’s a great way to bring smiles and wonderful memories to others!  Cuddly Kitty Crochet Romper Set includes Cape, Romper, Toy Mouse, and Booties.  Precious Pumpkin Romper Set includes darling Pumpkin Sweater, Pants, Pumpkin Booties and Cape.  All designs were cleverly designed by Marie Murray and Rosemarie Fagan.  Both sets are quick and easy to make with worsted weight yarn and our easy to follow crochet instructions.

Crochet for Smiles ( :
Maggie

Heirlooms – Part 3 - Storage    

Before you store your piece make sure it is clean, non-ironed and as stain free as possible.  Never store textiles in plastic bags or on wire hangers. Plastic emits harmful chemicals and the textiles can’t breathe!  Mildew will inevitably occur when excess heat and moisture build in the plastic bag.  Mildew is very difficult if not impossible to remove. Hanging items creates too much stress on fibers and the wire hanger may rust and permanently stain your piece.

Folding
If it is necessary to fold your heirloom avoid sharp creases by padding folds with washed unbleached muslin, old sheets, or acid free tissue.  Doilies and smaller linens can be rolled onto cardboard tubes that have been wrapped in several layers of acid-free tissue, old sheets or muslin. Each time you remove your heirloom from storage fold it a different way to alternate the folds and minimize creasing.  

Acid Free Supplies
There are special boxes, tissue paper and supplies for storing your heirloom garments, doilies, quilts, etc.  Finding the right archival quality supplies will take some research.  The safest choice for tissue paper that will come into direct contact with your heirloom is Acid Free, Lignin Free, Non Buffered tissue with a neutral pH.  It is important for you to understand what each one of these archival qualities mean.  There are several sources to find the correct supplies and additional information - scrap booking stores, archival and conservation supply companies, online or museums. 

Supplies Around the House
One of the easiest ways to store your treasures would be to wrap them in clean, un-dyed, un-bleached muslin or pure cotton sheets.  Old sheets are readily available at second-hand, thrift stores and resale shops.  Make sure they are pure cotton by checking the label and wash them first to remove bleach or soil. 

Packing
Use enough tissue paper or cotton sheeting to cushion the garment. To avoid creases that can lead to the deterioration of the fibers, gently stuff some of the tissue into the sleeves and bodice.  If you must fold your piece, use tissue paper or sheeting to support folds. If there are several pieces to a set such as a gown, bonnet, slip, etc, wrap them individually before you put them together in storage.  Choose a storage area or box that is larger than your items to allow plenty of room for circulation. 

Continued in Heirlooms Part 4.

     We have had several requests for oval doilies recently.  After doing a quick search on the MaggiesCrochet.com website I found two books published by Leisure Arts that contain oval doilies.  The first book- “A Year of Doilies” by designer C. Strohmeyer actually had 2 oval designs.  This fantistic 26 page book includes 12 doilies - one for each month of the year.  The January doily - Serendipity is 16″ x 21″ oval (picture is on page) and the September doily Welcoming Oval is 15″ x 20″.   

Leisure Arts A Year of Doilies Crochet Patterns Leisure Arts A Dozen Doilies

January Serendipity - A Year of Doilies Book

The second book is A Dozen Doilies.  Doily number 10 in this book - “Augustina” is 20″ x 25″.  There is a picture of this doily on the website page. 

     Today we had several visitors to the Lace Pottery Gallery.  A few of them were crocheters and had seen the Lace Pottery online. 
     One of the visitors was Jane Rimmer.  Jane moderates the yahoo group called: Those Yarn Crocheters.  She also heads the Harrisburg CGOA in Harrisburg PA.  They meet the last Thursday of each month except Dec. from 7-9 pm at the East Shore Area Library.  

Jane Rimmer and Maggie Weldon

     Jane’s Blog is http://www.janeshookedoncrochet.blogspot.com/

Heirlooms – Part 1 - Cleaning
     Immediately after wearing or using a piece it is important to hand wash it before storing.  Storing something dirty will encourage bacteria to grow that could possibly damage or destroy your treasure.  Bacteria thrive on old stains and spray starch.  It is important to take care of any problems or stains before you store it. 

Basic Washing
1.  Remove any pins, jewelry, etc.
2.  Hand wash your piece in a very small amount of mild soap like Woolite® or Ivory Snow® and hot water for cotton, cold for wool and lukewarm for silk and linen.  Gently swish the piece.  Do not twist or wring.
3.  Refill your wash pan with fresh water and put the piece in. Gently swish and squeeze the piece in the fresh water to rinse out the soap.  Repeat the rinse several times until all the soap is completely removed.
Important Note: Because the piece is heavier when wet, make sure you give it extra support as you lift it from the water to avoid damage to the fabric.
4.  Lay the piece flat and let it air dry

Stains
It is important to pre-treat stains because the longer you wait the harder it is to remove them.
Lemon Juice: Often mentioned is the use of lemon juice, salt and sun.  This approach is too rough on the piece. 
Bleach: For cotton mix two tablespoons of a generic brand of bleach (Clorox brand is too strong) with two gallons of hot water.  This is a very dilute mix.  Use of more bleach is not recommended because it may cause destruction of fibers.  There is no need to agitate the piece, just let it soak for several hours or even overnight.  It is very important that you know your fabric before using this technique.  Silk will yellow and once it does there is no going back.
Do not take old linens or textiles to the cleaners because the dry cleaning chemicals can yellow them.
Ironing
If you plan to use your piece you may want to iron or block it with spray starch.  Items intended for storage should not be ironed or starched.  Many museums get frantic at the thought of ironing. Ironing pieces can permanently flatten the fibers and give them that over ironed, flat, shinny look. This is especially true with pieces containing yarn and thread.  Whenever possible it is better to block your piece before use and spray it with spray starch to get the desired look.  If you must iron, make sure the bottom of the iron is clean and that you have water in it.  Mist the garment, then spray starch it.  Misting before spray starch will help prevent scorching. Be careful with the temperatures.  For cottons you can use higher heat.

Vacuuming
If you can not clean an item any other way you may be able to vacuum it.  Vacuuming removes unwanted surface dust, debris and insect residues from some textiles.  To safely vacuum you will need a piece of fiberglass screen, readily available at your local hardware store.  Cover the edges of the screen with masking tape.  You can also make a screen by placing a piece of nylon netting over an embroidery hoop.  To vacuum, place the piece on a flat surface and place the screen over it. Vacuum with a weak-suction hand vacuum cleaner or hold the nozzle away from the piece.  When you periodically vacuum your pieces, you can cut down on the number of times they need to be washed.

Enjoy the great heirlooms you have created or adopted, but be sure to care for them so other generations will enjoy them too. I encourage you to apply some of this information when creating your beautiful works of art.  I hope you will create needlework for family and friends to cherish in this generation and the next.
     One of the most cherished family heirlooms to crochet is a christening set.  The gorgeous Blessed Christening set available at MaggiesCrochet.com is one of our most popular sets.  It is made with sport size crochet cotton thread size 3. 

Maggie Weldon Crochet Pattern Blessed Christening Set

Disclaimer: The information given are only suggestions. There are several sources for supplies and additional information - scrap booking stores, archival and conservation supply companies, online or museums.  Consult professional conservators if your item is particularly dear.  They are experts who can better help preserve your piece.

Heirlooms – Part 1 - Fibers
     In 1993 I had the pleasure of meeting my great Aunt Lil.   When I told her I designed crochet patterns, she told me about her sister Annie who crocheted beautiful doilies.  Three of Aunt Lil’s heirlooms were Annie’s doilies. They were beautifully done with tiny thread, roses and filet crochet.  Through my Aunt Lil and these precious family heirlooms I had finally found a “crochet connection”.  Aunt Lil entrusted me with two of the cherished doilies - I was honored. 
     Heirlooms are valued possessions passed down in families from generation to generation.  These family treasures are our connection to the past, linking generations in a profound, personal way by giving us a better perception of our family’s history.  Heirlooms can become extremely touching pieces of history.  Your challenge is to keep them safe and sound as they make the journey from one generation to the next.  A few extra steps taken now will insure that the next generation will also enjoy this wonderful link to the past.   
     You can become part of this historical connection by crocheting a treasure for family, friends and future generations to enjoy.   When creating a new piece, you have the opportunity to affect the preservation of your projects.  You can make them outlast a lifetime by choosing the right materials and using good cleaning and storage techniques.
Basic Knowledge of Fibers
     Textiles are particularly delicate. Inevitably the fibers in any textile will begin to fall apart. Nothing lasts forever, especially textiles. Original choice of materials, accidents that happen over time, how the piece was used, cleaned and stored influence the present and future condition of any textile heirloom. The best materials to use when creating an heirloom would be fibers or fabric of a single fiber type that have good preservation characteristics.  The typical fibers used for making heirloom textiles are cotton, silk, wool and linen.  It is important to know what type of fiber you are dealing with for proper cleaning techniques and for planning the creation of a new piece.  The care and cleaning techniques vary depending on the type of fibers. There are things you can do with cotton that you cannot do with wool.  When creating a new piece it is important to make sure you are not working with a blended fiber but 100% cotton, wool, silk or linen.

MaggiesCrochet.com Crochet Butterfly Doily Pattern

There are several gorgeous heirlooms to create at MaggiesCrochet.com.  The most popular heirloom doily on the entire site is the Butterfly Doily. This was an ancient doily pattern that was first worked in size 30 thread!  I spent hours reworking this design in size 10 thread.

Have a great week,
Maggie

     Did you know that we do Lace Pottery in colors?  When we first began producing Lace Pottery in November of 2007 we only had white pieces.  After numerous requests for color we have developed chestnut brown, robbins egg blue, turquoise, petal pink, lime green, coral, sapphire blue and more. 

Day Dreaming Beauty - Sapphire, Lime, White

     Today we shot some new Lace Pottery pictures in the gallery that came out pretty good.  We are in the process of hiring a photographer to shoot the color pieces professionally.
     Pictured above is Day Dreaming Beauty in sapphire, lime green and white. Below is Day Radiance in Coral.

Lace Pottery - Day Radiance Coral

     Wednesday Jennifer Schneider a writer for the Kernersville News (our local paper) visited to interview me about Lace Pottery and MaggiesCrochet.com.  

Maggie Weldon with Jennifer

     Not only do I love Lace Pottery because it incorporates crochet lace but Lace Pottery brings a lot of fantastic attention to crochet and that’s always good. 
     Here is a link to the great story Jennifer wrote - Maggie Weldon - Doily Dreams

Have a good weekend,
Maggie