#heirloomsewing

An Antique Sewing Bird and the Mary Frances Sewing Book

I don't have a lot of antique sewing tools, but this little guy keeps me company in my sewing room, and I thought you might be interested in knowing a little about him. Sewing Birds were popular in the 1800's when sewing by hand was such a large part of a woman's life. The bird which clamped to the table, was a "third hand" that held the fabric taught in its mouth as the seamstress hemmed the fabric. Plain clamps to hold the fabric started to be used in the late 1600's and by

Attaching Crochet Lace with a Roll and Whip.

A beautiful way to finish the edges of a garment and apply a special touch is to add a touch of lace. In this tutorial I am going to walk you through what is known as a "roll and whip" in the heirloom sewing world, and in particular how to attach the crochet lace carried in the shop. A roll and whip was originally a method used to finish an edge by hand on an heirloom garment. The method works best on a natural fiber (polyester doesn't like to roll and whip), and preferably o