Free Vintage Patterns for Hand Embroiderers
There are a complete set of scans from the J. F. Ingalls embroidery pattern catalogue available online for personal use. To be honest I am not sure if I have pointed to this site before but it is such a good site for anyone interested in vintage embroidery patterns or those who enjoy doing redwork or crazy quilting that the collection is worth featuring.
The J. F. Ingalls embroidery pattern catalogue dates from 1886 which lands it right in the middle of an interesting needlework era.
We have John Governale to thank for scanning 255 pages and hosting them online. The patterns are in the public domain so stitchers are free to use them. John Governale states that people can "Use them to your heart's delight. No permission is necessary".
In this collection of free hand embroidery patterns here alphabets, loads of floral motifs and since the patterns are over 120 years old many are highly suitable for use in Victorian styled crazy quilting.
All the traditional motifs found on crazy quilts are in this collection. There are flowers, fruit, vegetables, wheat, birds, including storks and owls, spiders, knives, forks, spoons, crockery, vases of flowers, baskets of flowers, fans, hands, musical instruments, cats, kittens, dogs, horses, boots, anchors, horseshoes, mice, roosters, spiders, spider webs, butterflies, bugs, dragonflies, peacock feathers, oriental motifs, and Kate Greenway figures. As you can see (in the image at the bottom of the post) there are even designs for crazy quilt seams!
There are also two tutorials on the site
How to turn illustrations from the catalogue into usable designs has a step by step tutorial which uses gimp which is a free graphic program.
A second tutorial How to enlarge a design without getting the fuzzies shows you how to turn your image into a vector image. Why would you want to do this? If an image is a vector it means the graphic can be scaled without becoming pixilated, blocky or fuzzy.
I downloaded the images the other day and am still marvelling at the collection and playing spot the traditional crazy quilting motif.
I hope people enjoy these as much as I have done.
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Reader Comments (9)
Wow, Sharon. How DO you find such interesting links for us? The tutorials are so well written, I think even I could follow them, LOL.
A great resource for vintage embroidery, just as you suggested. I think this one will have to join my ever-increasing list of "things to try before I die" as they say. I'm still campaigning for that 36 hour day, not confident of a result though, VBG.
Hooroo,
Christine.
http://missmuffettwo.blogspot.com/
What a fab collection - many thanks for linking to it! Connie.
Sharon, Thanks for the web site, I spent most of the morning just looking. Wonderful patterns . I love this type of work.
Rene
Some nice border patterns for quilting, as well. Thanks Sharon.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I also mentioned you/this post on my blog. So Grateful! Gayle
Thanks Sharon for the many interesting links today. The vintage patterns are just great and tutes are so easy to follow.
Hi, Very Impressive blog. A great resource for vintage embroidery, just as you suggested. I think this one will have to join my ever-increasing list of "things to try before I die" as they say.
magnifique .......
un grand merci pour ce très beau travail
amitiés françaises
Thanks a lot for your info about the J.F. Ingalls patterns. I really appreciate it. I consider it as a treaasure. Thanks again. Big big hugs from Guatemala, Central Amèrica.
Ada