Free French hand embroidery patterns
Sometimes I spot something online and my heart takes a little leap as I know I want to make what ever it is I have just seen. I also know that my mind will not rest until I do. I might be suffering now of this. Look at these lovely free designs.
Yes, they are lovely, they are free and there is a whole book of them!
I discovered Les Fables de La Fontaine, on the Antique Pattern Library web site. This book is two thirds down the page listed as
Les Fables de La Fontaine, Broderies & Ouvrages de Dames Album No. 4, 32 Fables en carre de 26 cent. donné en grandeur d'exécution. Paris, M Orsoni, c. 192133 pgs.
It is delivered as a PDF file which means you need Acrobat Reader to open this file. You can download a free reader on the Acrobat site.
Unfortunately often I have push the reality button hard and pull back from the impulse to grab fabric and thread and make what I have just seen as there is only so many hours in a day. This time the breaks are not fully applied as these designs are just so delightful.
I can't figure out why I might need to stitch them can you? I don't need table cloths, place mats, cushions etc. My walls are either covered in books or quilts and I have bags tumbling out of my wardrobe.
I can see many of these patterns worked not only as cut work embroidered linen which of course is what they were designed for, but easily adapted to applique work on a quilt. Or a mix of both techniques could be worked on a crazy quilt.
I dont have grandchildren otherwise a series would look great running up the side of a growth chart. There are many more to choose from in the book. They would be great on book bags or a series run along the edge of curtains in a childs room.
I will probably adapt parts of theses patterns in a crazy quilt and I am sorely tempted to work a couple of these fables as little scenes on my sampler. I really find these traditional stories hard to resist but they would be nice as a stand alone project, if you know what I mean.
Please, if anyone can give me a really good reason/excuse to work these leave a comment and put me out of my misery.
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Reader Comments (19)
Sharon, I think we can all identify with your feelings of finding a design that you fall in love with and just having to do it - and also the reality check that often stops us!
Awwwww sharon..... I have to go to work!!!! And then I see theses.... My mind explodes with redwork, pencil colouring , traditional embroidery stitches and like you CQ blocks..... It's justnot fair I have to wait until tonight to look properly!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know this isn't an answer to your question... :)
Thanks for that wonderful link, I have just spent an hour exploring all those rare vintage books, and the mind boggles! You don't need a reason to stitch these from us - your enjoyment and delight is reason alone. Go for it!
What a find!
Sharon,
Thanks for posting these. They are wonderful!! I can see why you want to stop and embroider them.
Sharon, they are lovely. Thanks for finding them. Pick your favourite and make one, as a sample for a quilt. Just one wouldn't hurt! I re-read a lot of the well known stories and enjoyed them nearly as much as the pictures.
Need a reason? Not necessary. You've fallen for them (and they are so charming) Stitch them just for you, and enjoy!
You could add one or more to your sampler and include studies of shading. You could make a book or a series of book covers with the scenes embroidered on pages or on the covers . . . you could use your favorite as the centerpiece of a piece of wearable art -- a vest or a jacket. . . you could use pieces of the designs in a crazy quilt -- I think that the leaves and the grass seeds by themselves would be wonderful. . . or they would be lovely embroidered on the corners of a wool blanket that you could save to share with a special small child.
Sharon, you have to do some of these, with no excuse required, other than you simply want to! Go for it!!
glad you liked the pdf. I know its a bit large with all the english text pages that I added.
Why I think you should do something with these patterns
(perhaps get some friends to do this as a group thing)
Make a quilt. then there are two things you can do with the quilt.
1) donate it to a group trying to raise money.
2) keep it until you hear of some disaster then donate it directly.
people esp children who have just lost everything (like in Haiti after the earthquake)
would like something that was new, useful , warm and lovely.
(if you are willing to give handiwork free to friends and relatives why not to an orphan?)
Hi all - thanks for the suggestions I am finding peoples response fascinating particularly in how time is used.
I am always aware that stitching time is limited. Not only on a daily basis but over ones lifetime. Any slow project needs to be chosen with care and have a good reason to be worked simply because I have loads of other things I would like to work too. So a project has to have a reason to be prioritised over other projects. I am not going to live long enough to make all the things I want to make.
Often jumping in and starting something leads to a UFO as after a while enthusiasm wanes. I have realised that I need more than self indulgence to start something. My sampler is my indulgence I guess - and I might work one of these on that for that reason. I have realised I dont allow myself self indulgence, I dont regret this I think in the long run it means I get more done. I am still thinking about this so thanks for making me think about it! Blogging is great for these sorts of days.
Luann a quilt would be a bit big as project and no matter how well intentioned would become a UFO -
As a charity project I have already donated to the Red Cross for Haiti - good old fashioned cash as I think at the moment that is what is needed.
Very few friends would get a quilt from me. As much as I would like to be generous I produce too few of them!
Sharon, I fell in love for these designs, just lovely! Thank you very much for sharing this link.
It would be very interesting for your readers to see just how you would adapt one of these designs onto a cq block. (Does that make it seem a little less self indulgent?) On the other hand, I admire your self restraint and know that that is something I need to cultivate. Too many UFOs and "bits" I don't know what to do with.
What a wonderful find!
And I see all those lovely cut work teardrops as detached chains...a beautiful start to embroidery motifs...all eventually present in a new CQ Quilt project! With wonderful beads everywhere!
Yep, I can see how it really pulls to you!
Having been away from blogging (and too much creativity) for the past 6 months am now catching up with all the blog reading and finding so much on here already ................... these are gorgeous. I love the fable connection .............. Hare & tortoise and cockerel in particular .............. you really must have a go and, like you say, they would be great incorporated into your crazy quilt blocks!!!
In regard to you 1/27 2010 as to why you should these up here is a good reason: I am new to embroidery and also would like to do these but have no idea what colors or stitches to use. So I need someone like you to tell me.
Quilt? Oi, that'd be tough...and looong work. But a cute spring time table runner would be do-able. Also, my mother used to own flour sack dish towels (gasp) with similar pictures. Applique and some embroidery. Cute and old fashioned, and very charming. They were my favorite...especially when they were thrown over rising bread pans. .
Sharon,
All or part of one of these designs would make a very interesting quilt label. ( I especially like the trees and vines) That way it doesn't take up more space, but enriches the quilt or sampler, etc.
~Lin Moon