Vintage Home Arts

Though I started with crochet patterns, and probably have more of those than any, I also have a growing library of knitting patterns. I also have some rarer tatting patterns, lots of old cookbooks, and a whole bunch of house plan books that I haven’t even gotten to yet. So what’s the topic of this website? Well, Vintage Home Arts, of course, which includes anything about making a house a home.

Most of the reproduction products I’ve developed are currently centered on the needle arts because that’s what I have the most of. But on this site I want to include all of the home arts, especially the ones that could be lost to future generations. So I invite you to ask me questions and bring up anything you want to discuss having to do with giving our homes warmth, comfort and personality.

Do you have a favorite pattern or type of patterns? I find that people tend to specialize. I sell a lot of retro 50s designer patterns and another big seller is antique baby caps. I want to hear from you. Many of you have already emailed me and we’ve had wonderful conversations. I’d like to reflect what I learn from you in this blog, and maybe find answers to questions as well. Any filet crochet fans out there? How about shadow filet? Do you have any experience with that? Do you know what that is? Who has a crocheted bedspread from their grandmother? I have five of them — my mother and sisters gave me theirs. I’m looking for ideas for ways I can use them in my home besides putting them on a bed. Right now I’m thinking about covering a headboard or using it as a wall hanging behind my bed.

I have so many new patterns to list I don’t know where to begin! Let me know what You’re looking for and that will get me started. Just to let you know, I have lots of baby sets, more baby caps, lots of hats and bags, hundreds of motifs, blocks and doilies, women’s designer fashions from the 20s to the 60s, and lots of household and novelty items. Meanwhile, here’s another pattern I’d like to share with you right now: Sachet Hangers.

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Welcome to Vintage Home Arts! You wanted to hear more about what we’re doing, so I’m starting a blog. My first!

I started Vintage Home Arts a few years ago with a few antique crochet books. They were falling apart and people were asking for the patterns. What to do!? I started simply copying them. A short time later I realized I should scan and archive them into my computer so I wouldn’t have to handle them more than once. As I watched the oldest books begin to crumble with each handling, I knew they needed protection. But even then, they wouldn’t last forever. These weren’t books that were read once and stored away, they were well used in their time–over and over again, just like the best cookbooks with stains on the best pages. Feeling like a museum curator now, I decided to go a step further and try to digitally restore the scanned copies. I learned by trial and error how to remove yellowing, erase spots and pencil marks, and magically restore scratches and tears. These books were so fascinating that I began looking for more. As I searched eBay, I realized that what was becoming an expensive hobby for me was actually marketable. Well, that’s the short version. There’s more to tell, but I intend to keep my blogs short. I invite you to introduce yourselves by contacting me with your comments or questions for future blogs. And of course, I hope you’ll browse the patterns in the store.

Here is a free crochet pattern, one of my first. It’s a vintage pineapple motif apron and doily.

I hope you enjoy them!

Nancy

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