Vintage Jewelry

A quick update from last week’s post: I discovered later in the week that the link to Kari’s Facebook page didn’t work. If you are still interested in getting tattoos for your own machine you can click here to find them on the site of the originator of those fun decals.

And now for this week’s post:

I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to present my Tradition With a Twist lecture twice in the past month. In it I get to share a number of my antique quilts along with my own quilts which are an original variation of the traditional patterns. It is a joy to share my quilts and their stories and I’ve made a jacket to go along with the lecture that contains arcs that never became a double wedding ring quilt.

At both lectures I was asked about the jewelry I’m wearing. I’d respond with this story: When my mother-in-law passed away in 2013 I inherited her costume jewelry. There were many lovely pieces and these pins and earrings were among them. The earrings are clip (and so I usually am happy to remove them after the lecture ~ how did we ever wear them for any length of time?), and even though I thought they were very pretty, they weren’t in a style I wore often. But when the jacket was done I knew they were the extra touch this outfit needed.

As I shared my story with these ladies I would also tell them that many of the pieces I inherited, along with jewelry from my mom and grandmothers, became part of a jewelry wreath I made the same year Mike’s mom passed away. As I described the wreath these dear woman all responded by telling me they weren’t on my blog back then and they’d like to read about it.

So here’s that post from 2013. It isn’t about quilting, but there are “pins” involved, and I hope you’ll enjoy it!

JEWELRY WREATH

When my mother-in-law passed away this past January, I inherited a jewelry box filled with costume pieces not claimed by any other relatives. There were many clip earrings and a lot of things I would never wear, but I couldn’t part with because they were mom’s, and some pieces were from her mother and grandmother!

A friend said she was collecting costume jewelry at rummage sales in the hopes of making a wreath. I found that idea very appealing and did a quick Pinterest search for jewelry wreaths. A few pictures came up and the one that grabbled me was done in mainly white, gold and silver. So, I called my mom and asked if she had any old jewelry she would be willing to part with. She had pieces of her own, plus jewelry from both of my grandmothers, my great-grandmothers and a great aunt!

Next I went through my own jewelry box and unearthed charm bracelets from years ago. I hadn’t worn them for years, so into the wreath pile they went. I then raided Mike’s jewelry box and found the ID bracelet I gave him when we were dating, and both our class rings. He also had many tie tacks, award pins collected over his flight career, and a few treasures that had belonged to his father.

I was excited. At JoAnn’s I found a straw wreath, thin florist’s pins, and a couple of spools of wide satin ribbon. I wired a hanging loop to the back, wrapped the wreath in ribbon (and a bit of leftover lace) and let the fun begin! Are you ready to see it :-)???

The locket hanging at top, center belonged to Mike’s great-grandmother. It is rather chunky and ornate, and we were assured by a jeweler that it’s value was only sentimental. Still, it makes a lovely focal point. Here are a few close ups of the rest of the wreath:

The zebra pin in the next photo was my maternal grandmother’s. I remember being allowed to wear it on special occasions when I was a child.

Mike’s father had been a naval aviator and the tie bar below was his.

Some of my memory charms dangle over Mike’s volunteer firefighter badge on the right side of the wreath.

A variety of pearl necklaces and chains are wrapped liberally around the wreath.

This project was a joy and resulted in an heirloom my family will hopefully treasure for generations.

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So that was the post. I really thought I’d only hang the wreath at Christmastime, but I love to look at it and have found it a permanent home in our bedroom. So many memories! Do any of you have projects where you’ve rescued family treasures? Please send photos!

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And one more thing:

I still have a few openings in my Clever Curves class in Watertown on Monday, June 26th. It looks so much more difficult than it really is and the technique can be used to add pizazz to whole circles and just about any curve you can imagine; in addition to the quarter circles in the class project.

It’s a great technique to add to your toolbox 😊.

Please click here for all the information!