The following is an excerpt from Thimbles and Acorns “18th Century Hoodie” pattern and it gives the basic instructions for embedding hook and eye tape in a seam line. This method of applying hook and eye tape works great for closures that meet in the middle, is inconspicuous, and has […]
Yearly Archives: 2013
Buttons, buckles, pins, and ties… zippers, snaps, hooks, and eyes! The question of what to use to fasten a closure is a perplexing one if you are working with small scale designs, and the only flat answer I can give you is… it depends. If you are sewing doll clothes […]
A Question Of Closures
Although winter doesn’t officially begin until December 21st, it arrived here in Minnesota on December 3rd bearing 2 feet of snow and trailing a string of frigid days where the temperatures plummeted to -20°F … that’s just about -30°C for those of you that use the metric system. We take […]
Winter Musings
I have always looked back longingly at the slow and methodical pace of life before the 20th century; when letters took months to reach their destinations and riding a train at 40 mph was the fastest one could travel. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am ever so grateful for […]
Sometimes Slower Is Better
Though buttons have been around since the beginning of civilization, they weren’t commonly used to fasten clothing until the Germans introduced the buttonhole in the 13th century. Buttons, even in their simplest form, add interest to a garment, but when it comes to functionality, even the most ornate button is […]
One-Step Buttonholes in Five Easy Steps
Though buttons can trace their beginnings to the earliest civilizations, pins, belts, and broaches were a more practical fastener for the looser garments of the time so they bedecked clothing simply as ornamental objects. It wasn’t until the 13th century, when someone came up with the idea of […]
The Big Impact Of The Little Button
Thimbles and Acorns didn’t start with the idea that it would turn into a successful business… in fact, its success is still in the making. From my perspective, we are just starting to head in the right direction and I am muddling through as best I can. Suffice it to […]
“The Unexpected Business Woman”… or “How to Build a Business ...
Over a cup of coffee with a dear friend, a name came up that I hadn’t heard in years: Betsy McCall. She was the monthly paper doll friend who came to play with so many of us during our girlhood in the 1960s. As soon as our mothers received the […]
Betsy McCall
For the last month, I have made an intentional effort to work through a huge pile of unfinished doll clothes, and to date I have completed a total of 39. Though there are still quite a number that need to be finished, I get a deep sense of satisfaction whenever […]
“The Hundred Dresses Project”
Ever since I first read the story “Anne of Green Gables”, by L.M. Montogomery, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have held a special place in my heart. That “Anne-girl” painted such a delightful picture of her beloved islands, that a part of me wanted to claim them as my […]