Another tiny peacock, from a friend.

This was sent to me along with a fabric postcard, from Sheila in Scotland. The postcard was for a birthday postcard swap we are in, and she sent the little peacock as an extra gift because she knows I love peacocks. Isn't it sweet!

Crazy Patchwork Peacock completed.

Well here it is, finally finished with backing and binding - thanks to a dear friend who is much better than me at those finishing touches! She had some orange scraps which looked much better than the fabric I was going to use. You can click on the image for a close up view.
I had such fun doing this. People kept giving me stuff to put on it. There are two ear-rings found at op shops: one on the top left hand corner, attached to the peacock feather fabric, and the other on the purple patch near the top. A friend gave me the tiny peacock charm in the bottom left hand corner, which is attached to a bed of ribbony stuff that someone else gave me because the colours reminded her of my block. The turquoise tatting under the buttons was given to me by a member of our Guild, and the buttons and other bling have been collected along the way.

One day I'll do another one of these blocks, as I have some more Peacock fabric in a different pattern and colourway. I still have lots of bling left over that I can use!

The tiniest Peacock!

I've already posted this on my other blog, but it really belongs here!
I borrowed a book from the library, called "Miniature Embroidery for the Victorian Dolls' House". It has the cutest tiny designs in embroidery, cross stitch and patchwork, and among them was this little peacock which was supposed to be for a folding or pole screen in a dolls house. The design is from a panel in the collection of the Rochester Museum. I've never had a dolls house, and am not likely to have one in the foreseeable future, but I just had to stitch this peacock before returning the book!

My Peacock Crazy patchwork block

I started this last year when I got hooked onto crazy patchwork, but I had so many other things to do that it didn't get finished. But this year is to be my year of finishing UFOs, and this block was high on the list of priorities. All I have to do is a tad more embellishing, and the border and backing, and it's done.

Fabulous hand embroidered peacock!

The proverb "One good turn deserves another" certainly proves itself over and over again for me with my cyberspace friends. I sent some unworked vintage linen pieces over to Lakshmi in India, because those stamped linens are very hard to find over there. She does the most exquisite embroidery, and offered to stitch a peacock for me as her way of thanking me for the linens. This stunning peacock worked on silk arrived today. I am absolutely blown away - it is one of the most gorgeous embroidered items I have ever seen - and to think it was done just for me! As usual I was so impatient to photograph this and post it to my blog, I didn't iron it first. And the photo doesn't show the real depth of colour, but you can still see how utterly fantastic it is. Thank you very much again, Lakshmi!

This photo replaces the first one I took - the embroidery has now been carefully ironed.

Christmas bonanza!

That's what it felt like when I collected my mail yesterday! One of the packets was from Robyn, a lady who I got to know through eBay. Whenever she comes across embroidered peacocks, she lets me know first, before putting them up for sale on the internet - isn't that kind of her? A couple of weeks ago, she emailed me to say she'd found these, as well as a framed tapestry. Well, the tapestry would have cost a heap to post from Queensland to Melbourne, as well as the price of it alone, so I reluctantly declined that one. But I did want the rest, so once she'd received my payment, Robyn mailed them down.

This is a pink pillowcase with a machine embroidered peacock.


I took this photo in the kitchen under fluro. light, so the colour is awful. The nice thing about this doiley is that it is the same pattern as a small tablecloth in my collection.


This design must have been on a transfer, or a very popular stamped linen item for Semco, as I have several variations of it - doilies, traycloths and now a cushion cover. It is fascinating to see the different colours used by each stitcher.

Crocheted peacocks.

I've had these for a while, but hadn't got around to posting a photo because they were too hard to photograph. I had to find a dark background, and when I re-discovered them tonight while searching for something else, I had a brainwave - thrown them on the floor - the carpet is dark enough! The lady who sold me these, has an eBay site, and she knows how much I love Peacocks, so she emails me whenever she finds something I might like. She contacted me tonight about some new finds, and it reminded me that I hadn't posted a photo here of her last sale to me. If you are reading this Robyn - thanks again for keeping me in mind!

A new piece for my collection!

Nicki Lee commented on my last post, asking about the pattern for the bookmark. I was happy to post it to her, and she has responded by sending me this lovely piece of vintage embroidery which she found in an antique shop. Thank you so much, Nicki!

Peacock bookmark, finally finished.

A few years ago, I bought a cross stitch magazine which had a freebie included with it, of a peacock bookmark. I've been working on it ever since - bit by bit - but last week I decided I wanted it out of my UFO cupboard, so I've been working on it all week, and now it is done. I'm not going to make it into a bookmark - it's far too pretty! Instead, I'll add a border and put it into a small frame.

Finally - an addition to my collection!

I've had a few people drop into my other blogs and ask if I'd closed this blog because nothing had been posted for so long. No, I haven't closed it - I just haven't found any more embroidered peacocks! Until last week, and I found this little cushion cover at Savers Thrift Store. I think it should have cost $2.99, but there was no price tag, and the girl at the register was in a rush because there was a queue behind me, so she just glanced at it and said "Oh, fifty cents".
Thank you, darling!

Fabulous embroidered peacock!

This arrived from the USA today (eBay purchase). If you've been reading this blog since it's inception, you will have read the following words before, so I apologise if I'm sounding like a broken record! This embroidery has to be the most beautiful and perfectly stitched peacock I've ever seen. It is on a large piece of fine material that is big enough to make a cushion cover of it, but I won't be doing that. I'd rather frame it, but as I have so many other things I'd like to get framed one day, I'm going to run out of wall space!

A beautiful website about real Peacocks.

My husband was searching for something on the Net the other week, and stumbled on this website. He sent it over to me, and after reading it from start to finish, I decided to put a link to it on my blog, as I know the people who visit this blog not only love embroidered peacocks, but the real ones as well. Go here for a big heap of peacock eye candy!

Another blog for lovers of embroidered peacocks!

Whilst surfing the Land of Blogs last night, I happened to find a blog which features finished works of art as well as works in progress - all embroidered Peacocks - beautiful! Some of the people who read my blog already know about the other, but for those of you who don't, the link is on my sidebar. But to save you the trouble of moving your cursor over there, you can click here.

Peacock Beaded Shawl

My friend LeeAnn gave me this stunning vintage beaded shawl for my 60th birthday, and although I posted this pic on my other blog, I forgot to put it here as well! Well, it IS a peacock, so this is where it belongs!

A pair of matching doilies and a little notebook.

These two doilies arrived from the USA last week. You've heard/read it here before, but this will be the last lot of embroidered peacocks I buy for a while. I have an enormous collection, and I'm finding that most of what I see on eBay now is a duplicate or very similar to what I already have, or a design that is so way out it doesn't appeal to me. As well as that, after our trip away this week, I'll need to reign in my spending (again) for a while. The only exception to all this is if I find something really special in an opshop in Darwin, and I think that is highly unlikely!





Now for something different. My friend Val had a very busy blog for a year or so, but got a bit 'blogged down', so she has discontinued her blog activities for a while. But we have stayed in touch, and sometimes meet up for a coffee at the library, or go for a walk and picnic on a nice day. One of Val's many hobbies is paper-making and other paper-related crafts. Last week she presented me with this little notebook she'd made just for me, cutting a peacock motif from pretty paper and sticking it on the front. Inside is a blank pad and pencil. What a beaut gift! I love notepads - I've got several, and they all have a separate purpose.

Another Table runner.

This is one end of a lovely runner that arrived from the USA today. The seller has just created a blog of her own collection after seeing my blog - go here to see Vintage Linen Treasures!

Two little doilies.

Surprise, surprise! These are from here in Oz, not from the USA!

Four matching doilies.

I couldn't resist bidding for these doilies; they match something else in my collection. Without pulling everything out and checking, I can't remember if it was a tablecloth or table runner/centrepiece, but I know I've got this pattern somewhere.

Slightly better picture - after they had been ironed!

ANOTHER Peacock table runner.

Arrived from the USA today. This is a real beauty, with the same design at each end of the runner, but in partially varying colours. In pristine condition, beautifully stitched, and hand crocheted around the edge.

Egg on my face...

I don't know if it is just a coincidence, or if my husband has a photographic memory, but he was right about the peacock design on the runner I've just received. I do have another one very similar! But the other is on a pillowcase, and the colours are slightly different, so I still feel justified in keeping both.

I have two more peacocks on the way - another table runner which looks superb on the eBay photo! And a set of four napkins or doilies, which match a tablecloth I bought last year from a different seller. Watch this space!!