This blog is still active - just quiet!

I hope my readers understand that the reason I haven't posted anything on here for so long is simply because I haven't found any more embroidered peacocks since I last posted.  I still haven't, but I just wanted to tell you something....I've been invited by the Embroiderers Guild (Vic) to give a talk about my Peacocks collection!  It will be at their monthly meeting in June.  I've been wanting for a long time to do a talk about this particular facet of my linen collection, and here is my chance!  Now I have to decide which items to take along to display, as I won't be able to fit them all in.   I'll have about 40 minutes to present my talk, and there are large display boards where the embroideries can be pinned up.  Once I've made up my mind, I'll do another post here to show you what I'll be taking.

Peacock Duchess set finished!

A few years ago (I think?) I posted a photo of this duchess set here. I bought it on eBay, with only a bit of embroidery already done. I've been working on it all that time, in between other projects, but today I made up my mind I was going to finish it completely. I've even soaked it in Napisan and dried it in front of the heater, so I could iron it and take a photo!

Another embroidered peacock.

Today I received a parcel from a friend in Canada who like me, loves vintage textiles. Knowing my passion for peacocks, she thought of me when she found this beautiful embroidered table runner or piano scarf. I'm very grateful! We both think this was done around 1920-30, as it is stitched in real silk, not stranded cotton, and silk was rarely used for embroidery during and after WW2. The peacock design is repeated at the other end of the fabric length, but was unfinished at each end, so I have added a length of black lace to the ends to finish it off. (I thoguht it was an unfinished cushion cover at first, but a friend pointed out to me that it was more likely to be a runner).

Cupcake Peacock!

I have deleted the previous post inviting other people to contact me with their own peacock creations, as I only got one or two responses, and a Facebook link, which I don't use.  
Today I received an email from an American friend, who sent me a link to this website, showing cakes decorated to resemble peacocks. Amazing stuff!
Peacock Cup cakes

Not embroidered, but still peacocks!

My friend Sharon slipped these in with a book for my birthday last month, but I forgot to photograph them at the time. Paper craft embellishments...my mind is already buzzing with ideas for a collage of peacocks!

Assorted Peacock goodies!

A friend in the USA sent me some fabrics I needed for a project, and knowing my love of peacocks, she included some extras in her parcel!
A fabulous machine embroidered peacock which looks like it was part of a larger design of some sort. Beautiful!



Black button with a gold peacock on it. Hard to get a good pic of this.


New cross stitch kit - I don't know if I'll ever do this, as TW's stunning designs are incredibly complex, as well as being on very small Aida ct. fabric! It would take me years, but then again, you don't know until you try, do you?


A sweet cross stitched table runner. It's been a while since I added an embroidered peacock to my collection - thanks Cathy!

I'm not ignoring anyone!

Like most bloggers, I love receiving comments on my blogs, and always try to respond to them by posting a comment on your blogs. But lately it has become increasingly difficult to access some blogs, due to the enormous amount of graphics they use. The reason my blog headings are so plain is not just because I'm not clever enough to do fancy stuff on my computer. I also leave them as simple as possible because the downloading process is a lot faster for readers as well as me!


So, my apologies to those of you who post comments here but haven't had a response. If I get on to Ken's laptop (once in a blue moon), I can usually access most of my favourite blogs, and will leave a comment. But if I don't, it just means your blog is too complex for my ancient PC (11 years old) and OS (ME, cc 2000)!
I have another computer on order, which is about 5 years old and uses the XP Op.System. Yeah, I know it's old too, but not as old as mine, and it will only cost me $290 for the modem, LCD screen, keyboard and mouse, so hopefully it will do me for another couple of years, because I just cannot afford to buy a brand new one!

Tablecloth.

This is also on my linens blog, but being peacocks, I had to post it here as well.
I already have another cloth embroidered with exactly the same design, but in different colours. Sadly, this one has quite a bit of damage around the edges, so I may cut it up and use it for a patchwork project.

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!