When life gives you lemons

Feeling like a lemon

… have a gin & tonic.  That's what I thought when I spied these fresh yellow lemons embroidered on duck egg blue linen in Golden Hands (part 56/vol4) from 1977. I can see this simple design mounted on a board and hung on the kitchen wall.

The lemons are worked in double knot stitch (Palestrina), the leaves in stem stitch and the red satin stitch pips provide a lovely finishing touch.

I'll raise a glass to that – cheers!

Golden Hands fashion drawings

Whenever I'm flicking through my Golden Hands books and partworks magazines which, let's face it, is quite often, drawings by one particular illustrator always catch my eye.

Design in dressmaking: pockets (part 3, 1972)

Her name is Anna Kostal and she's credited in issues of the publication dated 1972-1973, but that is all I can find out about her.

Design in dressmaking: pockets 2 (part 3, 1972)

As well as loving – almost without exception – all the clothes, accessories and hairdos she chose to illustrate, I also adore the style of the drawings, the movement and interaction between the figures – but mainly the attention to detail.

Knitting design: darts and shaping (part 81/vol 6, 1973)

I know that when you're illustrating stitching techniques for craft books and such like, it's essential to emphasise the details – but this lady has really gone to town. For instance, can you spot the heart-arrow brooch in the 'collars' picture below? Nice!

Design in dressmaking: more about collars (part 81/vol6, 1973)

I also really like her use of (lovely sludgy) colour for the main article of clothing and black and white for all the rest.

Reversible fabrics (Golden Hands Encyclopedia of Dressmaking, 1973)

I mean, checked shirts, tweedy skirts, capes, chunky tights with sandals, sailor collars, clogs... what on earth is not to like?!

Reversible fabrics (Golden Hands Encyclopedia of Dressmaking, 1973)

I also think the way she draws hair is just out of this world...

Tailoring (part 7, 1972)

I'd love to know what happened to this brilliant artist after the Golden Hands 1972-1973 heyday, whether she carried on drawing and where she is now. Anna Kostal, if you are out there, I hope you are still doing what you do best!

Knitting design: darts and shaping (part 81/vol 6, 1973)

An apple cushion to stitch

The sofa is not bad either

Don't know about you, but with the nights starting to draw in and a harvesty feeling in the air, I'm in the mood to hunker down and embroider a lovely bright apple cushion.

Here it is in all its chain-stitch glory:

From Golden Hands part 55/Vol 4

I'm a big fan of everything about Golden Hands, even the chapter headings:

Good graphics

The cushion cover is made from a silk linen, which is lovely to work with and has a beautiful texture. The only stitches you'll need are chain stitch, bullion knots and stem stitch, so it's easy-peasy to do.

Even the template is easy on the eye:

Felt-tip pen on graph paper = pleasing

If you fancy having a go, click here for the full instructions – they're free, naturellement.

For more cushions to make, including instructions on how to make up the actual cushion cover, check out my Make a midcentury cushion post.

As ever, I'd love to hear from you and to see any finished GYCMI projects, so do share in the comments!

Colourful crochet bags

Three bags full (of what though?)

It's not the bag trio itself so much as the illustration and the layout of the page that made me want to post this. Notice the middle girl's stance, her watch strap, patchwork skirt and the white frilly cuff emerging from the sleeve of her friend's brown leather (or maybe it's meant to be suede) jacket. I live for stuff like this!

The page in all its glory (including corner stainage)

This was once the back cover of an issue of Golden Hands magazine. No idea which issue because I'm ashamed to admit I tore it out... I bought the entire back catalogue in special ring binders from eBay a decade or so ago (I remember the postage costing a fortune). But then I had to move flats several times in quick succession and didn't have room to store my mags or the strength to keep lugging them up and down stairs so, in a fit of recklessness, I went through ripping out the pages I particularly liked and recycled the rest*. HOW COULD I?

Moving swiftly on... the drawings are very similar in style to the fashion illustrations in Jackie magazine (future blog post alert) I wonder if they were done by the same artist – I'd love to find out who it was.

Lets have a closer look at the striking headline:

Ta-dah

Nice. If you'd like a go at making one (or all) of the bags, click here for free, printable instructions. All measurements in inches.

*I have been trying to replace them issue-by-issue ever since. Still regret chucking the ring binders though

Into net

Source: Golden Hands part3/1970

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Laugh at the cold

Source: Golden Hands part 3/1970

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Knit a pair of stockings

 

I love this photoshoot, the hopscotch, the typical London street on a spring day – and that's before you get to the airborne, shoeless gals in their mini pinnies and handknitted hosiery.

Next they're snapped looking pensive on a pair of gate posts:

This issue was part 44/Vol 3 from 1972 of Golden Hands, the Marshall Cavendish partworks that dedicated crafters of the '70s could buy every week for 22½p and collect in special ringbinders. The talented photographer was a Mr Clive Corless.

And here are the patterns for your daisy lace stockings and lace rib stockings... start knitting them now and you could be skipping down the street in them by autumn with a nice pair of loafers and a secret suspender belt.

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Check it out

source: Golden Hands Encyclopaedia of Dressmaking (1974)

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Five a day

Tomato, carrot and pear brooches, a strawberry choker and – the pièce de résistance – an apricot adorning the hem of a trouser leg just north of a nice red espadrille. This 3D felt fruit & veg jewellery is fun alright.



I found these felt foodstuffs in the Golden Hands Book of Popular Crafts from 1973 – pretty rough around the edges and definitely not from a 'smoke-free home' but packed full of '70s goodness:



In case you weren't sure what piece of jewellery is meant to be what, a handy guide is supplied:



They're really simple to make from scraps of 'zingy'-coloured felt, thread, stuffing, safety pins and optional beads and sequins.

So if you're not getting enough fruit & veg, or you've just got boring trousers, click here for the patterns.

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Co-ordinates

How can I get number 5's hair?

Absolutely love the way 2 and 5's hands stray over the zigzags to the pictures next door and that all six ladies have mix & match hairdos and poses – fitting really, as they're modelling the clothes you can make with this 25-garments-from-five-patterns Golden Hands special from 1973:

 

Sadly I can't share the actual patterns with you as I don't have a human-sized scanner. These humans wear their Golden Hands creations well anyway (although they don't look too thrilled about it).

 

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The owl & the pussycat

Ah, the owl. One of the most overused images of recent years - and this week I plan to overuse it myself – here goes. Check out these adorable patchwork toys:



Sadly, there are no pictures of the finished articles in the book, which is this 1974 volume from the geniuses at Golden Hands:



I'll share some of the other beautiful brightly coloured 70s designs with you another time. Its title page looks like this:



As you can see, it cost me the grand sum of £2 (in a charity shop on a day trip to Market Harborough actually).

Anyway, if you fancy trying your hand at making the owl and the pussycat, you'll find the templates here and here. It just gives you the shapes – presumably you have to ad lib the patchwork side of things and the appliquéd/embroidered eyes, but that's half the fun!