Appenzell handwork- a treat for the eyes and hands

I am a sucker for lovely handwork- lace making, drawn work, shadow work, delicate embroidery, and if it is on a handkerchief, even better. (If words like "drawn work" are foreign and you didn't think people actually made lace, please read on!) This weekend, I stumbled upon a collection of lovely handkerchief- 32 to be exact. Obviously the previous owner like lovely handwork as much as I do.

Though I appreciate the effort, skill level, and delicacy of the pieces, I do not always know what to call the style of the work. Today's stash was an education. The handwork word of the day is Appenzell.














Appenzell handwork comes from the region at the base of the Alps in Switzerland. The pieces you see most often is handkerchiefs from the 18th and 19th centuries.







The hallmarks of the pieces are Swiss batiste linen base fabric with linen threads used in the drawn work. Typically there is drawn work around the parameter as well as drawn work patterns on the inside. Also you will find satin stitch embroidery and shadow work with a small piece, like a handkerchief, will have the fancy work on every corner. These handkerchiefs were designed to be used by a bride with the more elaborate pieces are tablecloths and napkins.

My hottest pin from Pinterest

I love that Pinterest speaks to my analytical side, as in, "will others like this pin" or "how many repins will this get" or which of my pins this week will be the hottest. My answer for this week is...


I think they are stenciled, or maybe it is netting lace. The screens are from outside the US, in a place where they do not have screens on their windows, normally, like we do. This looks so cool, I'd consider replacing, or stenciling, as the case my be.

painting tips for stenciling

I am working on a Design Trifecta-a pink and orange, ethnic inspired, chalkboard stencil! The pic on the left look a bit more purple than the actual wall.


It looks great  so far and all that's left is to chalk it. The chalking is the last step that give the wall a patinaed look. The nice part about Hudson Paint's Chalkboard paint in the low to no oder, durability and easy cleanup. With painting an entire and stenciling and wall, I used many designer tricks to complete the project. I compiled some tips on painting stencils below.













Clean up tip: One of my best tips!

I like to place my paint tray in a plastic bag and when the painting is done, I can simply lift the bag off, turn it inside out, and all my paint mess in contained. It leaves me with a clean paint tray and saves water from having to wash the tray- with is a trade off with the plastic bag. I can also use the bag to wrap my roller in and save the wet roller to use again in the next few hours for the next coat!

Chalkboard tip #1:
The instructions say to use a 1/4 inch nap roller, which is for very fine finishes. I used a 1/4inch "mohair" roller for the body color of the wall and for the stencil, I used a 2 inch wide sponge roller. This allowed for an even coat and for hitting all the details without needing to pour out lots of paint.

 

 

Chalkboard tip #2:
Large stencils can be difficult to paint without allowing for drying time after each stencil. And when painting a large section of wall, this can be time consuming. Here my easy tip. Use the registration marks on the stencil to map out the entire wall. Measure and mark, then measure and check your marks! Once everything aligns, then you can stencil one section and skip the next all the way down the wall. Once the first pass is completed, go back and stencil the spots you skipped. The registration marks allow for perfect alignment and by running two passes the first is dry enough not to smear!

 

 

Stencil tip:
stencil adhesive! You can spray the back of the stencil with stencil adhesive and turn your stencil into a giant sticky note! or you can use re-positionable tabs in the back to make the stencil stick to the wall without lots of tape. Both methods are very helpful when you are painting alone.

Fashion tip:
OK, it's not really fashion, only kind of... I do not wear shoes when I paint, unless I am doing ladder work. Why? Because if I drip paint and step in it, I know. It is cold. However, if I was wearing shoes, I would not feel it and possible track it around the flooring. Barefootin'. It is the best way to paint!