There’s something rather exciting about coming across new-to-me little treasures on Antique Pattern Library.
Are you familiar with Antique Pattern Library? It’s a collection of public domain needlework (and other arts & crafts) publications that have beenmade available, through the generous efforts of many, to the wider world.
Recently, I came across this collection called the Anchor Series of Transfers, and I’ve been eager to point it out to you, in case you haven’t seen it yet.
So today’s the day!
If you follow that link, you’ll land on the “details” page for this series. You’ll see that there is a link to a “small PDF” – and that’s a low-resolution PDF of the transfers. It’s rather pixelated, so it’s not necessarily the best way to save the drawings.
Instead, you’ll get a much clearer image of the individual designs if you browse through the individual pages on that detail page, click the page with the design you like, and then save that page to your computer.
While these are public domain publications, the actual image file that you’re saving has the Antique Pattern Library watermark on it, so that the particular digital images saved from here can’t be resold or otherwise propagated around the internet without credit being given to Antique Pattern Library – which is as it should be.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t use the designs! You certainly may – that’s why they’re made available. They are public domain images and you can reproduce them for your embroidery projects and whatnot.
Because they’re line drawings, they can cross over to all other kinds of crafts, too. There are many in this collection that would make lovely appliqué projects – for quilts, pillows, and so forth – as well as projects for paper crafts, card making, painting, stenciling, wood crafts, glass crafts, and so forth. You’re only limited in their application by your imagination!
It’s worth noting that just because a design is in a publication like this doesn’t make it a good design. Undoubtedly, you’ll come across a few that you’ll find mind-boggling. What the heck is this? is one of those questions I ask myself repeatedly when perusing old design collections like this one. So much fun! So many surprises!
I hope you enjoy this collection. While you’re perusing it, if you’ve not visited Antique Pattern Library before, enjoy the rabbit hole! I could get stuck on that website forever!
Happy Monday!
Oh my goodness, this site is a GOLDMINE of ideas! I remember Workbasket magazine from when I was a little kid. Thank you for passing it along. Now I have a legit reason to not do the dishes quite yet.
Ohhhh, thank you! I’d forgotten about this site, and this Anchor collection is wonderful.
Morning Mary, this is a rabbit hole I’d love to fall into, so many designs to interpret in your chosen medium(s), but I’ll have to come back to it as I have a list of ‘honey-do’s’ to complete first, and they’re rather important to get done. Tagging this post for later in the day though.
Best regards, Brenda
This is such a coincidence. I just last week finished embroidering that pattern of the two fish. I’ve taken your advice to use the pattern archive, and I wanted a gift for my Aunt, who is a fisheries policy manager.
It looks great!
thanks very much for sharing this interesting pattern