BULK DF BIAS TAPE IN STOCK at Dove Originals Trims

Here at Dove Originals Trims we're happy to be able to tell you that we now stock 50 yard spools of double fold 1/2 inch bias tape in 27 great colors (heavenly blue is shown above).  

Bias tape is perfect for covering the raw edges of fabric and due to its bias cut is ideal for creating a decorative edge on curves.  You can use it for home decorating, garments, and quilting projects. Bulk binding with its continuous length is especially useful in avoiding the need  to join short lengths of packaged bias tape.  

In addition to bulk bias we stock more than 2000 products and colors, ready for immediate shipping.  Why grab a cup of coffee, relax, and check out what's new. 

Cheers,

Flo

TIPS FOR ONLINE BUYERS from Dove Originals Trims

As an online retailer, we are very concerned about online security, privacy,  and communicating properly with our customers. If you have shopped for trims and sewing supplies at Dove Originals Trims, you know that we don’t bombard you with email sales notices. Actually, we don’t send out mass emails at all, preferring to keep our prices as low as possible everyday. But when you make a purchase, we do request certain personal information from you; namely, your email address and a telephone number where we can contact you.

We request a telephone number because, unfortunately, we do make an occasional listing error, and we like to speak directly with the customer to resolve the problem.  If we can reach you quickly, we can still ship quickly. 

We also ask for an email address so that we can send you an order confirmation and a shipping notification with your tracking information in it.  Yes, we can send you an email about a problem too, but this can delay shipping by as much as several days.

So along these lines, I’ve compiled the list of tips from the perspective of you as a buyer and of us as sellers.

·      For the reasons stated above, please provide a valid email address and a telephone number where we can reach you. We NEVER share this information with anyone, so your privacy is assured.  Since many people have multiple email addresses or change them, please be sure that yours is recent and accurate. We want to maintain good communications with you, but we can’t do that if your email address is invalid.

·      If you use a spam filter, please include us in your list of acceptable emails. Otherwise you won’t receive order or shipping confirmations from us.

·      Whenever you enter financial information on any website, check the browser line and be sure that it begins with “https” and not simply “http”. The extra ‘s’ indicates that you have entered a secure encrypted mode that will protect your sensitive information.

·      NEVER send credit card information via email. It isn’t secure.

·      Call or email us if you have a question. (Yes, there’s a live person here who is happy to help you. We can even help with sewing and quilting questions.) We prefer to resolve questions upfront as opposed to having you return an item because the color or the width won’t work for your project. Our telephone hours are Monday-Friday 9 AM to 4 PM EST and 9 AM to 12 PM EST on Saturdays. You can contact us via email anytime.

·      Please review your shipping address for errors.  We check all shipping addresses against the USPS address database for accuracy. It’s easy to make a typo and it takes time to resolve questions if the address comes back as invalid.

I hope these tips help you to have a great shopping experience on the web!

Regards,

Flo

COMFORT, COLLECTIBLES, and COLOR By Dove Originals Trims

Since I’m the primary telephone contact person for DoveOriginals Trims, I’m often in conversation with customers seeking advice about color and style.  Customers will often send us fabric samples and photos looking for that perfect trim for their home or for that very special project. Sometimes the conversation drifts into a discussion of style preferences (we sewers like to talk) relative to home decorating. I thought I’d take a moment, therefore, to share with you my decorating ‘rules.’

Actually, I have only one rule: If you love it, buy it, and if you don’t love it, don’t buy it.  (OK, that’s really 2 rules.)  I’ve found that anytime I’ve purchased something that I thought I should or some item that I was only half-hearted about, it has never worked out. Conversely, if I have purchased something that I loved but that seemed impossible to integrate into our home, I’ve always found that it fitted comfortably somewhere, especially given my eclectic design preferences.

My preferred style is a blend of English and French country, as I love the look of a variety of items that have been collected over generations. I have a number of antiques that belonged to my grandmother and mother, so an English country design style makes it easy to integrate chairs from the 18^th century with 20^th century pottery, art deco lamps, Rum Rill pottery, Persian rugs, and more. But I also enjoy the warm colors of country French, so I just mix and match according to my fancy.

It helps of, course, that our home is a 1750 New England center chimney colonial which, with its beamed ceilings and multiple fireplaces, provides the perfect backdrop.  (I tried 18^th century early American and while I like the look, it simply didn’t work from a comfort perspective given our casual and yes, messy, family.)

I’ve found that I like to live in and visit homes that that have color, collections, and comfort, homes where-  if I should be so bold- I could kick off my shoes and put my feet up.  I love color and collections and have quite a few of both (Nippon porcelain, salt glaze pottery, Persian rugs, American redware, and china which is my downfall).  My quirky decorating style allows me to do essentially whatever I want . So my primary home decorating rule is  “Please yourself”.  Create a home that reflects your personality and that is, above all, livable and comfortable.

Cheers, Flo

BULK DBL FOLD BIAS TAPE IN STOCK at Dove Originals Trims

The holidays are over and here at Dove Originals Trims we're looking toward spring. We're starting spring cleaning early to make room for the new stock will be adding over the next several months.

The latest addition to our trim line is 50 yard spools of 1/2 inch double fold bias binding tape, which is perfect for enclosing the raw edges of fabric to create a decorative look. And it's ideal for curves, since the bias cut allows the tape to fit smoothly around tight places without wrinkling or puckering.

We're currently stocking about 15 basic colors but will be adding other colors in the coming months. This bias tape is a blend of cotton and polyester and is available in 145 yard spools also.   If we aren't stocking the color you need, email us at Dove Originals and we'd be happy to work with you.

Cheers,
Flo

A Few of My Favorite Things

Have you even walked around your home and felt drawn to some items over others? Often the ornaments and embellishments that attract me the most are those that came from garage sales, flea markets, or were 'found' items that I modified. I suspect I have a strain of New England thrift somewhere in my background, as many of these cost only pennies.

The sandstone angel above with his brown velvet hat and brown silk ribbon began life as a shocking pink paper mache angel that cost 10 cents at a church jumble sale. I sprayed him with white primer and then used light cream, beige, and yellow ocher acrylic paint to create the look of sandstone. I added the hat and ribbon and viola!

I save and dry all roses that I receive by hanging them upside down in groups of three from the beams in my kitchen. When I have enough I simply add them to a cut glass vase and display them in front of an old window shutter with wonderful peeling paint.

My decoupaged string box (above) began life as a wood cigar box (cost $0.00). I painted it black and decoupaged an antique looking monkey print to all sides. My husband drilled a small hole in the top for the string. It's handy as it sits on an open shelf in my kitchen

This is the 10 foot fireplace in my kitchen where I display my collection of redware folk pottery. Also on display is a collection of useful cooking pots and utensils as I do occasionally cook in this particular fireplace. I enjoy nothing more than relaxing here in the morning with a cup of good coffee and the morning newspaper.

This garden ornament is one of a pair that began as two very inexpensive resin plaques. I treated them to a copper patina kit and hung one on each side of the family room fireplace. They make me smile every time I look at them, as they seem to be happy garden sprites.

 This is a Victorian dress form (with bustle) that I picked up at a local auction. It sits in the family room near one of the large windows that overlooks a back garden. And yes, the waist measures about 18 inches. Oh, that mine was even close!

This cabinet houses a small TV, and the door is often open. It was rather white and bland until I added the wallpaper topiary and antiqued it. Now the cabinet looks good even with the door open.

The pottery above is 1940s Italian hand painted pottery. My mother had some similar pieces in her home, and I have always loved the flowers and vivid colors. Imagine my surprise when I found a box of 28 pieces at a garage sale, most in excellent condition.  When I asked the price, the woman said $2.00 which I was willing to pay, believing it was $2 X 28 for a total of $56.00.  When I went to pay her, she said, "No, that's $2.00 for the box. It was my aunt's, and I've always hated it. I just want to get rid of it."  One person's trash is clearly another person's treasure!

I found this balustrade at a flea market for $3.00. It the perfect place to elevate and display one of my blue and white teapots. There's approximately 60 pieces of blue and white on display in this room (my husband's office). Our grandson calls it the 'blue plate special' room.

I hope that my favorite things will encourage you to collect or create your own. These unique little treasures allow your personality to shine throughout your home. Have a blessed and Merry Christmas!

Regards, Flo
Dove Originals Trims

ALL ABOUT CHAINETTE FRINGE by Dove Originals Trims

Kelly Green Chainette Fringe 2 inch

Dove Originals Trims sells chainette fringe in about 30 colors and a dozen different lengths, and I am often asked questions about the characteristics and care of chainette fringe. To help answer these questions I’ve compiled a list of the most common inquiries about chainette fringe and posted them on our website. I hope this information will help you when trying to decide if this particular type of fringe is the best choice for your project and in caring for items embellished with chainette.

Visit our website for the answers to questions such as:

What is chainette fringe?
What can chainette fringe be used on?
Why does the picture show stitching at the bottom of the fringe?
What fibers are used in making chainette fringe?
How do you care for chainette fringe? Can I put it in the washing machine?
I want to use long chainette on a lampshade I’m making. Can I dye it?
What is the best color of rayon chainette to dye or over dye?


Cheers, Flo

W0W! CHECK OUT SNOOKI OF JERSEY SHORE USING OUR IRON ON LETTERS ON HER EASY 2 STEP TEE SHIRT

Were we ever surprised to see the famous Snooki of the hit show Jersey Shore wearing a black off the shoulder tee shirt featuring our glitter gold letters. Check it out at:

How To Join Snooki's Brunette Mafia In A Snap

If you'd like to imitate Snooki's look, the information is on the MTV Style website. You can purchase the glitter gold letters here.

Cheers, Flo
Dove Originals Trims

GOOD SMELLS AND PRETTY THINGS from Dove Originals Trims

Homespun fabric quilt- circa 1895

Our youngest granddaughter-  Hanna, age 6- was with us this week, and I shared with her my collection of English lavender varieties in the garden. She was intrigued that both the flowers and leaves smelled so sweet and that the colors of the flowers were so different from one another.  Lavender-  along with rosemary and citrus- is among my favorite scents, and I have deliberately attempted to inculcate in Hanna a love for this delightful plant.

Our memories of scents, including foods and flowers, are powerful and long lasting. I can still recall the coral pink color and the unique carbolic smell of the Life Buoy soap that was ever present in the bathroom of my grandmother’s house when I was Hanna’s age. (And I was happily surprised to find that it can still be purchased!)

I associate that scent with so many happy memories of time spent in that old house: the 8 foot cast iron cook stove that dried my mittens and boots, provided a warm haven for newly hatched chicks, heated the house, and provided an endless supply of hot soup. And the lovely antique vases and figurines that my grandmother collected and that, miraculously, she let me wash and dry and that will be passed down to a 5^th generation.

I have therefore made our home a relaxing place through the use of lavender in linen sprays, hand soaps, hand cream, and cologne, lots of hand made quilts and antiques, and something good either in the oven or shortly coming out of it. It costs so little and returns so much in memories. I make a point of sharing with Hanna that a particular item belonged to her great or great-great grandmother and show her pictures of those  long gone but still loved and remembered family members. And of course Hanna simply adores Grandma's personal stash of trims, fabrics, and glitzy things. She dresses up, decorates, and insists that her "babies" also have the latest in chic trims and fashion. What fun!

It’s all so easy to do. And I know that Hanna will carry these memories with her throughout her life. I hope that you too will share the things that make you and your home unique with all the little ones in your family.

Cheers, Flo

August 22, 1485 REMEMBER BEFORE GOD RICHARD PLANTAGENET, King of England: "Loyalty Binds Me"

RICHARD PLANTAGENET

Posted by Flo Dove, member of the American Branch of the Richard III Society, New England Chapter

IS LINEN THE NEW CHOICE OF CLOTHING DESIGNERS? by Dove Originals Trims

As the price of cotton soared a short while ago, apparel designers began to look at alternatives to cotton.  Consequently, linen has taken on a new prominence in the world of haute couture: a Valentino cotton and linen blend dress for $2,290.00, a trench coat from Derek Lam for $1,450.00, and even a Lanvin cotton and linen wedding dress priced at $6,000.00.

But despite the designer labels, linen has always been the fabric of choice for casual weekend wear and in hot climates due to its ability to wick away perspiration and keep the wearer comfortable.

Excellent quality linen  (often referred to as Belgian linen) is produced in a belt of farmland extending from northern France to the Netherlands where some 200,000 acres of flax are under cultivation. Flax growing, however, is labor intensive which limits the amount of acreage. Currently most of the crop goes to China to be woven into various textiles; however, European linen-weaving cooperatives have sprung up in providing growers with more bargaining power.

The emergence of linen as a designer fabric will offer consumers greater choice.  And, due to its method of cultivation, provide an eco-friendly alternative to synthetics.

Regards,

Flo
Dove Originals Trims