Lasting Treasures is the brainchild of two sisters who love antiques, flowers and embroidery—not necessarily in that order. Jan—the elder—is an avid quilter, tatter, knitter, spinner and uses all types of handwork as therapy against the pressures of a professional career. Jeanne, an artist, potpourri witch, and wall-paper queen, has a love of country antiques, specializing in home design.

We began Lasting Treasures in 1996 in time to make unique Christmas gifts for family and friends. Potpourri, feather trees, and scented tree ornaments were the beginning of home shows that have turned a love of country and Victorian antiques into charming handmade gifts.

But during all the mixing of batches of potpourri in Jeanne’s kitchen was a constant thread of conversations about embroidery and quilting. Finally the older of the two sisters (not necessarily the wiser!) started to try to merge quilting and embroidery to make a Baby Quilt for her first grandchild. The only designs that seemed appropriate were either Sunbonnet Sue or Aunt Martha’s Transfers.

Those were too ordinary. What Jan wanted was something traditional in feeling but unique in design. Research led to a few books and magazine articles that showed REDWORK as a possibility but no patterns available. So the search continued!

From antique store to antique store they both began to hunt for anything that would lend itself to good, clean designs that gave the feel of old, traditional work but were easy to do and assemble.

Jeanne’s talent as an artist and her ability to create stitchable designs was pressed into service when few designs could be found. Lasting Treasures is offering our own designs, reproduced patterns from old quilts, and adaptations of tried but true stitching ideas, all for purchase along with easy instructions for the new stitcher to try with predictable results.