Tri-Chem Liquid Embroidery

Good morning. Gold Country Sis Tina blogging today. I am going to share a rummage sale find from last week. I went to a great rummage sale put on by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)Women in Georgetown, California. They have an indoor sale in February and a great big outdoor sale in September. I always get great stuff.

Today I am sharing a favorite of the Gold Country Girls and their Mom from the 1960's, Tri-Chem Liquid Embroidery. I was lucky enough to find a treasure trove of the old stuff at the rummage sale.
Our mother discovered the wonderful world of Tri-Chem when i was in my early teens. We had great fun using the many lovely colors. I am not sure, but I think perhaps our mom sold it for a while. Tri-Chem was sold at house parties, much like Tupperware, except you got to make something for free while you were there, so I think it was more fun.

At the sale Friday I found a brochure about the business which showed hostess gifts, various products such as design books, and also offered employment for an enterprising housewife. (Which our mom was, definitely, she also sold World Book Encyclopedias and Beeline Fashions at various times.)

I love the way they appealed to the artist inside of the party-goer. Do-it-yourself pleasure! Who wouldn't want some of that action?

And a profitable career too. I am so there!

Just look at the fun these ladies are having making their colorful items, with the help of the cheerful instructor. On the far left is a blue and white tin which was a hostess gift and which I also found at the rummage sale. The tin came with the tube holder which is in the middle of the picture, and also probably several tubes of paint of your choice.

Here is a shot in the brochure of some of the hostess gifts.

Here is a picture of my tin. It is missing a handle, but was full of paints and patterns and the lid is actually an embroidery hoop except it is solid with absorbent material to do your liquid embroidery on.

Here is a shot of my tin with all the paints that came with it. A lot of them have hardened up, but I still am excited to have found them. There are a lot of nice colors there, and also some sparkly paint too.

This is a lovely little 31 page book from 1968 which contains instructions and a lot of tips. It tells you that you can use it on china, pottery, wood, metal, plastics, metal foil, all kinds of materials other than fabric. There are many techniques included on blending colors, spot removal, shading, etc.

I like how they suggest not only using iron-on patterns, but also using your own artistic ability to create your own drawings to embroider.

As an artist I appreciated the inclusion of a color wheel.

Here is a page showing the wonderful bright colors you can paint with. Color is fun and makes you feel cheerful. A good winter activity to help you avoid SADS.

One page suggests: Tri-Chem is fun for everyone! If you teach art, craft, home economics or occupational therapy, you will find that there are countless uses for TRI-CHEM in your work. If you're a Cub or Scout Leader, Campfire or 4H Director, recreation, club or church group activity Counselor, TRI-CHEM will supply the answer to "can't we do something different?"

Here is a better shot of the lovely colors I came home with from the rummage sale.

I also got several patterns. This is a large book of hot iron transfers of State birds. I just might have to embroider the lovely quail for California, shown below. The idea is to make them into 8 inch quilt blocks. Maybe someday...

I love the State Birds transfers. They are all beautiful and it also was very informative. I didn't know seven states all have the same State bird, the Cardinal, five states have the Mockingbird as theirs, and four the Mountain Bluebird! That was quite interesting to me.

This pattern is for a lovely tablecloth that would be good for a fall dinner. This is the center bouquet.

This is a Peacock picture, underneath the instruction page is the actual fabric to paint on. It is large, 12 by 19 inches, and "ready to frame or mount"

I really like this rooster, and think he would be great on an apron. I really like aprons!

At the same sale I found completed Tri-Chem items, so the lady who donated the paints apparently was busy. Above are two pillowcases with what I think are apple blossoms. Perfect for spring.

Another pillow case with red roses and lace.

And finally, since we have daffodils blooming away at my home in Kelsey at this time, I will close with the bright yellow trumpets. This piece wasn't made into anything, so I guess it will be my choice. Maybe throw pillows or a dresser scarf.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my Tri-Chem finds. It was a little walk in the past for me.