DH and I visited my mom and siblings back in Illinois for Mother’s Day last month. It was the first time in quite awhile that all of us kids were together with Mom so that was really nice. Sadly there are no stitching shops in my hometown anymore. I did however visit several cute gift and antique shops with my sister and managed to find a few things I could spend some money on. I picked up 2 nice antique needlecards – they’re in really good shape. I’ve been collecing a few antique sewing accessories when I can find any that are reasonably priced. I hope to make a shadowbox one of these days for my sewing room.
For some reason, I never seem to find much in the metro area where I live so there must be other collectors out there snatching all the good stuff up first! I see so many cute things on some of the French stitchers’ blogs – they must have some fantastic shops and flea markets but we don’t have a lot of that where I live - it's just not fair! Seems like any flea markets here are mostly selling stolen goods and not cutesy antiques. I also found this really cute plate holder below - it's made to hold small 4” decorative plates but I was thinking of stitching some cute items to sit in the available spots - maybe some of the Prairie Schooler Easter eggs or something? For only $10 I couldn’t resist it.
Mom has been cleaning out a storage place she rented and she had some great finds to give me. Here is the only vintage quilt that is in my family. It was made by my grandmother Lyda Virginia and from the fabrics it looks like she made it around the 30’s or 40’s. It’s totally pieced and quilted by hand – the pattern is Grandmother’s Flower Garden – seems like just about everybody made that pattern back then. I didn’t know my father’s mother very well because she was in her mid-70’s when I was born and she died when I was around 8 or 9 I think. I’m the only quilter in my family so I’m happy to be the caretaker of this. Thank you Grandma wherever you are - I will treasure it.
Then Mom turned up with my old Barbie doll trunk! Is this a hoot or what? I’m so excited to have it. The case is from 1968 and still in good condition. I sorted through everything – throwing out some of it that wasn’t worth keeping, then hand-washing the clothes. It’s funny how you don’t think of something for decades until you see it again and then the memories come right back to you. There are outfits my other grandmother crocheted and some that an aunt knitted. There’s even a Buffy and Mrs Beasley doll – does anyone remember them from Family Affair?
Here’s a pic showing a favorite outfit – my mom made matching dresses from this striped fabric for Barbie and me. I plan to have Midge modeling it on a shelf in my sewing room along with another doll in her “After Five” classic 60’s outfit “a la Audrey Hepburn”. :-)
All of this reminds me of many happy hours playing with my 3 childhood girlfriends – we’d pool all our stuff regularly for long play sessions with our Barbie Dream Houses (made of CARDBOARD in those days!). Now and then I’ll walk through the toy dept at Target just to look at all the cool Barbie stuff they have now.I did manage to get in some stitching this past week. Here’s my progress on Miss Beatrix Potter – I just barely made my progress goal for the month but hey it’s the best I could manage. I used a Watercolors varigated silk called ‘Chili’ as the focal thread then pulled in some coordinating NP silks.
I still don’t have my Peppermint Twist piece finished – it’s almost there so hopefully within the next 2 weeks. I’m trying to get my stitching mojo back but it comes and goes. That's all for now folks!