Overcoming disaster

The down spout in my garage/ warehouse overflowed or backed up causing some flooding and yukky black stuff to saturate piles of my stock.

This must have happened whilst I was at the cabin.

So, I have been airing/washing/chucking for the last couple of days.

Looking on the bright side several items surfaced that have not seen the light of day for years.

Most of the fabric is coming up well. I had entirely forgotten about these retro juvenile pieces, some still in the wash.

Two antique heavy weight wool quilts airing on the lawn, I think it will take several days to freshen them up and more rain storms forecast for tomorrow.

Brickworks Farmers Market.. somewhat depressing .

Another very disappointing day at the Brickworks Farmers Market. It used to be my favorite market, lively and interesting, but now non-food has been moved to the other side of the parking lot, away from the action. I don't think anyone does well in this location. I miss the farmers and doing my grocery shopping.

On the bright side I was next to a super booth operated by 100milefinds. who run a website where customers can search for unique, local vendors.They had a very pretty stall displaying crafts from some of their members. I'm very impressed and may join myself.

Rather than whinge on, I will show you what I got for a significant birthday this year...French doors.! I never did like those old sliding patio doors.

and some fab full blown roses from our garden (at last)

A new thrift shop....

Always a thrill when I stumble across a new thrift shop. This was on the way to our cabin. I scored big time on the scarves.

including this Richard Allen. I believe he designed for Jacqmar and I have several tucked away somewhere. I will try to collect them together and list them on flickr.

Unfortunately, in my excitement, and given the fact that I had a very impatient R sitting in the car, I made quite a few mistakes....as in this interesting Sorbonne scarf that has tons of color bleed. Still, they will all go into my craft box.

No Hermes or Liberty, unlike Scarlett who picked a winner this week.

Scooped up some delightful, sell able fabrics, like this 1970s piece

4 yards of quilting cotton and some ticking...one is a pillowcase and quite old I think. The other is a remnant and I never know whether to even it out.... as it is quite difficult to describe or show a piece that is cut into.

I will certainly make a return visit as I spied a great pile of old blankets .... next time I will allot more time

Once at the cabin I mended this 30s star quilt as much as I could ....I am not an expert restorer. Already up on etsy, although I do not know why I am bothering to list when the postal strike is ongoing.

what I bought at the vide greniers

I know this is a bit late but some of my dear readers wanted to see what I bought at the vide greniers I went to last month whilst in France.....sooo....here are a few pieces....

A box of large, heavy French silver plate cutlery, R loves it because of the nice big scale....note the ladle. I must research the silver marks. From Bach.

My absolute prize, 5 choir boys robes from Caylus, 5 euros each!!

Beautiful antique nightgowns that I an currently wearing

and fabulous extra large European monogrammed napkins and cloths.

old embroidery thread in a sweet box

adorable children's plastic hangers

more too.......

Fixed, but not washed yet

Images from last week. I am not allowed to blog whilst at the cabin as it takes too many megabytes or something.

I mended this 'square in a square' depression era quilt, it has a nice small scale and a scrappy look, just up my line.

But, ran out of soaking agents. I'm happy to report that having washed it in the city it has come right up. Very pleased.

The lake is awash with great swaths of yellow pine pollen, travelling and taking on new shapes constantly. My poor son has acute allergies.....

The pollen is actually much brighter than the photos, I can't remember seeing so much. Perhaps here is why.

I have a lovely 30s star quilt to mend this week.

Mercerie

I needed a buckle for my new Liberty tana lawn dress whilst in France.

Popped in this adorable shop in Villefranche de Rouegue

Le Bouton d'Or also carried a small , very good, lingerie section and baby clothes. Even though there was a wall of buttons and buckles the charming proprietress went to the back to find me just the right one.

I wish I had this shop near me.

Walking on Sunshine

Yesterday at St Lawrence Sunday Market, it was an OK day, despite that Woofstock was in progress and some streets were closed.

I sold the pretty 1930s pink quilt you see hanging on the left, what you can't see is the thick white embroidery on the large squares. Also said goodbye to the 50s mink wrap.

Yellow is not my very favorite color.... but I seem to be surrounded by it these days.

Some vintage fabrics at my stall yesterday.

I have started to photograph blanket labels that go through my hands, I even have a new flickr section and will just add as I go along.

Thick seeds on the pine trees at the cabin, love the textures.

and a jaunty polka dot Liberty scarf just picked up at the thrift store, not sure which era, 70s perhaps. Makes a change from the usual floral.

I'm starting to be very fond of yellow....

Update...went to check Etsy Treasuries 2 minutes after I posted this and found one of my quilts featured in Taxi Cab Yellow....

I like yellow even more now!

An Antique Canadian Redwork Quilt

I am delighted with my latest antique quilt. A Canadian redwork. I took it to the cabin to fix.

Here it is soaking in a bucket.....

drying on the deck....

see the tepee and the flag.....

see the polar bear...

and best of all see the lacrosse sticks!!!!

Show and Tell

Some good finds yesterday.

a beautiful 1930s quilt with bouquet blocks and that lovely special 30s green. It is damaged, but repairable. Good readers, I took your advice a few weeks ago and listed a quilt 'as is', it sold within hours, so I shall do the same with this one.

This one is also damaged, but not such an easy sell. Should I cut it down and rebind or sell as is? Already washed, each block is pieced in different colored shirtings.....I love it.

3.5 yards of woven Chinese fabric...quite modern, I think but eye catching and it shows well.

couple of yards of novelty print, again, not so old but I like it just the same.

I was quite pleased with that mornings work.

Brickworks Farmers Market..a bitter disappointment .

I was so looking forward to starting up again at the Brickworks Farmers Market...its my favorite market stall. But this year 'non food' has been moved to the opposite side of the parking lot into a joyless indoor space (the farmers are in a covered out door area). No one knows we are there. I was lead to believe there would be crowds (very little traffic) a cafe (none) and music (a tinny boom box, no live music) and there are only eight vendors.

I quite understand that, first and foremost, it is a farmers market, but there were several spaces available in that area and some of that space appeared to be used for parking.

So very disappointing.

But, lets try to make the best of this dismal situation. My neighbors, Demi Luna, were helpful and very pleasant.. I bought some lavender seeds from them to make into sachets.

and DiBa jewelry was there, Dianne was showing some fantastic pieces, all using recycled vintage components...just up my line.

The day was not very good for me....but I could blame it on the tremendous downpour and storm. I did have a couple of regular customers by who had come specially to see me.....how I love my return clients.

The season has been paid for ( a requirement) so hopefully we will be able to build some traffic somehow. We will have to put our thinking caps on.

I really miss the lively atmosphere of the market and bartering with the farmers , not to mention doing my grocery shopping.

Opening the cabin

Our first few days at our summer cabin on a small island in the Georgian Bay in 2011. It was 30 degrees (humid x 39) when we arrived on Tuesday evening, and 3 degrees at night on Thursday....what a climate!!

A vintage point blanket being aired and acting as a windbreak.

Get used to this...my mending for the week.

40s/50s whole cloth juvenile quilt...animal print with rather primitive machine quilting. The binding was very frayed, so I removed it and trimmed the bat and folded the blue border to the back to bind. Not perfect, but good enough.

Soaked in a bucket and hung out to dry in the Ontario sunshine.

Oliver, on his first trip up north...he finds another use for a Pendleton shirt from my collection.

and models his first life jacket.

Here he is, with his Nana,(me) sitting round the fire in the evening.