Last week at St Lawrence

Last weekend I arrived to set up at St Lawrence Sunday Market to find a hellava mess on the stage behind my stall, no room to arrange quilts or any thing.

To add insult to injury, at the end of the day some lads arrived to remove some of these props and trampled with their muddy boots all over a 19th century quilt as well as the 30s pink grandmothers garden you can see.

However, this did not seem to deter the shoppers and quite a few items were sold. Perhaps they like the messy look.

I notice that vintage fabric lengths are moving again.

My buddy Jeanette has a table with a different color scheme each week, this weekend it was maroon....she prefers to call it plum.

way behind this week

Way behind with the blog this week as we left the computer in the boat in the marina (hidden from view). Last week my plan was to have re bound this 1930s 9-patch. It is a bit pink...either some color bleed, in the wash with a red towel or deliberately over dyed. The latter, I think, as it is a very even color.

Some baby blue bias I had in my stash was chosen Then I discovered a few more surface tears. Can I mend them? will it be worth my time to bind if I can't mend the tears....so I put this project aside for the moment.

I had taken some red cotton thread to mend my cottage pile of red point blankets, but it was too hot to deal with this.

So I sat in the gazebo and read 3 books my daughter had left for me. A Norwegian detective series set in Oslo by Jo Nesbo...and I am hooked. Two more to go. So much for my reading more DH Laurence this summer.

Fortunately my two daughters, SIL and DIL are all avid readers and I never lack for a new recommendation.

The modern art hanging from the rafters is Oliver's Jolly Jumper.

Unpicking

Going through my somewhat vast stash of antique quilts that obviously would never sell, the mending or restoring is a bit too much and they would be better off unpicked and recycled. A couple of weeks ago I came up with this.

Yesterday I tackled a 1930s tied quilt that was damaged on the front, the batt had shifted and it was quite lumpy. Ended up with the back, which is 4 printed feedsacks sewn together which should launder nicely. The hand sewn top will be put aside for now, perhaps I can get a 'lot' together to sell in my etsy shop

This morning I started on a 19th century piece that had been backed and edged with very heavy 20s 30s upholstery rayon? fabric. The top is stained, I hesitate to wash it because of the rayon (besides, I can hardly lift it) but perhaps the indigo and turkey red cotton will come up. I shall try soaking the upholstery fabric separately .

What have we here? It seems to be stuffed with old (30s 40s?) shirts... very dirty too. I'll let you know what else I find.

next up, a 19th century 'tumbling blocks' quilt with two gaping holes and a nice 'mourning print' back.

It should yield some interesting fabric......

and give a me a bit more room on the shelves.

french shutters

Alas, yesterdays market at the Brickworks was another disappointment. First, I left my market bag in the van, with my business cards, camera, signs and other paraphernalia so could not take any pics. Click here for some images from last year when I was doing well and it was fun.

It was boiling hot and apart from a couple of folks who came specially to see me, and one of my old customers who managed to find me it was a poor day.

I did manage to take a look at the chimney court which has been renovated and turned into an amazing childrens eco site with all kinds of innovative activities. I will try to blog about that when I have my camera with me.

My avi, that you see on the right was also painted at the farmers market in better times. It was painted by my good friend Barbara Muir.

So to cheer myself up I am showing you some photographs taken last May during my holiday in the Aveyron district in France...

I had a fascination with shutters...lovely, saturated colors.

and generally had a wonderful time, specially here.

Promise to get back to vintage textiles and quilts next time.

an unusual quilt

An unusual 1930s quilt with eau de nile sashing and backing and deep rose pink feathered wreath quilting was my mending project this week at the cabin.

I rebound two ends and mended a tear, soaked it in a bucket, hung it out and then rinsed it with a garden hose.

Need not have bothered rinsing as it was such a stormy, gusty, rainy week. The quilt was filthy when it arrived with lots of marks , but it sure is clean now.

and, another blanket label to add to my collection.

my new favorite quilt

My very favorite quilt has to go. Not away for ever, but moved from its spot on the day bed in the gazebo. I love the 30s eau de nil color, the plain shoo fly blocks, the fact that every block was pieced in a shirting or check and the simple, traditional 'baptist fans' quilting.

It has been loved almost to death.

I took these two to the cabin to fix, both a no brainer. The blue' bow tie' , in an unusual set, was very frayed at the edges. As there was a wider binding, about 2", I was able to make a new knife edge, this took considerably longer than I had anticipated.

The 1930s nile green and pink star had a bright pink binding, also very frayed and I had to remove it, a shame, as it set off the quilt nicely. I bound it to the back as there was plenty of green at the edge and not so much of the white backing.

The family had the choice of either fixed quilt to replace the old favorite. They chose another nile green, Perhaps they were fond of the old 'shoo fly' well

As it happens a new favorite has just come my way, just washed and on the line in the city. Again, I love the simple stars, every one in a striped shirting and the plain grid quilting.

I admire many complex and beautiful vintage quilts, but this is the sort that really speaks to me.

Scarf day

Out thrifting this morning, as usual on the scarf hunt. Alas, no Hermes or Liberty, but I am delighted with these two.

Unusual souvenir from the Bahamas printed with the Bahamian dollar and British currency, all dated 1967. Designed by Thirkall of London.

A bold 50s? cowboy scarf...not pristine, but the graphics make me smile.