I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Sunday, April 19, 2015

Flea Market Flea Market Jiggetty Jig!


Hi guys!

To market, to market to buy a fat pig/ 
home again, home again, jiggetty jig!


That was the motto on a sweet little 19th century child's plate, seen today at the flea. I don't want to start collecting children's plates so I passed it up. It was so cute though..Kate Greenaway-ish children carrying a piglet in a big willow basket, lugging him home. Poor piglet---dinner?
It was sunny! But cold and gale winds. I was dressed too optimistically in cargo pants, tee shirt, cardi and denim jacket. I was glad to find a warm scarf and fingerless gloves in my car! Yes, I know the guy in the photo is wearing shorts, but trust me, someone is always wearing shorts here, even in the dead of winter or on a cold spring day. lol.



The market was fun, so busy! TWO hot dog trucks even. (But who wants a hot dog before noon, eeew.) I see that I am going to have to carry my big tote with me and snap up treasures as I see them, not think they'll be still there when I leave. Missed out on a neat white ironstone mixing bowl, the baby brother of the giant bread bowl I use to mix my lavender buds.
Lucky for me I was wearing cargo pants with roomy pockets for my small treasures.

Thimbles from a young guy selling mostly hardware.


He seemed puzzled that these were what I chose [above] as he was doing a brisk business in hammers and screwdrivers. He finally shrugged and decided, ''One dollar." Yay!

collection so far, one year

My collection is growing nicely.


Of the five thimbles, one is a tiny child's size 6 . It barely fits on my pinky.



Two are size 9, one is an 8, and one is a BIG size 12. Most thimbles are size 8, more or less.
The big thimble had stars.



One thimble said Germany, another Taiwan. And the star thimble says Austria. That was a surprise, who knew Austria once produced thimbles?


One thimble is very worn and had been squashed to make it stay firmly on the woman's hand.



(I'd never know, but isn't it fun to think one of the thimbles I find here at the flea is maybe the thimble of the lady who made the hand-pieced Chimney Sweep quilt I am restoring? Fantasy, I know.)
Another guy had an odd assortment of chandelier prisms and brass stampings/ motifs.







He was expensive! But I really wanted this big prism.


I sold the large prisms I had hanging in my window last winter and I really miss getting up each morning and finding my kitchen filled with rainbows. I hope this one works; the sun is now too far north to hit the windows; I won't know til next winter's solstice if this prism is a success.


And some colored drops, lavender and blues:


I also got just a few stampings.



Some folks love bees---honey bees, bumble bees.


I think they'll be wonderful on natural linen sachets, don't you?



And I love cherubs, so I took two of them too. Maybe for Christmas or Valentines Day on old velvet hearts?






NO silver strawberry handles and NO candlesticks to be found. My pinkeeps are made and await bases still.
This quilt keeps catching my eye.


 It's very definitely modern and machine made, but the grey-tan fabric is such an interesting twill, and the pattern is so good. I love the turkey red wheels. And note the red backing and binding! The main color is a medium taupe with a hint of lavender, but very neutral; the sawtooths on the wheels or gears are just a bit creamier version of the almost-same color.


Horrid machine quilting of the quilted bedspread kind, not hand done longarm fine quilting. And yet---? I love it. This is the dealer who had the tin molds at Easter, all gone now.


When I got home, Mo had been whisked off for a playdate. I was very happy to have a hot cup of tea and share  my finds with you all.
How was your weekend? Yard work, yard sales? Or maybe you went to the flea too? Tell me!

love

lizzy 

gone to the beach

I can see the boardwalk from my window









18 comments:

  1. Such treasures. I love the quilt, too. I wouldn't have been able to resist if it had been in blue. I think I have some old thimbles. I'll have to check.

    I had a wonderful day yesterday. Beach. A bright red bird friend.

    Today, crane paper painting. A little work at the office. Crane folding tonight.

    Thanks for the great post. It's always so much fun to visit with you.

    Aloha,
    Hunter

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  2. I love seeing what you find at the markets! I love the colored glass drops!!

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  3. Lovely finds! I love the thimbles...I wonder if the large Austrian one was maybe a tailor's thimble? I like the designs around it.

    I'd probably have bought more crystals! I'm a sucker for pretty sparkles and your big window is so perfect for them.

    The wheel quilt is a pretty cool design. It looks like it'd be a major pain to make!

    Quite a crowd! And yes, probably a good idea to carry a tote (and always wear your cargos!) so you don't pass up any treasures you'll wish for later. 'Cause we'll be waiting to see what you find next!

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    1. The size 12 thimble looked ''girly'' to me, but yes, usually those were men's.



      The crystals were very expensive, he wanted 5.oo each for the drops and 10 for the large clear!! And 2.oo each for the brasses. I paid 15.oo for all but I still feel it was too high. He had such cool crystals tho---clear drops like acorns! And tiny glass fruit with leaves. His main business was socket wrench sets,lol. But he wanted top dollar for the crystals.


      The quilt block looks really hard to me too..curves ANd tiny sawtooths and circles.

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  4. Lovely finds, thinking of starting a thimble collection myself. Just racking, weeding and a little hand stitching this weekend.

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    1. Send us a picture of your thimble collection, Jill.

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  5. Well, that was exciting! Some very nice finds for you. The thimbles were a definite score at that price, yes? Funny how socket wrenches and hammers and such share space with other more delicate items. The colored drops sure are pretty.

    Nothing much exciting this weekend. Worked Saturday AND Sunday this week. I'm sure I must have done a few other things, but for the life of me I can't remember now. It's all kind of a blur :) Thanks for sharing our fun with us.

    Kel

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    1. Hi Kel! I hope you had some nice days off now after working all weekend. Yes the thimbles were a good price but they are not valuable thimbles, just---to me---interesting, with stories to tell.

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  6. Oh how I wish we had a market like that! I love your prism and the view out your window!!! I can see why you love that quilt. Quite striking. Curious. How much are they asking for it? We had a few yard sales in the paper this week. Hubby stopped at one and got bolt cutters. Never know when you may have to break into somewhere...LOL Kit

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    1. Oh Kit! LOL, the bolt cutter!
      I didn t price the quilt because I had only about 20 dollars and I didn t want to bargain down to a good price and not be able to buy it. Maybe I ll visit the ATM before this week's flea. And then I ll ask the price.

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  7. Sounds like you had a grand day at the flea mart! How fun to be collecting thimbles! Love that red and tan quilt. I keep seeing that pattern and being drawn to it. Guess that means I'm going to have to make one for myself.:)

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    1. I love that whirling wheel design too. How wonderful if you d make it. Part of your series of circles quilts. I was surprised when I was trying to find out its traditional name that it is an appliqued pattern.Tho I would pice the cuved seams of the balls I think. Never did find out the exact name.
      [scroll way down]


      http://suegarman.blogspot.ca/2013/11/november-thanksgiving-and-december-joy.html

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  8. Hi Lizzy. Bet you thought I'd gone haywire....but I have not. I still read your posts on line through your emails and don't even do blogging anymore. Don't know if I'll ever get back to it. I love your finds. Always have. I saw the thimbles and my new interest is in making fairy furniture and a thimble would make a great pot for a miniature plant in a fairy garden.......I got the idea from you... Thank you so much. I still love your posts. Hope you are well.

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  9. Love your thimble collection. I collect them from wherever I travel. Hard to believe you are still having such cold weather. It's hot here and once again, dusty. Ugh! Best wishes, Tammy

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    1. Dust storms sound nasty. It s so cold here because the near by ocean froze over the winter and the water is still only 44 degrees. It s like a big airconditioner, sending cold air.

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  10. You do find the best stuff at the market!

    I have never been good at using thimbles...I am all thumbs with needles anyway! What a great collectible.

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  11. You do find the best stuff at the market!

    I have never been good at using thimbles...I am all thumbs with needles anyway! What a great collectible.

    ReplyDelete
  12. You do find the best stuff at the market!

    I have never been good at using thimbles...I am all thumbs with needles anyway! What a great collectible.

    ReplyDelete

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