Flea Market Update May

 

 

 

 

OMG! I had to come home and tell you guys....

Remember the little blue painted  PA blanket chest I loved last week? Look what this guy did to it!!! He KILLED it!

It was so adorable, old chalky dark blue paint: like my boxes!

 

 

...and my big chest/ trunk, purchased many years ago in PA. Yeah it's got chips, but look at this original blue blue blue paint!

 

 

The little blue flea market chest was also painted chippy tan inside; it had its original clunky key tied with a bit of calico rag.
 It was sooo perfect.
I *told* the guy I was gonna come back for it today. No, no deposit, and we hadn't bargained the price exactly. But he knew I wanted it. I had the entire 200 dollars even in my pocket today.

I imagined it  layered over my big blue chest, to look like this [and hide my copy paper etc]:

pinterest

I didn't see it when I got there today. Then, on my second circuit, this abomination caught my eye. "Is it...? How could it be...?"
I carefully examined it: yep, the scalloped tin edging, the big dovetails, the hobnail and cut tin sunbursts.

But where was the glorious blue paint?

It made me sick. I wanted to cry. It now looks like a cheap c.1985 humidor for holding fake Cuban cigars. It is so bad---shellac?---that it now has zero value, ZERO. I'd think twice before I took it home from the dumpster if it was free. It would be hard to even repaint it now, with the heavy coat of shellac. And he sanded the patina of the tin trim.

Sob!

I also found the pretty seashell sewing basket again. The woman was firm at 20.oo. The shells are loose, it isn't worth 20.oo---and I was just too sad to buy it, or anything else.

 The good news is I have two of my doll quilts listed now on both etsy and eBay, whichever someone might prefer, if interested.

And the thrift shop had goodies, I have to return in day or two when I 've recovered from paint-stripping shock.

love

 lizzy

gone to the beach...

 

 

 

look! Gully is here! Upper left

A Little Porch Time-September

Hi! Here are September's blocks for Lori's [Humble Quilts] quiltalong:

Hands and Shoo Fly



Chubby Basket and Star, fixed now!



background for big applique panel


I love the hands! Heart-in Hand is a one of my favorite folkart motifs---and this is perfect, my hand and one for each of my kids!

Here is the original quilt by Lynda of Primitive Pieces, photo from book reprinted with her permission.

I didn't finish the tiny hands yet.

If you look closely at Lynda's quilt, below, you'll see the fingers extend into a spacer band at the top.

I don't want to sew my blocks together until I decide what/ how the two strips at the far right should look. I have a habit of my blocks not fitting together, so assembly and final stitching will have to wait.
Looking forward to October, can't wait to see what Lori has us do next!

love

   lizzy

gone to the beach......

Links:

Lori/ Humble Quilts

Lynda Hall/ Primitive Pieces

Thank you, Lori and Lynda!

Sewing Needfuls

                   

Hi! My local WeatherBug link predicts tomorrow's weather:
sunny with a little rain. What the heck does that mean?!
Today is stunningly perfect, so beautiful...

but the winds is picking up, blowing from the southwest at about 30-35 MPH.

on its way?

This was from my friend Raven, in a recent email,
''The weather suddenly turned cold and damp the last few days. Autumn is here. Summer is gone. My cat wants to sleep in the bedroom now...''

Her words are so beautiful, so evocative of the coming season....

I am resolutely being summer-y but a rainy day does turn one's thoughts to autumn and indoor projects.

I made a few cinnamon hearts to go with bowls of apples. [unscented for now, I add the essential oils as requested.]

And some sewing ''needfuls'' or make-dos....

Prim needle strawberries filled with dry, clean white quartz sand from my beach. Like emery grains, the fine sand cleans rust from needles and keeps them sharp.

I used the last tiny scraps of a favorite c.1890 log cabin quilt block. Every tiny piece of antique fabric is used in my projects. Nothing goes to waste or is discarded...The old calico is so dainty, so sweet.

Hand-dyed linen for the strawberries' toppers or leaves, and a raw linen string loop.

These are fun tied to a sewing basket or larger pincushion...

or I sometimes add a longer ribbon and attach them to my scissors. LOL, if I was smart I'd hang one round my neck because I constantly lose my favorite needles...and then poor bare feet find them, causing much yelling and recrimination.

We have to stop a moment and really look...I didn't crop this shot, below, because...just LOOK at the quilt behind the pin keep! Is that not the most beautiful and amazing quilting? c. 1850-70. Probably my finest quilt, despite the fact that the front is both faded and horrendously patched! If it had not been patched mid 20th century it might have been discarded or chopped up, a tragic end. Front is NY Beauty or Delectible Mountains. I think it was once red , white, and blue.....

I am working on a BIG batch of Fall Hearts...white on white, romantic/ shabby, Autumn blues, and woolen prim. Oh and neat grey starfish and crimpy weird grey linen. They'll be ready soon, especially if we have that sunny-rainy day tomorrow...

I'm also doing new living room pillows, trying hard to stay neutral this Fall. [Will I resist the lure of brilliant orange? It's very hard....I'll have to paint the pumpkins white? sigh. We'll see...]

love

lizzy

gone to the beach

PS yes the footprints in the sand, last post, are the tiny shorebirds' feet. I'll have a nature/ birds post  for you all in a few days, stay tuned...