Vintage Thursday Thingie: Bellow, book and cushion cover

Here are two flea market treasures that we found on a trip to California two years ago. This brass and leather bellows was purchased by my husband with the idea that he would use it to "fan the flames" when barbecuing.

This, of course, was my purchase. It clearly once covered something-a foot stool maybe. I've been meaning to turn it into a throw pillow.

The interesting thing to me is that the needlepoint embroidery does not cover the entire surface-only the design elements have been embroidered (more like cross-stitch embroidery). I'd never seen that done in needlepoint before. (This appeals to me- one of the things I hated about doing needlepoint was filling in the background.)

This trip we didn't spot an outdoor flea market but I did get a Mock Vintage treasure! This is a reproduction of the 1953 classic...

complete with aged pages (so said the blurb with the book and so it is-check out the left side)!

When I read that I just couldn't resist! and now I have another cookbook to add to my Mock Vintage/Antique cookbook collection.

For more VTT wonders and to join in the fun, click on the button.

Vintage Thursday Thingie: Tea Cozy

This is a vintage embroidered tea cozy that I really don't know anything about. Its done in chain-stitch and I love the folk-art look of it. It looks Indian to me but that's just an impression.

Its good to be back for VTT. For more VTT wonders click here.

Happy Inauguration Day

Happy Inauguration Day!
Here are some pictures from Sturbridge Village-what a wonderful place...you really do feel like you have stepped back in time...especially on such a cold day when I think we were the only visitors! Question: How many sweaters can you get under a raincoat?

This is from the back path-it was so cold that when we came around to the Town Common, I was so glad to get into a building I forgot to take a picture of the Common.

Whatever are they eating? Lichen?

Isn't this window magnificent...its in the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford...there are gems like this all over the building. Hartford is definitely worth a trip to if you are in New York or Boston-across from this museum is an old church with an even older pre-Revolutionary War graveyard.

The snow was light on the ground so we walked through-amazing gravestones including one that said that here lay the first white child (non-native American) born in Connecticut!

We're home

We're home! It was a great trip-we went to all the quilt exhibits that I hoped to get to-including the Baltimore Album exhibit in Baltimore-and saw many wonderful quilts. The Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut proved to be a lovely small museum in itself (saw an Egyptian mummy and a Toulouse Latrec!) . The quilt exhibit was small but very nice with a wonderful Crazy Quilt that had the most embroidery I've ever seen on a Crazy plus padded work and even pom-poms. I loved this: the maker, Mrs. Signora A. May, willed the quilt to the museum!
Here are some pictures from one of the few places that allowed them: Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. I love the quilted bonnets... but this quilted petticoat is just too beautiful.

I haven't finished unpacking, laid low by jet-lag... I can't wait to get into my sewing room!