A bit of a sort out

We had more snow overnight, quite a bit more than I had anticipated which made things more than a little slippy this morning.

OH took me out to breakfast where I had a sausage and bacon bap and a couple of good mugs of proper tea.  Which made a very nice change and then after a little local shopping we came back to the house.

Over the past few months I have been accumulating embroidery and needlepoint kits, completed needlework that has been resold on much of it vintage, fabric unfinished linen tablecloths, jelly rolls, damaged tablecloths, table mats etc. As I have indicated before I have plans in hand to make things and when I am plotting and planning I like to gather and stockpile those items for future use.  So now has come the time to actually sort them out so that I can find things easily, sort those items that are to be recycled and those that are not.  I have some stunning tablecloths which I thought might be useful for my proposed vintage scrap quilt but which when they arrived are much too beautiful to use anywhere than on a table. 

Here is a photo of a cushion made by the same technique as I want to do a quilt in for my bedroom - indeed there is a quilt made in this manner in one of her books.  it is not my photo but it is the same technique and I do so love the charm of this.

I have some see through storage boxes in which to organise said items but suspect that I will need a few more so that I can organise things properly and then find them when I need them.  I have also been buying vintage transfers as I will end up with lots of little bits and pieces of linen left over from some of my envisioned projects and I do not want to waste anything especially as I have  a project for a linen tablecloth which is cut in squares and then embroidered  and then all the squares are sashed with lace.  This project has been on the to do list for some quite considerable time.  I have been buying linen chair back covers (antimacassars) for quite a while too.  I have bought the meshing panels as well so am not far off being able to do this.  I like doing hand embroidery in any event and I am hoping to make some very special items with my materials combined with my efforts.  I like different, pretty, and beautiful my weak point is my home.  I have my crafting hobbies which help create those items for my home but I don't drink, smoke and very rarely go out so most of my pocket money goes into my home.  I just love recycling things. giving them a new use/purpose or creating things from items that to all intents and purposes are past it like the damaged embroidered tablecloths or indeed bringing old items back into modern day use.

I have also bought a new super-king sized bed which should be delivered next week so really I need to get everything sorted and where it belongs before that arrives.  The bed has a black and gold wrought iron effect headboard.  It looks the part and I think it is a modern day reproduction.  The bed should have arrived today but because of the weather it has been postponed.  I will probably buy my cotton bedding during the week, and then decide on new duvet and possibly new covers and also new pillows and a couple of mattress protectors.

For many years now I have been buying vintage bedding, pretty pillowslips with crochet lace edging nice proper cotton slips and sheets.  I have even bought the French Metis sheets which are gorgeous.  The ones I have are a lovely deep cream although I have my eyes on some white ones in due course.  I started collecting vintage bedding purely by chance.  My Aunt was having a bit of a clear out and had found a white-work cotton embroidered top bedspread cover that had belonged to her mother my Great Aunty Kit.  It had sustained a little damage  which had been prepared (and which fortunately can be hidden under pillows) but she wondered whether it would be of any use.  I snapped at the chance and indeed the cover is indeed very beautiful it is handmade and still has the laundry tags for my Great Aunt. So that is a little something that I have as a keepsake from my Nan, my Great Aunty Kit, my Great Aunty Elsie, and my Great Grandmother.  All the items are different, however I have come to the conclusion that all of them loved quality items.  I have my Great Grandmother's fob watch and chain, my Great Aunty Kit's bed cover, my Great Aunty Elsie's best white-work tea table cover with crochet edge and quite a few things from my Grandmother including her china tea service which was bought as a wedding present for her which I think is approximately 90 years old so I do have some lovely keepsakes.  Mind you all three sisters loved china, ornaments, glass, proper cotton bedding and quilts/feather filled eiderdowns and antique furniture.  It would seem that I am following on in a family tradition.

The funniest and probably the most expensive piece of cotton bedding I have bought is that we went on holiday to the Lake District.  Went out for a meal to a super little Bistro and had a super meal.  Came out and there was a vintage fair being held so I asked OH if we could go round.  Now bearing in mind I had had a couple of glasses of wine with my meal perhaps it was not the best time to go around the vintage fair.  I found a couple of sheets which I thought had the price tag of £14 on them.  I thought that is a good price and it turned out that they were £40 for the pair!  I nearly died.  Fortunately OH just laughed at me and said that will teach you!  Moral of the story don't go to vintage fairs when you have had a drop of the old vino!

I have some rather old modern bedding that I bought from John Lewis which is still in immaculate condition when I went home to mum and dad's.  I bought some extra sheets and my Nan made me some curtains on her hand cranked sewing machine.  It is a pretty yellow rose quilt set and I have two which have always been destined for a spare room (two single beds).  I now have the vintage cotton bedding, pretty pillow slips and cotton sheets to go with.  Another thing of the tick list.  It is nice when things come together.  I also have one completed crochet blanket completed and I have another to do in cream, green and yellow. 

So this evening after tea I will be sorting out my crafting stuff so that I can actually find stuff and also pack away some of the items I have bought to do yet again so that I can find them.  I am very lucky to be able to get to play with such treasures and I know that.  However I get far more pleasure from upcycling, recycling, making the best of something and I wish I had a bigger home so that I can take opportunities when it comes to individual furniture pieces than I can here at the moment.  Something for the future is that I would like to have a go at doing something on an upholstery level  to breathe new life into some older pieces.

Right had better get a wriggle on.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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