funkybabymine

YOU THOUGHT I WAS GONE FOREVER. DIDN'T YOU?

2011-06-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

There were times this past winter when I wanted to run away to a tropical island, but that's just not possible!! It was a tough winter, lots of snow and lots of lugging wood for the main source of heat - my airtight woodstove. Although I was busily searching out little treasures for you, I'm afraid I let my inventory and record keeping go all to pieces. But today I'm busily sorting that out and getting ready to start posting some more goodies.

So, in order to whet your appetite, I'm posting some pictures.

The first two are the three volume set of "My Travelship" published by Olive Beaupre Miller of Bookhouse Books. These three volumes were first published in the early 1920's and are filled with poems, chansons, stories and beautiful artwork based on paintings by world renowned artists. I think the Japanese one took my fancy as a tiny child, and I later discovered wood print artists such as Hiroshige, and the Japanese poets who wrote Haiku - the 17 syllable poems that express a complete thought or experience.

But then again, these two also caught my fancy as soon as I could read the stories and began school where we were taught French from Grade One.

You can choose to buy just one of these lovely heirloom books or go for all three - your choice.

Contact me to discuss relative pricing as my assortment includes first editions and later editions.

janet@novascotiaquilts.com

The other day I opened up a bag tucked into one of my supermarket totes and look what was inside!! The paperweight is a vintage handcrafted item made by Nigel Pain of Dorset, England. He used a print of a painting of the young Victoria, painted in 1840 when she would have been in her very early twenties. Along with this sweet paperweight there were several handmade doilies, a length of the most delicate embroidered French silk ribbon that would look lovely on a toddler's special occasion dress and 4.5 yards of handmade vintage maltese lace 1.25 inches wide - what a treasure!!

Here is a close-up above of the lace, beautifully made and in immaculate condition!

Another treasure above: a child's teaset in perfect condition, of lustreware made in Japan early in the 20th century. A special gift for a special grandchild? Or will you keep it on your small table as a vignette?

The spool is in the picture for size comparison - it is one of the vintage wooden small spools - measures maybe 1.25 inches tall. By the way, both the lovely ecru doily and the teatable cloth embellished with lace are also for sale, the cloth is not Cath Kidston, but doesn't it look like some of her lovely fabrics? The tablecloth has a matching handquilted tea cosy I will be listing soon.

Ready for afternoon tea? Try Crabtree and Evelyn's - it's tops! A better view of the lace on the edge of the teacloth, and my sweet Torquay Watcombe pottery - circa 1930 to 1940's - so art deco, isn't it? I also have a posy ring that matches the tea cup and sugar and cream. Ask for details.

This lovely tablecloth will be just right for serving a somewhat larger group as it is amply sized at 44x57. A very understated but painstakingly crafted vintage item.

If you're looking for just the perfect gift for a new baby - this lovely unengraved solid silver napkin ring, made in Malta might be just the thing - you can have it engraved or give it as it is.

Below is the hallmark the maker's sign and the maltese cross signifying country of origin. This is not silverplate - it's the real thing. I have several other silver cups and baby cutlery for your consideration. Ask me about them.

Les Olivades is a well known upmarket retailer whose products are mainly clothes and tablelinens made in Provence. This little blouse will fit a toddler - ask me for measurements so as not to be disappointed. Can't you just see your grandchild wearing this blouse made of vintage indiennes fabric, perhaps with a jumper or overalls out of denim or chambray? Adorable!

And last but not least, a funky little beeskep honeypot, imported from England - vintage, but not a mark on it, the drizzler had long been lost, so I bought a new one carved from wood to replace it - it's still in its wrapper, so you know it's new and fresh. I love this and have wanted to own one for a few years now - but you can have first dibs!

CONTACT ME: janet@novascotiaquilts.com to enquire about cost and availability of anything you've seen here. I will be posting some items on inner pages, trying for a handful every day, so keep watching.

BECOME A FOLLOWER, because I'm also making plans for a new giveaway soon and you wouldn't want to miss that!

Until next time - Janet

UNIQUE GIFTS

2010-12-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

I'm adding Tablelinens today, and decided to feature this lovely vintage and hard-to-find cloth by Charles Demery, Souileado Fabrics. Demery has passed on now, leaving the firm to his daughter and son and the firm still functions today in Provence and is known for its connection to Pierre Deux.

This lovely 51x66 inch cloth is printed in shades of pink, green and ivory and signed Charles Demery. It is quite likely printed using woodblock technique - the grenier or attic of the old factory is stuffed with shelves of antique woodblocks that until a few years ago were regularly used to print the textiles made by the firm. The colours in this cloth are delicious and are as appropriate to today's decor as they were some 40 or more years ago. I'm going to be sorry to see this one go!

Check the listing at: http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/p/table-linens.html

I also have other textiles from Pierre Deux and from Souileado: A mouchoir or handkerchief in traditional blue, red, mustard and green, several cushion covers for kitchen chairs and so on. As well I have some Quimper faience - mainly small pieces for display and two handbags and a baby tote from Pierre Deux - ask if you don't see what you want.

For your gift giving, I offer gift certificates in all denominations, just contact me at mailto:janet@novascotiaquilts.com to discuss purchase ~ I also take Paypal at the same email address.

A reminder that my Christmas GIVEAWAY will be going on until midnight Christmas Eve, so go on over to: http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html

and enter today - it's fun and easy and you can win your choice of one of 5 items, one of which is a $30 value from FunkyBabyMine!!

ADDED: Girl's Handknit Sweater; dollquilt, bedding set and vintage cradle

2010-12-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

Before I draw your attention to some new additions to my site, I want to mention the great Christmas GIVEAWAY I am hosting over at my regular blog http://www.quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/
I'm trying to give a gift that will be attractive to followers who have all sorts of interests, so have decided to give a choice among 4 different prizes. Pop over and see if you'd like to enter and also if you would like to increase your chances of winning by simply telling your friends and having them enter too. A fun idea. I want to grow my site and one of you will be a winner as a result!

Now I want to tell you about some new additions to FunkyBabyMine. Pictures of the vintage doll cradle and handmade quilt, mattress and lace trimmed pillow and case are above, and as always you'll find the full descriptions and pricing on the appropriate page. Check out Items for Children Page: http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/p/childrens-items.html

Below is a picture of a handknit sweater for a little girl, knit in acrylic yarn so it is completely machine wash and dry. I made similar sweaters for my daughter and they wore for years and were passed on to other children, so you will get your money's worth from my handknits. I'm also making some pairs of mitts and hats for the tinies and hope to have a few posted soon.

You can check out measurements on this sweet little sweater if you go to the Children's Items page by clicking on the same link as that for the doll cradle and bedding set.

Keep checking regularly for more items to be posted and meanwhile, check out the giveaway at http://www.quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/.

Janet

GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED

2010-12-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

munching cookies and stitching!

My pre-Christmas giveaway was drawn last night at midnight, and the winner was Lavender Dreamer http://lavenderdreamstoo.blogspot.com/ who chose to win the $50 gift certificate. Congratulations to you, my long-distance blogging friend in North Carolina - hope you enjoy choosing your treasures - when you have decided what you'd like to have, drop me a line with your full name and mailing address and I'll get your choices off to you.

Remember, textiles are always wrapped in acid free archival quality tissue and then popped into a sealed Ziplock bag before wrapping and mailing, so that winter wetness can't get in!

I can hardly wait to see what you choose! I enjoy following your blog and will be checking back as your Christmas preparations advance.

Because http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ is a very new cyberplace to buy vintage treasures especially chosen for my clientele, not as many people as I would have hoped decided to take up the offer of my giveaway - indeed only three qualified applicants gave it a try.... so for Tahnya Marie (http://smittenwithspirit.blogspot.com/) and Linda (http://bumbleknit.blogspot.com/)I was feeling a little sorry they couldn't win too and decided to send them each a little consolation prize - if both you ladies would contact me with full name and mailing address I am going to send each of you one of my fragrant lavender filled handstitched sachets as a little Christmas gift. I would love it if you mentioned it on your blog, and since I will be having a giveaway soon at http://www.quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/ perhaps you will drop over and enter there - I hope you do!!

I will be announcing that one before the end of the week and I will draw it on Christmas Eve!

my sweet smelling lavender sachets

Look for another giveaway on http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ in the new year and check back regularly to see what new treasures have been added.
Talk to you soon!
Janet sending hugs!

PIEBIRDS IN COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2010

2010-11-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

                                            Country Living magazine, November 2010

We all know the old nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence":

      Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye
      Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie
      When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing
      Wasn't that a pretty dish to set before the king?

      The king was in his counting house, counting out his money
      The queen was in the parlour, eating bread and honey
      The maid was in the garden, hanging out the clothes
      When along came a blackbird and nipped off her nose.

The old song was inspiration for the ceramic piebirds which became popular in the early twentieth century in England as a way to vent off the steam which bubbling away in a pie would cause the filling to overflow and make a mess of your oven and also spoil the perfection of the pie being baked. The "piebird" as it was called was a perky little addition which could be removed and washed up after the pie was served and then would decorate a shelf in the kitchen until needed again.
I've long loved these little kitchen treasures and picked up a few along the way. And seeing the article in last months COUNTRY LIVING magazine ( http://www.countryliving.com/antiques/ ) I decided to list them and see if there will be a demand for them. And so, check my page Other Great Stuff (http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/p/other-great-stuff.html) to view these sweet bits of kitchen decor.

Just reminding you that you have the rest of today to enter my free giveaway and the choice of a $50 or a $25 gift certificate to spend here. In addition, remember that there is no cost for shipping within North America on any items ordered by Dec31 so your Christmas shopping dollar goes much farther with me!

VINTAGE EMBROIDERY TRANSFERS!!!

2010-11-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

I have a large hanging glass-fronted cupboard in my bedroom and I have started to go through its contents. I took out what I thought was an unexciting stack of patterns and small embroidery kits and look at what I found!!! I've just finished photographing them and when I have assigned each a number I will post them on the Other Great Stuff page. http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/p/other-great-stuff.html

Pennsylvania Dutch and folk embroidery were popular motifs in the late 40's and early 50's. This could be the finishing touch to a retro kitchen. There is a sweet rendition of such a kitchen on the envelope - great ideas!

I recall my mother working a pair like these - I have no idea where they ended up! Wish I had them!

The American Beauty Rose was a popular pattern for household linens during the late 40's early 50's and this type of pattern is so versatile for curtains, tablecloths, sheet tops and pillow slips as well as guest towels.

Every male on the Christmas and Father's Day shopping lists ended up with Old Spice toiletries ~ can't you just see bathroom curtains embroidered with the Old Spice figures, perhaps a framed advert or two - some of them were wonderful! Perhaps you could find some of the ecru milkglass looking bottles in a flea market somewhere? This transfer pattern was a free bonus from Shulton, the makers of Old Spice.

This sweet applique pattern could easily be adapted for either a tablecloth or a bedspread - just by simply blowing up the size or reducing it - what fun!!

Winter sports in the late 1940's looks great until you realize that the snow gear worn by children was pure wool and the galoshes were thinly lined rubber worn over shoes and socks. Mittens and hats and scarves all wool too - I recall my mom bringing me indoors freezing cold and covered in snow clinkers stuck all over my snowpants, coat and mitts. All the layers were removed in the kitchen and immediately hung on the drying rack which was a fixture over the huge old farm house sink, where for hours after you could hear the clinkers falling into the sink. By the time my own daughter came along, nylon onepiece snowsuits lessened the misery considerably!!

I hope you enjoyed looking at these - most, if not all, have been out of print for about 50 years and would look lovely in a retro or vintage cottage home. How sweet it would look to arrange the envelopes as part of a vintage sewing notions vignette even after you have used the transfers to recreate some vintage treasures!

In some cases I can locate vintage floss from my collection to go with these transfers if you would like some. The only exception would be the very complex shading of the Mallards and Ringnecked Pheasants pictures, but I recall there is a list with standard DMC numbers enclosed with these transfers, and DMC is always easy to source.
For pricing and more details, visit
http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/p/other-great-stuff.html

PLEASE CONTACT ME mailto:janet@novascotiaquilts.com IF I CAN HELP, and please remember to enter my giveaway for your choice of either a $25 or a $50 gift certificaye. Go to: http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/2010/10/pre-christmas-giveaway.html

THIS JUST IN - GRAB MY NEW FUNKYBABYMINE BUTTON AND DISPLAY IT ON YOUR BLOG AND GET 5 MORE ENTRIES ~ GOOD LUCK!

ECHOES OF A GENTLER AGE

2010-11-13T12:25:00.000-08:00

Back in the days before two job, two car families when there was no television in the evenings, women turned to handwork when their house was tidied from supper and the kids put to bed. From time to time, too, during the busy day, things became quiet and women sat down to listen to the radio soap operas with some handwork to occupy them.

I'm drawing on my own memory here as I grew up during the 1940's, and was not in school until 1944.

During this period of time, many women subscribed to weekly women's magazines that specialized in dress patterns, and knit, crochet and embroidery patterns. Quite often an iron-on pattern or two were bound into the magazines as a free bonus - such patterns might be good only for a few transfers but after the colour was all gone, they could be copied using a pencil and thus were saved. (When I went through my mother's things upon her death 20 years ago, I found many of these patterns, carefully saved through all those years. Embroidery floss was cheap and plentiful and once I was in school I was often sent to the tiny yarn and embroidery shop to pick up floss for my mum. It was up an alleyway behind a radio and record sales and repair shop and the victorian counter's plate glass top had been so worn by coins that you could not see through it. Floss was three skeins for 10 cents at that time. Pure linen to work your pattern on could be had for very little and if you were too frugal to spring for the linen, Indian Head cotton (a firm, heavy, close-woven fabric) was to be had for around a dollar a yard and worked equally well.

So you see, cost was minimal and time was available because there were fewer distractions.

The attitude toward household linens was one of respect and care; and orderly and protected storage was regarded as necessary as well as just being a nice touch. Both the linens storage set of two cases and the nightgown case are shown on
http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/p/other-linens.html I think we might do well to revisit this sort of value today as we strive to make-do, recycle, repurpose and reduce our carbon footprint. Perhaps sometime in the future we again will have no plastic in which to wrap things and 'preserve' them..... ?
Be sure to contact me mailto:janet@novascotiaquilts.com if you wish to purchase any of the items listed, and also make sure to visit my GIVEAWAY post (http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/2010/10/pre-christmas-giveaway.html)to enter the draw for your choice of a $25 or $50 gift certificate which will take place November 30 and be announced here on December 1.

DON'T YOU LOVE VINTAGE APRONS?

2010-11-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

A little while back, I found a treasure-trove of vintage 1970's aprons and just now seeing a vintage apron hung on the back of a kitchen door of a restored bungalow in a blog I follow inspired me to post them here as well as on the page listing OTHER LINENS: http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/p/other-linens.html
The one above reminds me of the colours I used in my first house, a bungalow
that I bought in 1970 - avocado green, orange and gold were all the rage then!

The next apron is a somewhat different take on "chicken scratch" embroidery which seems to be having a bit of a revival just now - a trip down memory lane for me - I was around for the first round and even have the patterns to show it! Usually chicken scratch is done on gingham, but here a polka dot print has been chosen. It's really effective.

And another unusual apron - done in chicken scratch style, on dainty blue and white gingham and this time following a greek key pattern which adds a touch of sophistication to the country style gingham.
All of these aprons are under $20 in price and would make such a nice gift! As always, they are in pristine condition.
Also there is no shipping on all items purchased up to Dec 31/10 and if you enter my giveaway at -
http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/2010/10/pre-christmas-giveaway.html you can choose the chance to win either a $50 or a $25 gift certificate if you have a blog yourself.....

QUIMPER TREASURE!

2010-11-11T12:18:00.000-08:00

I've just added this sweet small Quimper covered dish or box on the page "Other Great Stuff" http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/p/other-great-stuff.html where a complete description and price can be found. Wouldn't it look lovely on a breakfast or tea table filled with jam or marmalade? It could also hold packets of Equal. I think in its previous life it was used as a jewellry box for rings. Lots of things would fit nicely in it.
As I stated yesterday I'm adding items daily and am also hosting a giveaway so go to http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/2010/10/pre-christmas-giveaway.html
Check back again soon as I continue to add items on a daily basis.

MORE INVENTORY ADDED

2010-11-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

I'm featuring today an item I have just added to my page "ITEMS FOR CHILDREN". This is a classic vintage set of nursery themed children's dishes in peach Tiara Glass - I would say this likely dates prior to US involvement in WWII. Definitely one of a kind in its flawless condition. You will find it over at
http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/p/childrens-items.html
A great find! And even better buy since at the moment shipping is free in North America.

I'm reminded since going out to get my newspaper a moment ago, that it is turning colder and all the leaves are down now and sitting in sodden masses. Christmas is around the corner and it's time to start ordering treasures for gifting family and friends. What better way than with re-cycled treasures and handmade?
A gratuitous picture of some delicious clementines imported from Morocco - the Moroccan ones are the absolute best and I fall off my self-imposed 100 mile limit every time when I see these jewel like fruits.

By the way, the cobalt blue mixing bowl which, although unmarked I'm pretty sure is from one of the Ohio potteries and pre-1940's, is for sale as is a darling small fan shaped vase also in cobalt blue -

I will be listing them soon, but feel free to contact me if you can't wait.......

Meanwhile please enter my GIVEAWAY which runs for the whole month of November - go to http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/2010/10/pre-christmas-giveaway.html

for details on how to enter.

And don't forget the free shipping in North America and my new gift certificates if you're having trouble choosing for a friend.

PRE-CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY

2010-10-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my studio in Hall's Harbour

This is FunkyBabyMine's first Christmas and I'm really looking forward to it. I've cancelled all shipping charges within North America until December 31, 2010 and cut by 50% all shipping costs anywhere else in the world.
I'm hoping to make many new friends and to help that along I've decided to host a giveaway for all of you who have blogs. You can participate between now and November 30, 2010:

If you wish to win a gift certificate worth $25USD please comment here and then also mention my giveaway on your blog with a link to http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ .

If you'd rather have a gift certificate worth $50USD please comment, mention my giveaway on your blog, become a follower and put my URL http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ in your sidebar.

Winners are asked to blog about their win and show folks what you chose from my extensive range of previously loved vintage items......... that's all you have to do!!
Meanwhile I will be adding some nifty new items to my inventory and listening to Christmas music!
Gingerbread cookies will be made soon and a sweet feather tree will be decorated!

Free Shipping until Christmas!!!

2010-10-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

from Country Living magazine

Before we know it Christmas will be upon us! This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving, and Hallowe'en
follows closely. There's a nip in the air and my turkey smells delicious roasting in the oven. A neighbour just dropped by to pick up some old newspapers for lighting his woodstove and joked that the forecast called for 15 inches of snow tonight - perish the thought!!!

In preparation for Christmas shopping though, I'm uploading more lovely gift items on my pages here and invite you to browse for lovely recycled or handmade vintage gifts for friends and family: linens and laces, items for children, and beautiful home decor items abound on my pages.

In order to help you make your gift dollars go farther this year I'm offering (until Christmas) free shipping in North America and shared shipping charges elsewhere in the world. How's that for what every online shopper loves to hear?

In addition, check out my gift certificates that come accompanied by a lovely art card, suitable for framing, that you will be able to use to announce your gift.

Contact me for details. Remember, almost all my lovely vintage gift items are priced well below $100 with most even lower than that! Something for everyone and to suit the most discerning tastes.

Lots of warm good wishes going your way!!!

Vintage Books for Children - MY TRAVELSHIP

2010-09-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

A while ago, I was discussing my take on how to help a small child develop an awareness of world culture. I mentioned the My Travelship series of Little Pictures of Japan, Tales Told in Holland and Nursery Friends from France, which was originally published in 1925 by Olive Beaupre Millar, with printings taking place in the late 40's and early 50's following the second World War. These little treasures told fairy tales, history, haiku poetry and were accompanied by charming illustrations based on paintings from the country and period depicted. I had been keeping my eye on the secondary market, but was not seeing any of these treasures showing up until just last week, some did, and I hastened to snap them up. I am now able to offer a full set of three or as single items, and will be listing them later this afternoon, along with some other wonderful vintage items, such as tablecloths, aprons and small collectibles.

Acid Free Tissue for your Fine Vintage Linens

2010-09-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have finally sourced a good supply of acid-free tissue to wrap vintage textiles. I will now be shipping all your purchases wrapped in this archival quality tissue and you can then use it to keep your new treasures safe from deterioration.
In addition, if you wish to purchase a supply of this museum recommended material for the textiles you already own, please contact me and I can supply you.
mailto:janet@novascotiaquilts.com

NESTING - Getting Ready for Winter

2010-08-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

It must be getting close to fall - the days are drawing in and the nights are not as warm and humid. Daytime is sunny and breezy and the goldenrod is starting to bloom. These signs have me looking around my house with a view to sorting out, tidying and improving things a bit.

I ran across a great idea in a back issue of Early American Life magazine http://www.ealonline.com/. I have two doors, side by side, giving access to a good sized porch/woodhouse beside my kitchen, and had been thinking about opening up the larger, more conveniently located door and closing the one currently being used which is small and awkwardly placed, making it hard to store firewood for winter use. I think I will do that and here's where the idea comes in. In my old house there are no cupboards and little wall space so any storage I can add is an advantage. The idea was contained in a picture of shelves set into the niche created by a permanently closed off door - now all I need to do is find some antique hinges for the huge old door which will become the one I use.

Early American Life, December 2007

The wonderful back issues - 15 of them!! - which I recently acquired are providing lots of other new ideas and inspiration; as is my trip through abandoned sewing projects which I need to finish. At the moment I am finishing off a couple of small counted cross stitch projects in order to make some old fashioned needlebooks for Christmas shoppers both at my studio and at the quilt show at the local Hall's Harbour United Baptist Church on the 25th and 26th of September; and in the pages of FunkyBabyMine for those of you who are planning to shop handmade and online this Christmas, as so many people are doing now.

Keep watching my shop pages here for more new listings as I find time to post them, and remember that I'm planning to have another giveaway right after Labour Day which will be open to followers only.

Talk to you soon!

TA DA!!!! GIVEAWAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

2010-08-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

We have the winners! The first prize is taken by Sandra (the Cumberland Island Quilt Chick) http://www.cumberlandislandquiltchick.blogspot.com/ Sandra and I have been happily exchanging ideas and following each others blogsites for some time now. Please contact me Sandra, with your mniling address and I'll get your prize off to you asap - the prize will be a hand embroidered vintage luncheon cloth.

The runner up winner is the Texas lady who owns http://www.countrylogcabin.blogspot.com/ which looks to be a really interesting blog - will browse it later today and add you to my follow list. Please get in touch with me and give me your mailing address and I'll get your neat prize off to you just as soon as possible. Your prize will be a set of vintage table napkins similar to the one shown.

Today I've been looking over some of the interesting vintage quilt kits I've accumulated and thinking about finishing a lovely double wedding ring kit that is just begging to be completed!

So ladies, get in touch with me and we'll mail off your goodies just as quick as we can.

Ciao! And have a great day - it's beautiful here!!

Holly Hobbie Quilt Kit Back in Stock

2010-07-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Some time ago, I finished a Holly Hobbie quilt kit I had in stock and sold it very quickly. Finally I have it back in stock and have decided rather than making it up to offer it as a sealed vintage 1972 kit from Paragon # 0272 by American Greeting Card Corp. The kit comes with batting and embroidery thread to finish and the backing fabric as well - everything you need to make this darling vintage kit for a child's crib or as a wallhanging. Since it is unopened we know it is complete and in pristine condition. Size completed : 34x55inches.
I have a lot of quilt commissions to complete this year so I am offering it as the kit, but if you are willing to wait, I can make this up for you. You will find it listed on the page with Children's Items. It is item # 00197 and is offered at $150 USD plus $15 USD postage for a total price of $165. Completed, it will be $350 USD plus $15 USD or a total of $365 and comes complete with a hanging sleeve in case you prefer to use it as a wallhanging. I have a large quiantity of 1970's calico fabrics and can make this quilt larger if you would like. Let me know and we can talk about it.

More Tips and Tricks - less than perfect linens

2010-07-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

We all have them! A much loved tablecloth that has acquired a stain that no amount of TLC will remove; a bargain find with a worn spot or hole or two.
What to do with them? How to keep using them without fretting over unsightly flaws? Sixty or seventy years ago every larger community had invisible mending services that would extend the life of your treasured linens. No more - I'm afraid the recent solution has been to throw an item out when it reached the point of needing repairs. I grew up in wartime when replacements of even everyday items was next to impossible and I was used to seeing my mother and her friends turning shirt collars and cuffs, and cutting worn sheets down the middle and resewing them leaving the portion worn thin to the outside.

The linens I am offering on this site are for the most part in perfect condition, but now and then I find a treasure which is so unique and well done that despite a flaw or two I will offer it to my valued customers.
Just such a tablecloth arrived the other day - it is a larger cloth with beautifully hand appliqued pansies on a trellis around the outer edges. The one flaw is a small hole in the middle of the cloth, which could be left, but if not repaired will eventually become larger and larger. What to do?

I have decided I will make a pansy template from the border flowers, and I will applique a pansy over the hole. I could do the same if it were a stain I cannot wash or sunbleach out. Another treasure saved!
Another solution to the problem of stains is a strategically placed doily over the stain. Voila!! Nothing to be seen. I will be listing many exquisite doilies very soon at very good prices.

Keep checking back as I continue to list my treasures!

Bye for now!

Tips and Tricks

2010-07-09T05:58:00.000-07:00

I'm often asked how to enhance the feeling of country romance and gracious living with things you may have on hand. I happen to have two different tables that I have refinished over the years.
One is a 1920's style plain kitchen table with a butterfly leaf. I acquired it early in my marriage when we had no kitchen table, but did have twenty dollars to spare. I found this solid all-wood piece at a second hand store for that amount and it lived with growing kids and several moves before I finally got around to scraping years and years of paint from the top, revealing a more or less regular and smooth birch top which a friend and I sanded and coated with satin varathane. We then painted the legs and apron with a williamsburg blue left from the kitchen's fireplace wall, trim and cupboards. You will see photos of it from time to time displaying various items in my listings.
Another much smaller table was found at a yard sale for $5 - that's like giving it away! It's top had been replaced years ago by very primitive barnboard or flooring which was filthy and stained by oil and paint cans - clearly it had been in a barn or garage for years. My friend and I scraped the legs and after minimal sanding just left them. The top was painted using more of the williamsburg blue. It reposes in my bathroom with fresh towels sitting on it.
Both the primitive and the smoother vintage table will suit many people's nesting instincts. Imagine the blue tabletop with a large lacy doily or sweet teacloth sitting on your terrace with a blue willow tea service - just sweet.
The larger table I described would be lovely with some Jadeite Anchor Hocking items like the mixing or serving bowl I'm listing later today, or perhaps the sweet oriental teacloth from Macao I just listed.

ELEGANT RETRO GIFTS FOR BABY (and a few other funky gifts too!)

2010-07-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

I've been adding to my listings today but still have a long way to go. I've added some Bedlinens, specifically lovely creamy white lace embellished pillowslips.

Then I added some lengths of lace and a sweet doily made with a fine linen centre with bobbin lace around the edge. Wow! Just so beautiful!

This evening, I will be adding some children's dish sets and some cutlery. I also have some silver baby cups in the pipeline and an 1847 Rogers Brothers silver baby spoon very like the one I remember having as an infant.

TABLE LINENS SHOP IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

2010-06-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

At the moment I am posting a few new items every day. I hope today to move to another category and get some items up there too. It's a good idea at the moment to check out my listings frequently. Most of the postings are carefully selected one-of-a-kind items and when they are snapped up I may not find another similar item.

I will be preparing a "how to launder and lighten spots in vintage and antique linens" and a copy will go out with each shipment so you may get your linens looking their best and keep them that way as you use them daily.

You may wonder at the many items described as unused or barely used. It was commonplace in middle class homes 60 years ago to have brand new items in reserve in the linen drawers of the china cabinet and on the shelves of the linen closet upstairs.
Home visits by family doctors were routine and housewives always wanted the sickroom to be fresh, crisp and tidy, since the state of the home reflected upon her status as a good housekeeper. Brand new linens were used to accomplish that. It helped too when the clergyman dropped by to visit the sick family member that everything was spotless..

And of course an important dinner or tea guest called for a brand new set of tablelinens too. So brand new items among the household linens were very common. When they had been used and laundered they were added to the rotating supplies and new items were acquired.

I recall in the 1940's going with my mother to the quality independent downtown Department Store where she bought her linens and watching her choose replacement items. Of course this was long before polyester, dacron and "easy care" was invented and you chose among 100% cotton, fine linen or silk. As well, of course, she was an expert hand embroiderer and crocheted beautiful lace edgings onto her handmade linens. I have one of her plain ecru traycloths with hand crocheted edge hanging as a curtain on a small window in my home and seeing it each day is a fine memory from my childhood.

In order to publicize my new online shop, I've decided to have a giveaway running the entire month of June and give you several ways to gain more chances to win.
How to Win: each week make at least one comment on one of my posts. This can earn you one chance a week! If you want to earn 5 chances to win then become a follower if you are on blogspot. Another chance is earned if you put me on your sidebar.
Draw will be held: after supper on July2, 2010.

You can Win: first place: a luncheon or tea cloth,
hand embroidered and lace edged!
runner up: a sweet retro apron for your kitchen!

Good Luck!!! I'll be keeping score for you!

Up to date news on when you will start to see posts

2010-05-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm in the process of inventorying and assigning a dedicated item number to all my items. I am also setting up the blog so that you can browse seperate pages for each category. I'm hoping I can begin posting by the end of this week but to keep your interest up I want to show you a little teaser or two:.

The apron above I guess fits the description of "funky" and is definitely fun. It looks to have been never used, and is in immaculate condition - very 50's and retro!

Item #00140

PRICE: $25 USD plus $5USD postage

Above is a sweet stoneware bowl and cup set with matching stainless steel child sized cutlery with minimal signs of wear. This is the only set I have ever seen that is complete.

Item #00142

PRICE for this sweet set: $65 USD + $12.50 USD shipping

This is a lovely hand embroidered tea or luncheon cloth, from Great Britain. Colours are lovely and the cloth is fresh and clean and shows no sign of wear.

Item 300146

Price:$45 USD + $5 USD for shipping

Remember: contact me with the item number(s) and tell me which method of payment ( personal cheque or Paypal) you would prefer. I will email you with details for payment and confirmation that the item is available and on hold for you.

HAPPY BROWSING!!!

WHAT A JOB!

2010-03-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

The time has come. As well as quiltmaking, I've spent all winter decluttering - vast numbers of saved magazines have been gone through and distilled to a few clippings I'll keep for now and the rest has gone to recycling. Clothing has been weeded out to what I will wear right now and the rest gone to thrift stores or the sadder looking stuff for cleaning rags!

Along the way I've found so many things that should go to someone who will appreciate them as I have. I have collected china and pottery, old tins, baby items, folk art, pieces of lace and vintage linens. It's time to offer them to you all to love and cherish as I have over the years.

I will try to do a fair sized post every week or so - please watch for items you may be interested in as I begin to post. I can be reached at mailto:janet@novascotiaquilts.com and accept personal cheques by preference, but also Paypal. I try to keep shipping costs as low as possible; I definitely have no plans to make a profit on shipping and will refund any overpayment.

lavender sachets - a recent order

To get started, I am listing the lavender sachet bags I have started marketing. These bags come in a set of three for $27.50 + $5.00 shipping = $32.50 USD

and can be made in your colour choices and favourite type of fabrics - 1970's calico, 30's and 40's feedsack, provencal fabrics imported from France or fine reproduction 1800's quilt fabrics, Just the right personal touch for your home!

a corner of my kitchen