Category: antiquing

A Birthday Outing

It was my birthday…and a trip down memory lane.  Jim did a facebook post with lots of photos from the 40 years he’s had me in his viewfinder, and we visited places that triggered even earlier memories.  

We headed out the door with no particular plans in mind except maybe to visit a new-to-us antique mall, Planter’s Walk in Locust Grove.  Before we even went inside, I saw a garden sculpture that sparked the day of reminiscing.  And as we walked through the vendors’ booths, more and more memories surfaced.

The phrase “seeing your life flash by” is usually reserved for one’s final moments. But walking through this antique mall brought that phrase to mind. I’ll share the specifics with photos.

A little girl pulling up the hem of her dress reminded me of my sister. 

In this and many other photos, Jane was showing off her chubby little legs. She was teased a bit about this pose in years to come.

I had skates similar to this when I was a child.  We lived on a dirt road, so my skating was done on a concrete floor of the front porch, 10’ x 15’, I’d guess.  It was a big surface to me though.

Corning Ware cookware was a big part of my kitchen life in the 1970’s.

My mother had a set of these glasses.  I can still taste the orange juice when I see these small ones.

A butter mold exactly like the one my mother used.  (I have hers.)

The tag on this one said “folding milking stool”.  I don’t know if that’s its true purpose, but I had one as a child…just like it.

And here s a view of it folded.
Here I am sitting on my stool feeding my baby doll. Yes, those are barkcloth curtains in our living room. 1957 or so, I’d guess.
Clocks…lots of clocks were displayed here and there in this antique mall.  The WestBend with dark face is like one that sat on my Daddy’s bedside table and woke them every morning.  Well, it was set for that purpose, but Daddy usually woke before the bell rang.

Masks like I wore in fencing class in college.  Yep.  Fencing.  I made an A.

My mother had a jewelry box exactly like this.

I usually see an item or two in an antique store that prompts memories, but I don’t recall ever seeing as many as on this day!

And, then, if that wasn’t enough nostalgia for a day, we went to the grounds where I attended camp as a child and as a teen. Now known as the Georgia FFA/FCCLA Center, I visited for several days several times in the years between 1960 and 2000.  First as a camper (4-H in elementary school, FHA in high school) then attending state meetings of GALA (Georgia Association of Library Assistants) in high school, and finally with a group of educators working on curriculum in the 1990’s.  Another trip there could be in my future.  Quilters sometimes have retreats there….

The new dining hall building has a timeline of the camp over the years. This section is devoted to the first admission of women. My sister Jane would have attended FHA camp there in the early 1950’s.

There are changes that have taken place over the years, but a lot of the buildings and grounds are still familiar to me.  Especially the dining hall.  Wow.  As I walked inside, I could hear the shuffling of feet as hungry kids lined up for delicious food.  I could also remember the hush as a leader offered a blessing before the meal.  A new larger dining room exists now, but this one has been kept as it was, furniture and all.  It’s now sometimes used as a meeting space, but I bet others with memories as long as mine recognized how important it might be to revisit.

The original dining hall complete with original furniture. I’ve eaten many meals here.
Here I am in 1968 with a fellow GALA member. That organization was nerdy before nerd was a word, I guess. But I fit that description and reveled in going to meet with other like-minded teens in this glorious outdoor setting.

The campground has grown and changed over the years, as have I.  It can now house up to 1200 people with abundant opportunities for attendees to grow and change, too.  To revisit a place that was such an impactful part of my growing up was powerful!

This is the cabin I stayed in during my visit with math and science colleagues in the 1990’s. Different memories, but fond ones nevertheless.

The antique mall we visited was Planters Walk in Locust Grove.  More information is here: http://www.planterswalkantiquemall.com/

The website for the Georgia FFA/FCCLA Center is here: http://www.georgiaffacamp.org/

Linen Luxuries

I went shopping and brought home some linen treasures.  They are all glorious to look at.  I can’t wait to stitch on them, piece with them, and maybe dip one in the dye pot.  The textures, the colors, the glorious weaves inspire me.  

Yesterday’s haul included four linen tea towels from India, a vintage French tea towel (the checked fabric in the photo), a white on white woven towel, and a pristine square linen tablecloth.

I can’t know all their stories.  But I can imagine…

Some have memories of India in those huge indigo vats where they dip linen to get this rich vibrant color.  These textiles are new.  Woven and dyed to sell to someone.  How many middle men shared in my money before I got them home? I don’t know, but I know I love all the hands that brought them to me.  And I can’t wait to stitch on them.

Those indigo tea towels were so gorgeous, I bought all four that the store had to offer. I hung three of them in the kitchen so that I can just enjoy their beauty before cutting and sewing with them…I might even use them as tea towels…

One has memories of France.  In whose kitchen did this towel do its work?  I can imagine it hanging on a wire hook against a stone wall in a kitchen with a brick floor and copper pots all about.  This is the kind of textile that inspires the French General collection of fabrics from Moda.  I’ve loved making things with those reproduction fabrics, but there’s nothing like the real thing to stir my soul.

I couldn’t resist pairing the “new to me” French towel with some other things already in my stash…awaiting the right companion.
This bit of wool applique (from a Maggie Bonanomi pattern) is waiting for more companions to make a new quilt…it’s coming together with this new acquisition.

And a woven textile of white on white – I’m not sure of its origin.  It has stains to show it’s been a worker, but the beauty of the weave caught my eye.  I might have been hesitant at the price until I saw the “S” monogram.  Yep, it came home with me.  This one might get a bath in a dye pot.  The stains would disappear, and the weave would become more pronounced.

I love imagining the places these fibers have been.  And I love imagining the possibilities of what they may become in my hands.  I’m not certain of those outcomes yet, but I do know that when I see them, or parts of them, I will remember a glorious day of strolling, shopping, browsing, antiquing, lunching, languishing over coffee with my soulmate.  There’s nothing more beautiful than that.

Is it a coincidence that the fabrics I bought yesterday are red, white, and blue?  I think so…but it’s certainly a good time to share them.  Another red/white/blue story is here…and some of the Moda French General fabrics are in the quilt here.  The blue and tan quilt in the background of some photos is described in more detail here.

Old Fabrics and a Cow

We went to Lakewood last weekend and I found a few vintage treasures.

Some delicious homespun fabrics and a cow came home with me.

The definition of homespun fabric is fabric made at home; fibers spun and/or woven at home.  Synonyms include plain, unpolished, unsophisticated, simple, rustic.  Well, those words fit the life I love.

The simplicity of design is part of their appeal, I think.

The wear and the stains in these fabrics speak to me of people who used them in their everyday life.

These homespun fabrics were in Shelby’s collection.  Shelby’s son and daughter-in-law were delighted to sell them to me, seeing that I appreciated these pieces of history as Shelby had.  I didn’t know Shelby, but I like her.

Who else do you know who would delight in finding that the vintage fabric they bought was patched?  I was thrilled to discover this … more stories in the cloth.

And, this worn French tea towel came home with me, too.  Look at those vibrant stripes after washing a gazillion times!

Kristine was not at her booth yet – we were early browsers – but her treasures spoke to me

old clothespins in a BLUE bucket…what’s not to love?

I came home with more than the fabrics I bought, though.  I always find ideas to send my brain spinning…doors, buckets, buttons, even a beekeeper….

I’ve written about visits to Lakewood before: The button lady post is here. Why I love beekeepers is here. And another cow is here.

On the Road Again

Once the Covid vaccines were in our bloodstreams for two weeks, Jim and I headed to an antique mecca.  We went on a weekday, took a picnic lunch, and distanced ourselves from people.  

But we didn’t distance ourselves from the joy of antiquing.  Seeing items like these toys trigger memories and lead to writing forgotten stories for the next generation.  

Seeing color combinations and delicious fabrics always stimulates my quilt design.

Before Covid hit, a favorite old cotton mill filled with antique booths had closed.  We were saddened by that, but delighted to learn that it is now occupied by new owners, filled with upscale decor items and some antiques.  The exterior is spruced up, too, making a visit there a new kind of thrill.

You know I love blue and brown.  You know I love toile.  You know I love nice bows.  Well, who knew I would find them all in one place?

This sweet little train case was waiting for me…a brown case lined in a toile with blue accents, and a beautiful bow.  It had to come home with me.

Now it’s ready to be filled with indigo overdyed fabrics and trims to complement the lining.