Too Pretty To Pass Up

Hi Kids,

I hope you're all enjoying a long holiday weekend.

Yesterday was pretty productive for me, not in the creative sense, although I got a little work done last night on a small antique quilt I bought a few weeks ago. All the hand tied points need to be redone, they're falling apart and a bit delicate. I snipped them all out and retied two rows, but not much else as far as stitching and sewing. Lord knows I've got plenty to do, I just can't concentrate properly right now, most of my focus is elsewhere... I'll share this with you guys in due time.

We got out bright & early, Sean and I, and our dogs, Butch & Lola went downtown for breakfast, we sat outside on a patio and watched our little town come to life. It was a nice scene, one I don't get to witness often. The dogs loved getting treats (most of my bacon) under the table, and watching people pass by.

Later on I accidentally did a little antique shopping, you guys know how that goes, right? You don't mean to, but you see that the store is open, so you decided to pop in for a sec, just to see if there's anything new. Not going to buy anything, oh no, no... but... well, you end up finding just a couple of things. That's what happened to me yesterday. I picked up a handful of new-to-me stitchies, none of which were priced yet. When I inquired about a price, the lady asked me if I thought $1 each sounded fair? Let me tell you, I whipped out a fiver faster than you could say "jack-flash"!

I think this might be a small table runner, the stitching is about 12" across. It's brand spanking new, not a single blemish. It looks like it could have been finished yesterday, and then folded up and tucked into a drawer.

I think this is a small napkin, but I couldn't resist it's charm. I think it'll look great under a candle or whatnot.

I think this next piece is machine stitched, but the stitching is with a single thread, it's very delicate, and old. It's also brand new, still has the sticker on the back from China. I think it's might be a hand towel, but I'm not sure, the fabric is very thin, maybe it's a napkin also.

And then there's this, isn't it pretty? I have the perfect place to put it this Christmas, over an antique plant stand from Sean's grandparents estate.

This last piece is a vintage pillow case which I thought was so pretty, and so finely stitched, I had no choice but to rescue it. It's also in pretty good condition, with only a small spot of yellowing, some of the stitching has come out, but I think I can fiddle with that. After consulting my stitchy peeps, I gave it a nice long soak in a basin of cold water and Oxyclean, then a delicate wash in the machine with Woolite. It's currently out drying on the patio.

Isn't this a cute scene?

The handsome gentleman.

A lovely lady, I can see now that her umbrella is missing most of it's handle, yes a repair is in order.

Look at how finely stitched the trim on her bodice is! That is tiny, tiny blanket stitch. I think it's gorgeous, even if it isn't as perfect as it could be. Someone stitched this with a lot of care, and I'm so happy to have it. No life safely stashed in a closet for these two, they will be used and loved by me.

The pretty edging is done in pink & white crochet, lovely. I need to learn how to do this. Does anyone know if it's hard? It looks hard...

EDIT:

Just to share a bit of happy news, and some 'after' pictures. The Oxyclean worked perfectly! After a quick iron, my new pillow case looks great and ready to use for a nap!

Have you had any good thrifty finds lately? Tell me all about it!

oxo,

Lisa

p.s. I don't know why my pictures are coming out so blue?! Anyone have any idea? These pieces are all snowy white. I don't get it, I need photo lessons...