Tuesday 1 April 2014

A vintage sewing basket

Hello to all, hope Spring has sprung & you too have a Spring in your step. Our clocks went forward this weekend which means I lost an hour of sleep but the promise of longer days makes it worthwhile.

I was once again down south cheering up an aging relative of 90 who needs a bit of a distraction & my babbling news seems to provide something else to talk about. The upside is that I get browse my favourite markets more often.


I shared my last trip & the stallsThe joys of hand sewing and the lovely items we found on the stalls. Take a look at the card on the bottom left  ....
 
I also mentioned on my blog that I regretted passing up a lovely vintage sewing basket. You all know that feeling ...

This visit, I thought it might still be on the stalls so I hurried down eagerly on Saturday morning & to where I had seen it .... and it was not there!!!!

'Serves you right', I chided myself, 'for being indecisive' & 'now it is gone, one of a kind, gone to someone else.'  'Oh well', I consoled myself - 'at least I took a photo' ...


Ms M, my dear sister in law by chance, close friend by choice gave me a beautifully wrapped birthday present with a stunning card she had bought & the gift felt .... like a basket - surely not; I was afraid to get my hopes up.


In the evening, over supper & a drink, I asked to open it early .....

Ms M reads my blog & she had returned to the Saturday stalls the week after my visit but the stall holder was not there, then the following week she made a special trip & couldn't  see it so she asked if it was sold. The stall holder unpacked several things in his van till he found it ....


How special is that to go to so much trouble for a special gift? The basket has little pockets inside, a drawstring & it still had some items left in it.


Ms M & I unpacked the vintage items in the basket. We both love history & vintage items so we speculated on the previous owner whose sewing items still grace it's interior. A sample fabric piece shows her practising her stitches with large running stitiches, some uneven blanket stitch & very neat darned patch ...

 
Her brightly coloured unfinished embroidery was still as vibrant as when it was done - neat stitches but incomplete with the back not tidied up yet. Had time got the better of her? We can all empathise with that ....

I have not seen another basket like this so am soooooo very pleased with my thoughtful gift as it will be perfect for my renewed interest in hand sewing. It looks like a 1970s version - what do you think?


I know that my next hand sewing Gentlework project will be to use some of the fabulous things that were found in my basket - to give a nod to their history ...



I am not sure what form it will take yet, but the cloths are being soaked & washed, ready to inspire me ....

I hope you have enjoyed this lovely gift with me & will look back in to see how the sewing basket Gentlework progresses ...
Dee ~♥~

7 comments:

  1. Hi Dee just found your blog through pinterest as a card I had seen before (your birthday card) caught my eye, made by my friend Jilly on Bridport Market, I too live in Bridport and had seen your lovely sewing basket on the market, but didn't know what lovely treasures would lay inside. Julie x

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    1. Oh my goodness Julie - small world - I stopped by to admire her cards & bought a card & some bits a few weeks ago from Jilly & mentioned that her work was similar to the Gentlework course I was going to do. Her things are sooo lovely that I was thrilled to get the card from my sister in law who lives in Bridport. I will definitely be stopping by her stall again on my next visit. I am glad to have got the sewing basket as it is unusual & I love eclectic bits. Some of her gorgeous things are on a previous blog post of http://deeatthecarlton.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-joys-of-hand-sewing.html
      Thanks for stopping by Julie x

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    2. Hi Dee again, yes Jilly's things are lovely, I met her for coffee yesterday and we had a good chat about crafty things. I do craft fairs with her, she just started after I started doing them, I too have a market stall in the summer, but mostly fairs, I'am off to Seaton Artisan Market on Saturday a new fair for me. so hope its good.

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    3. Hi Julie - how fab is that. She was very lovely when we met on the stalls - I will be back down in a few weeks & hope to browse her lovely stall again & the fabulous vintage section in Bridport which I love. Good luck with your new markets - it is always good to explore new ventures!

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  2. What a lovely story and what a lovely basket ! Thats me all over....I dither about and then regret not getting something later......I missed a pretty crystal candle stick a while back and still find myself wondering whos enjoying it now !! I am in South Staffs but cross the border to Shropshire with a 10 min drive up the road.......XX

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    1. So we are nearly neighbours - I am just up from Weston Park & look over the A5 which I love …. I know what you mean - I love crystal candles - I bought a solitary red one with droplets & then saw a pair of vintage clear crystal ones with droplets & love them! Thanks for stopping by ….

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  3. Hi Dee! Wow! What a wonderful, delightful gift to be blessed with! I could almost feel your excitement just reading through your post! I absolutely adore your sewing basket, and how wonderful to open it up to discover the loveliness inside! I hope you've had a wonderful birthday, and enjoy this process of discovering and sewing with all your newly acquired gems! Tania x

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♥ Hi - thank you for stopping by, I hope you enjoy your visit♥.