One of my favorite collection is handmade cloth sewing items, such as pincushion, emeries, sewing bags & rollups. Most of these items are one of a kind, with most born out of necessity, although I am sure, others, were made and given as gifts. They span the time, from very early museum pieces, to newly made today. My focus is on the items from the mid Victorian through the 1920's. One ca…
This gorgeous vintage tablecloth was uncovered at an estate sale. Still wrapped and folded with care, the cloth was a beauty to behold when discovered. It is a handmade Spanish drawn needlelace tablecloth, or possibly a bedspread, measuring 65" wide x 102" long. A very impressive size. The linen cloth is made of several different motifs, all put together into an extraordinar…
Another one of those early dresses with a wonderful tidbit of history. This Victorian lady's dress is from the late 1860's, Civil War era, or 1870's in a green plaid linen (possibly mixed with a silk or a wool challis) with over skirt. Buttons down the front with 7 fabric over metal buttons (should be 8 but one is missing at the waist). The lace ruffle and velvet trim at the ne…
Antique silk. How easy is it to wash and should you? Silk is classified as a
natural fiber, so by all standards it can be washed, however, a word of caution,
here, as there are silks that will not hold up when put to water, especially any
of the weighed silks from the mid to late Victorian era. In my experience it is
a hard determination on which items can be washed successfully, and which…
