Holiday Entertaining ~ Dress Your Table With Vintage Linens

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Thinking of a dinner party and need to dress the stemmed goblets? What could be more pretty than this set of Italian Needlelace coasters. The back of the coasters is linen. Ercu in color.All in unused condition (so you will find some yellow oxidation marks from storage)Size is 3" square with opening in the center to slip the stem of the goblet. These little coaster pads date from the 1930's. A set of 10.

More detailed information can be found here

Or looking for just that perfect classical table cloth and napkin set. Here is a extraordinary damask cloth in a Greek Key pattern. Now what could be more classical? This lovely set with its 11 extra large napkins date from the 1920's. It is also has a triple monogram on both the cloth and napkins . Now, this could be a topic of conversation for that dinner party........

Want to know more details on this lovely set or other table linens? visit me here

Jewelry Collectibles Online Magazine ~ A Must Read Magazine

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Wanting to buy vintage fashions and accessories, antique & vintage collectibles? Or do you shop for new wearable fashion or home accessories? Whatever your choice you will find the recently published Jewelry Collectibles Online Magazine a place to do your shopping. Wow! What a neat magazine and one you must check out.

It definitely covers many aspects of new, vintage and collectible marketplace. Not only with great items to purchase but informative written articles on antique & collectibles. Such as Vintage Correspondence & Ephemera From Pre 1900 article on just that. Do you collect vintage postcards? I am sure this category will be sure to please as I found the offerings astounding. Don't miss the opportunity to view this wonderful magazine and subscribe by email to keep you update on all the latest offerings and happenings.

Oh, just another little tidbit ~ I am so excited to tell you The Gatherings Antique Vintage has been featured in the magazine so hope you will read about it here. Then visit me at my web site store The Gatherings Antique Vintage or my Ebay store . See you there!!

Memories of Christmas Past

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Today looking at treasured ornaments of Christmas past brought memories of my own childhood. Christmas with my grandparents in the big farm house, just down the road a ways from where my parents lived, was always filled with festive joy and cheer. The baking and preparation for the special day now that I reflect back on it must have consumed hours of my grandmother's time. Nothing was spared in the baking department for so many delicate treats were made only for Christmas.

Sometimes my sister and I would gather at the kitchen table with my grandfather to make Carmel popcorn balls. Yes, another wonderful treat to eat let alone the fun of making and sharing the good time. Afterwards we might sit to play a game of Chinese checkers or flinch ~ oh, my grandfather was a hard one to beat!

The Christmas tree is another fond memory. As the ceilings in the old farm house were quite high. It seemed each year the tree was so lofty it touched the ceiling. Not that it did but in the mind of a child it was so tall it could have reached right up to the heaven. My eyes were filled with wonderment of the beauty of the tree shining with its strings of blue lights and sparkling ornaments.

Although my grandparents were not wealthy they lived comfortably and could afford some of the newest and latest in Christmas decorations. Now, if you lived and grew up in the 1950's you remember bubble lights! I am sure there were many other fad tree decorations but this is one, I am sure, must top the list from this time period.

If you step back a few generations there were other tree ornaments which were equally very popular such as the tinsel and scrap ornaments of the early 1900's - 1930. Some were handmade from scraps, die cuts, cardboard and tinsel. Although I'm not an authoritative on scrap ornaments I do buy what I like. Many I buy to keep for my own tree while others I buy to sell. Want a trip down memory lane? Here are two offerings which I have for sale right now.

This ornament is handmade of die cut scraps, smaller scraps, red tissue and tinsel.

A close up of the children.

And yet another delightful scrap

To see or purchase these or other scrap & tinsel ornaments from the past please visit me here

Thanks you for visiting and may I wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas however you celebrate the holiday season.

A Small Purchase From The Heart Of Country Antique Show In Nashville

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The last of October I traveled to Nashville, Tn. to the Heart Of Country Antique show to do some serious buying. Not only did I spend some special time with my sister from Ohio but also with a dear friend who traveled with me. The fall season is a beautiful time to be in Nashville and this time was no exception.

The show, itself, was a fantastic experience in its new location at the Tennessee Fairgrounds. Certainly an improvement over the large tent of the previous couple of years. However, when a show is moved from a location of about 20 years it will and does take time to gain new acception. However, from the dealer contact I made, many felt it would in the long term be a benefit to all. With the addition of Country Home magazine setting up a beautiful display booth I have nothing but praise for the show.

Of course, dealer offerings were spectular and choice. I am fond of candy containers, well I should say, not just any candy container but rabbits. Although my collection is not of a huge quantity I do have some very nice examples. Still, it was this little guy that turned my head

Peering at me from a showcase it was love at first sight although I must admit I did give some serious thought about purchasing. A trip down the aisle was enough to convince me I needed to take another look at this little fellow tugging at my heart strings.

A 1930's or about dachshund candy container. Glass eyes and lift off head. His body is some type of cloth over paper mache. Vintage ribbon tied around his neck. He is 4-1/2" high x 7" long from the tip of his nose to the point of his tail.

And here is the reason I just had to have him. Our beloved friend.

From The Gatherings Antique Vintage ~ My Sincere Apologies

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My sincere apologies to all my readers both new and old for the loss of my pictures on my blog. My hosting server decided to discontinue their hosting service which has left me scrambling and struggling to remedy the situation as fast as possible. I hope you will bare with me. In the mean time it would be a delight to have you visit my web site to see the photos of many of the lovely estate items I had pictured here. Please feel welcome to visit me here . As I was pondering my above situation I contacted Jewelry Collectibles Design ~ http://www.jewelry-collectibles-design.com , who designed my blog and The Gatherings Antique Vintage on line web site store, to seek their help and answer to my questions. The answer was a most positive and a definite willingness to help. So with Jewelry Collectibles Design at the helm I am in the process and will be restoring my photos to the blog. Furthermore, if you are in need of someone to design a web site, blog or page I highly recommend Jewelry Collectible Design. I have been more than pleased with the service and ability to give quality and expert design.

Heart Of Country Antique Show ~ Nashville Here I Come!

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Tomorrow it is off to Nashville to enjoy the fall gathering of the Heart Of Country show. This great antique show is held twice a year ~ in October and in February. The fall show is always so special for me as not only are the treasures found at the show fantastic but it always has a fall theme of autumn splendor, i.e., pumpkins, bittersweet, colored foliage and flowers. It is a show-stopper! If you are in the area for this coming weekend you might want to put it on your list of "must-see and do". See you when I get back!

An Antique Find ~ Early 1900's Baby Shoes in Original Box

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Sometimes the joy of collecting antiques is in the hunt as one never know what might be waiting at that next estate sale, outdoor market or any other venue collectors and dealers search. So it is, with this perfectly mint pair of early 1900's Edwardian baby shoes or slippers. And no less in the original shoe box with its great graphics of babes and storks. Such a beautiful gift to welcome a new baby.

These little "darlins'" are minty in box. Want to learn more details? Please visit here

For Mama"s Little Darling ~ "Always Ready" Victorian Bib

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Feeding time is such a pleasure, although, many wee ones sometimes do show their displeasure with the taste of certain foods, wanting to feed themselves or just for other reasons sometimes only known to little minds.

Still, the child's Victorian bib pictured above gives rise to the occasion that the baby is "Always Ready". And for many a feeding time the sentiment is exactly right.

The darling printed cotton bib dates about 1880 and features children feeding feather fowl.

Twill tape strings attach to the top for securing around the baby's neck. Just adorable subject matter and I am sure it did please the baby!

This bib is such a delight ~ it is a "must have". So for more details please visit here

The Frills Of The Undergarment ~ The Edwardian Era

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The dawning of the 1890's - 1912's became known as the "frills" period in lady's undergarments or lingerie as it was beginning to be called. Froths of lace ruffles worked with beautiful embroidery appeared more frequently on underpinning than the decades prior but not to the extent as at the end of the Victorian era.

This gorgeous slip or petticoat from this time period speaks of the exuberance encompassing the "frills" . Notice the detailing of the panels on the skirt body ~ pin tucks and lace insets is just one of the many fine details.

I think you will agree this is so very feminine. Please allow me without further ado, to provide more details here . If you love this era or earlier please visit me

Vintage Stamped Embroidery Pillow Cover ~ Vogart Style

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The wonderful stamped embroidery sewing projects so available during the earlier part of this 20th Century are amazing. Looking through catalogs of the time gives one the feeling there was no end to the types and variety of projects for ladies to work a deft needle upon.

One such beauty I recently acquired is this lovely boudoir pillow cover. It is a charming example from the 1930's ~~

It is a made of organdy fabric with a large flower embroidered on the organdy.

I just know you will want to know more about this vintage pillow so.........read about it here !!

Embellishments ~ The Accent Of A Victorian Dress

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Embellishments! The extra touches and accents applied to a dress be it appliques, insets of lace, lace trims, both of hand work or machine trim, or ribbon. All were applied to a Victorian or Edwardian dress with many used in conjunction with each other. Dresses from both of these time periods were elaborately made and embellished. Below are two examples.

A pair of black silk Victorian appliques such as these might have been used on a bodice. The detail of the appliques are quite beautiful and so striking! Want more details on the two extraordinary pieces? Why not check them out here

Another applique in a tape or Battenburg lace. The lovely piece is handmade from machine made tape lace. Starting with drawing or stenciling a pattern on to cloth, the tape is laid on the design and basted to the fabric. The filling stitches (brides or bridges) are then worked to join the tape together. Upon completion of the pattern the basting stitches are then removed lifting the completed work from the fabric. Again, a lovely piece to be incorporated into a garment of the period. Ah, yes, here's the details on this pretty piece. Read here.

Lace, Silk, Satin & Ribbon ~ A Bed Cap From The 1920's Era

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Oh, what a confection of frothy lace, ribbon and rosettes this Edwardian - Flapper era bed cap bespeaks! The entire bed cap is covered in lace, tulle, and more lace. Accented with a double cluster of rosettes on wide satin ribbon.......

Want to read more details on this lovely creation? Read Here

Or are you looking for other antique and vintage lingerie / under garments from gone-by eras? Please visit me at the link above.

Vintage Vogue Special Design Dress Pattern

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My sister is an accomplished seamstress and while still in high school she won many awards for her beautiful sewing projects. Although our father's mother (our grandmother) certainly displayed skill with the needle in the making of beautiful clothing, I was not blessed with this talent but my sister was. So I asked her if she would consider making me a suit from a Vogue pattern I fell in love with. It was so stylish and up to the minute fashion. Certainly very couture! Even though it was a very difficult pattern to work with, she produced this wonderful 2-piece black suit for me. I did feel very stylish plus it was a very special suit. One that I will always remember. And it is still hanging in our mother's closet!

Although many of the pattern companies did produce highly fashionable clothing patterns, it is the Vogue patterns that I have an infinity, too, and I do reflect back on that "little black suit". So it happened recently I acquired a Vogue Special Design pattern. I learned the period for producing these patterns were from 1939 - 1959.

This particular pattern, #S-4270 was introduced in 1941. A very glamorous pattern accenting the small waistline and full circle skirt. Very stylish, indeed and a perfect dress for dancing to Glenn Miller. I can hear the music already in the background......

Talk About A Beauty! ~ 1920's Hardanger Embroidery Bedspread

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Here is one FABULOUS 1920's bedspread! It incorporates lovely sprays of jewel tone flowers tied with sun gold ribbon bows embroidered on 22-count cloth fabric. Not only is the embroidery work absolutely stunning it also shares the limelight with insets and a complete border of Hardanger embroidery. Still, the show does not stop here, taking to the center stage, is a large round darn net lace inset of two figural ~ pied pipers, if you will. It is glorious with so much artistic expression plied with the needle.

This show stopper does speak for itself. The size is very generous as it could be team with a dust ruffle to fit a king size bed. Or a perfect fit for a double size bed.

The above photo shows just two of the examples of the Hardanger lace embroidery worked on the bedspread. Hardanger is a counted thread type embroidery worked in satin stitch. Hardanger is usually worked on a 22- count cloth which is rather a loose weave fabric making the threads easy to count. This work is characterized by embroidered blocks called kloster. The kloster blocks can be worked into many type of desired patterns.

The center of this beautiful bedspread showing the darn net figures surround by the the garland of flora. I think you, too, will find this bedspread breathtaking. As with many of the textiles from the past the maker's name is unknown but her creative legacy lives on.

A Turkey Red Embroidery Friendship Quilt ~ Dated 1896

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Years ago when I first started to sell antique and vintage textiles I fell in love with pieces embroidered in the turkey red floss (redwork is another term used today). Although there are many types of household items embroidered in this beautiful shade of red thread, and although I love them all, quilts are my favorite. Many of them are very graphic in designs and styles. Some elaborately embroidered.

Red embroidered quilts were in favor from the later Victorian era with the heyday in the early 1900's. By the 1920's the redwork quilts started to wane. Many of these quilts are dated with one of the latest dates I have had was 1931.

Here is a very unique quilt which I acquired some time ago. A turkey redwork friendship quilt dated 1896.

There are many blocks in this quilt in the array of farm animals, flowers, cats, dogs, birds, horseshoe, children, with one delivering the "Herald" newspaper. Now this is neat! Probably the best block and unique to the quilt is "Grandma Bear Aged 86 in the center of the quilt. The signatures are as varied as the blocks themselves with one signed "Your Sister Iva".

Several dates appear on the quilt with the last date of 1896. The two other blocks are dated 1894 and 1895. I assume the quilt was finished and presented in the year 1896.

Please visit here for more details on this quilt or to view other items in turkey red embroidery work.

Pretty Vintage Collars ~ Lovely Needle Work Of The Past

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The ladies of the generations before us were schooled in the fine art of needlework. Of course, there were those girls and young women who did have formal training but most girls (some boys, too) were taught at home by other women of the family. Especially by mothers and grandmothers. The art of mending and darning was one of life's necessity but some leisure time was, indeed, spent on the making of all types of beautiful needle work. Lovely embellishments serve the purpose of beauty as well as function on decorative household items as well as clothing.

Many touches of needle work were added to outer clothing as well as underclothing. Both for women as well as children. This was quite evident as well as extensive at the close of the 19th century into the early part of the 20th century. Collars, cuffs, yokes and dress embellishments were another area where the needle worker plied her skills as seen in the photos below.

A lovely needle lace dress embellishment or neck piece. Dating later 1800's.

Although this fillet crochet lace yoke for a camisole is several decades later than the needlelace piece and although the one above is finer and of more value it does not dimish the beauty of the camisole yoke. Each should be admired for what they are. The love, accomplishment and joy in a job well done by many unknown worker of the needle. We will never know the names of these accomplished ladies but the legacy of their work lives on.

Visit me at The Gatherings Antique Vintage here to admire other handiwork of the past.

A Little Shaker Today ~ Southern California Rocked

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Well, Southern California rocked today. Not in the way of music or dancing but in the way of an earthquake. It did decidedly bring back memories of that fateful day of October 1987 when our little town of Whittier laid claim to an unknown fault and shook with a 5.9 earthquake. The damage to this Quaker town especially in the uptown area of old buildings was devastating ...and very sad to see.

So with the quake today centered in the Chino Hills area it was good to hear there was very little damage. Just many rattled nerves!

Antique Small Parasols ~ Child or Adult?

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I have read articles regarding the small size of a parasol being not necessarily a child's but may have been used by a lady riding in a carriage. She would want something to block the sun but not so large to hamper her view. I am sure this is a true statement, however, on the other hand I feel some small parasols were actually used by children.

Case in point would be this small parasol with its decidedly motif of children playing at the seashore. Certainly one that would have been carried by an young girl for a summer stroll perhaps on the broadwalk.

The fabric is a cotton printed with the figures. Much on the order of handkerchief fabric. I have never been able to find any history on this type of fabric used for parasols and certainly would like to learn more about this type. In the past I have had two others. Both were larger and definitely for a lady. One was a creamy white background printed with brown figures. The other was a red with white figures. All of the parasols were purchased over time in the New England states so a possibility a company located in the in one of the states manufacture this type of parasol.

Certainly not a fancy one of silk, satins & razzle dazzle but still one to delight. In my opinion, a bit unusual.

Update On Handmade Maltese Bobbin Lace

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I have been admiring a collection of silk handmade Maltese Bobbin lace doilies or mats and have written a post on my blog regarding a set of four a week ago. One single doily from this collection did catch my attention. It did not appear to being damaged but looked to be join as I could detect a loose silk thread interwoven in the piece. I am aware, as many who love and study old lace that indeed pieces are made in separately and then joined to form the whole unit.

So an email was sent off to my lace guru to give me answers to my question. Here is a photo of the doily in question.

If you notice at about 2:00 o'clock a faint thread line works its way from the edge towards the center. Below is her reply

"Handmade Maltese Bobbin Lace. Traditional peach silk. Yes it is made in sections joined. This lets more than one person work on a single item, to share the work, speeding production. There are three pieces in this one mat. The center cross and its ring of tiny leaves is one piece. They've hidden the join very well. The ring with large leaf motifs is made in a circle with the join at 2 o'clock in the center of one leaf. The outer ring of flowers is made as a curved edging with the join at 2 o'clock position. Well done! Each of these pieces takes a "few" bobbins. If the mat were made all at once, it would have all the bobbins working at once, slowing the process. It can be done of course, but time is money, and quickness is important. One person, one week production, vs one day, three people."

I would also like to give recognition to this special lady. Should you have questions regarding lace please send her an email. She would be happy to send a list of fees for her service. You can reach her at dankate at xvi.net

Antique and Vintage Fabrics ~ Do You Know These Names?

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Here is a very useful little booklet published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farmers Bulletin No. 1449, dated March 1926. This particular booklet is titled "Selection Of Cotton Fabrics". Now if you were studying this booklet it would include chapters on uses for various fabrics, weaves, finishes and dyes. Really a learning lesson here! . However, it is the glossary that intriqued me the most as to the names of some of the cottons. Of course, we all know what broadcloth, swiss, velveteen and percale fabrics are but here are some lesser known names ~ Shaker flannel, Tarlatan, Birdseye diaper and another one called apron checks.

The definition of apron checks is a gingham woven with small checks of white and blue or other single color. Usually made of coarser yarns than dress ginghams. Uses: Aprons. Ah yes, today we called this fabric homespun. Not a true homespun but a mill or manufactured homespun . Today the colors of mill homespuns are eagerly sought after with the blue and white leading the way and yes, you will see many aprons made of this fabric. And no, I have never heard this fabric referred to as apron checks.

From The Linen Closet ~ Silk Maltese Bobbin Lace Doilies

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In my last post I had written about the lovely silk Maltese Cross Bobbin lace flounce. Lo and behold soon I wrote the post I received in the mail a group of silk bobbin lace doilies. Certainly the timing was perfect to write another article to show you this group of four 6" doilies all hand made.

They are so dainty. The color of the silk thread used is just the most beautiful shade giving the doilies an aire of importance.

And yet another picture of these beauties. The group is from the late Victorian or early 1900's era. Thought I would share and hope you enjoy.