Saturday 20 November 2010

Antique Christening Dresses & more



This week most of my auction purchases seem to be all about baby clothes - Christening dresses, night dresses and aprons (for keeping the clothes underneath clean!). One dress in particular has the most beautiful very fine Ayrshire whitework embroidery. Here's a close up................


 And another showing the skirt panel.........................

                                                                Real heirloom pieces.

In reality, it seems that few people do buy them to use as a Christening dress and to pass down the family. Mostly now they are bought by doll collectors to dress up their favourite doll and to display. At least that way the exquisite workmanship is shown off and not put away in a drawer.

The other baby clothing item that was in my purchases is several baby and toddler size aprons ........



          And I couldn't resist showing these two baby's in all their finery - just look at their faces!


Friday 12 November 2010

The Last of the Summer & Xmas is coming!

It is soooo windy today but the sky is clear and the sun is shining - about a minute after this photo was taken the cloths had wrapped themselves around the clothes line and after about 10 minutes they were dry enough to iron!


It feels like winter now however and after the climbing rose was blown off the house wall by the gales I have had to cut it all back - the last rose of the year is going to end it's days in my kitchen.


So definitely time to start the Xmas sales. Every year I stockpile linens for the festive season - napkins, damask tablecloths being best sellers at this time of year. I have what seems like hundreds of Irish linen damask napkins and whilst they are not all the same design, batching them up into bundles of six gives people an opportunity to buy good quality Irish linen at a reasonable price.


Six large napkins for £5.99!


I also have piles of damask tablecloths - ranging from the enormous 16ft cloth that I have for sale to smaller 6ft cloths. The designs vary too - it seems that the number of designs produced in damask over the years must be in the hundreds. This cloth with the Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland is quite special...


It's also time to look out all those small linen gift ideas. Items that maybe cost only £5 - £10 for a friend or neighbour but as they are antique or vintage linen & lace will show a bit of thought about the gift that you have bought. Boudoir sachets, lace edge hankies, a monogrammed towel or tray cloth - all original designs that no-one else will have.




 Monogram - E - for an Emma. Emily, Eve or Eleanor

Mongram W - for a Wendy, Whitney, Wallis and Willow