Antique Durham Quilts

The Antique Linen Cupboard has  a number of Durham quilts for sale at the moment. These two both use red as the prominent colour and would give real country cottage charm to any bedroom. The one above has red and white patchwork and the other is a traditional North Country "strippy" quilt. As I have had a number of people contacting me through this blog to ask about purchasing items I have included "The Antique Linen Cupboard Shop" in a separate page (see the link on the right) There you will find more details about these items featured in the blog that are available for sale and the prices.

These two quilts came from different house clearances but both from the same area. When they were made the houses were in County Durham so genuine Durham quilts too! (The county boundaries were changed in 1974 and much of County Durham was taken to create the Metropolitan area of Tyne and Wear.) If you want to make a purchase contact me through the blog. 
N.B.Both of these quilts are now sold!

Hand embroidery linens at the Linen Cupboard

I've been to a local auction today and came across a box of lovely hand embroidered linens. This tablecloth with Madeira embroidery of Calla Lilies is superb - very long and with matching napkins. Ideal special occasion cloth - this would look fabulous on a wedding table!

This photo shows the cloth on a bed - I haven't got a table long enough to show it off well!

The same box had several other large cloths - all beautifully embroidered.

I think again that this is really a tablecloth but doesn't it look good on the bed?

And this one really is a bedspread - white lace with figural motifs.

The motifs are all of hunters

When I find linens like these I wonder about the household that they came from and how many celebration meals and family get-togethers that they have seen. They are all on sale on my eBay site from tonight - maybe they could preside over your next family occasion!

Hand stitched cushions & quilts

Last week I bought a number of lovely hand worked tapestry cushions from auction along with a number of hand stitched Durham and patchwork quilts. The work involved in both types of textiles is amazing...reflecting a time when we had no T.V., internet or other distractions to take up our time!

This cushion cover has the addition of lots of tiny beads in the black and white sections of the design.

This is a Tree of Life design cushion - this popular style of design is one that I always find attractive and I have several in my house - as embroidered pictures on the wall.,  as a fire screen and as cushion covers and yet each one is different!

Another needlework skill is that of the quilter. I have bought a number of quilts recently.

This is a very typical Durham quilt. Called a "Strippy" as it is made up of contrasting stripes of pink and white cotton. The quilting patterns follow the stripes and are the identifying feature of a Durham quilt.

This quilt combines patchwork and elaborate quilting designs.  The flower baskets are very striking and the colours are stunning....again think of the work involved - all that hand stitching of the patchwork pieces and then the quilting!

Finally, an antique patchwork quilt.

This one shows the use of several fabrics - maybe all the fabrics from the remnants of dressmaking for a family. Fabrics would not have been bought specially to make a quilt as they are today... they were the "left-overs" from the everyday dressmaking that women did in times gone by

Garden parties & evening wear

One of the auction sales that I attended last week had a collection of shawls and other vintage clothing that I just had to buy. The silky embroidered shawls are perfect for either a casual garden party - keep your shoulders warm in the cooler evenings - or to set off  more smart evening wear. 

The shawl below is very striking and would be perfect with a plain dress

Whilst this black one could be used with a more patterned or multi-coloured outfit.

Finally to complete the look why not add a pair of extra soft kid leather evening elbow length gloves. Actually, you would need to have quite small hands to fit into these gloves. Women were much smaller in Victorian times and they were meant to be worn very close fitting.  These gloves are probably a size 6 or a 6.5 but even if they don't fit your hands they do add the look when draped over a dressing table or bedside table

Summer linens and lace

I have had a hectic time lately...hence the long time since posting anything on the blog! Last week I was at Carlisle in the Lake District where I came across some nice old and interesting linens some of which will be listed on eBay today. Amongst the treasures was a very unusual tablecloth with Maltese lace edge and teatme motifs.

This is a close up of the centre motif

I also came across a tablecloth with lovely needlelace - each square panel completed in a different needlelalce design

Close up of a couple of the panels below

After Carlisle on Monday, I went to Scotland, then Northumberland and then on to Yorkshire at the end of the week. So linens from all over the north of England and into Scotland. More to come later.

Lake District Country House Linens & Treasures!

I have been so busy lately that I haven't had time to keep the blog updated. Lots of auctions to attend and lots of internet sales .....not much evidence of a recession in the world of antique and vintage linens. Yesterday I went to a very interesting auction sale of the entire contents of a large country house in the Lake District - Holywath.

This sale followed the death last year of  Major John Wilfred Barratt Hext M.B.E. who died at the age of 92.  Holywath in Coniston, Lake District Cumbria has been the home of the Barratt Hext family since 1830 and was a time capsule as the family had never thrown anything away! The family had connections with Ruskin, Kate Greenaway and Beatrix Potter amongst others.

The auction house took photos of the interiors as they found them before taking the entire contents (including everything from  the cellars and the attics) to auction.

The sale included such diverse items as a tiger skin (seen on the wall above the staircase) to old fire hydrants and hoses. The linens and textiles that I bought were equally eclectic.. a large wicker hamper with dressing up clothes ranging from a barristers gown to a scuba diving suit!  I bought the usual linens that you would expect from a country house - bedspreads, sheets, pillowcases and lots of huge damask tablecloths - and also many vintage items of clothing. From ladies vintage hats and coats to mens vintage shooting apparel (plus fours and other breeks) and bowler and top hats.

Now I just have the task of sorting through everything and photgraphing them for sale! So it maybe another few weeks before I get the chance to blog again!

Floral & Paisley Eiderdown Quilts

Last week I was looking through my stock for interesting items to list for sale and found some eiderdown quilts. The one above is very pretty... very summery.

These cotton fabrics are so evocative of an earlier age but they can be used very sucessfully in a contemporary interior too.

This one has a more of a paisley design with a lovely duck-egg blue background.

This one I have described on Ebay as pistachio green with pink/red flowers. It is actually prettier in "real life" than it appears in the photo! Cath Kidston has taken many of these old designs and reproduced them in her fabrics but I think that the vintage designs are just that little bit better!