Quilter's Delight!

My mother-in-law had told me a couple of times this week about a friend of my grandmother who was having a moving sale.  Her last remaining sister had passed away recently, and she is moving back to Arizona to live near her daughter and grandchildren.  She is selling a lot of things, and my mother-in-law had encouraged me to go take a look.  So this morning I arrived, and the first thing I spotted were these two quilts.  "They were my grandmother's," the daughter said.  Her mother said, "My mother made them."  One was in better shape than the other, but both are beautiful.  The woman is in her eighties, so I'm estimating that the quilts were probably made in the 1930s, based on my math and the styles and colorings of the fabrics used.

I tried to find these patterns, but I was unsuccessful.  If you know them, please let me know by commenting to this post.  Thanks!

At any rate, these are really neat finds that would be wonderful additions to any collection, and I quickly said, "I'll take them both!"  I hope someone who loves quilts as much as I do will want to own them - along with the beautiful Dresden Plate (which is in much better shape) posted here previously.  All are listed in my Etsy shop:  This Reminds Me...

Vintage Treasures Stir Summer Memories...

I think one of the reasons I am so enthralled with vintage treasures is because they remind me of the summers of my childhood.  My maternal grandmother and great-aunt lived one block away, and in our sleepy little town in the early 1960's, that was a "safe" walk for a visit - as long as we told Mother where we were going!  We spent long afternoons at my grandmother's chrome and formica-topped kitchen table, sipping cold Cokes and playing canasta.  We played on her oversized porch, had tea parties and "played church" and "school." 

 

My paternal grandmother spent hours piecing quilts... and this one reminds me of the twin-sized "Sunbonnet" quilts she made for my sister and me... colorful scraps forming the dolls on a muslin background, stripped in bright red and completely hand-stitched.  When I saw this beauty - much older, and also hand-stitched in red/white/blue and a basket full of scraps in varied colors - I thought of snuggling underneath my childhood quilt (which I still have) - even on summer days when we napped under a window air conditioner!

The salt and peppers reminded me of my grandmother's little china tea set, which my sister and I played with... along with a celluloid dollhouse set... chest of drawers, dresser, and more.  These pieces, along with my great-grandfather's celluloid barber set (hand mirror and brush) were refreshed in my memory when I saw this stunning footed glass powder dish with the embellished celluloid lid. The blue violin/fiddle?  Didn't YOUR grandmother have one sitting atop her piano or mantel?

And what is summer without deviled eggs?  These two platters remind me of the dozens I have watched my mother and grandmothers prepare - and those I've prepared in latter years.  I have my grandmother's "thousand-eye" platter, and I love to use it (carefully) on special occasions to share these simple-yet-tasty bites of Southern tradition with family and friends.

The trunk?  Well, it makes me think of summer camp.  I never had anything this large or exotic in which to tote my belongings to camp... and frankly, I never needed anything this substantial.   Nonetheless, it makes me think of summer trips, vacations, and long-ago retreats to visit relatives or get away to a beautiful resort or the big city.  Now, I think it would make great storage, a wonderful conversation piece, or the perfect coffee table for an eclectic den or "man cave."

For more things that make me think of summer, visit my Etsy treasury - "Celebrating Funtastic Summer" - and take a look at all of the wonderful treasures I have listed in my Etsy shop... This Reminds Me...  You're sure to find something that transports you back in time to the summers of your youth... and maybe there will be some you simply can't live without this year!