Monday, January 28, 2008

A Sunday Market


Our vintage website keeps us very busy these days and during the course of a month, we often visit the large International fairs and markets all over the country, sometimes setting off as dawn is breaking (wonderful in the Summer months!) So it was nice to visit a smaller flea market on Sunday, deep in the heart of rural Somerset. This has long been a favourite fair of mine, but in the winter months there are less outside stalls and sometimes none at all if the weather is very bad. But Sunday was a bright and breezy day - albeit a bit chilly - so there was a good spread of hardy stallholders outside! Despite arriving much later than usual (we had decided a long and leisurely breakfast was needed that morning!) and having to park almost outside on the road due to the number of visitors, we did indeed have a very successful day!

I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful haul of textiles I managed to find. I thought you would like to see a selection of them; as you can see, there is a very Spring-like feel to the collection above, with the delightful violets and fresh, pretty lilac colours.

These wonderful French rosy curtains are just gorgeous - and huge! The pretty boxed pillowcases have never been used.

These beautiful fabrics, including a 1930s print and 1950s barkcloth and chintz are wonderful!

The majority of these will be for sale on the website soon or transformed into something beautiful for our handmade section.

We left the market fairly early as we decided that a leisurely breakfast should really be complemented by a leisurely Sunday lunch, so we set off in search of a country pub - the perfect way to round off a very enjoyable trip!

Have a wonderful week!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

NEW! The Handmade Range at Vintage Home


I am pleased to announce the first batch of our handmade items are on sale at the Vintage Home website from today! We have created a range of beautiful cushions made from vintage fabrics and trims to suit a wide variety of interiors.

Here is a little taster...


...there are breathtaking barkcloths...



...perfect patchworks of delicate French textiles...


...floral linens, barkcloths and pretty trims...


...fresh Gustavian-style cottons...


...and subtle linen roses.

We are currently working on our other exciting ranges of soft furnishings and accessories - I will bring you news of them soon!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

A Colourful History


There are many beautiful vintage items which help to make a house a real home - and there are a handful of vintage items which provide each room in that home with its centre piece or crowning glory.

For the bedroom, one of those special items must surely be the patchwork quilt. What was once made out of necessity and sheer practicality has now become a very collectable item. The many fabrics were often salvaged from favourite items of clothing or soft furnishings which were no longer serviceable. A patchwork quilt was also a very good way to preserve and enjoy fabrics which carried a special meaning or fond memories.

This absolutely stunning patchwork quilt is an exceptional find; in near perfect condition, it is made from many varied and beautiful fabrics. The quilt is entirely handsewn and dates from the late 1930s to the early 1940s. Even the soft cotton/linen backing and forest green cotton edging is hand stitched. Every single hexagon is handsewn and great thought has been given to the placement of the many different fabrics.

There is an astounding variety of fabrics in this quilt; velvets, needlecords, crepes, cottons, chintzes, satins, silks and slub-silks, brocades and damasks - and more! There are some very pretty Sanderson and Bernard Wardle fabrics in the form of roses and rosebuds. There are also several cottons most typically used for the pretty eiderdowns of that era, and delightful polka dot, gingham, floral and jacquard patterns. Such an amazing array of gorgeous fabrics which complement each other perfectly. This beautiful quilt is one of today's many new additions to the Vintage Home website which also includes some rather pretty French fabric boxes; this one is lined with a beautiful old wallpaper...

...this one is covered in peonies and pinks...

...and this one dates to the 1920s.

There will be more vintage treasures coming soon - in the meantime, here's a taster of the forthcoming range of Vintage Home handmade goods, which incorporates an exciting and beautiful array of vintage textiles and trims.

Have a wonderful week!

Saturday, January 05, 2008

New Year, New Stock!


A Happy New Year to you all and I hope you have enjoyed the holidays! It's back to work for most of us now but we shouldn't complain, there's only so many times you can watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and only so many mince pies you can eat!!

I've been busy sourcing new vintage stock for the website and have added a varied selection today. There are some very pretty accessories; the beautiful hanky case shown above is part of a boudoir set; the handpainted roses are exquisite!

There is a distinctive boudoir theme...


...and pink is popular too!

These pretty chocolate boxes were a lucky find. This one has delicate pink roses...


...and this one has sprigs of mimosa!

More vintage stock coming soon, in the meantime have a lovely weekend wherever you are and whatever the weather!