Found: Vintage Quilt Tops

I just happened to be in the right place at the right time recently.
The day I found these quilt tops:

This is the prettiest one:

And then, I believe this one is my next favorite:

 They aren't perfect, either, as most have a little spot or two ... or three.

Next choice for me would be this red checkerboard sort-of pattern

I don't really know their actual pattern names; I'm not a quilter - I just liked them:

I do not find this next one quite as appealing as the others I found:

But the price was right, so I picked it up, too:

And then, there's one more in red and white as well:

I like red and white:

But then, I pretty much like any colors, I suppose.
I'm pretty much a color freak.
"Too colorful", some might say (about some things - not necessarily these quilts, mind you..)??
But not me.
 Nope - those two words, in that order, probably not even in my vocabulary.
If you saw my house, you'd know that it's true.

Time For Tea Towels

I have had some good luck lately at the thrift stores finding some very nice vintage linen tea towels, with a variety of subjects.
This one is awfully pretty - pure Irish Linen from Ulster, Julia Clement's Floral Arrangements:

 London Landmarks, also made in Ireland:

 Irish Linen again here, with a forest scene featuring a buck and some squirrels:

 Gorgeous, colorful fruit, this one with the original labels front and back, made in Czechoslovakia:

 Another pretty one with a fruit bowl, and the original label on the front, too:

 I actually found this next one quite a while ago, but I'm not sure if I shared a photo or not.
It's a lovely one in aqua and brown with Pennsylvania Dutch style motifs:

And one more from Ulster, made in Ireland - I love the colors on this one, too!

Isn't that a cute one?

Very Marimekko, Last Weekend's Bright Buys

Last weekend, I was delighted to find this Marimekko fabric or curtain panel in a remnant bin at a thrift store:

 The next day, I also got to go to Target on Marimekko launch day! (This was a big deal for me, as I love shopping at Target and rarely get to go;  the nearest one to me is about an hour away.)
I was puzzled when we walked in and I found only this display, along with a similar one right next to it with the clothing in a great black and white design - nothing in my size, though!

Finally found the rest of the Marimekko things in the very back corner of the store. I didn't want to spend a lot of money, so I chose two items only - these gorgeous tea towels:

And this Memory Game:

 I love the designs on the Memory Game cards! I didn't expect them to be so big!

I also found the vintage photo album that you see on the left in the photo below at a thrift store - I love that it sort of matches my Marimekko finds:

 And back to that fabric panel again......

"Villikaali" Marimekko By Suomi Finland 1967:

Yes, ma'am I DO like my bright colors!!

Close-Up On Fabrics And Linens I've Found

As some of our readers may already know, I can't pass up a fabulous fabric remnant when I see it, so here are some of the latest - starting with the bright and beautiful flower power, here:

Paisley swirls in orange and green:

A lovely vintage Alfred Shaheen panel:

Below, another floral in that gorgeous blue and green combo that I love.
You may think you have seen this one before.
You haven't; it's new:

Next up is this nice set of napkins in a blue and yellow fabric design that look as though they came straight from a table in Provence:

And then I have one more set of fabric napkins, a vintage set in a navy blue and reddish-orange checkerboard design with that "op-art" look:

I seem to find these types of things fairly often, so I'll show you more as I discover them!
I most definitely DO love a bright and pretty fabric!

Happy Flowers

Well, what do you suppose I spied when I walked into one of my favorite thrift shops last week?
That would be this:

A Ransburg cake cover!
Mind you, in all of the years I have been collecting Ransburg, I have never before owned a cake cover.
It came with this nice big glass plate under it - which I don't believe came with it, originally - but to get both for $3.50 made me a very happy girl.
Flowers don't get much happier than that.

Then again, this bright tablecloth I found on the same day (different store) is pretty great, too:

Now, THAT'S what I call brightening up a tabletop!
Wanna have aparty?
I'll bring the cake and the tablecloth.......

Nasturtiums on Barkcloth, Two Favorite Things

Good morning, Tina here. I am going to share a find that I am excited about. In March 2010 I shared some nasturtium barkcloth that I had found, and was excited about.

I have just found another nasturtium pattern on barkcloth which I have never seen before. It isn't a large piece, measuring only 37 inches by 53 inches.

It needs a bit of a cleaning, but I don't care. It is bright and beautiful and I love it!

The flowers are very realistic, and the colors are bright.

The border has information. This is a Franciscan Fabrics Inc. original hand print by Melody.

Capucine is what nasturtiums are called in France. It is from Capucine monks, who wore robes with hoods which went into a point, rather like a nasturtium blossom.

Another interesting note is the work cappuccino also came from the monks, the drink is the same color as the robes they wore.

Good job Melody! I love your original hand print.

It doesn't take much to make me happy.

Just give me some of my favorite flowers on my favorite textile and I am all set!

Finds: Again With The Textiles....

Well, I found some more good textiles at the thrifts, so here goes....
This pretty vintage "Mother" pillow cover was too nice to resist:

And I found yet another vintage needlepunch or punchwork pillow cover - this one would be SO cute in a child's room:

Just in time for Halloween decorating, I found a nice long orange corduroy runner, and the vintage scarf and woven belt you see on top of it below:

I found a bag that contained all three of these beautiful and colorful embroidered ribbons - I think I already have that same one with the cabin scene, or it may be a little bit different:

I also love it when I find nice fabrics. Whether they are small remnants or more yardage, if it catches my eye and the price is right, I pick it up.
 These happen to be fabric samples in five different colorways, with enough of each to use to make a pillow or something - and they're such a pretty floral pattern.
In "Evergreen":

"Natural":

And "Moss Green":

(And there are two more colors, as well.)
I couldn't resist the unfinished crewel work  below on a purple background.
 Oh, boy - don't know that I'm up for attempting to complete it on my own with no diagram.
Yes I could choose my own colors, but I'm not much good at embroidery of any kind.

It sure would be fabulous if it was finished, though!
It's a big one, measuring 23X28 inches:

I found some clothing, too - like this USMC jacket that I feel fairly certain I will be able to sell:

And I like this red plaid shirt, shown below, too.
I thought the scarf-like thing was a kerchief to wear on your head, but then I had the wild idea to tie it around the neck of this shirt and I kind of love the way it looks!
 Perhaps that is what it was meant for, after all?
It was a quarter:

Oh, and last of all, I found another gorgeous bedspread like the Bates one I found a while back.

The colors! The fringe!
Very similar to Bates, but this one is actually from Penney's.

I got it pretty cheap because it has a couple of stains.
 Haven't tried to get them out yet, but if I can't, I like the idea of  making pillows with that fringe around the edges.

Yep, that would work for me
I've simply got to do SOMETHING with the gorgeous thing!