Happy First Pigiversary!

Yesterday was the first anniversary of Piggy Pile and the pigs wanted to celebrate in a big way.  And with pigs being as clever as they are, they had their own ideas on what would make their day truly special.

First they put together a mood board.  Looks like they're in the mood for horses.  (This is the first time I realized they're able to get into the refrigerator on their own.)

Some of them are doing a little research to show what responsible horse owners they would be.  Who can resist that hopeful gaze?

Others are drawing pictures of the exact kind of horse they have in mind.  OK, OK, I get the picture.

We headed out for a day of horsing around.  Even Pig Dean got in the mood and was able to tear himself away from his racy convertible.

They rode the carousel and this little piggy grabbed the ring.

Um, not exactly a horse, but the ride was still fun.

Back home for cupcakes.  They ate two of the candles before I knew what was happening.

They were happy with this present...

... but this one was their favorite.

I see they have the date marked on next year's calendar.

Happy Pigiversary!

Hobbit House Mini-Quilt

I snuck a mini-quilt in while working on My Next Project, because I needed to finish it for a deadline.  So I guess that rocking chair project was technically my next next project, but I didn't know it at the time, because I didn't think it would take as long as it's taking. 

I chose a design from Mary Engelbreit's The Art of Embroidery.   Take a second to click on my photo of the book, or the link that's on the title.  When you get to Amazon, look inside the book and the first project you see is the one I chose.

This is my version of it.  I needed to keep the quilt under 12", so I eliminated the right side of the triptych and resized the pattern in Photoshop so the width was 12".  Retaining proportion, the height became 8".

I spent sooooooooo much time picking out the colors and found it very vexing.  I was going for an updated Arts and Crafts look.  I wanted some of the muted green, brown, mustard, and rust that are classic Arts and Crafts colors, but I also wanted some cheeriness in it.  That's why I made a teal-colored tree.  And it's why I turned the four clumps of green bushes along the grass line into (from left to right) Purple Coneflowers, Asters, Rudbeckias, and more Asters.  It was hard to get purple and pink to go with the muted colors and that's what took so long.

I picked out the binding after I did 95% of the embroidery.  Too bad I didn't find the fabric first; it would have made pulling my color palette much easier.

Then I painted all of it except for the walls of the house.  The background fabric was a very coarse-weaved beige muslin, which looks like stucco.

This was the first time I painted fabric.  I didn't have any fabric paint, so I used watercolor paint.  It lasts well on paper, so I don't see why it shouldn't work on fabric.

The three strands of floss made a nice thick edging which corralled each paint color and kept it from running into an unwanted area.

The back.

Now I need to get back to my rocking chair project.

Vintage Sewing Supplies

Another post to show you some more finds from vintage shopping, then later this week I'll have a new mini-quilt to show you.

I bought this sewing basket on the same day I bought my wooden decoupaged purse, at the same flea market.  Like that wooden purse, I had only seen photographs of these before.  The dealer bought it at an estate sale, which means it most likely had just one owner.  I was so excited to be the second.  


If you haven't seen these before, they're about the size of a hatbox - 6" tall and 11" wide.  They come in a variety of pastel colors, and two styles.  This one has a knob on the top; others have strings that lace through the top and bottom.  I guess the idea of the laces is to keep the lid from getting lost, but they look like they'd get in the way, so I like this knob version better.

I bought the wooden spools at an antique store.  I really like that reddish-brown one.  I wonder what kind of wood that is?  Some of the spools were made by Belding Corticelli and some by Cutter.

These spools are original to me, bought when I was learning to sew.  I keep them separate from the others, for sentimental reasons.  The companies are:

• Belding Cordicelli
• Talon
• American Thread Company
• Coats and Clark

Guess I made lots of red clothes.  Maybe that's why I don't like red now.

The Sewing Susan needles are also from my early sewing days.  The "salt" needles are from an antique store.  The Worcester Salt Company was founded in Warsaw, New York in 1894 and taken over by Morton Salt in 1943.  So this needle package is pre-1943.

You can tell that I got my use out of those needles - most of them are gone.  All of the "salt" needles are intact.  Well, sort of, as you'll soon see.

Notice that the Sewing Susan needles are "nickel plated rust proof".

Egads!  Look at the rust on those needles.  Poke yourself with one of them and you'll need a tetanus shot.

This needle package was designed to be folded in half.  You can see the score mark down the center.  

Dix and Rands needles were popularly used by many other companies as promotional items.

Thursday is Purse Day - Flea Market Purses

I didn't make either of these purses, but they're both relevant to flea markets.

I bought this purse this summer as my "flea market purse".  The idea was to get a bag large enough that I could stash my purchases in, so I wouldn't have to carry around a bunch of shopping bags.  The problem is, by the time I loaded it up with my regular purse stuff, lunch, a water bottle, and a sunglass case, it was almost overflowing.  At 16" wide and 13" deep (excluding the handle), you'd think it would have been more than adequate.  Maybe I need to rethink what my "regular" stuff is that I put in a purse.

The long handle and swinging beads give it a nice heft and movement when you sling it over your shoulder.  It's so much fun to use that I take it everywhere.

The yellow, purple, and orange blocks are leather.  So are the appliqued flower and butterfly.   Even though the purse is brand new, it was designed to look like a vintage late-1960s bag, all groovy and full of flower power.

I bought this purse earlier this month at my favorite flea market.  I had only seen pictures of this style before, so when a live one appeared before my eyes, I snatched it up.

It's from the 1960s, made of decoupaged wood.  It's 9" wide, 5" deep, and 5 1/2" tall (excluding the plastic handle).  There are four little feet and a ball-snap closure.

The inside is lined with gold felt and a couple of pigs.

Thoughts on Vintage Shopping

This year I really got involved with buying old stuff from lots of different kinds of places.  Seeing as how I like to create order out of disorder, I found myself sorting them into a four-level hierarchy, as far as my excitement meter goes. 

GARAGE SALES

I put garage sales at the bottom of the hierarchy, at Level 4.  They're plentiful and it's where you find the most inexpensive items, mostly because the items aren't that old.  But it's a lot of running around and really interesting items are hard to come by.  

If you are interested in garage sales, the best thing is to go to a neighborhood sale.  There will be lots of houses in a compact area, so it's the most efficient use of your time and gas.  Plus, there's a nice mix of items (fewer houses with oodles of clothes). 

THRIFT STORES

Thrift stores are on Level 3.  I like the bricks-and-mortar aspect of them, and I particularly like the ones with shopping carts.  Those are the smart stores - too much to carry?  No problem - go and get a cart so you can buy even more.  

I also like that they are organized by department, so I can bypass the clothes and make a beeline to housewares.

Prices are fairly reasonable and turnover is regular.  

ANTIQUE STORES

Antique stores are at Level 2 for me.  Most of them are antique malls, with  multiple vendors, each specializing in a certain period or style.  You're very likely to find items you never saw before, and think you can't live without.  Then you look at the price and have a little talk with yourself.  Luckily, there are plenty of fun items that are somewhat affordable.

I don't spend much, if any, time looking at the glassed-in cases.  Too often you can't see the price, and if you do see something you sort of like, you can't pick it up unless you get the manager.  By then you almost feel psychologically invested in the object, and don't want to waste the manager's time, so you feel pressured to buy it.  Or is that just me?

I'm also always afraid I'm going to break something.  The longer I'm in an antique store, the more overloaded I get and the easier it is to get careless.  My purse has swung into more than one object, luckily with no bad repercussions.

FLEA MARKETS

Flea markets are my favorite, so I put them at Level 1.  Prices are higher than thrift stores, but cheaper than antique stores.   The variety is outstanding, amazing, head-spinning, overwhelming, and any other superlative you can think of.  My favorite one has 500 vendors.  It's so large that the next time I go, I'm bringing a map to keep from getting lost.

Part of the appeal of flea markets is that there is wiggle room on the prices.  Vendors don't expect you to pay the listed price.  You have the best luck if you smile and politely ask them what's the best price they can give you.  I found it averages out to 20% off.

SUMMARY THOUGHTS

Vintage shopping is addicting, just like any shopping.  And since you usually get more for your money than buying new, that often means you wind up with more stuff!  As with all things in life, it's something to be done in moderation.  I keep turning my items over so it doesn't get overwhelming around here.

One of the other downfalls is that the more you're out shopping, the less time you're spending at home being creative, which is much more fulfilling.  But sometimes the vintage items give you the creative spark you need.  At least that's one way of looking at it.

Later this week I'll share some of my newfound treasures.