In Store Now ... Hand sewn linen cushion covers

These are just the sweetest cushion covers or pillow shams that I found in a market stall in Porte de Vanves.  The hand sewn thread work is just so well done, and also as it came from an attic sale, you can tell these would have been turn of the last century.

I must admit when I bought them I thought they were folded lengths of embroidered antique linens with some drawn-thread work.

When I got them home, on closer inspection, I can see they are the most delightful cushion covers.  All hand sewn - included the tiny button holes.  What a lost art that is!  To delicately and oh so neatly sew these for tiny buttons.

I have six of these in store now.  They are a large size and measure 68 cms across including the flange, and would fit a 55cm x 55cm sized cushion insert.

More French Vintage Fabrics In Store

The lovely weather has returned to Brisbane - though I still don't seem to be without a sweater or jacket... the in-between seasons seem crazy don't they!  Sunshiny weather, but still a little cold.  Great biking weather, and with the boys on school holidays we're doing lots of cooking and eating and spending loads of time out of doors.

I haven't had much of a chance to update the shop whilst hanging out with my little men these two weeks.  So come Monday, and they are back at school, I will be busy moving stock and creating a new display and will post pics for you then!

In the meantime, I have some lovely french vintage grain sacks in store.  These are the blue striped ones - some with stamping on them and some without.  Ideal for cushions, but long enough for a blind for a narrow window also!  

I also have a few other large lengths vintage linens which you can easily tell have never been used.  These are linens that came from a closing down sale of a store in France, that had been sitting in storage for years untouched.

all pics from French Vintage Home

And lots of interesting vintage french glass bottles, all shapes and sizes.

Again, haven't had a chance to photograph and have grabbed these from the internet. More updates as I get a chance.  Hope your week is going well!

Jennifer.
x

Vintage fabric cushions

Some of my vintage french flour sacks and vintage fabrics, I have made into lovely cushions.  The vintage flour sack material has been well-used and worked for so much of its life it is a perfect light duty upholstery fabric - strong but quite soft.

I have turned the red triple stripe ticking into a 30 x 50cm [2 in stock] and the vintage red stripe flour bag material into a 40 x 40cm [2 in stock].

What do you think?

also pictured Armadillo&Co Entrance Mat size large 50cmx140cm

I also had a vintage linen table cloth that I have made into some linen 40 x 40cm cushions.

Some are plain beige vintage linen [7 in stock] and some are beige with a square of contrasting texture of flour sack material [2 in stock].  All the inners are made from eco-friendly 'Innergreen'TM recycled fill.

The grain sack linens are likely to date from between 50 and 150 years old, some have even been woven by hand.  They usually bear initials on the sack, and have differing stripes - so that once the grains were milled and put into the sacks, the filled bags were distinguishable and returned to the right family farm.  Later bags are machine made and stamped with mills and regions.

Usually hand stitched at the sides, they can be opened up easily to become a tablecloth, cushions, curtains, upholstery or many other ideas! 

I have more of this fabric arriving on a shipment [cross those fingers - any day now!]. Once it arrives I will post these fabrics on the blog so if you have a specific combination in mind I can make them to order.

I am also keen to recover one of my vintage chairs in this, as per my previous post (here) of the stunning beach cottage on the Cornwall coast of England.

via Living Etc

I also have two complete red striped grains sacks in stock - if you have your own project you are planning for these!  Cushions and Armadillo&Co rugs are in stock at Woolloongabba today, and also available for order via the web.  Email me for pricing and details.

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer.
x

Flea market finds and other fabulous vintage tales.....

Grabbing a copy of anything in the 'home' section of the newsstand at London St Pancras station, for an easy browse on the two hour train to Paris Gare du Nord, it was only once I had boarded the Eurostar that I realised I had scored so well!  The copy of Living etc that I picked up has one of the chairs that I had just bought at the markets on the front cover!

Small differences, but otherwise extremely close.  And just as I was wondering how to recover it ... voilà as they say ... a very pretty pic in front of me!  This chair seems to be covered in a course linen and I am guessing this is likely to be a plain grain sac (they usually have a stripe or other marking such as the cushion in the picture below).

Do you think I should recover it in grain sacking?  Or find a heavy weight linen?  The other option I have seen is to be covered in a quality hessian (such as the seat of the unfinished chair above) which comes up very well but could be a little scratchy to sit on!  What do you think?

via Living Etc

Love the old trunk painted white on the bottom right!

This is from the June 2012 copy, if you can find one, or most (but not all) of the pics from the article are here.

via Stein's Fish and Chips

This whole Cornwall house is to die for though.



Imagine this is your beach weekender, and your local 'fish and chips' is Rick Stein's in Padstow!



Although being a weekender, ... and me having two very active outdoorsy boys, ... and loving the pristine whiteness so much, I can see myself spending most of my Sunday cleaning this very lovely house before we leave to come home.  It's not really a 'lock and leave' option for our family!

Oh well ... just as well we didn't buy it ... ha! a girl can dream.....

Hope you're having a lovely week!
Bisous,
Jennifer.