Vintage Treasures Newly Acquired

A few weeks ago, I (Teri) was visiting my parents in Hershey, PA, and found a treasure trove of mid-19th century samplers in an antique store. I marveled at the preserved beauty and history in these artifacts and contemplated whether I should splurge to own one. I snapped photos of them all and determined to study them and possibly return. Truthfully, I felt they should all reside in a museum.

This was the one I thought I would buy; I love the detail and the softness of the colors. Sadly, someone beat me to it.

So last week, Kara and I decided to road trip to the antique stores in Hershey to make a final determination as to which sampler needed a home with me. You see, Kara has this propensity to help me spend my money. Needless to say, we both left with a few new treasures for our collections.

This beauty was definitely in the running. It had much more wear, but the intricate design was just lovely. It would, however, have needed to be reframed and it was a bit more costly.

This is the charming piece that has found a new home in my living room. It is stitched on a sheer silk background with silk and wool threads. To think that these girls were stitching such lovely work at these young ages is humbling.

Growing up, my sister and I (Kara) spent many summers with my Grandmother in Michigan.  My grandmother had a bottom drawer in her spare bedroom full of aprons she had collected in her many travels.  My sister and I have such fond memories of spending hours turning those interesting aprons into even more interesting fashion.  So I've recently decided that I would like to have a collection of aprons just in case the Lord blesses me with a few granddaughters.  I was fortunate enough to pick up three "new" aprons for my collection.

A delicate lace and batiste beauty

Hand-crocheted

Serviceable wool

Here is a tip for shopping at an antique mall.  Check under tables and in corners to see if there are any hidden gems.  Here are four of the the twelve pre-printed bird blocks that I found underneath a covered table.  They are crying out for embellishment with embroidery.

And don't forget to look in drawers of dressers in the booths! You never know what you will find hidden away.

Adorable kittens on a pillowcase

We found this set of two unfinished puppy pillowcases: one for each of us!

Aren't these puppies dear?

Another set to share: we each got one of these embroidered tea towels.

Fabulous French knotted flowers

And beautiful bullion flowers

Bookshelves also hold many special finds. Here are a couple of our new acquisitions, which we will write more about in a future post. Both books are over a hundred years old.

Inspiration can be found everywhere. What a beautiful appliqué and embroidery piece this Staffordshire bowl would make!

What about you? What do you look for when you visit an antique shop? Where do you find inspiration for your stitching?