A Perfect Combination

What do a tearoom, an antique shop, and a quilt store have in common? In my (Kara's) mind it would be that they are three of my favorite places, and on a corner in Gulfport, Florida, those three places happen to be right next to each other.

On a recent trip to visit my in-laws, my mother-in-law treated my son's girlfriend and me to lunch at Sweet-tea Celebrations. I do enjoy tearooms, and this one did not disappoint. 

Some of the beautiful giftware available for purchase

A sweet crocheted teapot

It was tastefully decorated without being overdone, and the food was delicious. We chose to eat lunch instead of having the high tea, but we saw one go by and it looked spectacular!

Such a beautifully presented plate!

Lovely company for tea

The Boulevard Shoppe and Garden (antique store) was connected to the tearoom by a courtyard, so after our lunch, we meandered over to see if we could find any treasures. I have been on a quest for an antique chatelaine, so that was my first question to the salesperson. She didn't think that there were any to be found but directed me to a specific case and encouraged me to dig around.

A case of treasures

But alas, as is usually the case, there were none there, and my search continues. All was not lost though, as I found a beautifully embroidered goldenrod panel stitched in what appears to be silk.

So many French knots!

I love the contrast with the black background

I also found a set of lovely, hand-etched, mother-of-pearl buttons. These will look lovely worked into my next crazy quilt project.

Mother-of-pearl has so many color variations

This red really stands out

The next room contained quite a few beautiful, vintage linens. I was tempted to add to my embroidered pillow case and tea-towel collection, but I exercised some restraint.

A selection of linens

This flowerpot quilt was in great condition and had a wide variety of flowers. 

Pretty Pansies

In one of the rooms I found this exquisite cross-stitch sampler dated 1810. It was in excellent condition, and I might have snatched it up if the budget had allowed.

A sampler to be proud of

The Boulevard Shoppe and Garden had a nice variety of items, and I didn't even make it out to the courtyard to check out the garden items they had. This will definitely be a "must-stop" the next time I am in the area.

To complete the perfect shopping afternoon, Ruthie and I walked across the street to a lovely little quilt shop called Fabric Smart. Karen Donnelly had been selling fabric online for some time when circumstances changed and she decided to open a storefront.

 

Karen and her shop

While she still has her online store, her shop has a broad and beautiful selection of fabrics, as well as some rare and hard-to-find fabrics. Supporting our local quilt shops is important, and I was happy to hear from Karen that business is good and growing.

If you are in the area, it is worth a stop, and if you'd like to know more about Karen's class offerings just email her at info@fabric-smart.com.

What a fun afternoon we had in all three places! Finding this perfect combination of some of my favorite interests, at an all-in-one walkable location, made me feel like I had hit the jackpot. Do you have special places like these where you live? Tell us all about it, so others who might be in your area may enjoy them as well.

Pincushion Potential

The pincushion. An item in the sewing room that used to be strictly utilitarian and plain in appearance. (I [Kara] think of the traditional tomato pincushion here.) However, in recent times the lowly pincushion has been elevated from just being functional to a stylish, creative, decorative, item that graces not just our sewing rooms but can be used as a part of any room's decor.

As a former seamstress (see Out With the Old and in with the New), my tomato pincushion was my right-hand gal, and I'd go into panic mode if my assistant cat knocked it somewhere into the messy depths of my sewing room. It's still downstairs next to my sewing machine, ready to fulfill its duty for that time that I come out of seamstress retirement, or for when I can get some time to do some quilt piecing.

 But now my assistants are these two gems:

They sit beside me at my kitchen table where I do most of my stitching now. The flower pincushion was made this past April at Jan Vaine's Tea and Stitches Retreat, and the crazy quilt one was given to me by Teri at our last Appliqué Academy.

A couple of months ago, our friend Jo brought a craft to do during our weekly stitch time. It was a pincushion made from a bottle cap. I was hooked after making the first one and proceeded to scour my house for bottle caps.

Without realizing it, I now had a pincushion collection and began to think that I really needed to add to it. I had also been seeing a lot of creative pincushion ideas on Pinterest and different blogs that I followed. Combine that with my love of all things vintage, and I now had another collection: items for "potential" pincushions. My thrift store wanderings took on a different mission as I viewed the housewares aisle as a place to find future pincushions.

Here are a few of my recent finds:

The sugar bowl top will hide the pincushion and the bottom will be storage

 Won't these look lovely as pincushions with some vintage trims?

This basket will have new life with some wool for a pincushion top

Hidden storage and a pincushion

This brass acorn used to be a lighter 

A bee-themed pincushion with storage

So what to do with all this potential? I think each item will lend itself to a certain decorative flair and I've gathered a few items that I think will work for the new purpose these pieces will have. Antique quilt blocks, doilies, and velvet will make beautiful decorative tops, and this sari silk ribbon will certainly be used somewhere.

Add in some vintage-style trims, beads, lace and silk and I've already found so many options for creating some beautiful yet functional works of art.

Do you have a pincushion collection or have you transformed any unconventional items into pincushions? Stay tuned to see how these treasures find new lives as pincushions, and check out our "Pins and Needles" Pinterest board for inspiration to add to your own collection!