Gifts For The Farm...

Brynwood Needleworks - Ellen's Gifts For The Farm

My dear friend, Ellen, invited me to her home yesterday so that I could choose my Birthday gifts from her array of antique crockery. She's always so generous with me, and she's someone who always brings a smile to my heart when I think of her.

She had told me that her daughter isn't interested in having any of the antique treasures her mama has collected over the years, and she knew I'd love having them for the farm. She couldn't have been more right.

Brynwood Needleworks - Ellen's Gifts For The Farm

The first item that caught my eye was the (British) Dundee Marmalade piece. Ellen had three of them, and hers are much older than the two I already have. The older ones are more ornate than the later versions, too. This one is so beautiful.

Behind it is a tall crock bottle. Ellen had two and chose one for me. They were old beer bottles! While she had a few large jugs that reminded me of the vessels my grandfather used in winemaking, my dear grandpa also loved his beer. This bottle is definitely easier to transport than the larger jugs, so I accepted it.

The larger crock was a gift to Ellen from a friend in the 1990s. Of course, the crock itself is much older, and it's beautiful. I can see this one holding utensils in the kitchen at the farm. It's perfect.

Brynwood Needleworks - Ellen's Gifts For The Farm

The last two pieces have been Ellen's for a long time. She told me how she used to use this large crock for making pickles and other dishes. The interior is brown glaze and in perfect condition.

She told me the tall bottle is an ink bottle! It has a spout on one side, so I naturally thought it was used for oil or vinegar, but she corrected me. I think it's so cool that ink was held in such a unique and wonderful bottle. Of course, on reflection, I doubt that farm families had oil and vinegar sitting on their tables for dressing salads like we do today.

I'll take these with me to the farm next week. Once we design the kitchen, I may have to have a special shelf made to showcase all these beautiful containers! So many things I'm looking forward to. Seeing these on "proper" display is one of them.

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PS. Happy Birthday (in Heaven) to my uncle. Larry, it's impossible for me to celebrate my Birthday every year without taking time to reflect on your special day (the day before mine), and how very much I always miss having you in this world. Until we meet again...

Fascinated With Feedsacks...

 We had a special program at our guild meeting last night. Cecelia Reed

brought her vintage feedsack quilts, garments and bags to share with us.

I took over eighty photographs, but have managed to pare it down to ten to share.

 Cecelia's business is called "Pat's Sacks" after her mom, Pat who was a self-
proclaimed "hoarder" of all things related to feedsacks. Not only was Pat's home
decorated with feedsack creations, she had an entire room designated for all of
the vintage pieces she acquired over the years. Cecelia has taken over that role.

 As Pat began her program, she kept saying that the early quilts were boring and
drab. I kept thinking that I couldn't agree. Each of these quilts was an exercise
in color and frugality. Women of yesteryear saved and used every little piece
of fabric they could find to dress or warm their family members and loved ones,
and the designs were anything but boring. There was so much work in each one!

 This particular quilt is actually covered by another quilt in an 

effort to conceal and preserve the blocks beneath that were deteriorating.

Cecelia shared fully-intact sacks, as well as those which had been sewn into

aprons and other items. Even though she only brought a small selection of her 

favorites, there was still a staggering number of them displayed for our program.

Some of the nubby cotton sacks were cut up and sewn into baby (or adult) 

undergarments. Many of the original bags were burlap. Can you imagine 

wearing a pair of scratchy burlap undies every day? Those were the days!

Cecelia did mention that she sleeps on now-soft, cotton feedsack sheets.

Her quote was that sleeping on those vintage sheets is "absolute Heaven".

I was especially taken with this feedsack nighty with a crocheted bodice and 

sleeves. There was a soft, blue ribbon woven through the crocheting. I would

wear this in a heartbeat! I loved the air of nostalgia and those simple days gone by.

We all gasped when Cecelia opened up this Drunkard's Path quilt. So much work!

Likewise, this quilt was made from tiny scraps of vintage feedsacks. Many of these

 quilts were referred to as "summer quilts", because they were made with sacks on the

front and the back, with no cotton batting in between...lightweight for hot nights.

(These certainly don't read "boring and drab" to me. How about you?)

  Cecelia's mother created many of these quilts. She hand or machine pieced them and then hand quilted them. She was a nationally recognized and awarded quilter. Looking at her work, it was apparent that she loved creating every one of them.
Pat saved a 2" square of every feedsack she ever came across. Those squares  were then stored in slip sheets in multiple looseleaf binders - now in her daughter's possession. They are a definitive record of printed sacks in the United States, and will eventually reside in an archive in Utah, where a person can actually earn degree in feedsack expertise! She plans to hand deliver them when  she decides that she's able to part with them. For now, she and guild members are able to enjoy the vast wealth of knowledge Pat left in her daughter's hands.  

PS. While my friend, Ellen's surgery took longer than expected yesterday, her surgeon is very happy with the results. We stayed in Ft. Myers until late day for a post-op appointment, and when the bandages came off, Ellen could see where she had previously been unable to see. She nearly cried for joy. I was blessed to be with her as we shared her happy results. I took her back home and then I returned home after 6:00. It was a long, tiring and thoroughly miraculous day. She wanted me to tell you, "Thank you from both of us for your prayers and kind wishes."