On this particular stand I had already found a few things that delighted me like these beautiful old architects squares. Many of them bear the architects initials. The wood they are made from is surprisingly smooth and fine, some darker in tone than others.
Then I came across this wonderful length of old passementerie. I'm not sure how old it is, but I'd love to know what project is was bought for. It was in a basket alongside an antique lace collar.
I started to pay more attention to the seller, a young man, with a slightly vague look on his face, although the fact that we were all there at 6am could account for that! He didn't look like your typical seller - I had to know more. It turns out that his family is going through a little trouble at the moment, and to help them bide over they are selling off the contents of the grandparents farm.
He showed me this sweet sewing book that his grandmother used, it's charming name reads 'Encyclopedie des Ouvrages de Dames'
His prices weren't cheap but when you knew their story that was understandable. He reassured me that they had kept alot of precious things, but simply no longer had the space to keep everything. The sweet boy even appeared to be selling his grandmother's underwear!!
But what got me most excited were the pillow cases. I should think they're a hundred years old. The seller believed they were sewn by his great grandmother for her wedding trousseau. The mystery is that they have never been used. The back opening is still held together with tack stitches.
Right now they're not very white, that's because the heavy linen has never been washed. I've bought unused linen like this before and it's always such a thrill when it emerges bright white from the first soak.
So home I came with all these goodies and now I face my normal quandry, do I hang on to everything (can you hear mon mari groaning in the background?) or do I share some on my etsy shop? What would you do?
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