Little box of Treasures

I have been privileged to buy this lovely hand decorated work box of a skilled needle woman along with the resulting works she completed with the contents. It is so nice to have the complete package and to track the progress from design to finished work.
I love the fact that she embroidered the covering of the box herself. Makes it a very personal item.
So Mrs Murray wherever you are in the Universe your work is in safe hands .

Contents of the " little box of treasures "

I love buying sewing boxes they are full of stories. People never seem to clear them out ! you just get layers.
This handmade envelope below is clearly twenties and holds all the muted shades of wool for the Jacobean panels Mrs Murray worked on in the late 20's The working traced designs and booklets contain all the designed used for the completed panels


This is a jump forward in time ! An uncompleted Coronation sampler with wools
A selection of various ideas she had tried at one time or another.
If there is anything here that inspires you do let me know

Inspiration and work in progress

Mrs Murray was clearly a skilled embroiderer and has taken her inspiration and designs from this magazine and excellent little book on Jacobean embroidery with the most wonderful illustrated plates.
Lovely to be able to follow the making from start to finish, a lttle capsule of history in itself and very much of the period. The little book has her name in the font and the date 1929 so I have sort of built the story from that. I feel that was when the work commenced

Completed work of Mrs Murray

A large four fold screen displaying the four panels of lovingly needle crafted crewel work in The popular Jacobean style. I love the flamboyant seed and flower heades they use in Jacobean work ,almost samplers in themselves of a range of textured stitches. I will take some better close ups for my web site but could not wait to show you this. I have a lot of hoovering to do as it has been tucked away.

Blast from the past

Caroline and I were out promoting the coming Bridport Rag Market yesterday in the Wintery showers and I came upon these at one of the second hand warehouses. I have read that these were a monthly companion to Arthur Mee's Children's Newspaper and continuing his children's Encyclopedia. He was prolific in his writings.
They seem to me slightly strange as a child's magazine, quite serious and adult interspersed with items clearly for the very young and lots of interesting advertisements for the mums. I have 11 from 1921 to one in 1930 including the first Christmas issue.
I find old magazines fascinating , a trip to the past and the Art Work especially for the old advertising just brilliant

In The Print

Not sure I am meant to do this! but they did send me the pictures of the photoshoot
The March edition of Homes and Antiques out today or at least mine arrived to my sick bed this morning!
needless to say I am thrilled to be in it in the good company of several other quilt dealers.

Those were the days...

Finding this wonderful old sheet music from another era took me back in my memory to when in my childhood at family gatherings there was always a group round the piano.
Making your own entertainment with piano music is a marvellous talent and I guess because I was brought up with it it has always been something I enjoy.
I am from the North and so often you would find someone on the piano at the pub. There was a favourite coffee house called the " Coffee Pot " that had wonderful jazz piano at night , and my Auntie used to love to go out for tea and there was nearly always a piano on those occasions.