Dainty....

Loving this embroidered linen bag in the shape of a house.....where the lady in blue is up to her elbows in suds outside and the lady in yellow is scurrying through the door with a basket of laundry.
Huge red roof tiles and a part open, shuttered window complete "The Laundry" picture.
The reverse has a simple, vertical opening edged in blue.

"Let your dainty undies stay
Safe in here till washing day"

Those were the days when ladies took care of their underwear until washday...no doubt hand washed on a Monday.
Unlike today, when the M and S are dropped in the laundry basket, then straight into the front loader any day of the week.

It will be coming to the Antique and Vintage Fair on Good Friday at Willowburn Leisure Centre, Alnwick, Northumberland along with this 1940's embroidered couple.....what a dandy with his lace edged, big cuffed and collared suit!

Looks like it's going be a busy weekend for me, with another Fair too on Bank Holiday Monday at Gateshead Stadium, plus more building work at the Bastle in between.
No rest for the wicked as they say....

Bye for now and hope you all have a lovely Easter.
Julie x

My excuse....

The reason for my lack of regular blogging these days is because something has been taking up most of my time.

Three years ago, as lovers of old buildings, we took possession of a tired stone "cottage" in an idyllic village in Northumberland.

Seeing beyond the colourful interior....

Which was hiding a much older building......we set to work.

Uncovering and discovering....and with the help of a local property historian, we came to the conclusion (as we thought)  that this was an old Bastle house built in the late 16th century, when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne, Shakespeare was penning his sonnets, Sir Walter Raleigh was off adventuring and in Northumberland...... "Reiving".... was rife.

In order to protect the village inhabitants, defensive Bastle houses were built, often in clusters for combined security and also as beacon style warnings of an impending attack.

A Bastle house therefore, is a fortified farmhouse..... unique to Northumberland and the Border regions, built to protect the occupants and their animals from the fighting and thieving of rival families.
More can be found HERE.

The "cottage"also came with an overgrown woodland garden

And hidden under rampant ivy...a tumbledown shed.

Full to the brim with years of rubbish.

So... undaunted....( some said we were completely bonkers to undertake such a project ).... we are slowly bringing the ugly duckling back to life and fit for 21st century living whilst still retaining its historical importance.

A lot of work has already been done and over the next few months I will bring you up to date with our renovations.

Till next time...

Julie x

Rusty, rustic and a little secret...

I think the theme for this Sunday's Fair at Gateshead International Stadium is to be rusty and rustic....with a lot of red.

A rustic French linen nightshirt with initials AG....

And a platter full of rusty old keys.

Coming along to keep an eye on proceedings will be this well loved, straw filled, linen covered French dog. All the way from Bordeaux to Northumberland courtesy of a regular dealer at the Hexham Fair on Tuesday.

 Boot button eyes....

 And the remnants of a spotty coat....or are they old kiss marks from his loving owner years ago?

The sun is shining today and the birds are singing.....so for the first time in ages I am going to drag furniture outside and paint in the fresh air.

Thank goodness the snow and ice have gone ( fingers crossed ) and the snowdrops and other bulbs are pushing their way through.

Spring must be on its way.

As for the little secret.....I will let you know next time.

Old keys may well be needed to open it.....

Julie x

Refreshments....

I seem to have a thing for old coffee / teapots at the moment...like the two early examples above.

 One blue spongeware, the other blue transfer print. Both damaged, without lids, but still charming in a simple, naive way.

Another coffee pot which I bought in Portobello Market, London just after Christmas, was this 19th century silver plate beauty...

Lovely tankard shape, simple engraving and the name Constance in a cartouche.

And at the end of the handle a heart.

How I would love to know the story of Constance's coffee pot...naturally my mind is racing at the thought of a romantic gesture from an ardent admirer, but it was probably a loving gift from a family member.

A dinky, dinky teapot which is actually a tape measure when the knob on the lid is pulled up.

An extremely delicate tape inside that won't take much more pulling,....but it was just one of those things I had to buy. You know how it is....A sucker for the unusual!

Finally, a brilliant Christmas present from my Mum...An Emma Bridgewater teapot with old back stamp on the base.

Two messages..."drink more tea"...which is not a problem for me,

And..."love the giver"....which I certainly do.

Hope you are all coping with this winter weather....we are having our fair share here in Northumberland,

And more seems to be on the way apparently.

Off to Durham for the Antique and Vintage Fair tomorrow....Hope the skies are a little clearer.....

Bye for now,
Julie x

Spitalfields....hidden gems...

Having been summoned to London between Christmas and New Year to see my son's new flat, ( and also to wield a paintbrush and roller ) I managed to fit in a little sightseeing in the East End.

Somewhere I have read about HERE and have always wanted to visit ....Spitalfields.

Fine 17th and 18th century town houses whose history spans the Hugenot and Irish silk weavers to the notorious slums of Victorian London inhabited by Jewish immigrants. 

Now modernised and enjoyed by a new generation.... save one... The Dennis Severs' House in Folgate Street.... where time has stood still.

Entering the house from the street requires adjustment, as your eyes accustom themselves to the darkness.

Lit only by candlelight and fires in the ten rooms...your journey starts in complete silence on the ground floor and cellar, winding your way to the top of the house, taking in the smell of wood smoke, food and musty damp in the attic.

As no photographs are allowed in the property, I have linked to The Dennis Severs flickr page so you can get the idea of life re created in an 18th century Spitalfields house. However, these well lit photographs do not do justice to the real experience in the gloomy candlelight.

Theatrical room sets of unmade beds, collapsed ceilings, chamber pots full of urine add to a magical and very different house tour. 
Certainly worth the queue on a Sunday afternoon....

After a quick visit to The Spitalfields Market, I ventured onto Fournier Street,

And directly opposite Christ Church,

I found a fabulous shop....Town House

Full of interesting, quirky, decorative and useful pieces...set in a classic Spitalfields house with logs burning in the stove, creating a warm welcome to those who enter.

Down the stairs and into the kitchen,

Cosy and inviting.....

Coffee and cake was on the menu,

Good coffee and homemade lemon drizzle cake served by a charming Scotsman... Murray, who told me about the shop, its talented owner who spends time between France and London and the history of the area.

It is also possible to stay at The Town House for weekend breaks or longer.....HERE
What a great base to explore London in an old building, surrounded by antiques yet with luxury, modern facilities.

Thank you Murray for your hospitality...so nice to meet you!

Julie x

All is calm...all is bright....

 

Merry Christmas...
Julie x

Making a start on Christmas...

The Christmas tree is up and ready for decorating.... the wooden angel has been dragged unceremoniously through the loft hatch, dusted down and ready for duty....

Obligatory, festive Aldi loo rolls have been bought and are now in place.

This year it is reindeer and foxes ready to do bathroom duty.

The Gluhwein is stocked and quickly road tested...

And the first batch of sausage rolls are straight out of the oven.

 I know for a fact there will be none left in a few hours.."bite size" goes down far too easily at Chez Cloth Shed!

Finally the dreaded Christmas cards have been written and posted too.

Every year I am a real, grumpy old woman and say I am not going to send any, then they start flying through the letterbox and I feel so guilty. So off I go and stand in the post office queue that snakes round the shop, buy stamps that cost an eye watering amount and stuff the lot in the red letter box outside.

£15 gone just like that!

And that's just the start....

Julie x