Sunday, March 19, 2017

Unpacking The Past

My late mother and aunt were gatherers in every sense of the word of just about anything and everything imaginable.  These ladies were born and raised in the City of Amsterdam, became war brides and immigrated to Canada with some of us children in tow.  Having survived WWII, hunger, deprivation and losses of their family members, homes and being displaced, they believed they were deserving of these bits and baubles as they were want to call the multitude of possessions they amassed during their lifetimes.  

My Mum at 85 and still beautiful
I have still one storage locker filled with articles of furniture and over 100+ boxes and Rubbermaid totes to prove this.  Today, these ladies would be called HOARDERS, I just called them mum and aunt and loved their idiosyncrasies dearly.

So yesterday I began the daily task of sifting through 5 boxes I managed to extract from the storage locker and bring home.  In those boxes I discovered many more Jewelry boxes....filled with....Vintage jewelry.  Would you believe me when I tell you I have so far unpacked 7 jewelry boxes filled full of real as well as costume jewelry????

So much so that it becomes overwhelming.  Some of these brooches I found are exquisite, some are real gold or silver pieces, some gems to be sure, others are mostly costume pieces, but so vintage!  My late mother and aunt were fashion frenzied but my they sure looked beautiful when all decked out in much of their finery with fashionable jewelry accessories!

I know I haven't seen so many clip on earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, or brooches all in one place as I have in recent days.  I am not certain yet, but I am hoping this is the last of the jewelry boxes.  *one weekend nearing the Christmas holiday, I spent three days going through tin boxes of buttons....oh my now it's real and costume jewelry I am sorting through.

Here are but some of the pieces I have found.





These are but some of the brooches!




 Some of the amassed clip on earrings!



And necklaces, just haven't photographed many of these yet - many of these have or will find their way into the shop online.  I actually have 3 bags filled with costume jewelry pieces where either the strand(s) broke, or the brooches without pins or bits and pieces of bracelets without clasps or broken links all of which are going to a young person who recycles and she will be glad of the supplies to be certain, but again I find this so overwhelming. 

This task I seem to have been set on accomplishing may at the slow rate I am progressing take another year, but, in all truth as overwhelming as this all is, the memories many of these boxes yield are as precious as they are physically demanding. 

WANNA COME AND PLAY WITH ME?  Cookies and milk for everyone!


Sunday, March 12, 2017

Since 2015.....

My home became very congested with vintage and antiques items from the loss of family members.  Small size 6 steps by steps I am regaining some control over my personal space which I haven't seen inside my home in years. 

The younger of the families are really not associated with or into vintage or antiques or the memories with the 100's of items rescued from a plethora of boxes and containers which made up much of my life.  

Now I have gone into full throttle Reclamation mode, wanting my home back to enable me once again to set up the sewing room and play with my fabrics and it is my fervent hope that Bygonera will help me do just that, because I too am getting far older than I am happy about!  Much of my Charity work has been set aside for the time being so I might devote more time to making holes (*space*).   To this end I have many things with dozens of memories to share with anyone who would care to look and listen...R U READY??

My Paternal Grandmothers' Hand Made Quilts

I unpacked my late mothers' linen cupboard and unearthed at least 7 Mid Century all Cotton Quilts, one of which remains for sale over at BYGONERA

THIS single bed sized Embroidered Red and Pink Roses having twelve (12) approximately 13" Blocks and measures 76" in Length by 60" in Width!

There are a variety of pink rose blocks and there are red rose blocks, all of which were Hand Embroidered and then Hand Pieced and Quilted by hand totally made from 100 % Cotton Broadcloth and which the maker termed a Summer Utility Quilt because she used no Batting!

How do I know all of this, I know because the maker of this and many, many other quilts were made by my Paternal Grandmother! This was my grandmothers' method of relaxation and she made quilts from the time she was a young girl. With little money bedding was expensive, so she made all of their bedding. After 11 children became 11 distinct families, literally everyone has more than one of Grandma's quilts because she made so many of them. My grandmother also made quilts for Military Hospitals during WWII and donated each and every one as she had 6 sons who were all part of Canada's fighting forces....


 ***Beautifully embroidered Roses adorn this single bed quilt

**Hand Quilted as can be seen as this is a photo of the back of this quilt.....

Now tell me you do not appreciate this gem?  There are more and two have already gone to other homes but more of these beauties remain and soon will make their way into the Etsy shop. 

Hmmmmmm I wonder where my love of quilting stems from??

Look, if your not into vintage (*old*) quilts, but you are a Retro or Vintage loving individual, come on over, check out what I have in the shop so far, NO OBLIGATION.....

C Ya...