Vintage Barkcloth

VINTAGE TEXTURED BARKCLOTH by Margaret E Meier (published by Schiffer)

Well this was a great find! A great reference book with gorgeous colour photos. I found it on Amazon when I was having a browse! Very interesting for anyone who loves barkcloth and the associated prints from the 40s, 50s and 60s! She writes about her own relationship with it and how she became interested in the fabric and how she started to collect these fantastic prints. Also you will find information on how to clean barkcloth and get stains out.

Ms Meier also mentions that any print with a black background is rare here are a couple of different designs...






The book is separated into different sections depending on the print for instance tropical or geometric prints.......






Now what really took my attention was that she mentioned that any prints showing palm trees, huts and flamingos are very very rare and worth quite a bit of money.....





WELL.... hmm that is interesting as I have a lovely pair of curtains with just those... huts and palm trees...




but no flamingos even without those lovely pink birds every time I look at the print I imagine myself in Hawaii in 1950 and to think that I was going to sell them .... oh my dear!!



If you want to see more pictures of lovely vintage barkcloth with tons and tons of prints click here!

Embroidery Quilt

So a long time ago I was in a charity shop and I thought.... hmmm I do like these old 30s and 40s embroidered table clothes and mats. What can I do with them ...well.. quilts quilts quilts! I thought I would patchwork some of the table clothes that were stained as well as use the full ones for the more intricate and beautiful ones! Although I have to say that I do find all of them beautiful. All the work that has gone into them it is a shame that they had been lost as no one seems to use table clothes anymore! Sometimes I think that they should do an exhibition like they did of quilts at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Think that they should do one of utilitarian sewing work. So that was years ago (although now with the upsurge in crafting and make do and mend) it seems that these are getting harder to find but now I have such a huge stash I just can't bring myself to say goodbye to them.

I am going full steam ahead to use my new sewing machine and make some using technology (but I'll come back to that)..... as I have always hand sewn mine. I have two hand sewing quilt projects on the go that I MUST finish .... this is the embroidered one and I'll let you see the butterfly one in a mo!.




this is the first part of the process as you can see you have to choose how you are going to construct your quilt (see below ...my first one was just squares and the corners were just 1/4 size of the corner squares)




I'm making good headway, I've nearly finished the top and have a blanket for the batting....



More to come as the quilt takes shape.....

Sewing box No 2

Well after the success of the first sewing box.....


I thought would have another go at a different one!

I was wondering around one of my many suppliers when I happened upon this little lady! She needs a touch and brush up on the outside me thinks! Although, the inside looks dandy...


....but her little chains to hold up the lid have broken....!


I have to decide what colours to use and whether to use oilcloth on the cover like I did with the red polka dot one! I think this time I will go for just a strong bright and bold material..... lets see what happens.....

Patchwork Travel Chest 3

Taddahhh! Well here it is! My finished patchwork traveling chest. Hands up who thinks I am obsessed with patchwork! You can see it sits just fine in front of my little sofa!


Hard to imagine that it used to look like this, eh!







I decided to put on the fleece throw on my little sofa now Winter is almost here. The little 50s textile cushions keep each other company! Inside my patchwork chest are hiding my darling quilts ... pictures to follow soon!!

Mind you .....
I don't think my little cat Roobarb is that bothered!! She still prefers to sleep on her patchwork kitten quilt which I made for her and her sister Booboo!

Patchwork Travel Chest 2

Hmmmm have to decide first how to place the paper and how to cut them and then to put the pva glue down to make sure it sticks properly!


I can't paint the main body until the top is all dry

Then use the varnish and the blue paint to give it a new lease of life. The trouble is the weather is getting cold I should have started this earlier it is taking so much time to dry!




Sometimes a pot of paint comes in handy!!


Nearly there just another coat or two!!

Patchwork Travel Chest 1

This is a travel travel chest that I bought recently! It would make great storage for my linens! But a little bit work needs to be done first before it can come into Betty Zee's Cottage!


It was a bit rusty.......

......so after a trip to the diy centre I found some paint



that you can paint straight onto the rust .... woh saves so much time!

I have had a book of Vintage reproduction paper from the Victoria and Albert Museum for ages and I have just the project!

Let me choose the prints I like....

And another trip to the diy centre because I need to varnish the paper to protect it! oh then just and then a fresh lick of paint for the cover.......Here goes.... now have a look at how it progressed ... and the final item...

Pineapple Retro Shop 5

These lovely ladies bits and bobs from Sophie's place were lovely, a rails of ladies 50s-70s dresses, jewellery, bags and umbrellas. Us ladies would have a field day I absoloutley adore 50s dresses and wear them myself. I don't think you can match them for style, fabric and print! Mind you I could have definately make room at home for the cute little ladybird bag!

Pineapple Retro Shop 4

Textiles, textiles, textiles! Nice to see so many in one place plus she has bucket loads of the back in her office space! Sophie mentioned that she would be sorting out her office and moving the overflow into the shed she had built to house it all! As well as all the other lovely bits she has!


Funny how certain retro items become popular........... textiles are the thing of the moment.

Great idea to mount them on the walls they are too lovely to just have as furnishings although I must say I do love cushions made from the fabrics of yester year!!

Pineapple Retro Shop 3

This will be a miracle if you can see these! Some will agree that without good photos of what you've seen and done .....well it just doesn't have the same impact! So I ask for your patience when you look at these as they were out of focus but I thought I'd have a go messing with PhotoScape.

These darling little cups and saucers are Sophie's delight! And I must agree that I love the quirky little designs too!

Pineapple Retro Shop 2

Glass Glass Glass, what a collection of gorgeous 60s and 70s glass! Sophie mentioned that she didn't have as much stock as she normally did as a certain company had bought it all from her to use in their shop windows....Well she certainly did have some great stuff left! Although I think some was her own collection.... what a gal!

Pineapple Retro Shop 1

If there was ever one place that encompasses every thing I LOVE it has to be Pineapple Retro. I could use nearly all of the labels for my blog for this post. Let me explain further......Well, a few years ago we went to Brockenhurst in the New Forest for rather an important birthday! There we were on our cycles trying to avoid the little ponies wondering along the pavement and trying to stay out of the country pubs when we happened upon Sophie's shop! Then it was a little annexe to her mothers collectibles shop! Recently I thought I would love to see what she was up to. On Saturday, we decided to take a trip down and say hello!! Even a few years ago we could tell that she had a fantastic eye for retro and vintage! Textiles, lampshades and bases, furniture, glass, crockery, ladies fashions, jewellery, bags and dresses! All you'll see in the coming days in the posts. In fact, all aspects of retro and vintage living!


I was so happy for her! To see that she has taken over a whole shop, as well as having a great new website was fantastic! She has had massive interest and even sold a huge amount of vintage glass to a certain huge company for use in their shop windows!! There was and is so much to tell ....I will just have to let the pictures speak for themselves. By the way....there has a lovely country pub opposite!! We didn't manage to stay out of that for too long!! www.pineappleicebucket.co.uk

Advertising crafting and those beautiful ladies 5

Now there is definately a limit to where I would go on this! Mind you I remember that I used to have one when I was very very young! My mother knitted it, gawd bless her! Alas I have it no more, mind you that could have been me modeling it on the left! Or is it me or do they look like chain mail for going under suits of armour in the 12th Century!

Hawaiian 50s Bark Cloth Curtains

......Another of my favourite 50s curtains! Not big but great barkcloth, colour and design! I could just imagine being under a palm tree drinking a cocktail!!!

Vintage Fashion Fair - Camden 10th October 10 No 2

April from 'Razzle Dazzle Vintage' was so busy I couldn't get a chance to talk to her! She was just in the middle of selling a what looked like 50's see through perspex cone rounded bag! But I thought you might like to take a little look at some of her stall!

Vintage 50s Mexican Souvenir Jacket

This is such a sweet little jacket I love it so much especailly because of the detail of the two dancing partners. In the 50s mexican women would sit at the roadside selling these handmade jackets to American tourists. They are very collectable now and I have two and adore them!

Vintage Fashion Fair - Camden 10th October 10 No 1

Well what a pleasure it was to wonder around Marilyn's fair at the infamous Cecil Sharpe House in Camden Town! It was a balmy Sunday afternoon with the Autumn light flickering through the windows! One of my favourite stalls was Shazam! Vintage! Owner Jan was kind enough to let me take some photos of my favourite dresses, unfortunately there are only so many photos I can put on a blog she had rails AND rails of BEAUTIFUL dresses! I cannot recommend her gear enough! Fair prices and a friendly lady! She also sold buttons and vintage patterns! My goodness I don't think I have EVER seen SO many in one place! The girls from 'Sew Retro' would have a field day if they visited Jan!