Antique Quilts at Ruby Lane –

Pausing for another moment on the topic of antique quilts, I’m ogling over the  selection for sale via French72 at Ruby Lane. The countless hours that went into each one of these pieces is mind-bending from the perspective of mass-consumption and these hours are not at all reflected in assigned prices (though the actual makers are at this point dead, or likely many times removed from the sale).  A graphic quilt like the one above (1920’s, $595) could transform a room, contemporary or traditional. You’d have a hard time finding a new coverlet or duvet with as much impact and lasting value.

Gypsy Rosalie –

What is it about linens from the 1940’s and 1950’s (and even the 1960’s I suppose) that give them such a distinct – and distinctly appealing – look? I was musing about this last Sunday while admiring a collection of tablecloths, napkins, and handkerchiefs  handed down to a friend from her mother. Part of it is just the quality of softly worn age that cotton can take on after decades of washing and pressing, but there’s also the texture and weight of the fabric itself. And what exactly is it about such a range of patterns that make them so easily pinned to that time period? (A good topic for research.)

With these questions in mind I went on a brief tear around the internet and found the following links. No historical overviews here, but lots of patterns to look at:

Gypsy Rosalie (the above image is a detail shot of an already-sold table cloth from the site)

Echoes of the Past Online

Gramas Attic

RickRack

Laurel Leaf Farm

Sally Campbell –

Designer Sally Campbell has produced her own line of “village made” textiles from India. Lots of colorful items and even a few neutrals. She also has a section of vintage pieces.

L’Aviva Home –

I met Laura Aviva in the blogosphere this week and am excited to explore her website for the first time. I love her concept of an on-line trunk show — both because it has a very personal feeling to it and because it sidesteps some of the usual expectations and constraints of a standard on-line store. Her current show is titled “Textile and Object.”

French Garden House –

French Garden House is a great source for French linens, including heavy grain sacks. I’ll try to scan the magazine photo that inspired my evening’s search for this type of thing soon — it should be around here somewhere. An old posting on the British website Parna also relates.

Rugrabbit –

Here’s quite a find: www.rugrabbit.com. The site is a clearinghouse for individual carpet and textile dealers and enthusiasts to post items available for sale. The textile above is described as, “silk-velvet Ikat, Bukhara c1870 mounted. 81×33cm”. The seller is Tina Tabone, tinatabone@gmail.com.

The Textile Society Antique Textile Fair –

Oh, I so wish I could magically transport myself to Manchester England this weekend! The Textile Society (the British one) is having their Antique Textile Fair this Sunday, March 9th. Here’s their description of what to expect: “Stand after stand heaped high with fabulous textiles and garments from all over the world. Racks of vintage and ethnic clothing, silks from the mysterious East, bundles of braids, loops of ribbons, boxes of buttons, silks and satins, embroideries and knitting, along with old household linens from France.” Absolute heaven! But instead I’ll just enjoy the image above of a “1920s African shield inspired furnishing fabric”. This from Meg Andrews, one of the textile dealers represented at the show. (I found the image on Hali Magazine’s website, where they discuss the 3/9 fair.)

Francis Price –

I’m not clear who Francis Price is exactly – although I feel like I just saw some recent published reference to him – but regardless, I came upon an interesting source of contemporary (yet vintage) textiles and carpets this evening at the UK website classic-modern. This Price textile is one of the featured items, although already marked as sold. To me it looks like a 1960’s interpretation of one of Turner’s Venetian sunsets. And back to an ongoing obsession over interesting color combinations: the deep fuschia and amber gold seen here is one for the permanent file.

La Maitrise –

Continuing on the theme of my last entry, here’s a floral print on the other end of the economic spectrum from a site I like to check in on every few months, Kathleen Taylor’s The Lotus Collection. Here’s their description of this cloth: “Early 20th century printed cotton ‘La Maitrise’ with large white rose heads outlined in bright fuscia on burnt orange squares and blue leaves all on a yellow ground. This panel represents the “master” print of this design.” 37″ x 32 1/2″ wide. $2250.

Tammis Keefe –

Here’s another textile designer discovery for my files: Tammis Keefe. From what I’ve seen on-line, she produced a plethora of thematic (and quite whimsical) textile designs during the 1950’s, illustrating such subjects as: dragonflies, cats, santas, acrobats, lion trainers, chairs, bottle collections, etc.! While I didn’t know her name before this week, her patterns seem intimately familiar. I don’t know if this is a function of the direct scope of her own work or whether a slew of copy-cats were inspired by her designs. There seem to be a sizable array of Tammis Keefe hankies available for purchase, both on Ebay and at Ruby Lane. She also produced patterns for scarves and tea towels.