Sunday, May 10, 2009

Mother's Day

My view from breakfast in bed. It is a good thing that I had something blooming inside because today was cold and grey. The African violet and Christmas cactus are in recently found thrifted cache pots. The pot with floral decoration is marked Japan and improves the look of the cactus that will not bloom again until Autumn. I guess because my house plants need a little dressing up I have been finding ceramics lately. I have limited knowledge about where they come from or when they were made but buy things that appeal and are reasonably priced.


I chose this little bowl because of its sweetness. The gold has almost worn off and the surface shows signs of wear. The mark on the back is Alfred Meakin Ltd. and would suggest that it was made between 1907 and 1930. I do not think it worth a lot of money but I enjoy having it. I have photographed it on a tablecloth that my Mum embroidered before she was married(or maybe just before I was born) and used when I was little. She gave it to me early in my marriage and I love the colour combination. While I remember her doing crewel work, I do not remember her doing any other embroidery. I guess she was influenced partly by what would work in her house (modern Danish) and how time consuming young children and home keeping can be.

My Mum found this Lloyd Loomchair at a second hand/antique store. She bought it for me when I was still a child and it is of smaller proportions. I remember that she saved for a long time and paid for it a little at a time in a way that businesses do not seem interested in doing these days. It has proved to be a good investment that I still enjoy. The pillow with the church was made with a panel of Nottingham lace that was given to my Mum by one of the members of the Nottingham Youth Orchestra that we had hosted in 1984. I made the bargello pillow a few years earlier.




My Mum made this crazy quilt pattern with the last scraps of a Laura Ashley fabric used in my curtains and bits of lace. The creative use of luxurious and precious fabrics has always made me love crazy quilting but I have yet to try it. I do have quite a few precious scraps...




These two pillows are embroidered with my Mum's Viking #1 sewing machine. She has become very adept at using the designs available in ways that serve her creativity well. The fabric she used for these cushions was from I skirt that I owned back in the '80s. She was up cycling before it was the thing to do.



I hope all the mothers you know have had a great day.

2 comments:

Thrifted Treasure said...

That green chair is gorgeous, lovely that it has such a family history for you too :-)

gardener-b said...

If that was my view from my bed I think I would want to stay in bed!