keeping up appearances #3

I just added Keeping Up Appearances #3  to my website.  This one contains more vintage linens: an embroidered linen tea towel, linen tablecloth and linen dishtowel all of which are dye-painted and screen-printed with text. I found a number of well-worn (and no doubt loved) linen dishtowels in my father’s laundry room last year when cleaning out his house.

All  bore names of exotic places visited….British Virgin Islands, Lighthouses of New England,  Provence.  I even have a few of these myself. They always start out so pristine and soon are gray from being chosen (by others!) for household tasks beyond dishwashing. Soon they are in tatters. Some of these from my Dad’s house were in the rag bin, so worn and transparent; yet I chose them to embellish with paint.   I must admit that the ferreting out of vintage textiles has become as much fun as the embellishing! I truly am the daughter of a war bride!!!

A month or so ago I posted  a new Upheaval piece (#8) that  had not yet settled with me. It has a vintage feedsack batiked as a focal point and discharged-hand-dyed cottons.  It  just felt off.  Last night  I cut off 7″ one direction and 3″ another and like it better. Since I had pillowcased the backing I just added facings along  those edges.  It is weird how sometimes I  love the fabrics but not the end result. It just has to grow on me I guess!