Spent the last 5 days, and according to my FITBIT tracker 87,500 steps, at the Sturbridge Host Hotel Textile show on Monday, and then Tuesday through Friday at the Brimfield Mass Antique /Junk
/ Flea market.
  Here are the goodies/bargins (ha ha)  I found.  

The flowers are organdy and really sweet.  Most of the findings and sew on's came from old ( closed boo hoo) Tinsel Trading in NYC.
  She now  has a new more boutique type store at a different location but still has stock left from the old store that she  sells at the Host show. 

A dealer at the Mays show on Thursday has tables of these metal stampings can't resist the bugs!!   About 1" X 2"

Jennifer Osner, a dealer from California, bought out the Lace samples from the M.E. Feld  Co in NYC about 10 years ago.  She has been selling them at Brimfield every year since at Astronomical prices so I usually walk on by.  But this year she was having a sale and they still were pricey but I couldn't resist.
 She also has a web store.

Then I came across an older lady selling odd bits at fire sale prices.  (Of course the cat has to get into the picture!! ) 

Sweet enamel butterflies and silver flowers

We had a lovely conversation and  I paid her without even asking for a better price.  As I was an leaving I spotted this vintage metal lace.

I love vintage metal lace!!

But it is totally out of my price range.  As I was looking at the lace she came right over and started telling me the story of how she bought it 20 years ago  from a fellow dealer and paid $200 for it because she had to have it.  She also said that the 3" wide trim was 40 yards long.  I admired it of course and put it down to go and search out my husband.  She came after me with the lace in her hand and asked me what I would pay for it.  I hesitated as I didn't want to insult her saying it was out of my price range but she said how about $50.  I said of course I would pay $50 and she handed it to me.   

Needless to say I was flabbergasted!!  I paid her the money and went away in a daze looking for my husband.

3 inches wide

The lace was wrapped on a cardboard card and I knew there was not 40 yards.  When I got home I measured the lace and there is 18 feet.... still a bargain at $50.   Under the lace in the center was another piece of different lace.  This piece is 2 feet long and 6 inches wide!!

I am in love!!  Great week at Brimfield!!

I love working with Raffia and when I came across these large 25mm cabochon stones at Beads East I loved them and saw flower centers!!  They were expensive ..... happily for me they were on sale, but sadly for me Beads East is going wholesale and will not be open to the public after June 1.  

Anyway I worked up some wacky flowers and now have to mount and frame them.

This is also Brimfield week!!
Had a great time ... starting on Monday with the textile show at the Host Hotel in Sturbridge MA and then onto Brimfield Antique and Flea Mkt. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and only part of Friday as we wimped out with the rain!!  Lots of nail-heads, sequins, buttons and just plain weird stuff!!
The top left is a $2 feathered hat that would make the beginnings of  a fabulous birds nest.  I love looking at the nests that Vicki of two bags full  makes and dream that some day I may make one ... or not....  anyway I have the beginnings of one so some day I may!!

This 3 yard piece of Edwardian trim doesn't look like much and was not in the best shape but it has the sweetest oval nail-heads ranging in size from 3mm to 6mm.

To close just wanted to show you the "selfi" my dauther took of us on Sunday.  Faces and shoes!!  She posted it on Facebook with a lovely note.
Love you Sabrina you touched my heart!!!

One of the things I always look for at the Brimfield antique/flea market is a vintage tambour hooks.  In July I did spot  this beautiful agate one.   I did not buy it in July because the screw was jammed and being the practical me I couldn't buy it if I couldn't use it.   At the September show I came across the same hook but the dealer had lubricated it and loosened the screw so it was usable!!  Now I own my first antique tambour hook!!  Best of all my sweet husband bought it for me!

I finished the back of my quilt.  The velvet is more of a maroon shade.  The design is from the flower shapes in the lace panels on the front.  Some are done in Kreinik cord and the rest are done in beads.  The shapes are supposed to swoop up from bottom to top.  The purpose of the embroidered flower shapes is to hold the backing, batting and front together.

I thought ahead this time and put my name etc in one of the enlarged flower shapes.  

Brimfield

Its been a long hot summer already and I have loads of excuses for not posting...sick granddaughter, sick friends, the weather, the broken finger that refuses to feel good... etc etc.  But none of this stopped me from going to Brimfield last week.  

The May show was the largest in my memory and this July show was perhaps one of the smallest.  Many dealers don't come to the July show.  The handful of my favorite dealers I make a beeline for were not there.  

I did find a dealer at Heart of the Mart field on Wednesday that had lots of interesting textiles.  We chatted and she said she had a large box of lace that she had forgotten.  She said would be at May's field on Thursday and she said she would bring the box of lace.
Well I stumbled on her booth on Thursday and asked if she had brought the lace.... she had again forgotten it.... to my sort of relief... I already have more lace pieces then I will ever use in this life time.  I did poke through her goods and found a box filled with old/new stock of ready made packs of initials.  I went through the alphabet looking for my initials and found them in black and white.  

I have to put a label on my Couture Circle quilt for the Hartford quilt show in August.  These inspired me to make the following label which I will sew onto the back of my quilt.
I outlined the initials with beads and wrote my name, quilt name and date around them.  
She was trying to sell the box of initials as a lot... but because she forgot the lace she gave me the 6 packs of letters for nothing!!

Stay COOL!!

Well it sure doesn't pay to break your little finger!!  No stitching and just sitting on the couch with my "time waster" I-Pad spending money!!  Also Brimfield was last week and I managed to go a couple days and visit some of my favorite dealers. 


The stars and the pinwheel sequins are from Berger Beads vintage sequin selection.




The metal steel cut arrow was $1.00 on a table of junk at Brimfield and I could not resist. 
The 1/2 circles are from the French connection I found last month. 



The bar sequins.... several sizes and colors are also from Berger beads.



The soutache is usually $1.00 a yard at vintage textile dealers.  This package was $2.00 for 6 yards.
The metal steel cut beads were in a plastic baggie of junk for $2.00.



The green, white,and purple sew ons and yellow cog sequins are from my fav bead guy at Brimfield... Old and pricey.  The squares are from Berger beads.

This does not count the new pants, summer tops, and shoes ... I did loose some weight...  that Mr Visa is gonna come collecting for at the end of the month.

Here are the links:

Berger Beads www.bergerbeads.com
and
Langlois and Martin http://www.paillettesetbroderie.com/

Host Hotel Textile Show & Brimfield Flea Market

The Textile Show, Monday at the Host Hotel in Sturbridge MA, kicks off the week long events in Sturbridge and Brimfield Mass. 

My first purchase were these vintage beads.  They usually go for $25 a bunch these days but I got all five for $45.



Tinsel Trader Booth

Tinsel Trader Booth

Tinsel Trader Booth

Tuesday through Saturday the fields in Brimfield Mass open boasting over 4000 dealers.
There are plenty of "free" areas or fields each with different names to explore.  Each day a "pay field" as in $5.00 to get in opens. We have been going to Brimfield Monday through Friday.... May, July and September... yes every day... for more years then I can remember.  So we have our own system.  Monday I usually go alone or with the "girls".  The Host show is all textile dealers and can be very pricey.  Not many bargains but lots of gorgeous things to look at.

On Tuesday we usually get there about 8am and start at Shelton's field.  I have 2 or 3  fave dealers there and usually head straight to them like a homing pigeon...  My fave dealer Thoroughly Antiques has a shop in Concord MA.   I have never been there but hope to some day.  Her tent is always delightful even if I don't find something I can not live without. 

Thoroughly Antiques from Concord MA

Thoroughly Antiques from Concord MA



Thoroughly Antiques from Concord MA

This time was no exception.  Cary, the owner, had these vintage steel cut size 15 beads tucked away.  They are hard to find and her prices were great.  I love to use them to embroider my name or chop on my work.

Wednesday is my favorite day because New England Motel opens at 6am, Heart of the Mart opens at 9AM and Jeanne Hertan opens at 12noon.   No biggies until I got to Heart of the Mart.  They have a huge circus tent filled with vintage textile and clothing dealers my fave dealer there had nothing I wanted but another one had these tiny, size 15, clear glass beads that go with all the glass buttons I have amassed and I could not resist. 

I also visited another of my fave dealers Beads by Sandy.  I always find something unusual there and this time was no exception.  He is on line but tends to have different things at Brimfield and sometimes better prices.

These metal 3mm sequins were something I had to have. 



Thursday is Mays and Friday is J and J.  Found a few things but nothing great.  I have a whole list of things I look for and it just happened all I found mostly were beads this time around.  Have to wait until July...................