Gone so long and no excuse note. Sorry, the dog ate my blog posts.
I’ve been fully absorbed by a handful of projects, one of which is guiding my eldest son through the serpentine process of applying for university. If you’re doing likewise, my sympathies. I’d rather stick pins in my eyes.
I’m also having persistent difficulty getting Flickr and WordPress to communicate with each other via Safari. Anyone else had the same problem? And how did you solve it? At the moment I’m having to compose posts on other family members’ computers. Very meh.
Anyway, I finally have a Scrap of the Week to show you. It’s a piece of sweet floral barkcloth, part of a pair of curtains (complete with gathered pelmet) which a good friend spotted for me recently. Not being a textiles expert, I’m guessing 1950s, but please correct me if you are able. The set is half rotten and (one assumes) about to shred to ribbons. Therefore, I haven’t dared wash it yet, though it’s a little grotty and stained and deserves laundering. I may give it a gentle soak with something benign in the bathtub, in the same way that I washed this.
But just look at the darning! Not exactly expert but determined.
There are several areas of repair. The story they tell! Somebody really loved their floral curtains. Have made no plans for this lot yet. What would you do with it? About 4 metres in all. More pictures over on Flickr.
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such pretty fabric …. and I love that someone tried so hard to save them. I think I'd be making them into a quilt …. a log cabin using that pretty central bouquet on the repeat as the hearth piece …. it'd salvage the best of it and the quilting would make what you have stronger – especially if you interface it first. Can't wait to see what you do with it
Now, there's an idea. Like it.
My elder son is also applying to university. I'm delegating the whole process to sixth form college and my husband because like you I'd rather stick pins in my eyes.
I've just darned my younger son's school jumper for the third time. He wants to know why he can't have a new one. I say it is because it can be mended but really it is because I love darning it so much.
I'm not sure what I'd do with the darned curtains but I'm impressed someone darned them -school jumpers are much easier.
Sue, it's remorseless. How do you get a 17-year-old male scientist to express passion…? Hardly natural, is it? Anyway, you are so wise to have thrown in the towel on that one.
Bravo for your darning! Where did your youngest's school jumper need repairing? Mine has the dreadful habit of chewing through the edges of his cuffs. And I discovered a while back that he'd nibbled a hole in the top edge of his duvet cover. Well, where would I be without a mending pile?
I could have sworn I left a comment here, all about the mend in the bark cloth … I think I must be losing it!
Ooh, I haven't seen it. Could you possibly have drafted it and not pressed submit…? I do that kind of thing all the time.