Antique Sewing Basket Treasures

Spring is Here!!

Cleaning, Organizing, Planting and Grilling outside....that's What SPRING means to ME!!

Well, it happened.....Yesterday about 4 o'clock I HAD to kiss Jenny and Ella goodbye and send them on a plane back to Chicago!!!  Boo Hoo!!  BUT...they will be back next Saturday!!!  Remember that big test that Jon is studying for????  Well, he consented to let them come back the week before the test so he could devote all attention to studying.  We are so glad they get to come back so soon!!!  That made saying goodbye much easier.
I don't know why but for over 25 years whenever I have a houseguest leave I deal with the sadness of their departure by CLEANING!!!  I do the sheets, vacuum, clean the bathrooms....the whole house.  Keeps me busy for a few hours then I am tired and go to bed!!  That is exactly what I did last night.  Put all the baby "stuff" in the closet in Jenny's old room and cleaned out Kristy's stash of weights that had been left in the game room for months.  AHHHHHH!!!  Feels good!!  Spring has finally come to Tulsa!!  We didn't have winter but we had a brief bout of summer (temps in high 80's and 90's) in early April and then rain and clouds for a week.  The past few days have been glorious....60's and 70's with bright sunshine.  So now I am ready to Spring Clean my sewing room!!!  As I was dusting and putting things back where they belong....I tend to get things out use them and put them in a pile instead of putting them away??  Anyone else out there do that??  Or am I the only slob?!!  Anyway was I was dusting...something I don't do often up there...I ran across this basket which is such a treasure to me.  It has lots of "special" things I either inherited or were given by people that appreciate my love for "old" stuff and my love for sewing.



This embroider bag was made and belonged to my maternal grandmother, Orpha Neal.  Isn't Orpha a beautiful name?  I should have named one of my girls that ...oh well!!  She died in 1952 before I was born but I am told she was quite the seamstress.  Her love for "all things sewing" must have been in the genes that were passed along to me.  Inside the bag you will see her original embroidery floss.

Look at the "vintage" fabric in the lining of the bag.   This is one of my favorite treasures.

 This is my mother's original thread caddy.  Notice the original thread....and yes they are all wooden spools.  My mother just turned 84 and is still sewing, quilting and hand braiding rugs.  Amazing!!!!!  She is BIG Ella after which Little Ella got her name.

I don't know who belonged to this button box but it is probably 1930's from all the information on the stuff inside.  Wanna see inside????

What a stash!!!  Measuring tapes, buttons, needles, wooden spools.  Look at the red piece of dressmaker chalk in the center.  It is well used.  I love the pearly buttons at the top of the pix...These are old buttons taken off of something and saved for another occasion.  That is too cool!!

This button box was given to my mother by a neighbor.  It had been given to her and she knew Mother and I loved this stuff so she passed it along!!!  Thank you Norma!!
Wait to you see what this box has inside....these are the coolest needle packs I have ever seen!

 Aren't they just the Bomb??  They are full of needles too.

These are from the New York's World's Fair 1964-65.

Don't you wish you looked like these ladies when you sew?  I am usually in my pj's (like now) or sweatpants and t-shirt with thread and snips all over me!!!  LOL!!

These needles are too precious to use!!  But I love to look at them and wonder about the seamstress that owned them....What did she sew with these beauties???  Did she have a large family?  Did she work outside the home?  Did she love to sew or sewed to keep her family clothed?  UMHHHHHH  we will never know but we can dream about her and her life in the past when things weren't quite as complicated.

Does your insurance company give you cool needle packs?  I wish mind did!   


Last but not least in my "Treasure" Basket is an old jar of buttons.  I don't even remember where I got this but I love the jar as much as the buttons.  Don't you?

Now that I have shown you all my basket treasures I have to dust them and put them away.  This time I am moving the basket to the hall and displaying them on one of the shelf's in my old Barrister Bookcase.  That way everyone else can enjoy looking at it too.

Look what just came across on a text message from my daughter!!

Bumbo Time!!
I am not so sure she likes it yet...this is her first attempt.

Gotta run... Since SPRING is here I need to get outside and plant my pots.  I LOVE planting, growing and harvesting anything and everything.  More to come on that!!!  I also have a great SPRING COUSCOUS Chicken Bowl that I will share!!  Hopefully tonight when I am done planting and going to the movies/dinner with my hubby.

Happy Trails,

Mtn Mama