Wednesday, April 10, 2019

The North Country and a Bargain

We were in the North Country this past weekend . . .


. . . where the river was frozen one day and thawed the next.

 
 Sap buckets along the driveway . . . 


. . . and a signpost indicating how many miles it is from Wilmington, NY, to other towns in the U.S. with the same name--Wilmington, CA 2891 mi, Wilmington, IL 904, Wilmington, MN 1186, Wilmington, KS 1422, Wilmington, DE 396, Wilmington, OH 732, Wilmington, NC 868, Wilmington, MA 240, and Wilmington, VT but I can't read the sign for that one :)


Look what I discovered in an Adirondack store--a display of old sewing machines! 


They were tucked in between lamps on the top shelves in a room filled with clothing, blankets, soaps, candles, rugs, etc.  


According to the owner, his wife collected sewing machines with fancy lettering and designs.


They are up really high so these were the best photos I could get. 


But what a delightful surprise to see this display. There must have been 30 at least.

 
And, of course I went to the local thrift shop--my favorite place. This time I came home with an Arpillera--a bargain at 50-cents! I have a small collection of these appliqued pieces and had previously posted about them here. They were made mostly in Chile and Peru in the 1970s-80s.


What I love about this piece (and others) is that nothing is in proportion. Houses are small and birds are big. That figure in the center almost looks like a giant but maybe he's on top of a ladder. Who knows. Lots of embroidered tufts of grass throughout--and flowers.


I wonder who this figure might represent. And check out that creature on the right--a beetle??


The name of the person who made it is embroidered in the lower right corner. All in all the piece is absolutely charming. 


All the embroidery goes right through to the back. 


Home where spring is in the air :)

Have a great week!




__________
Copyright 2019, Barbara Schaffer
 
 

11 comments:

  1. Beautiful river shot, and I got a kick out of the Wilmington signpost.
    That is a very fun display of vintage machines. Too bad you couldn't admire them up closer.
    I had never heard of these stitched items from South America before this. Fascinating. For sure, you got a bargain there!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think that the guy on the ladder is actually a child at the top of a slide. His friend at the bottom is just getting off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you are absolutely correct! So glad you stopped by!

      Delete
  3. Fifty cents??? What a lucky find! I adore primitive textiles like this one. I think the creature looks like an owl in a tree, but maybe that is because we have so many of them this year and I am seeing them everywhere! I love the sap bucket. Most people use lines these days so it is pretty rare to see those wonderful tin buckets. I hope to see some signs of Spring soon. My little yellow crocuses are buried under yesterday's snow. I love winter, but I know when it is time to quit! Thanks for sharing your wonderful photographs.

    ReplyDelete
  4. How cool is that?! I have never seen or even heard of an Arpillera. Yes it's totally charming. What a great find. It looks like you are having a wonderful vacation!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What an awesome piece. I've never seen those before. Glad spring is coming to your neck of the woods. We got over 8 inches of snow yesterday

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such a fun posting....Your folk art piece reminds me of the Hmong appliqued and embroidered story cloths. And the Wilmington sign post reminds me of our many trips to Alaska and stopping at the Watson Lake, Yukon signpost garden - literally thousands from around the world. Our maple syrup season came to a crashing halt yesterday with the blizzard that moved through here. Hoping the syrup people gathered enough in the days before. Just when we thought winter was winding down...thank you for the glimpse of those beautiful blue wildflowers! More please!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love that piece and I cannot believe you only paid 50cents for it!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. what a wonderful collection of sewing machines. I liked the lamps too and it looks like a shop that is fun to browse.
    Your thrift piece is so charming. are those 2 children playing on a slide in the middle? I love the funny proportions too. very folky and very fun.
    pretty spring flowers. blue flowers are my favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love the sewing machine display! How neat was that! And the hand work piece is so folksy and charming. What a great find.:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. It looks like kids on a slide - so up the ladder on one side and down the slide which looks a little funny - but what a cool piece.

    ReplyDelete