Sidetracked.....

I had every intention of working on my Happy Camper quilt today, but then I got sidetracked. The hubby and I went to the Orange Circle after lunch yesterday and I found another hand stitched handkerchief for my collection. So when I picked it up off the kitchen table this afternoon to put it away, I somehow ended up digging through the drawer where I keep them and ended up ironing table linens and re-arranging my pantry in the laundry room to accommodate all my table linens. Don't ask me what those things have in common, but now all my tablecloths and napkins are neatly organized and there is stuff all over my kitchen counters and dining table!

I thought I'd show you a photo of an apron that was in the drawer with the hankies that the hubby bought me years ago at an antique shop. I love it, but I personally believe that he bought it because it's sheer.....just sayin :)

These are a few of my favorite hankies :) Enjoy!

I absolutely love the ones with initials on them. I'm always on the lookout for a "C" or "K".

 My grandmother had 12 of everything - nightgowns, dishtowels, hankies, etc with this kind of amazing stitchery. In her time, young women would do this for their trousseau. They were all done on beautiful white linen. She gave me one of her nightgowns when I was a girl and the dork that I am, I cut it short and wore it with my Levi's 501s. There should be a law against doing that kind of thing to art like this. I wish I had it back now. I do still have her dish towels. Can you believe that even the buttons on the nightgown were stitched by hand? So amazing.... 

I'm always so amazed that I can find these for a dollar or 2 at antique stores and I can't even imagine the amount of hours that went into stitching them.

Cherries.....seriously cute :)

Look at all the details and tiny tiny cross stitch!

This is the one I bought yesterday. $2.95

Love this one too :)

Can you believe that lace is done by hand? Amazing!

And I really love the way they appliqued these tiny flowers.

One day I'll figure out something cool to do with them. I do have one of my favorites framed in my bedroom, after all.....it is art!