Keeper of the textiles

My friend Vivian is an only child. Her mother had been born in Austria, her grandmother, in Germany. They had come the the states early enough before the war so they could bring lots of stuff.

Vivian’s mother was a collector. She died a few years ago. A couple of years ago, Vivian's father died and she has had to go through an apartment that has held memories and mementos that go back generations. It hasn’t been an easy task.
I admire Vivian for being so good at making the hard decisions about which things really matter to her, and which she is happy to send to other homes.

Earlier, Vivian gave me bags and bags of textiles. Some I use. Some I still haven’t sorted through. Vivian’s grandmother, Irma, clearly loved red and white. I inherited a couple of wonderful red and white linen table cloths that had been hers. They are oddly sized, but very beautiful. I love using them.

Today Vivian asked me if I wanted some framed embroideries. At first, I declined. Then I thought about it and realized that I already owned so much of Irma's hand work, that these pieces belonged in my house.

So this is what now lives in my house:

This sampler was clearly made by Irma as a young woman.

( For you needle work geeks, the fabric looks like petit point canvas but is much lighter weight)

There was also this small sampler Done on linen batiste. This is a real work sampler, rather than a show sampler. Perhaps this is a sample of stitches learned in an embroidery class, or learned while working one’s way through a book. I believe it was done by Irma's mother. ( Check out the date)
There was also this piece

Such nice work.

And then the best piece of all...

This sweet embroidered and appliqued envelope bag that says,"sweet memories", in German. I love the silver corded metallic lace --now tarnished, and the turquoise velvet appliques.I believe this piece is from before WWI.

I have to figure out where these pieces will live in my house.
Another pleasure of today was the sunset. Here it is as viewed from my living room window.

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