How Much is that Doggie in the Window?

dolce cagnolino

sweet little dog

I have been trying my hardest to part with this little velveteen dog but it seems that she has worked her way into my heart...and there she sits as if she has just jumped out of this folk art painting that also worked its way into my heart....parting with "things" can be such sweet sorrow...and that is a problem when your purpose is to buy and re-sell "things". The sweet part of the sorrow is the possibility of doubling your money....sometimes "the thing" wins!
I am not a hoarder by any means. It is very easy for me to rid myself of the unused and greatly used household items and clothes I have grown tired of. I love to clean my closet every season..it is so refreshing.
....but I am a sucker for anything quirky, well loved, the right shade of blue, pink and gold, Staffordshire, pin cushion, antique litho anything, small wood handled tools (more about that in another post), ancient patchwork and embroidery, ephemera...have I covered it all?...OH!! I almost forgot ...buttons, trim, fabric (vintage and antique of course). My collections inspire me and feed my passion for "the treasure hunt"...you never know what you may find around the next corner or on the next page of Ebay listings...somehow that always keeps me going.

What is on your treasure hunt map?

Antique Civil War Era Fabric Miniature Quilt

Last week I came across this tiny miniature quilt in a box of unfinshed projects...(I swear I will finish all of these one day). The quilt is just 8X8 inches and is made from 19th century fabric that I have been collecting for a number of years. Many of the scraps have been taken from old quilt blocks that never ended up in a quilt...(I guess leaving unfinished projects is nothing new).

All that was need was a bit of hand quilting and the addition of a binding. I used a prized piece of rare antique toile on the back..luckily I have 2 more pieces of this left. It is so hard to part with all these lovely old scraps and making miniatures is a wonderful way to preserve a collection so that it can be enjoyed and not stuck in one of my "treasure" boxes under the bed...I guess you could say that unfinished projects are ALSO treasures.

....and of course you can find this little keepsake here.