On the Trail of Lace...

Just look at all of this gorgeousness!
All of this can be found at the Dairy House antiques centre at Semley at the moment, run by our blogging buddy Sue.

Hubby and I took another trip out there yesterday and I was once again in my element browsing through wonderful antique treasures, which are set out in several rooms and cabinets throughout the emporium.

I was racking my brains for ages trying to rearrange our furniture at home in my head; to try to make space for this fabulous Victorian button backed chair with its original rose printed fabric...I would have loved to have taken this beauty home with me...but sadly had to be realistic and admit defeat that it just wasn't going to fit in anywhere!

I had lots of fun rummaging through Sue's drawers though ;-)) - which are easy to find just inside the main entrance....Each of the tiny pine drawers hold lace bundles, buttons, fabrics, haberdashery or other special embellishments. There are lots of pretty things to look at standing on top of them too...

This time, I was on a mission to buy beautiful antique lace, and I wasn't disappointed...

Wonderfully feminine and romantic, fragile and delicate, I am in awe of the designers of old who created such intricate patterns and details within each length of wispiness.

The perfect textile to grace a fairy doll, or to adorn the cuffs and collars of a carefully made rag dolly. Seeking out such intricate works of the lace maker is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my job.

I could devote a whole blog post or more to my love of old lace. Not that I am typically a 'lacy' person in my dress, but I do adore the sense of history that surrounds each salvaged piece. (For anyone interested in using vintage/antique lace in their home, I would recommend a favourite book of mine: 'Living with Lace' by Bo Niles.)

Of course all old textiles always appeal to me, and so I also bought some fine French cottons and an old section of fabric taken from an American quilt, printed with Huckleberry Finn in a toile-like design.

I also aught to mention, or Sue will be reporting me to Blogger for misrepresenting the truth(!), that I treated myself to a mirror as well. Very naughty, but the temptation was laid out in front of me and I couldn't resist! (That's my Christmas present money all spent now!)

It was then time for lunch and so we left Dairy House with our booty and headed the short distance into Shaftesbury. A delicious lunch in the cafe at the top of Gold Hill was calling to us. We were able to enjoy this spectacular view once again, with the addition of the final remnants of snow peppering the cobbled street.

Heading home after our lunch, the sun began to burn off the cloud cover and the views across the Dorset countryside were spectacular...a slightly blurred shot, as I took this from the moving car!...

So hubby pulled over for me to take this one and we enjoyed the view for a moment in the fresh, but chilly air. There was still time before our daughter would be home from school, so with the sun now shining upon us, we decided to call in at Warminster town centre on our way back.

I'm glad that we did as there were some delights to be harvested from a couple of the shops there.

I found these fine bone china plates, each one hand painted with different flowers, and signed and dated 1907 on their base.

I also found a whole unused bolt of vintage Sanderson linen, printed with summery bouquets on a Lincoln green background.

Today will be spent putting the lovely lace to use on my next sewing projects.

Have a great day,

Niki x