Three very old quilt tops have been waiting for my needle

to stitch them into quilts for the bedrooms. 

Through the years that I have had them, they have been moved from one room to the next, folded like this to decorate.........then I moved them out to my vintage shop. But looking at these every day as I stitch.........and recalling the lovely lady I once knew who made these.........all by hand...........I know I need to spend at least one day of the week quilting them.........don't you think?

Bell was a dear friend of mine, who also had a little antique shop. I would spend hours at her place, helping her to clean, organize and display her wonderful items. One day, I found these quilt tops in a box.

When I told her how beautiful I thought they were, she gave them to me, saying that she no longer had the desire t quilt them. 

Bell was frugal and was not the one to go to fabric stores to purchase fabric for quilting.

There are all pieces of clothing or linens that she had through the years of raising her family, back in the 40's.

And now, starting this week, I am going to take time to start quilting them. I will show you my progress as time goes by.

Also, the spring weather has awakened my gardening side and I have been planting and decorating with flowers. I love this netting fabric,  and it makes a great hold for soil in decorative baskets. 

(click onto photo for a better view)

Also, I found the perfect vintage picture for my shop. The main theme in my vintage shop on linens and dishware is roses. And I want an nostalgic and old look to the shop. 

This is an old window, with 

real roses........dried and  arranged and then framed in it

. It was once someone's treasured bouquet of pink roses. 

It even has the baby's breath and leaves. 

I wondered who it once belonged to, and the lady I bought it from (who was around 85) told me that it had belonged to her sister who had recently passed and that it had been framed like this for many years. She was not sure of the significance of the bouquet. 

Now it is hanging in my shop

and is the first thing to be seen as I step into the door. It will be a "staying piece, not for sale"

It looks as if it belonged here all along.

Now I wonder.............

Do you have any special bouquets or flowers that you have kept over the years?

How do you preserve yours?

Do you kept pressed between pages of a book..........or do you have them in a seal jar..........

or perhaps you have displayed like this?

I would love to hear!