Thursday, September 11, 2014

Brimfield Inspiration

I had a great day last Friday at the Brimfield Flea Market. It was ridiculously hot and humid and melty. Luckily I got there as the show opened and escaped before the crowds and the heat became unbearable.

Gone are my days of spending money at Brimfield. Mostly, I go for the inspiration. I get lots of ideas from old things for my current work. Today I am going to share photos of what I found inspiring or interesting. There are of course a few sheep related things, farm related, color ideas, and other things I like. I hope you like the virtual Brimfield tour. I've added commentary when appropriate.

This was a lovely embroidered penny rug:

 

Loved this crazy paisley pattern on a vintage dress:

 

 I wonder if when I am gone, my oil paints and brushes will end up at a flea market?


Another textile mill bites the dust. The sign for Wyandotte Mill of Pittsfield was for sale at Brimfield. It made me so sad, considering I worked at a mill called Warley Worsted Mills in Lowell, MA.


I am glad I don't have to use this kind of washing machine: 



A gorgeous iron door stop in the shape of a ram:


This oval box with sheep and people on the lid was large, exquisite and expensive:

 

While we are talking farm animals, I loved this metal chicken cut-out:


I have never noticed ironstone like this with a stippled design. There was a large collection that was quite beautiful. This site has lots of it. No wonder I liked it - very expensive.


I loved this china pattern with the fluted edges and relief:


There was a man from Africa with some gorgeous textiles. This piece is made entirely of beads. The house and checked motif is quite graphic and beautiful:


He also had this beautiful indigo blue and white fabric I think made with a mud resist:


Loved this embroidered gameboard:


This pillowcase was velvet and the wool stitching was tufted and then shaped with scissors. I am working on a piece using a similar embroidery technique so this was fun to see: 

 
This next series of photos are of the thing I found that was the most stunning and memorable. It was an embroidered single bed quilt. It was glumped in the back of a car. It was a crazy patchwork of embroidery on white fabric. I loved the spontaneous quality of the stitching. I wish I had taken more photos but since I wasn't going to buy it (for sale for $295), I stopped after 5. 






I hope you enjoyed your virtual trip through my eyes of Brimfield 2014.

7 comments:

ellen said...

I certainly enjoyed the visit as seen through your eyes. I have never been to a big event such as this...just as well!
Thank you, Kristin.

Unknown said...

well that was fun and colourful

Auntie Shan said...

Fabulous TEXTURAL Examples of "Textiles"!

-- Actually, I've been saving up a "collection" of thrift-yard-sale-acquired Beads to make some "future" bit of ART... Just haven't decided on "what" to do yet!

BTW, love that iron door stop... That must've been pricey.

Anyhoo, I would've loved to have gone "Power-Browsing" with you! - Then again, my will-power to resist BUYING *something* is pretty much ZERO! - [Have I mentioned that I was *probably* a "Curator" in at least TWO "Previous-Lives"?!]

:-D

Kate G. said...

The lovely china pattern you pictured was on my mother's wedding china. That tableware was on the table for every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thank you for rekindling a lovely memory, Kristin.

Therese Inverso said...

Thanks for showing us Kristin that you don't have to own something to appreciate it. Thanks for sharing your vision!

Therese

Cathy said...

Thanks for sharing these with us, Kristin. That indigo-dyed fabric is an Adire cloth from the Yoruba people of Nigeria;looks to be quite an old one, very intricate. The resist used for these labor intensive cloths is starch, usually cassava paste. By coincidence I wrote a bit about them this week here: http://chasingcentaurs.com/

Mary Lou said...

Lovely trip. I am impressed you didn't walk away with anything but inspiration!

Kristin Is Now Writing Over on Substack

Hi All! A quick note to let you all know that I'm now writing a Newsletter over on Substack: Kristin Nicholas' Colorful Newsletter f...