A Girl On A Mission (To Buy Some Vintage Barkcloth)

One thing you need to know about me is that once I make up my mind to do something, watch out, because it will happen! So, that in mind, don't be surprised by my recent craziness.

There's a little secret I've been keeping under my hat and I can finally share it with all of you. A few weeks ago, the most fabulous little bird whispered in my ear about a truly amazing collection of vintage barkcloth, owned by two of the most amazing women, of course. They were contemplating selling their gorgeous collection and I decided I had to have it, fortunately they complied. This past Friday afternoon we finally worked out the terms and it is officially mine. (Insert picture of me wearing a HUGE smile right here!)

Now I know your saying, "what's so crazy about that?" Well, here begins the crazy part...I've never actually seen the fabric. To top it all off, the deal was struck on Friday afternoon at about 2PM.  By 7PM, I had rented a trailer, packed a bag, prepped the truck and organized the childcare. At 3AM I jumped out of bed, finished the work I needed to do in my Etsy store and started the 600 mile trek south. I arrived at my destination by 3:30 and immediately began sorting through the first 12 tubs of fabric. Let me tell you, I haven't had so much fun in years. I oohed and ahhed, danced and giggled, and smiled and be-bopped my little head the whole time. Yes, you are right, it does sound crazy to get so excited over fabric, but let me tell you, I love my insanity!

My insanity just lead me to a collection  of some of the most rare and beautiful barkcloth fabrics I've ever seen. The first lot of boxes included abstracts, mid-century, tropicals, calder-esque, Dali and for those of you that love your romantics... pristine Glen Court. As if this wasn't enough, I had the opportunity to spend time with some of my favorite women in the vintage textile business, who of course were almost as excited as me!
They treated me to a lovely sushi dinner and then we headed to location number two where nine more boxes were waiting for my eager hands. This lot included hundreds of small scraps and sample pieces that were left over from their sewing business. I found juveniles, novelty prints, grandma moses and amazingly eight more Glen Court panels.

After all the excitement, at about midnight I was finally able to fall asleep. Much to my surprise, at 7AM I was raring to go. I visited with the girls, had an extra large cup of coffee and headed upstairs to sort through some beautiful, but not so vintage, home dec fabrics. Yes, they even threw in a hand picked bonus box. Max is about to have the cutest cowboy room ever! By noon the trailer was loaded and I was migrating north. The long trip home was filled with more anticipation than the ride down, believe it or not. At 10PM, I pulled in the drive and stumbled up the stairs, into the house. I immediately crashed and woke up this morning ready to attack another day. After driving 1200 miles in 40 hours, my body did not agree with me of course, so we had a bit of a sluggish day of taking the kids to school, unloading and returning the trailer and a quick nap this afternoon. And I'm sure you know by now, I had a dream about buying more fabric.

Pictures will be arriving in the next few days, so keep checking back. Hope you had a great Monday!
Courtney

Vintage Fabric of the Day. Juvenile Giraffe Adorable Novelty Print

Now that I have children, I am a sucker for novelty print fabrics, both new and old. This little treasure jumped out at me this morning as I was browsing through some new listings on Etsy. Fabulous pink giraffes are decorated with pretty white daisies and look incredibly happy that they are. This vintage flannel is avail. at Plant Dreaming , a lovely Etsy store filled with vintage goodies, including dolls and fabric.

Vintage Fabric of the Day: MidCentury Abstract Cats

This adorable novelty print fabric is right up my alley. If you love them as much as I do, these little cats are waiting for you at the Selvedge Shop. They offer a truly amazing selection of vintage notions, fabrics and patterns. Be sure to stop by their shop often, as new goodies are added frequently.

Vintage Fabric of the Day: Verner Panton Mod Beauty

Who doesn't love the sweeping curves and colorway of this fabric's design. If only I had the perfect place for it. Maybe you do! It's available at Sweetshorn, a truly wonderful, Seattle based shop on Etsy.

Vintage Fabric of the Day: MidCentury Abstract Print

This vintage fabric, created by Vlisco Van Vlissingen of Holland, is true abstract perfection. I couldn't believe my eyes, the first time I held this fabric in my hands. It is one of my own fabrics, currently for sale in my shop. I just couldn't resist sharing this autumnal midcentury beauty. I've found very little information about the manufacturer, besides his famous lines of tribal inspired fabrics. If anyone knows where to find the comprehensive history of the Vlissigen company I'd love to know more.

This fabric is crurrentlye for sale at In With The Old Vintage. 

Have a favorite vintage fabric you would like to share, leave a link in the comments. I would love to see and maybe feature it as a Fabric of the Day.

Happy Hunting!