Car boot treasures

I've been meaning to show this car boot find for ages now but never seemed to get around to it, but finally getting the larger pieces washed seemed like a good opportunity to take pictures.

A while ago I discovered a quilted patchwork cushion and a rather ratty looking plastic bag at a stall at our local car boot.

I thought the cushion was quite cute, and the quilting was clearly done by hand, and very skillfully too, so I felt I needed to make the effort to 'rescue' it and asked for the price.

I was half expecting some huge price tag, but instead the stall owner glanced at it briefly and then said, 'well, if you give me £2 for the whole lot you can have it'. She meant the cushion and the plastic bag. 

I bought the lot and only when I arrived at home did I realise what a treasure I had found. The bag was full of quilting fabrics and started projects, including a number of other cushion covers and a large blanket, all of it beautifully stitched together by hand.









There were needles and a magazine from which the hexagons had been cut (from the early 1980s, so that dates start of the project!), and various fabric scraps for the different pieces.

In a way I felt quite sad, because this surely was the work of someone who must have passed away, because otherwise you wouldn't give up a project that advanced - there must be years of work in this - and clearly the people who acquired the project, whether they were family or whether it was part of a house clearance, had no appreciation at all for the skill and love that had gone into this work. 

I'm feeling quite humbled that this is now in my hands, and I am intending to treasure and finish the work that was started all those years ago. 

Car-boot Treasure Hunting

Do you like car boot sales? Flea markets?

I do.

We are lucky enough to have a local car boot that opens its gates every Sunday morning. In winter it’s pretty quiet – there are a couple of large sheds / barns, where a few people have stalls, but it’s cold, you know? And when it’s cold you don’t really feel like strolling leisurely across a car boot sale.

In summer, though, when the weather is good, the car boot comes alive. People come from miles away, both to sell and to buy, and it’s such a fun thing to do at the weekend.

This morning, after our traditional coffee and biscuits (hot chocolate for the boys) in bed, D asked me if I wanted to go and offered to hold the fort while I was gone. Well, he didn’t have to ask twice!

We bought lots of stuff for the boys there over the years – from clothes, which were often barely worn and sold off for pennies, to toys (why pay £20 when you can buy it for £1 in almost new condition?), we’ve even bought buggies there. I know that some people don’t like second hand things, and that’s obviously fine, but we’ve always recycled and re-used. While I’m not saying that money plays no role in this, our attitude to pre-loved things at least as much to do with it. A lot of the things we live with are heirlooms and hand-me-downs and old things surround us everywhere – from things that have been passed on within the family or through friends, to antiques, to second hand books, most of our stuff has history, and when it comes to buying, I’d much rather buy something old than something new. Our rule with kids stuff has always been – if it can be washed and it’s not damaged it’s good to go and should serve its purpose for a while longer before it goes to landfill.

More recently, though, I’ve found that the boys are outgrowing the car boot with their ever more specific desires and requirements. When they used to be happy with a Spiderman figurine or some Hotwheels cars, now it’s intricate Lego Technic or, even worse, electronic kit, and while it’s not impossible to pick up such things at the car boot you can’t really rely on finding anything (especially if you are expecting it to be complete and in working order!).

Today was such a day when I was hoping to find some little stocking fillers for the many upcoming birthdays (all the boys have autumn and winter birthdays), but there wasn’t really anything. I bought a knitted jumper and a waterproof jacket for boy #1 who is constantly outgrowing his clothes, but other than that there wasn’t much.

Instead I indulged in some treasure hunting for myself. For ages now I’ve loved Hornsea Pottery, and I was so sad to find that it closed its doors for good a few years ago. Whenever I happen across any of it at a reasonable price I’ve tried to buy some.

As I was walking through the sheds today – my last stop before returning to the car – I spotted one of my favourite stalls at the car boot. It’s a stall full of mismatched china, run by a sweet old couple. It was there that I spotted today’s treasure:

It’s a huge Hornsey Pottery storage jar and a set of sugar bowl and saucer. I’m so thrilled!

The plate was a find at another stall, as was the retro-style alarm clock and the tray. 

PS: Yes, I’m back from holiday but have been so so busy so haven't had time to post at all. A proper re-cap and knitting update will follow in the next few days!