Friday 26 February 2010

Something to brighten a drab February day.

We decided a little outing would be a good idea. The weather forecast said sunshine and showers, so we wrapped up warmly and set off on our 30 minute car journey to Church Stretton.
We were last there in the summer, when we took friends over Cardingmill valley and enjoyed a good walk over the Long Mynd, on a scorching hot day.
Today was different. It was gloomy and a bitter wind was blowing sleet showers across the valley. Nevertheless, we braved the elements and took a brisk walk around the little town.

I imagine, in its heyday, Church Stretton was quite a thriving, busy place. Even now it probably benefits from its position, nestling amongst some of the most dramatic Shropshire Hills. There is excellent walking country around the town and lots of places of local interest, particularly attractive in warmer weather!
However, today, we wanted to have a look around the shops and a snack lunch before returning home.

The visit to the camera shop proved unsuccessful, although the proprietor was most helpful and very knowledgeable.

The next port of call was the Antiques market. Not that we wanted antiques, just a browse around the bric-a-brac. The local directory describes it as an Alladin's cave and I have to agree. It is a hotchpotch of cabinets, shelves, cupboards and table tops crammed with a vast array of goods. I felt as if I was picking my way through a jumble of the left overs from hundreds of house clearances. Items that were once well-loved, now lay forlornly, gathering dust in every corner.

I was beginning to feel the urge to get my feather duster out and spritz the place up. Why was it all cluttered and muddled together? Wouldn't it have been more appealing if everything was sorted and tidy? I think the answer is that more than one firm have stock in the building, so I suspect that each "bay" belongs to a different person - hence the hotchpotch.
Just as I was thinking it was time to get out into the fresh air, I spotted this little gem.

Now I know some will think its only an old table cloth, but others ( I'm thinking MarmaladeRose here) will be delighted with my purchase.
Its fresh and in perfect condition so it might still be used as a cloth. Or..........
I might "upcycle" it and use all those gorgeous, little embroidered motifs for something completely different. Any suggestions?

To complete our trip we took the winding road up to the Long Mynd Hotel for a bar snack and enjoyed the wonderful view up the valley. It has an imposing position on the side of the hill and looks as if it was once the jewel in the crown of the town, probably in the 1930's, as it has an Art Deco facade. ( That's just a guess - maybe I should look it up on Google and see if that's correct - or maybe not!)

Well what do you think? ( Think this photo was taken in a hot, dry summer!)

10 comments:

GerryART said...

Great find ! ! !
I love embroidered linens.

In reply to Crayolas.
I believe the pigment content is fairly high in these crayons and don't we all have a box or several of Crayolas???????

Hugs,
Gerry

jackie said...

It looks like you are enjoying Wales but I'm sure you will never completly forsake Yorkshire. Thanks for your comment.

Gez Butterworth said...

Ooh sounds like you've had an interesting day. :) & found a gorgeous treasure. The tablecloth is beautiful. Can't wait to see what becomes of it. :)

Hope you have a lovely weekend whatever the weather. Gez.xx

Julia Dunnit said...

Oh beautiful tablecloth...no idea what you should do with it really, but I bet it would be better employed as something else..white tablecloths are a bit scarey!

Annie said...

Sounds like you had a fab day out and what a fab find. You will have fun upcycling that :-)
A x

Lynne said...

I love cloth. Sounds like a good day out.

Morna Crites-Moore said...

Wow! Your needle felted flowers are magnificent!

LOVE STITCHING RED said...

Glad you had a grand day out! The embroideries are very pretty!

Booklinks said...

This is a very beautiful table cloth. I think I would use it first as a cloth. Great for Easter!

Sue Pinner said...

Hi..must make a trip to this place not been for a couple of years so thanks for reminding me it's there Buntingsdale!...close to Market Drayton if you couldn't find it lol
Suz x