Irish Chain Quilt And Other Goodies

On another lovely day and another lovely drive. This time through the wonderful byways of Hood River Valley, near Hood River, Oregon. We came across a quaint old country store full to the gunnels with wonderful antiques and collectibles. The shop is in the old Oak Grove Store not far from the old Hood River Golf Course and very worth a visit. Two floors are filled with everything imaginable. A main floor and the old basement. I can hardly wait to share with you my finds.
 The first thing I always do of course is always look for quilts and I was in luck that day for I almost missed it. It was folded beneath several crocheted tablecloths on a rack, and if I hadn't happened to glance down towards the floor, I would have missed just the corner of this quilt peeking out from underneath the pile of tablecloths.

 This is a sweet vintage Irish Chain quilt in lovely peach. I only wish it photographed better.

The quilting was very different and done with this really interesting circle and  crosses design. I have never seen this before so if anyone knows what it is called, please leave a comment.

This quilt was sewn together in strips, after the solid white and nine patch blocks were made. Each square must have been individually cut because no two squares are exactly the same size. This made them not match up in several places.

The blocks were machine stitched as well as the small border trim. Most likely from a treadle sewing machine, as it looks to date from the 1920's to the 1930's. It is very lightweight so I think it is another summer quilt.

Sadly it had these small tears at the back, but they should be easily fixed. It looked like someone had caught it on something. Maybe the wire spring on a old bed? They could be murder on blankets and quilts. Other than that the quilt was in really good condition. The tear verified to me the thin cotton batting inside, which was a good thing and helps date the quilt.

Right after I saw the quilt, my eye was caught by a large collection of blue-ware in a lovely glass cabinet. I am a sucker for Delft, but not just any pattern will do. It must have windmills, and not just any windmills, they must be well done and interesting. This little shoe filled the bill, and was just three dollars, so it had to come home with me.

Right next to the darling shoe was this absolutely delightful Delft windmill, that was also a music box. Not only was it unique, it still was fully functional. I have it beside me right on my computer desk so anytime I want to hear it, I just turn the blades of the windmill and watch as it plays.

Next I went downstairs and had a rummage around in the basement. There was tons of stuff. On a small shelf tucked away in one small corner I found this amazing Mag Mor art tile. As I am also a collector of Indian artifacts and have some very lovely things like this since my childhood, which I have cherished, I just had to have this 6"x 6" tile. It was in perfect condition and will go so well with my other native decor. I can hardly wait for my new house to be built.

Last but not at all least. When I went back upstairs, I happened to go into another section of the store I had not been in before. This stunning little rug/wall hanging, was lying across an old trunk. It was love at first sight, but I had already picked out so many things I didn't think it would fit in my budget, so I left without it. But you know, I just couldn't get this thing out of my head. Besides, I had looked it up and now knew what it was. Just as I had suspected, it was a Zapotec rug, made by the native Zapotec Indians of the Oaxaca Valley in southern Mexico. It is not large, just 24" x 29", but it is so bright and cheerful, and just so much fun, I couldn't resist it and just had to go back and see if it was still there?! It was, so now I can share it with you here and it will eventually go on my wall along with my other Native America's collection, when our new house is built. My husband is an avid fisherman so I thought this so apropos.
I wish you could see how blue that background really is. It looks much more blue that in these pictures. The fish are also nice and bright and make me smile. The rugs warp is cotton and the weft is lovely wool, very nicely done. I can just see it hanging on the wall already.