Sunday morning and I was out hunting through brocante sales early. I was rewarded for leaving my bed early with a wonderful find. A large pile of linen, including 10 monogrammed chemises.
I say chemises because I'm not really sure if they were made to be worn as underwear or nightwear. They are all entirely handmade and hand embroidered, each with the letters MB. I am sure that they have never been worn, the hemp linen is still the beige colour of the new unwashed material. They are all slightly different, only one has sleeves. Some are v-necked, others round necked, narrow or wide shouldered, even the overall sizes vary.
They are at least 100 years old, so why were they never washed or used? Who did they belong to? did the sewer make them for herself or for someone else? Were they part of a trousseau, the work of a budding underwear designer, the fruit of sewing lessons....?
Once they are all washed and sweet smelling I will be putting some of them into my etsy store, but I would like to give one away. So I thought of a little story telling party .....
I am inviting you to invent a short tale about these garments. Funny, sad, romantic, historically accurate or not, I don't mind. Just a few sentences or a page, whatever suits you. The giveaway item will be one of these monogrammed chemises, but I hope that the real fun will be the fruit of your imagination!
You have a week to link up and enter your tale. The random draw next Monday will reveal the winner. Use as many of these pictures as you like to illustrate your story. Anyone who enters the link-up will be added to my blogroll.
I must add that the idea of writing around a theme was given me by Angie Muresan's latest and rather wonderful post that links up to Magpie Tales. Thank you Angie!
Posts
What a wonderful idea to ask people to write a tale about your beautiful linens. Such a gorgeous washline of your amazing finds. I will be thinking about what I might write.
ReplyDeleteLovely post.
Karen
What a wonderful find! They are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThey all look lovely but I am not much of a story teller :-(. I enjoyed your post.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, unfortunately the links 2 and 3 don't seem to have worked. Would the authors like to try again?
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Sharon
The problem with those links maybe the URL. You have to publish your post then paste the URL of YOUR post on to Linky.
ReplyDeleteThanks
xx
Having trouble with the entry as you can see trying to lodge writing for Lost in translation and a little challenged to say the least..any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteBev
Hi Bev, send me your mail address and I'll see if I can help.
ReplyDeleteSharon
I am so excited, I will have to go and write something!!! I love the linen, it must be a sign, those are my initials!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Margaret B
Frail and exhausted, she knew that a bright future awaited her with her beloved. The nights at sea tossing and turning had exhausted her. Yet, her spirits and determination were strong. Yes, she Martine Bouchard would come to the new world. A woman, strong, yet delicate, fierce, yet soft, young, but wise already in the ways of the world. A new dream, though difficult, was not impossible. So she alone, left her family to accept Mr. Montague's proposal. If not love, she surely would share a bond with him that would set a new tone for her life. Yet she loved the idea of him. The possibility of the New World, and all the challenges it represented. She was not unaccustomed to hard work. Her ideas began to soar as the ship sailed into the harbor. Quelle horreur, he's as old as Grandpapa she thought as the dark suited man came rushing up to greet her. Oh no, I'm Pierre his servant, was the response, and now what? She had carefully monogrammed her precious chemises, linens, and worldly goods. Would he think them beautiful, her talented and clever? We shall never know for she feinted on the docks that very afternoon.
ReplyDeleteJanelle, Thank you so much for this lovely little vignette. If you have a blog you can post it and we can come to visit you. If not, then thank you for joining in.
ReplyDeleteSharon
Hello Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI just finished my story, and posted it on my blog. I must tell you that I love Antique and Vintage finds. Whenever I have one of them in my hand I get lost in my imagination wondering about the story behind the piece.
You have truly tempted my creative muse to get lost in another time. I hope that you enjoy my story as much as I have enjoyed this invitation. Your linens are beautiful and so is your blog. I look forward to visiting often.
Karen
What an imaginative idea for a giveaway - thanks for the inspiration. I wasn't going to join in as I didn't think I could think up a story, but as I painted my kitchen yesterday a story slowly emerged in my head. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for these lovely stories, I am SO enjoying this. I love the vision of Grace thinking about her story while painting the kitchen!
ReplyDeleteLet's hope some more goodies roll in during the week!
Sharon
Sharon, I think you made have started something!! We may need to start writing collectively on the story surrounding thee initials!!! I just love the way everyone has something so different to tell!!! It is so much fun just to go around and meet new friends!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Margaret B
What a great finds! I love old french linen, to die for..(smile) Love to enter your give away, but not very good at making up stories.(sigh~)
ReplyDeletelove your blog
Julie
downdunder
I'm almost speechless as these are MY initials and I've been searching forever for them on vintage linen! I can't believe you found these. I'm definitley going to get in touch with my imagination and will be posting soon.
ReplyDeleteHugs N Herbal Blessings, Mandy Baker
Oh I love this idea and these linens are to die for. I hope I am not to late to write something.
ReplyDeleteWill do my best to enter a story in the morning. I can't imagine right now what it will be about but sounds like a lot of fun.
Thanks
Maggie
So pleased to see that others want to join in. Be patient with me please if I don't comment quickly on your stories. I'm on the move over the next couple of days and won't often be near a computer.
ReplyDeleteThank you all again for joining in!
Sharon
No Blog so I will write here my Lost in Translation chapter...
ReplyDeleteMama had painstakingly monogrammed my clothing for I was leaving, leaving the nest,leaving the only home I had ever known. I was to go to another country to a special school. Leaving my beautiful family and precious puppy Baily my English spaniel whom I adored.
For I could not see and must learn to live an independent life. Mama could not teach me these skills ...This was the place where i would learn to be skilled despite my disability...
Dear Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI don't have a blog yet, and that is my entry. (July 19) I am new to all of this.
Bestwishes.
Chanticlear1@gmail.com
I hope that you can use my story as an entry because the chemise is delightful, and it would be oh so wonderful to win! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Bev for leaving your story in my comment box. I love it. It will definitly count as an entry.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone else who wants to enter and who hasn't got a blog, I am happy to accept your story here in comments.
Maybe this will be your first step towards your own blog.
Good luck to everyone in the draw, results on tuesday.
Sharon
Marian looked with pride at the work that she had produced with her needle. It had taken her many weeks, but at last she was finished. Now all she had to do was place them carefully in her trunk with the rest of her trusseau. She would lay them on top of her linen sheets and place dried lavendar to scent them as they traveled with her in the covered wagon. She would leave the day after tomorrow, the day after her wedding to Wade Barron. She looked again at the initials she had embroidered so carefully, MB, Marian Barron. At last she would be Wade's wife, something she had longed for, dreamed of, since she had first set eyes on Wade three years ago. It seemed impossible that the life she knew here in Boston, the security, safety, and leisure she enjoyed as the eldest daughter of wealthy parents would be no more. A new, very different life was waiting for her in California.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a blog but wanted to enter the giveaway with the story above so I hope it will count as an entry. Yes, the chemise is just lovely and I do love old textiles.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Judith