If you're a regular follower, you've been wondering where the next post is. I've been so busy with this sale business, I can hardly see straight. But now I'm ready to continue the tour.
On the last post, I showed you a picture of the upstairs hallway. The doorway on the left at the end is our bedroom, which we call the Red Room. It's the only bedroom upstairs without a floral name, even though there is a floral quilt and wallpaper border.
I have showed this quilt before on Thyme for Herbs. It is one of the few quilts that I have totally designed by myself. I named it "Eye of the Iris." At the time irises were my favorite flower. I still love them, but daylilies have taken over my passion for the last 15-16 years. When I made this quilt it was just an inspiration. I didn't have any of these colors in my other house. I actually finished it shortly after we moved in. So I painted my room based on the colors in the fabric. I think it always intended to go in this room. Do you think quilts can have personalities? I do.
I had to take the picture with the shades down or the photo would be washed out. The windows have the same diamond pattern as the front bedroom.
This little settee was in the sitting room until a few years ago. I am uncomfortable moving furniture around. I work real hard to find a piece for a certain spot and it usually stays there for years. But in this case, after painting this room, it seemed as if it needed to be here.
My mother always moved her furniture to give the room a new look. When I came home from school, I never knew where the couch would be. I guess I'm looking for more familiarity and stability.
The curtains were a JC Penney find. Once again, as in the last room, the flowers on the fabric perfectly matched the colors of the quilt.
This serpentine highboy dresser was something we brought with us from the previous house. It's my husband's favorite piece of furniture.
The quilt rack is at the foot of the bed. The pink and blue lap quilt is the first quilt I made in 1991. The green and yellow quilt was made by Duane's grandmother for his parents. She didn't put labels on her quilts but I know she always gave one to each child and grandchild when they got married. So I think it's from the 30s. Duane is the baby of his family so Grandma was having trouble with her vision by the time we got married. We didn't received a quilt so it was very meaningful that the rest of the family gave it to us when Mom and Dad passed on.
We bought the bed and dresser set in Florida. We had been looking for an oak set but thought they were too expensive for our budget. On a visit to Florida, we went into an antique shop and discovered the owners were from Michigan. They had hauled this set down with them for their new shop, but no one in Florida cares for oak and they couldn't sell it. We got it so cheap that we could afford to rent a U-Haul and take it back North with us on our return trip. Oak is the wood of choice in Michigan. Don't forget, in the 1800s, we were the lumber capital of the world and Grand Rapids was the furniture capital.
I found this wonderful water color, which is signed and marked 1900, on a barn floor in an antique sale. I was looking for a frame. It was stacked with a bunch of others and all dusty. When I asked how much, he said, "well, you know that's only a print." I didn't think so but I was in love with the little girl and so it didn't really matter anyway. He charged me for the frame only and even that was reasonable. When I got home, I found the markings: N.A. Ward. Has anyone heard of this person? I've done extensive research and never found the name. I think it might have been a local artist. She haunts me, she makes me think of Les Miserable, and reminds me to be thankful for all I've have. When I look at her, I realize I don't do enough to help those less fortunate.
I had planned to show you the library and an additional room today, but along with that comes the long story I was telling you about. So I'll end here. Tomorrow's another day.
Please check out my other blogs at:
Thyme for Herbs
An Herbal Bedfellow
Tickling the Ivories
