The Things We Keep

Tiny Scraps.... Or Dressing the Bed....

Even though there are still unfinished parts of the painted murals in the Chinoiserie Bedroom, Dear Readers, I could not find the right mood to continue the painting this past weekend. Rather than ruin what had already been accomplished by painting when not in the mood, I did what I often do when Indecision strikes... I worked on something else entirely unrelated (or so I thought) to this Project! I have been planning to make the bed for the Folly Bedroom simply by adding a mattress to the platform under the Gable at the front of the room. And I have known FOREVER the exact fabric I would use to make this mattress..... because I knew the first moment I saw the scrap ... oh years and Years ago.... that it was Perfect for dollhouse mattress ticking!! Here you can see my scrap... a lovely striped cotton seersucker fabric! It is not large... enough for two or maybe three dollhouse mattresses if carefully pieced....

 Here below, you can see the mattress already mostly finished...

I forgot to take pictures.... 

it is entirely stitched with my antique Singer sewing machine....

And I added the tufting with embroidery floss.....

And tried it in the Bed Nook....

Where it looks So PERFECT.... 

it nearly takes my Breath away!!!

Of course, the mattress will not be visible when the bedding is completed... 

and since I want to look at the mattress... 

I will not be making the rest of the bedding for a while!!!

And then it occurred to me .... that while I am making Mattresses.... 

I might as well make the one for the Tree House Bed...

And see what the ticking looks like at that scale...

Here you can see the beginnings... not yet turned right side out... 

stitching across the corners so they will have a vertical corner shape...

And here you can see it being tested on the bed....

And then I thought it really Should have some tufting added....

Oh I think it is Perfect!!!

But I couldn't stop there, Dear Readers.... 

and the irony is that you will never see this perfect mattress again...

Because I had to cover it with lovely old Linen sheets....

And then I got carried away with Dressing this bed.....

(and forgot to take pictures..)

The top sheet had to have a border of delicate lace edging....

which is really the edge cut off another larger scrap of lace... 

because nothing else was small enough...

And the blanket is a scrap of green velveteen ...... 

scraps left from a dress I wore as a flower girl... 

in my Uncle's wedding when I was eight years old.... 

(and I still have a few tiny pieces)

I LOVE that cloth....!!!

And then the pillows...!

The pillows themselves are really plain... 

but the Pillow cases I stitched from a piece of cloth that has 

a few Tiny hand embroidered flowers scattered on it.... 

(poke the picture for a closer view!)

and I added a piece of tiny trim to the edge..... from a scrap I have...

And I made two...

And then I thought of the Bed Curtains....!

Made from the most Incredibly fine Gossamer piece of lace....

That I have only a Tiny scrap of....

 That is Exactly the right height.... for curtains on this bed!!!

I added a piece of edging to trim the side of the curtains...

First one curtain...

 

And then the other....

Isn't it just Amazing how these scraps I have saved for Years and Years 

are so Perfect for this little Bed????

And I suppose you want to see it in the Tree House....

(Well, I Do!!)

Of course... it is Really difficult to photograph this well....

I don't know about you, Dear Readers, but I LOVE those Tiny scraps!

And I LOVE finding the perfect place to use them....

And Knowing there is a Reason for the Things we Keep!!!