Not ready to cut my vintage grain sacks!
NO SEW PILLOW COVER: stuff with a readymade body pillow...perfect fit!
The words VINTAGE, FRENCH, and TEXTILES
have made my heart sing for years
so I just had to share some incredible pieces
I found at the most charming and
magically named French etsy shop:
(Sleep Well).
and expertise when it comes to her vintage...
you will love her!
omg.
Gorgeous two-sided French grain sacks from the '30s
for around 30 bucks!
grain sack throw? why not? very summer-y.
Julie says:
“I have always loved embroidery.
Both Nanas had a button box and scraps of
sewing which I was allowed to play with.
When my Nanas passed away I was lucky enough to
keep their tray cloths with crinoline ladies on them.
I love thick slubby hand-woven linen and hemp mix--metis
in France--and fine-woven linen with a higher linen percentage.”
the real thing!
Dorsbien is also the place for sheets, vintage leather bags, and linens with embroidered monograms.
“Monograms are done so expertly and with fine tiny stitching.
I have tried, but have neither the skill nor the patience
to produce such work.
Imagine doing all these tiny stitches with only daylight
and without the modern thread and needles we have now!”
Customers of Dorsbien benefit from
Julie’s knowledge of the history of vintage textiles.
“I have met many elderly ladies here who have explained how they sat minding the cows or goats while they stitched.”
if stains/discoloration bother you, let the fabric soak in oxiclean
Julie lived in Scotland before making her home in the Vienne region of France six years ago. One of her favorite things are vide-greniers, local village tag sales held on a set weekend each year.
“The atmosphere is wonderful, the stall holders are a mix of professionals and locals with tables filled with items, everything you could imagine and many you can't imagine what they could possibly be.”
Julie does the leg work, and we get to own
little pieces of history and re-purpose them.
A friend introduced Julie to Brocantes (sort of a permanent vide-grenier) where she finds “the most magnificent gleaming, handmade, repaired, beautiful cloth, clothing or fabric from a time gone by.”
no matter where i draped it, it looked fabulous.
The pieces obviously aren’t in perfect shape, which is PERFECT for many of us including Julie.
“I now get very excited by patches, darns and mends (smiles).”
ME TOO, JULIE!
the perfect fabric for seat covers
Julie lives in a charming railway station near Richelieu built in 1870. In the 1980s, the railway closed and the station was sold to Sisters of the Church from Paris.
“For ten years the station was used as a holiday home for disadvantaged youngsters from the Paris suburbs, run by the nuns and charity funded.”
“Our dining room is the old ground floor waiting room, our bedroom is the old sitting room for the station master on the first floor, our children have the station masters quarters on the second floor. It is quiet, beautiful and the best place on earth for us to live.”
Dorsbien offers unique lovely grain sacks handpicked by Julie. How does she use antique linens in her own home? “We have antique linen sheets on our beds.
The properties of linen are great--organic, handmade threads
which were hand woven into yardage, then hand stitched.
Brides to be would start stitching their trousseau
when they were about 14 and once betrothed would stitch
their first initial and of their husband to be on the
bed linens, towels and napkins.”
a simple addition since i get easily bored
Dorsbien also offers vintage net curtains. “I have vintage nets on the windows. I am constantly amazed by the different motifs and pictures. These are a true gift for everyone because you can find a motif for every room in every home.”
What inspires my new friend?
“Visually things either look right or wrong to me. I was a potter previously and pottery has to be the right shape and the right colour. I teach belly dance and music was and is still very important to me. Natural things inspire me—wood, metal, stones, feathers and nature herself.”
The success of DORSBIEN goes beyond Julie's keen eye and fair pricing.
This shop owner truly desires to connect
with customers in a personal way,
helping them select, care for, and
creatively use the items she offers.
Julie provided detailed information about the
grain sacks, describing and noting each and every mend
(to my delight!) before they were purchased and shipped.
She truly honors her customers and is committed to excellence.
just $25 for this linen chemise with pintucks!
I’m thrilled with my monogrammed (R!) linen chemise (shirt) from Dorsbien
and dreaming of ways to use it (tailor it for a nightgown?
for a tunic or shift dress?).
“Originally made as work/sleep multipurpose shirts for the
paysan (country people), hard wearing, kept the sun off
and could be boil washed on the stove to keep them white.
They are stiff when new and gradually wear in with use
and become soft and supple.
I wear linen chemise in the summer.
I have a pale pink one, a vibrant violet one, and for gardening
I have an earthy brown one. I dye them myself…
linen proves to be the most versatile fabric.
It accepts modern dyes readily and keeps you cool
in the heat of the sun.”
Okay.
This is the part of the post where I climb into my tub
and offer you a BONUS USE for your authentic
French grain sack from Dorsbien.
all photos mine
Or not.
Forgive me, Julie.
But I could easily design 50 more
lovely grain sack garments!
It's well established I'm a little off my rocker
IN A GOOD WAY.
IF YOU LIKE REASONABLY PRICED
VINTAGE FRENCH TREASURES
FOR YOUR HOME,
YOU WILL LOVE
JULIE
AND HER
LOVELY SHOP
Talk to me, friends.
I could care less whether
using grain sacks is in vogue or not,
to me they are stylish, timeless classics--own any?
