[Antique linen]

I went on a little adventure last week that I want to share with you. Grab a cup of tea and listen to a tale of gypsys and antique pickers!

I found John McInnis and his antique shop through an online searches for textiles in Canada. He's located in Cobourg in southern Ontario, which is close enough to me that I knew I would one day go and check out his wares. I was driving down to Toronto for the weekend so it was the perfect time to stop in and see what he had in stock. Once I got there, I took the country road off the highway and it was enclosed in gorgeous weeping willows. I found the address, and even though it didn't have a sign, it seemed like the right place as there were several huge barns with all sorts of antiques spilling out of every doorway. I was taking a peek around when John came up and offered me some tea.

We sat at his kitchen counter drinking mint tea (from his garden!) and eating deliciously ripe strawberries from the farm down the road. As we sipped, he talked about his involvement in antiques (has been in the business for ever), and his recent move into vintage textiles.

He travels to Hungary and Romania, and although he doesn't speak much of the language, he works with dealers and pickers from the area. I didn't know what a picker was until he explained - they are people who basically go around to people's homes, to flea markets, or to other antique dealers, and pick out the diamonds in the rough. They know what is sellable and what is sought-after. They pick out those items and leave the junk for someone else. As soon as he mentioned this, I remembered that my friend's favourite tv show is Canadian Pickers (two guys who pick sought-after antiques).

Back to Hungary and Romania: the pickers there are gypsys, people who work with gypsys, or simply people in the know. They collect items by going to villages, going door to door, and asking people if they want to sell some of their possessions. The people are often living in the same houses their ancestors lived in, surrounded by furniture and textiles that have been handed down from generation to generation. John mentioned that the pickers have often focused on bigger-ticket items like furniture, but are now realizing how sought-after the textiles are and are beginning to collect those as well. The linens that are collected are of various qualities and styles, depending on the region.

Once we had finished our tea and strawberries, John took me into one of the barns and uncovered rolls and rolls of fairly coarse linen. I was seriously verklempt with excitement for a few minutes, and he very kindly left me all alone with the rolls. I stood there reverently touching the linen imagining the linen cupboards these rolls had come from. I pictured 19th century women making tablecloths and aprons. I envisioned country women wearing sturdy linen shifts and dresses while working the fields.

My imagination may be completely wrong compared to the reality of the linen I chose, but I think I'll stick to my version :).

I chose about 25 metres of linen from different rolls. It currently smells 'antique' and needs to be washed thoroughly. The rolls are different sizes, but they are roughly about 24-36 inches wide, with different red and blue strips running down the length of them. I want to research what the stripes mean - does anyone know? I am thinking up ways to use the linen, including table runners, place mats and aprons. Coincidentally, I picked up a magazine this weekend which had a picture of designer Christine Mayer's work, and was immediately inspired to think of how I can incorporate this antique material into wearble pieces. I'm looking forward to exploring! What do you think I should make?