Tea leaves and vintage Concord

....no, not beverages!

For many years I've liked Tea Leaf ironstone.  It was produced in enormous quantities in Staffordshire in the late 19th century and it's been a collectible for decades.  Click this link to go to a history and product display.   I suspect it looked very fancy for people who couldn't afford fine china.  It's not very practical today since it can't be put in the dishwasher, partly because of the metallic stripe and tea leaf and also because the glaze is often broached and once water gets into the stoneware it discolors.  Last summer I bought my first piece -- a plate for $2.  Today I bought all of this at a church rummage sale for $5.00!

Different manufacturers

Handpainted -- note different sized flowers on these butterpats

 Here's the vintage Concord!  1980's-era, bought at the same rummage sale as the Tea Leaf.  These 1/2 yard pieces were .50 each. They were still in plastic wrappers.  The green and red on the top are what I think of as Christmas red and green. I wish that these hues would come back in style. (Not the ditsy prints, necessarily. (Ditsy is a real adjective for little bitty flower designs like these.))  [These prepackaged cuts had bad quality control, I found out. There were shapes cut out of the red fabric [I bought the package unopened] and a couple of the pieces were 17", some 19".   Note to self: look up the Kesslers, who designed these prints and many others of that era.]

The back of each package had this picture and craft ideas.  The very last suggestion is "ideal for quilting."  (I guess you turn to quilting after you've made fabric frames for everyone on your guest list. )

I also paid $8 for a set of three Pyrex Autumn Harvest mixing bowls  .   I really like the white-inside Pyrex bowls. My favorites, the primary color set from the 1950's, are too expensive for everyday use!