Could you sew the placemats together to make a runner? I have many vintage handkerchiefs - I love them & use them regularly when going “out.” Dining, visiting & attending - they are so beautiful. I have them, I use them. (And they have a backstory that makes me smile every time I use one.)

Such beautiful things. Like the curtain idea a lot. I am so in Awe of your energy and productivity. Love the cat pics and the drawing. Your property looks amazing. I am pretty much incommunicato but thinking of you. ❤️

Table runner is on the table for solutions (Ohhh bad pun...)...Fiss, I am researching attaching the tablecloth centrepiece to backing. Glue? Iron on? Then I would use just the Center on my table, at Christmas.

As always, many minds make light work.

And...thinking of you all, in USA, after yesterday's news. On the edge of my seat here. Along with the rest of the world.

The other option is to pin it up slightly so I can still use it as a display space occasionally.

Looks like my first post didn’t post. Here it is with no additives. This is just the centre oval trimmed out of the tablecloth which turns out fits perfectly in this window. there is a slight rip on the left-hand side but it doesn’t show much due to the cut work. I may be able to run a slip stitch in that area we shall see.

Votes?

It looks lovely but the sun will degrade the already fragile fabric rapidly.

Ladma, I wondered about that. This window does get some sun. I was hoping that the ultraviolet damage would be minimal. The other option is to put this in the window in my studio which is north facing and gets no sun.

I blocked each window pane with a piece of rice paper. I don’t know how effective that will be for UV…but it’s worth a shot. I could get a folding rice paper blind for the spot. The window looks out over the garage roof so it’s not my favourite view in the house. Also it’s quite likely that this curtain would not be up year-round.

I like it best with the plant on the sill and trees showing. I agree with lad about the sun however. Maybe the other window would be better.

Turns out that IKEA sells the pleated shades in polyester. They look like rice paper but they’d be a lot more durable and it could solve the problem I have in my kitchen very inexpensively. I’ve been wanting something in those windows. So it’s a win-win. Thank you, Ladma! 🥰 A pleated shade might work in this window or might not… but for now the Rice paper works fine. It may not block all of the UV but I’m good with that. These blinds can be easily trimmed to fit the space.

Will pleated shades block UV

Read the fine print, and the reviews. They might block some.

… extensive research online has revealed zero information. The only thing I can find out is if you line your curtains with fabric it helps to protect them from UV…Will rice paper protect them? Nothing lasts forever.

I would just leave it as is and enjoy it. Nothing lasts forever.

Amanda, that’s the view that I’m coming around to. My compromise is to leave the rice paper in the window panes as I figured it will protect it some. The condition of the glass on these windows is nothing to write home about… in fact this whole window needs to be replaced so it’s no great loss in terms of the view.

The window in my front room studio has its own problems. The number one problem being that I need to open that window often, for ventilation, so moisture comes in through there and dampness….the window itself tends to mildew. So that’s no go… not to mention it’s not a very attractive location.

I already have a Rice winnowing basket displayed in that window. Which works perfectly.

I get to enjoy this view every time I walk up and down the stairs and I’m already gaga over it so… It ain’t going anywhere. 🤦‍♀️😂

And likely it will be a summertime phenomenon. I can’t see leaving this set up in the winter…but we shall see.

Not to mention it’s an absolutely perfect fit in this window as if it was custom-made for it. I take that as a sign.

I love it looks so nice you could always have the shade for the upper part of the window if you want that will protect it fairly good but the plant needs some light but maybe the rice paper is enough I don't know I know they make window film with UV protection but you can't do the whole window I don't know if the plant would get enough light then

Lia i love the way you draped the table linen in the window. You made the most possible use out of the pattern. On some pieces you can bond it onto a thin voile fabric using stitch witchery to bond the lace to another fabric. Could even work to Mend tears or cuts in fabrics. A runner would be good out of the placemats or for lined pillows.

Lia, I have a whole suitcase in storage of vintage family lace pieces that mother in law had…She “gave” them to me less than a year after her granddaughter got married and spent a fortune on a veil…I am a firm believer in use it and enjoy, especially if no one is standing there salivating to inherit it. And it looks fab in the window!

You have a really good point about plants happy… I have two large Christmas cactuses in the corner which probably won’t get enough light if I leave the rice paper in the window all the time. Hmmm…hmmm…

Actually, my Christmas cactus thrived with filtered light through a blind…

Oh Lia, it looks so nice in the window!

Could you tie it up in two places instead of one in the middle like this? Or was that what you were already thinking? It looks really nice there and rice paper probably works just as good or better than a pleated shade. The pleated shade has to “stick” to the inner top of your window frame. They have a good purpose but I’ve heard they don’t stay stuck.

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Bretonnes were artists at this. I imagine that in the winter the people needed something to occupy their minds and hands. They made things. Told stories. Sang songs.

No electricity. What are you gonna do?

My daughter D2, found this photo and sent it to me.

I love yours in that window!!!

So the last word on the curtain; Alice it’s pinned up in one place because I have a little hummingbird pin that’s holding it in place….and I like to be able to centre the flowers in the middle.

I had a good friend here today for tea who knows about fabric… and she said it could take 2 to 5 years for that fabric to disintegrate from sunlight exposure. Therefore I have removed the Rice paper for the sake of the Christmas cactuses… Thank you very much Happy! I likely would not have thought of the plants right away, and I don’t have any other good location for them. They filled the corner nicely.

The fabric that’s going to disintegrate is likely going to be the netting not the embroidery. When and if it gets too fragile I could frame it. As I mentioned before it likely won’t be up year-round anyway. I have a short attention span when it comes to decor… L O L. Novelty is the spice of life around here.🤪

So we are back to the original concept of being able to see the trees through the netting and the “nothing lasts forever“ philosophy.

Thank you all for participating in these small details. 🥰

That was my favorite from the start so YAY, lol. Do your cacti bloom?

Meanwhile the daylilies are coming into their own in the garden. It’s overcast so it’s a good day to take photos. Any excuse to photograph the garden… And this bad little cat who stayed out last night until 1130 at night practically giving her mother a nervous break down.😑

Kcooz, yes though they would bloom a bit better if they were in an actual East window but I haven’t got the space for them anywhere here except possibly in front of the patio door but then they block the view.

That's not like the mooz, I bet you were worried.

L i a your plants look beautiful and I hope you gave the m o o c are talking to exclamation-point now I miss my lace curtains I used to have but it has a little crochet on these I have with the fake crystals dangling from them

Kcooz I was super worried that she had gotten shut in someplace…because she has a very bad habit of slipping in her little furry rear end in a way that’s not very noticeable. I have to be really careful with my car and the studio that she doesn’t skulk by me when the door is open. She always comes when I call. She may take her sweet time about it but she comes. I started calling at around 930. It’s so unusual for her to not show up within an hour. There’s no coyotes around here right now but there is a fox; I think she’s big enough and feisty enough that she wouldn’t have to worry about him but you never know.

Last night she went out around 20 to 9 and it was just a tiny bit early to shut her in for the night so I didn’t. Well… That isn’t happening tonight I can tell you.

Hm. That’s good information Fiss… i’m still toying with the pleated polyester shade idea because I could put it up and down. I know they don’t stick very well but I am sure I can solve that problem. For only five dollars I would say it’s worth my while experimenting. Stay tuned… I’m sure you’re all on the edge of your chairs.🤪😂

lia that was my first thought -that she got shut in a garage or something because I know she usually comes when you call her. Kids! 🤣

Lia why can't you fully line the lace with a cotton voile. It might delay the lace's deterioration? It would filter light and still be airy and billowy on the window..

Tiffany, that is a great idea! 😘

Michele, I suspect that this tablecloth came from Europe although what part I don’t know. It’s likely turn of the century around 1910-1920. My grandfather was married twice, and my dad was born in 1928, to the second marriage. It would be interesting to know where it was made. Thanks for the photo! Whoever did this work was clearly very skillful.

Happy, I had crystals hanging in this window that cast rainbows all over the stairwell, and with the new curtain I have sadly had to move them. That’s an interesting idea to put little crystals on the bottom.

While I think line in the curtain is an interesting idea, it will cut down on the view out. The window so jury is out. However, I’m headed to value Village today. I will look for a voile curtain. It’s definitely worth a try.

Is the table cloth long enough to voile?

No, by the time I cut the centre out out of it for a curtain, the remainder is not long enough to act as a backing. I did find a piece of fabric at value Village that I think will work… if anything would work. I’m not convinced I want to go this route but I’m going to give it a shot.

Value Village has certainly gone downhill. The last time I was in there was before Covid. B. COV. Everything is twice as expensive as it needs to be. There’s no changing room so you can’t try anything on, and why did they jack the prices up when they’re getting the stuff for free?

The lace pattern looks like a form of Belgian Lace. I have a runner that looks very similar. You could add a “layer” of complimentary lace to create more interest or light filtering. Just a thought.

Good luck giving your new class today! I would sign up for it if I was there!🙂

lia, hope your class went well today. You always prep so much that I'm sure everyone enjoyed themselves and left feeling quite accomplished!

I have spent two days trying to figure out how to do a U.S.-to-Nova Scotia payment for the little art piece. It's trickier than I thought... but check your email for the "next installment". 😊

Jay, are you and Lia near Western Union vendors?

gls, Western Union was one of the options I checked into. Our Publix supermarkets handle Western Union transactions however the folks at the service desk told me the handling charge/fee would be more than the amount I was planning to send. I guess most folks who wire money send a fairly decent amount to relatives or whomever so Western Union works for them. I also checked at the U.S. Post Office and was told they don't due international anymore, then at my credit union (which sent me to Publix), then I looked into Visa/Mastercard gift cards but they're only good in the U.S. When I got home I looked at options online and learned that there are services you can sign up for that charge a fee but I would rather not initiate that for a one-time payment. It's been interesting... but I think I've figured it out. Fingers crossed. 🤞

Jay could you mail Lia a money order? Or cashiers check?

jay, have you checked into an Amazon gift card on their Canada website?