How Vera Neumann's Scarves Came To Be

In the early 1940s shortly after they married, Vera Neumann's husband George encouraged her to transfer her artwork to fabric with the idea of using the fabric for home decor.  Together they built their first silk screen that was so small it fit on the top of their dining room table.  This led to the launching of a small printing company which they named Printex.  Table napkins and placemats were small items that were easily produced on the small silk screen.  Since they transferred the designs from Vera's original paintings with her signature on them, that's how her signed textiles began.

The war effort dried up easy access to the linen and cotton fabric that they used and during one of Vera's searches, she found excess parachute silk in an Army surplus store.  This parachute silk became her new canvas and her silk scarf business was born.  Once again her signed artwork was used for the scarf designs and this was the beginning of the 'signature' scarf.

Her first scarf was sold to Lord & Taylor in 1947.  The first designs were simple and monochromatic.  Many of the scarves featured allover designs of a single object.  One of Vera's favorite motifs was botanicals; leaves, ferns, and other flora that captivated her imagination as a child.

Her earliest scarves were also smaller, almost handkerchief sized, than her later scarves as they were still using a small screen print.

Having a love for estate sales, I've managed to collect several of her earlier scarves.  The green scarf with the leaf design is one of her earliest, I believe, which may date from the late 40s to early 50s.  The scarf doesn't have the handrolled hem that her Japanese scarves do.  Instead the fabric has stitching almost like a satin stitch around the edges of the scarf.  The attached tag also says the scarf is designed and handscreened in USA.  

No matter what the subject matter, I love Vera scarves!  I'm happy that they're still easy to find...and collect.

  

Saturday's Mystery Box

There's nothing more exciting than a cardboard box and crumpled up newspaper hiding treasures beyond belief.... Well, velvet boxes with pearls are more exciting, but we're talking bargain basement excitement, not 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' excitement!

I love to stop by a favorite shop with no expectations and find old dinnerware; something that has been loved and appreciated in another era. Due to time, death, relocation, downsizing, economics, lack of appreciation, or something shinier and newer, things tend to get cast off. It's a shame, really, but it's also my gain.

My latest treasure is a set of yellow teacups and saucers. Boldly and delicately yellow with graceful swirls and shapely handles. Eight each, which isn't as usual as you would think. Lovely. The plates and bowls? Long gone, maybe, as they were the dishes that were used most often. Teacups were stacked on the top shelf and hardly ever used. Somewhere along the way we moved from the polite teacup into mug territory. I think that's a metaphor for our society!

These lovely teacups are by Franciscan. I haven't done any research on time yet, so I don't know the pattern.

Another find is a cute lil Lefton wall-hangy-doodad; the kind of which people don't really hang on their walls anymore. Well, some grandmama someplace might, but I have a sneaking suspicion that most of them have been tossed in the attic. The yellow flowers made me happy and I had a theme going on so I went with it.

The completion of the theme were four Mount Clemens plates. Roses. My favorite theme. These plates are in great condition and like the teacups and saucers, I don't yet know the pattern.

Trash and Treasures? I gots 'em!

The goldenrod is blooming. The pine straw is littering the drive. The black gums are beginning to show their bright red leaves. A baker's dozen of cardinals came to feed at dusk yesterday. Today we have temps in the 70s and that old grump humidity is at 33%. This is weather I can live with. I was in California for two weeks; got back to the land of honey and magnolias late Monday evening. California was a hot and fiery place. Unseasonably hot. Seasonably fiery. A lovely place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

I arrived at Ontario airport with one suitcase. I checked two on my return trip. TSA left a kind note in my heavier bag. I don't think they disturbed the duct tape on the older one! Yes, I secured it with duct tape...you just never know when those locks are gonna pop and the Spanx explode all over the airport...plus various newspaper and bubble-wrapped treasures. I had a good time on my thrift circuit around Diamond Bar. Goodwill in Covina, Azusa, and Brea; Community Thrift on Arrow Highway; and one last thrifting trip down the coast as an excuse to get some really good guacamole. And a really nice Fiesta platter!

These are a few of the things I found during my excavations (yes, that's the correct word because I had to dig for a few of these items):

• Shulton Old Spice shaving mug
• Anchor Hocking Hobnail lamp base
• 2 Fire King Lustre punch mugs
• Tupperware pepper mill
• Anchor Hocking Forest Green short vase
• 2 interesting bottles for a bottle fiend that I personally know and love dearly who shall remain nameless!

These aren't the least of the neat things I found. Somewhere along the way I've become obsessed with red tartan plaid. It began with the vintage McGregor Scottish Drizzler windbreaker and has become a major neurosis. I think I'll take two aspirin now and call the shrink in the morning.

Frustration---Is It McCoy or Homer Laughlin?

Frustration is seeing something in a book in the library then finding it on the shelf at a local thrift store. Snatching it up and not being able to remember whose company made it. Frustration is not being able to find it in a book again no matter how many trips to the library have been made. Frustration is wondering if you just made the whole thing up or dreamed it!

Frustration is never having seen this particular style before and not being able to even hazard a guess.

Such is the case with this creamer and sugar set. Less than perfect with worn gold and a sizeable chip, it still has clean modern lines with a decidedly 50s feel. I think it's McCoy. But it could be Homer Laughlin. I think. Or it could be some other company entirely. I'm just not sure. But I'm sure that I like it.