"And the stockings were hung"…..comes to mind when I created this next unique offering that will certainly take the decorating possibilities way beyond the holidays! The colors are just so "primitively perfect" and I even added a whisper of Christmas cheer by including the sweet Annie and berries that grace the front of the old black Childs stocking.
My inspiration came from an old sieve or sifter that could quite possibly been used in the garden because the wire open squares are large and not as fine as other sieves. I added a piece of Bailing Wire to act as whimsical clothes line that holds pieces of old wool and contemporary printed calico's. A pair of old ribbed, nylon stockings boasting a warm tan color hang in the front. These stockings are thin and may have some silk woven in with the cotton as the appearance indicates a hint of shine. There are two small "runs" on the front of the right stocking as indicated in images 6 & 7 however the left stocking has none. The intricate lace trim located at the top of each stocking boasts nice detail and so does the reinforced toe and heel area.
The lone black stocking is much thicker as it was fashioned from wool and the form is quite nice. There are a couple small moth nibbles on the right hand side near the turned over seam where the fold is located. One more tiny nibble can be found when you turn the sock over and is just across from the heel going upwards about an inch. One great thing about the color black is these tiny holes are hard to see as the layer underneath disguises them quite well. There are no offensive odors present in these textiles. Oh, and by the way the two old clothespins are also included!
The sieve has four wooden sides that are deep with a open wire concept that was used to sift. There is a nice character knot on the top and the wood has a mellow nutmeg hue laced with golden honey tones. The bottom edge has incurred a little mishap possibly done by a small creature with sharp teeth long ago as the patina matches the rest of the surrounding wood. The rest of this piece is in good condition.
I thought this interesting textile theme would look nice lit up so I added a battery operated tea light on top of an old gear bobbin that came from an early New England Textile Mill. A wee gourd garland was also created to enhance the back of the screen sprinkled with touches of Sweet Annie. This unique gathering would look really special hung above a small table to create instant primitive charm that we all are so fond of. You can even feed a piece of string through the back to form a loop and hang this from a shaker peg as well, combined with your collections of other existing textiles! Just a wonderful display piece that has many decorating possibilities! Enjoy!
The sieve measures 12" Tall by 12 3/4" across the middle area & 4" Deep. The textiles vary in size but the largest wool piece measures 11" by 7 1/2" & the smallest is 11" by 6". The gear bobbin stands 4 1/2" Tall by 1 3/4" across @ the top and bottom measurement. The long Childs silk stockings are 11 1/2" Tall, measure 2" across and are 3 1/2" from the toe to the heel. The black wool stocking measures 6 1/2" Tall, 2 1/2" at the top and tapers down to 1 3/4" @ the ankle & measures 2 1/2" from the toe to the heel.
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