Are you ready to do the laundry this fine spring day…then you may want to consider adding something special to your laundry room décor that is certainly unique and fun! Doing the wash is an arduous task we all are faced with so why not incorporate some primitive charm to this space that you can enjoy every time you enter this room.
Using an old staved bucket started me on my journey to create this wash day gathering that includes the wooden roller, wire basket with olde lye soap and Child's stockings...wooden stand is not included. The bucket sports luscious dark patina around the two metal rolled bands held together with metal brad nails. We added three more brads to keep the staves in place so they would be more secure and not wiggle as shown in image 9. The bucket has a dry surface and the inside color is more of a consistent light, warm, maple hue. The grain carrying though this piece is strong and delightful as shown in image 6 on the inside and on the bottom as well, see image 7.
Image 8 highlights an area where the stave has gently pulled away from its right side counterpart. However the rest of the staves are in line and correctly positioned. As wood shrinks from age it is a normal occurrence to see staves wiggle and come away from their original positions. There is also a smidgen of roughness to the surface as shown in image 3 that is sprinkled randomly throughout. The condition is still very good and there are no cracks or chips to report.
I happened to find an interesting wooden roller that I decided to pair up with the bucket. I believe this piece was used to pull something, perhaps a toy cart at one point. There is a small wire hook located at the top as shown in image 11 that could have held something similar to a "single tree". This piece closely mimics the look of a wringer and the size was a great fit for the bucket. The nutmeg ground surface is warm and beautiful and the wear is consistent with age.
The top piece of wood located in a horizontal position was mortised in to join the vertical end piece. Nice feature as shown in image 12 and 17. A metal pin goes all the way through the center of the roller and exits on the outside end piece on both sides, see image 14. This roller does have a rocking motion when placed on the back side. This piece is very well made, in great condition and is also quite solid and heavy.
The old wire soap dish is filled with five chunks of lye soap found on a farm here in Pennsylvania. I felt the handle on this basket should be positioned in the upright position so I wrapped a piece of wire on the right side near the base to achieve this result. The basket does have a couple areas where there is minor rust limited to the bottom as referenced in image 21. This piece is in good overall condition and has a great oval shape!
Darling old child’s socks sporting a Carmel brown stripe look wonderful draped over the side of the bucket as they lend color and interest. The top of the socks have a loosely woven ribbed element and the edge seems to flare out in a sort of fan shape. There are several stains sprinkled randomly throughout both pairs of socks. However there are no holes or rips to report. (Please see pictures starting with 22 through 30 for more detail). These socks are soft to the touch and do have whispers of a light sheen…. just as you would find in silk garments.
This quaint and unique “Wash Day” gathering will add plenty of “primitive sparkle” to your laundry room and may even lighten up your load, so to speak! Now all you need is an old fashioned laundry shoot! Enjoy!
Staved Bucket stands 4 ¾” tall, measures a little over 10” across (right to left and measures a little over 9” across the bottom (right to left). The roller stands 8 ¾” tall, measures 6 ¼” across right to left and is about 2 ¼” deep (roller thickness). Wire Soap Dish stands 4” tall (including the handle), basket itself stands 2” tall, measures 6” across (right to left) and measures 3 ½” (front to back). Lye soap chunks vary in size from 2 ¼” to 1 ¼”. Child’s socks stand 11” tall by 2 ½” @ the widest point (heel)
