Around here, we have an email group called Next Door. There may be one in your area. Also, have you checked Craigslist? If you want, I can put out a request for aluminum patio furniture. (I'm in Redwood City, have friends who live in Sacramento.) Also, IKEA has some metal furniture that you might find acceptable. Table and 2 chairs for$99. A stand-in, maybe until you find the stuff you really like. Sharon C.
-----Original Message----- From: h-costume-boun...@indra.com [mailto:h-costume-boun...@indra.com] On Behalf Of Lavolta Press Sent: Friday, February 26, 2016 7:59 PM To: Historical Costume Subject: [h-cost] Curtains for old houses Looking for lace curtains for our Sacramento house (which we are decorating in Arts & Crafts style) has been a pain in the tail because lace curtains are very much out of style. I was unable to find any cotton lace drapery fabric with an overall, antique-looking pattern. And very little lace fabric at all, just sheers with modern patterns that scream synthetic. However, I've found a number of pricey but authentic-looking sources for old-house curtains: * J. R. Burrows, as previously suggested on this list http://www.burrows.com/lace.html * Olde Worlde Lace http://www.oldeworldelace.com/ * London Lace http://www.londonlace.com/ * Albert Rackstand Lace on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlbertRackstandLace?section_id=16135864&ref=shopse ction_leftnav_9 In addition I recommend trolling eBay and Etsy for: * Quaker Lace curtains. A hugely popular 20th-century brand, so you can still find 100% or at least 75% cotton lace curtains for sale in their original packages. * Quaker Lace tablecloths. Denser laces but usable, and often available for low prices. Try and stay away from the thicker ones made in the 1960s. * Knotted lace tablecloths. Also known as darned net, lacis, and sellers may even call it crochet or bobbin lace or still other terms. Whatever: These are 100% natural fiber, sturdy, and very handsome. They probably date from the 1940s, give or take some years. Patterns can be either geometric or flowing. I don't like the geometric ones as much, but it's easier to find matching tablecloths in the geometric patterns. The difficulty is finding two tablecloths with the same pattern and especially, in *exactly the same shade of white or off-white*. But for rooms with single windows, the tablecloth solution can be a handsome and economical way to go. For non-lace fabric, I recommend Restoration Fabrics and Trims: * http://www.restorationfabricsandtrims.com/store.html#ecwid:category=194227&m ode=category&offset=0&sort=normal Also plain linens available from: * http://www.fabrics-store.com/ and also, various discount home-dec stores. One of my projects is to stencil some linen drapes. And silks, from: * http://www.silkbaron.com * http://www.hyenaproductions.com/ * And an eBay seller with three IDs: brocadeandmore, exclusive_silks, and pure_silks. And, um, I'm using some tone-on-tone Renaissance brocade from my fabric stash. Look, the Victorians would have done it! Now I'm beating my brains out over finding the patio furniture. Specifically a dining set with a round table, and garden benches. There is a brand called Oakland Living that has great-looking, other-metal-colored aluminum pieces that imitate wrought iron. Unfortunately, they have terrible reviews for quality. I'm not a fan of teak (or any other wood) for outdoors. When new it looks gorgeous, but it involves too much upkeep if you want it to stay gorgeous. Wrought iron rusts, and plastic/resin wicker might work but might blow over. Aluminum seems like a good idea but all I see is relentlessly modern in style. I'm also not a fan of super-deep or super-low seats in any material. Any suggestions? Fran Lavolta Press Books on historic clothing www.lavoltapress.com _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
