in love with vintage tablecloths

I'm blaming the snowstorms. Stuck indoors for the week, I did some damage to the wallet & the waistline. I spent too much time in front of the computer, bidding on vintage textiles on Ebay and stuffing my face with girl scout cookies. I guess I really want it to be spring, because I bought ten springy-looking vintage tablecloths from the '40's & '50's, among other things. These are the first arrivals...

You definitely have to make a leap of faith buying on Ebay. Most of the sellers have terrible pictures and you have to hope for the best and rely heavily on the written descriptions. I wasn't sure about this one, but in person it is gorgeous!

This one had good pictures and a lot more bids because of it. Had to have it though. With some strategic cutting, this would make a sweet Easter dress.

I broke the rules on this one. You're not supposed to bid with your emotions, because you'll wind up overpaying. This cloth was closed up in this lady's hope chest since her wedding 50 years ago. The dogwood motif grabbed me because I'm from Virginia and it's our state flower. I'm thinking of cutting it up into a bias-cut skirt for myself if I can bring myself to. Actually, I'll be cutting all of these up into dresses and skirts for the shop.

This one's growing on me. I wasn't in love with it once it arrived, being more high-contrast than the others, but it's growing on me.

I think I was the only bidder on this one because the picture was so bad. I love it in person, though. So very 1949, charmingly faded, but stain-free! Etsy sellers do a much better job overall at photographing and presenting their items than Ebayers do.

This one says summer picnic to me. It's tiny, though. I was a little in shock when I unfolded it, but the measurements were fully disclosed at 30" x 31". That wouldn't even cover the top of a card table. It'll have to be made into something very very small!

Spring is really coming! See?