June 1, 2014
We have several recent acquisitions this month that we’re pretty excited about. The most impressive is a set of six bird’s eye maple chairs. These were recently restored, to include getting new caned seats. They turned out really well as we hope you’ll agree after seeing the before, during and after photos at http://irongateantiques.com/recent-acquisitions/..
Other recent acquisitions include a wooden high chair with a leather back and caned seat, and an Arts and Crafts settee. Photos of these and the other items new to the store are on our website at http://irongateantiques.com/recent-acquisitions/. (The settee, which is upholstered in leather, reminds me of the furniture in the Marston House museum in San Diego I visited in March; if you’re in that area and like antiques, touring the house should definitely be on your To Do list.)
Did you know that June 13th is Sewing Machine Day? Thomas Saint patented the first sewing machine in 1790. Since then, it’s become one of the iconic symbols of the Industrial Revolution, representing the transition from traditional handmade goods to automated production. While the dollar value of the sewing machines we consider antique is not necessarily high, some of those old (early to mid-20th c.) machines are still going strong—or could be with a little servicing. If you have a sewing machine you’d like to get serviced, ask Lynne for a repair man’s contact info; there may even be machine servicing in conjunction with the next Joshua’s Hands Valiant Warrior quilting event (http://www.joshuashands.org/Valiant_Warrior_Quilting.html) scheduled for 11-20 July in Purcellville. What a great opportunity to exercise your machine, enjoy some good company and make (or help make) quilts for a good cause!
Given that the World Cup starts this month, if you’re a soccer fan looking for something unique, we have a really cool Belgian chocolate mold of a soccer player. See photo at http://irongateantiques.com/smalls/.
There are no special hours to report this month. Even though Father’s Day is June 15th, Bob will be here and would likely appreciate some company . . .
Lynne & Bob McCann