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Tuesday, April 02, 2024

Finders Keepers!


It doesn't look like much.

But this has been a job of heavy lifting and relocation.

All of the big rocks that have been pulled out of the side yard at QUiltville Inn have been moved and placed along the edge of the parking area.

we've got some incoming rain - and I'm sure that the rain we get over the next while will help wash the dirt off the rocks - not that I care all that much.

It's just nice for folks to know how far they should pull up - or not!


Hubster Dave found this bottle under the dirt and called me over. It was grimy and full of crud - and I took it right in to wash it out and see what it was - the writing wasn't discernable, but we knew it said SOMETHING.

After much washing and bottle-brushing it became clear - 

It's a Hinds Honey & Almond Cream bottle produced in Bloomington NJ.

But when?


The label lists the company at Bloomfield, New Jersey so this must have been made after 1925 – probably in the 1930s. 

Prior to that, the company was located in Portland, Maine.


It was a fun little rabbit hole to dive into - wondering what the house was like in the 1930s, what the ladies were wearing - what kind of meals were cooked in the kitchen, the music that may bave been playing from a "wireless" -

And just why was this bottle discarded in the dirt behind the rocks?


Laughing at the thought of my hands being made soft, white and alluring.. LOL!


Another find from a couple weeks ago -

I thought I posted about this one - it was found buried down by where the daffodils are on the hill below the back porch.


This one has a marking - but no label -

I'm assuming it was for some kind of salve or ointment?


It resides on a little shelf in the kitchen with other old bottle finds from the property.

It seems that trash was just dumped out the back - and some of these bottles have survived over the past 140 years that the house has stood here.


Down under this hill - are there more treasures waiting to be discovered?

It has me thinking about getting a metal detector...

And yes - the cattle were out in rare form yesterday with much mooing back and forth going on.


I had barely gotten a start on assembling my diagonal rows for Square Pegs - and the power went out, leaving the next row only half attached to the 'mother ship'.

I waited around for 20 minutes or so to see if it would come back on.

The generator was humming loudly giving power to the inn, but the QPO is not attached to that generator so I was without power and no internet to boost my cell signal enough to call home.

So I locked everything up tight and just headed home.

I sat at my hand quilting and watched a movie for a while - what else can a girl do?

Click to Play:


Today I'm hoping for better!  I'd like to see that mess on my design floor become a quilt top.  Wouldn't that be grand?


Official release date on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback is TODAY!

You'll be able to find all of Bruce's titles HERE

If you like the mystery genre with a whole lot of quilting (And Paducah!) thrown in, you are going to love this series.


Quiltville Quote of the Day -

The hard part for me is letting go of the need for control and trusting that better things are on the horizon.

⁣We can mourn the changes, or we can look at them as an exciting adventure. I choose adventure!

Vintage nine patch quilt found in North Carolina.

Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone!



 

14 comments:

  1. Hunkering down for possible bad weather here. I bet I can find something to sew! Marilyn Marks

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  2. Love the find of an old glass bottle. My husband worked for Kaukauna Klub cheese company for many years. Your crock was filled with cheese.

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  3. Anonymous9:59 AM EDT

    Sounds like you have a household dump on the property. Very common. My friends had one and pulled out a Queen Anne chair that then sold to a collector for a pretty penny. Keep digging (carefully)!

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  4. Anonymous12:18 PM EDT

    I love finding old artifacts from previous times. I found a dump site on our property and dug up a few bottles, bits of crock, canning jar lids, etc. Our Nephew cut down some wild cherry trees that were hanging over the drive. While he was digging up the roots, and I was removing flower bulbs, I found the head of a pick axe, nails and a screw driver. It was quite a revelation. How does one live a pick axe head in the ground? I hope you find more treasures!

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  5. I have several bottle finds, too, from my Grandpa's farm. Many of those older glass bottles will turn color if in the sun so I always keep mine on a window sill. Square Pegs is looking really good!

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  6. Cruddy day here today and tomorrow. ☔rain,rain,rain.
    Made a big pot of pea soup with the leftover ham bone from Easter...
    Changed curtains in the bedroom and bathroom.
    Folding clothes, putting away. Just your normal housework..
    Have a Sparkling day

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  7. I already liked the Square Pegs blocks on their own, but the way you're setting them is next level. Looks amazing!

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  8. I love the layout of quilt!! Great use of squares....I have oodles in my scrap user system!! Great leader ender project too. Now to find my Quiltmaker magazine for the block. Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Anonymous4:58 PM EDT

    I know someone who got ahold of some old maps of our town and located where alot of outhouses were behind houses. People used to throw jars and other bits down the hole and he recovered some cool bottles and crockery.

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  10. We owned an old farm house in West Caldwell NJ that was a similar vintage to the Quiltville Inn. The back of our property had a terraced section that each year, in spring, 'produced' bottles, tins, crockery and an assortment of metal doll furniture. Before modern garbage pickup, it was apparently common practice to bury your household garbage on your property. Our 'hill' was an old garbage pile! As a side note, my Dad worked in Bloomfield NJ, which is just 7 miles east of West Caldwell.

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  11. What an exciting find! I'm loving the new "scrappy-happy!" We're in a dry spell for the week, now.

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  12. Quilting isn't a race. I love that. Need to remind some folks. When I'm going block by block with each being different, it takes time to dig through a stash for just the right fabric. A few years ago my niece & I took a class where we made a wall hanging size quilt with blocks that alternated pieced & applique. She used all batiks on black, I used scraps from colorful shirts I'd made for my husband (and other projects) on white. Took some time to find just the right pieces but oh so much fun remembering where that fabric was previously used. Thanks for sharing your time & talent with us. Love the way square peg is looking. The shirts quilt looks so cozy.

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  13. Anonymous8:27 AM EDT

    "Back in the 1900's", lol! Yes, many country homes just found an inconspicuous area over a bank and pitched their trash back in the day. Not pleasant to think about, but look at the fun finds now! Your kitty no longer resides at the QPO to rearrange while you are gone, but has stayed at the house? How is everyone getting on?

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  14. Anonymous1:14 PM EDT

    Thank you for saving the bottles. What a wonderful find.

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