Antiques shipment arrived!!!

After much anticipation our shipment of antiques has finally arrived!  It seems like an age ago that I hit the ground in England, scouring the country side looking for the most fabulous and interesting antiques.  We are all unloaded and are closed until 10am Saturday the 6th September while we unpack, sort everything and get set up.  We are sure to be overflowing with treasures.

Until next time, 

new in store...handwoven hemp linen place mats!!!

 Our resident sewing and creative genius (aka Mum) has been busy covering her kitchen table with antique linens to make these delightful place mats.  They have been made with handwoven hemp grain sack lengths, bought on our last buying trip to Europe.

The stripe detail adds to the rustic French charm, although I think these would also look great in a more formal setting. 

The hemp is grown on small farms in Europe, without pesticides, and is hand spun.  It is then handwoven on narrow looms.  This fabric would date to the first half of the 20th century.

And the best part of all, they are also available with a single red stripe!  This particular roll of hemp linen had a rough unstitched edge which Mum left for further charm...

I love it when you can SEE the texture, the nubby bits along with the fibres of the hemp.  Are they not the loveliest place mats?  Oh so French...

As usual, these are not pictured on our website yet, as loyal blog readers you see things first!  I would be interested to know, how many of my blog readers are also on Instagram?  As I also like to post newly arrived items on our Instagram page, you can find it here.

Until next time,

Kara Rosenlund's gorgeous vignette masterclass, next week!!!

There are still a few spaces for Kara Rosenlund's Vignette Tasmania class, to be held in our store next Wednesday evening!  Learn how to create wonderful settings along with beautiful images such as this, above.  Do not miss out on this one.

Go to our previous post for more information, or head to Megan Morton's The School to book.

See you there!

handmade with love linen cushions in store!

I feel like I have been caught up in a whirlwind of media possibilities of late.  We have had a pinterest page for The Drill Hall Emporium for a while now (see it here), maintained magically by mum.  We also have a Facebook page which is such an instant place to receive feedback.  And now we have just joined Instagram!  And can you get any more instant than Instagram? I feel a little crazed but then again, when you are inspired by beautiful objects and images, the more creative media outlets the better, right?

Anyway enough reflection on the changing times, lets go back to basics.  Mum has been busy again pouring her skills into these linen cushions. 

This Union Jack inspired cushion is an absolute one-off creation at this stage.  Isn't it gorgeous?  And isn't mum clever?
 

And she also made these Swiss Army inspired cushions using alpaca wool for the grey cross in the centre. 

There are two only of this design.  Now, how do I put these images on Instagram?  Help anyone???

Until next time,

Megan Morton stylist extraordinaire loves our store!

 

We were lucky enough to have the wonderful Megan Morton (responsible for the three books Homelove, Things I Love, and I Love My Room) in our store last week and she very kindly commented on her Facebook page "Drill Hall, best shop in Australia".  A very big call but we will take the compliment nonetheless! 

 

 

We first met Megan a few years ago in our store, at which point she bought this gorgeous Chesterfield couch.  It was used in photo shoots for Alannah Hill, can you believe?  It really suited the look of Alannah Hill clothing with the faded salmon silk upholstery.  I would love to have it back, really!

 

 

And what did Megan find on this visit?  Well, these wonderfully vintage ice skates which I have admired myself for a little while.  Nice spotting, Megan.

 

For more on Megan Morton and her cleverness, visit here. 

Until next time,

new website launch for The Drill Hall Emporium!

I have been a little slack on the blog front of late, but I assure you I have the perfect excuse...I have been busily taking images for our new website, launched just this week!  And as we are starting from scratch, it is all a lot of work!  The hardest bit is choosing what to photograph as it seems all the pieces in the store are vying for my attention.  Wooden boards, cushion and garden pieces were a good starting point, but there are just so many pieces I want to capture through the lens.

The new website is fresh and easy to navigate (we hope!) and allows us to show pieces off better by having close up images of most pieces.  We are also trying to capture the essence of our store through the website so that all those people too far away to visit can get a sense of The Drill Hall Emporium.  We also have a page dedicated to our favourite (southern) Tasmanian places to help visitors to our area.

Please go to our website here and have a browse, and let me know what you think!  As always, I love feedback. 

Until next time,

new range of blanket cushions now in store!

 

Mum has been at it again, producing these wonderfully cuddly cushions, made from vintage English wool blankets.  Isn't the grey colour combined with the red check oh so English country house?  Imagine returning from a horse mounted fox hunt to settle on a leather wing armchair beside the log fire with one of these cushions.  Or maybe we don't need the fox hunt bit, the rest I can imagine. 

 

As usual, there are only two of each design available. 
 

These square cushions are grey with the original blue blanket stripe

 
and blanket stitch detail.  And with vintage buttons, of course.

Perhaps my favourite, I love these grey and striped cushions, above.  The grey is a lovely soft colour.

If you are anything like me you are probably a little over eco terms being thrown around so regularly.  So please forgive me when I say these cushions are recycled, upcycled and 100% eco-friendly!

Until next time,

new in store! cushions with antique linen fragments...

Look at what my clever mum has been up to, making these gorgeous linen cushions for the store!  She has created a window effect looking through onto an antique linen fragment, I think the mix of textures and colours is just divine. 

At the moment, there are only two cushions of each design available.  All have quality feather inserts. 

 

 

I bought this linen a few years ago overseas.  I am not sure of its origins, whether it is perhaps French or English?  The red ticking is complimentary and a bit unexpected which is why it works. 

This is the other cushion design available, it is made using an entirely different linen fragment, a brighter red colour. 

 

These have a more neutral ticking border and the very outer border is 19th century handwoven linen in a white.  

I like that each central panel is different, the bottom cushion depicts a cornucopia shaped posy of flowers.  I will be on the hunt for more unusual antique linen on my next overseas buying trip. 

 

Altogether different are these vintage chinoiserie linen cushions in soft purple hues.  If you like these cushions you must check out my mum's (AKA Bonsai Queen's) chinoiserie pinterest board.   

 

 

Until next time, 

new in store! French linen aprons handmade by ourselves...

 

We are introducing a new line at The Drill Hall Emporium, French linen aprons handmade by ourselves!  We wear similar aprons in the store and have over the years had enquiries as to whether we sell them.  As such, we have decided to use some of our lovely French linen that we have stored away to create these oh so chic aprons, or tabliers, as they are called in French. 

Our apron design is different to others, we refer to ours "tension-free" aprons.  Most aprons have a loop around the back of the neck which can cause a lot of neck and shoulder tension if worn regularly, our wide cotton straps go over the shoulder and cross in the middle of the back for more comfort!   And as our own shop aprons are of the same design, we can attest first hand to the comfort factor. 

We have displayed a few on our French dressmaker's mannequins, which model them perfectly.  They are fully adjustable and can be tied around the front as well, if preferred, with the extra long straps. 

The linen used in the body of the apron is soft but durable, and a very fine quality.  It was a real pleasure to sew with!

The pocket is made from a vintage French linen ticking which we had kept until now for a special purpose. 

 

We have only a small number available at this stage, but we will extend the range to include aprons for children, and also more heavy duty aprons for wearing in the potting shed.

I would love to know what you think about our aprons?  Or better yet, come in and inspect for yourself!

Until next time,