The great July vintage teatowel-a-thon

Some time in the last 10 years - I'm not exactly sure when - I got really into collecting teatowels from op-shops. In particular, souvenir teatowels, and in particular particular, Australiana teatowels. I couldn't say exactly what it is about vintage souvenir/Australiana teatowels that attracts me so, but I can say that it has something to do with 1. colourfulness of design, and 2. kitschness of design. Sometimes I make them into things (skirts/pillows/patches/pockets/boleros/serviettes/etc etc), sometimes I don't. Hey, sometimes I even just use them as teatowels! Radical!

'1978' (my year of birth) and 'South Coast of NSW' (our new home-land) teatowel cushions snuggled up on the bothy couch

Recently, I've received some super-awesome teatowel donations from extremo-generous friends. As a result of said donations, ye olde teatowel suitcase is fairly groaning with abundance. It's a beautiful thing, let me tell you, but it makes me want to share.

Just some of the delightful teatowels that could soon be adorning your body and/or house

So, for all of July, I'm going to be posting some photos of a selection of teatowels for perusal by you, dear reader. I won't be selling them as teatowels, as I would love to make things for you - skirts, boleros, sets of cloth serviettes, cushions, etc. Basically, if one of the teatowels you see here tickles your fancy in some way, give me a hoy and I'll make it into something for you.

Calendar teatowels like these make excellent cushions, of the birthday-gift variety. If you're after a particular year, let me know. I have a ton of them...

Examples of some things I've made with teatowels can be seen here, here, and here. Though to be honest, the blog's covered in them so you wouldn't really need to look too far.

Pearl's pick of the week. She's a sucker for a still life involving fruit and/or veg

The money raised during this July-teatowel-a-thon will go towards buying sausage-making and smoking equipment for the pig we have coming in August. The pig, now happily grazing and snouting around a farm in Wyndham, will, in August, be coming to our place to be made into bacon, prosciutto, sausages etc. Sale of teatowel items will fund said pig-processing operation, and will contribute valuable self-sufficiency infrastructure to our little farm. You get vintage teatowel wares, we get homemade nitrate-free bacon and sausages. It's as simple (and good) as that. Think of it as paypal-facilitated bartering.

A pair of never-been-used Great Barrier Reef numbers. I'm thinking boleros...

So if you like the looks of something I post in the next month, send me an email - pearlandelspeth@gmail.com - and we can work something out. I'm looking forward to sewing for y'all!