Vintage Laundry Basket

Lately I have been on a mission to find a vintage clothes basket. They just don’t make clothes baskets like they used to. Old baskets are larger and sturdier. But when I began looking for vintage clothes baskets on Etsy and Ebay I discovered they were rather expensive.

The other week Adam and I were out for the day to visit a craft market. On our way to the market we saw several cars parked alongside the road in front of a lovely white farm house. A sign reading “Estate Sale” was enough to gain our attention. : ) It was the last day of the sale and there wasn’t a lot left, but there was a somewhat dirty clothes basket sitting on the floor of the garage. I was very excited! Then as I turned around I noticed some wooden clothes drying racks. This too was something I was hoping to purchase for my future home. I was able to purchase both items for only $11.

Then the following week when visiting a barn sale my mother and I found this adorable basket cart for $3. The wood appears to be the same as the drying rack. I was so very pleased! The LORD is so good to provide me with such a lovely set. I felt it was truly a gift from Him as He does know the desires of my heart.

Now I am envisioning how all three pieces will look so charming in an old-fashioned, country laundry room.

When I had my laundry room finds out to photograph I could not resist digging into my hope chest to pull out these dishtowels I embroidered when I was 15. I have always always loved chickens, and I had a lot of fun embroidering these dish towels.

The iron-on transfer set was entitled "Barnyard Romance". They chronicle the love story of two chickens. I imagine that the image above is the rooster proposing to the hen. : )

Here is a little article that an elderly pen pal sent to me several years ago.

Old Recipe

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Years ago a Kentucky grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe for washing clothes. It appears below just as it was written, and despite the spelling, has a bit of philosophy. This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrap book (with spelling errors and all).

1.Bilt a fir in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. 2.Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. 3.Shave one hole cake of lie soap in bilin water. 4.Sort things make 3 piles. 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile work britches and rags. 5.To make startch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with bilin water. 6.Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and then bile. Rub colored don’t bile, just rinch and starch. 7. Take things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch, and starch. 8.Hang old rags on fence. 9.Spread tea towels on the grass. 10. pore rinch water in the flower beds. 11. Scrub porch with hot soapy water. 12.Turn tubs upside down. 13.Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.

***Paste this over our washer and dryer and next time when you think things are bleak, read it again and give thanks for your blessings!

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4