Sunday a nice couple, Cynthia & Jim, stopped by the Royal Port. 
It was their first time. Cynthia emailed me the nicest note about how much they enjoyed their visit and mentioned that she loved our focus on textiles and the “tools” that were used to reach the
end results. (She is a spinner and weaver) We shared some comments on how much we both loved textiles, weaving, spinning as well as the early tools that created them. I have always 
been intrigued by fabrics and the fiber arts. I think it started as a young child and my grandparents. 
They immigrated from Italy.
My Grandfather was a tailor and 
my Grandmother was a weaver. Both were extremely 
talented. When I would stay with them much of my free time was spent learning to weave, sewing little quilts from scrap fabrics, knitting, crocheting and cross stitch. (I led a sheltered life..just kidding) I was allowed, at a very young age, to use my Grandfather's old electrified treadle machine. They were very relaxed and simple times. I walked around the shop today and saw what Cynthia saw and wanted to share some of this
inventory with you. Included in this blog text are photos of some of these items. It's rare that we don't have a spinning wheel in the shop. We currently have 3 very nice walking wheels and 2 flax wheels. We try to carry 
wheels that have all their working parts. Along with the wheels we also carry carders, flax combs or hetchels (hatchels) and various styles of winders. The hetchels or flax combs can be scary looking. Can you imagine all the handwork that early on women and men had to do? Our winders come in various styles and sizes. Some of the 
floor winders also have counters. (almost like 
a clock mechanism) We don't have any looms in stock at the moment (we do seek out early ones) but we do have shuttles and spools. We also have a nice selection of 19th century coverlets created on early looms as well as some early show towels. We recently acquired several coverlets. 
They are simple in design but still show the skill that went into creating them. The blue and white coverlet pictured is one of a pair of 
coverlets. They were pieced together from 16" wide woven strips. They are a lighter shade of blue. See closeup above. A nice compliment to blue & white ticking. I also believe the sage 
and white coverlet is from the same weaver and also pieced together from 16" wide woven strips. Pictured along with the coverlet is a beautiful crewel work pillow also new to the shop. Another fiber/fabric art that we favor at the 
Royal Port is Quilting. We are always on the hunt for early quilts. This week we added a few nice ones.
I love the prints in this star pattern quilt. It is in beautiful condition. The reverse side also 
utilizes the printed fabrics in a stripe design. The other quilt, just put into the shop, is lightweight and the pieced fabrics create a plaid design.
It is a more masculine style than most of the ones we have in stock. We do currently have a nice selection of quilts displayed throughout the shop. They add so much color and richness when displayed with the early furniture and accessories. Hope you enjoyed this post. From time to time I will focus on particular subjects in the shop. Become a fan on Royal Port Antiques Facebook to keep up with our blog updates. Hope everyone has a great New Year. Suzanne