Speaking of Collections....

Well, we weren't, were we...but I will continue anyway...as my mind is on my collections at the moment. Fabric, yes but also china. I love china..fine china, antique china, chintz china, everyday china..fun dishes, seasonal dishes, you name it. And my house is filled with it..in cabinets just FOR china, in cabinets not for china but used as if they were, in drawers, on shelves. In this house, if you are a piece of furniture standing up on 4 legs but with no drawers, doors or shelves underneath, you are a waste of space. 

Of course some sets of my china collection are closer to my heart than others.. This one is my most favourite of all. It was my Mom's "good china". In those days, one had good china and one had everyday dishes..The good china was for company or for special occasions and holidays when we actually ate at the dining room table rather than in the kitchen. So, these dishes are special to me. They are memories of my Mom, of family and good times, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays and anniversaries. They remind me of my childhood and my youth...They are memories of home. And, besides, I just LOVE the pattern! 

It is Napoleon Ivy by Wedgwood, "first made around 1800, and was the china used by Napoleon Bonaparte while he was in exile on St. Helena in 1815 after his defeat by the British and Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Waterloo". How neat is that? Apparently the pattern was reissued in 1965 for its 150th anniversary. 

As my siblings and I all loved Mom's dishes, we split them between us when she passed, leaving none of us with enough pieces to actually set a table. And so the hunt began. Over the years, I have been able to add many pieces to my collection, but it has not been easy. I am not sure why the pattern doesn't show up often in antique shops etc. You would think it would have been popular. It was such a beauty of a pattern! I am grateful that my one and only daughter likes it too, as I intend to leave it to her one day..(among many other things...heh heh...)