Join Us at the DC Big Flea!

Get out of this cold windy weather and
join us at the DC Big Flea!

We have lots of great new inventory including early antique fabric, buttons, trims needlework tools, sewing items, needlework, folk art, dolls, toys and of course our own one of a kind art work. The booth will be packed!

Here are all the important details:

• DC Big Flea at the Chantilly Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, Virginia
• Saturday, January 5, 2019, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Sunday, January 6, 2019, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• Our Booth is 744-749 in the North Hall
• Admission is $10 and is valid for the entire weekend! Instead of waiting online in the cold, purchase tickets in advance HERE

Hope to see you soon! Debbie Hartwick, Stacey Bear and Kim Stout

Truffle Pigs at the DC Big Flea January 2018!

Come in from the cold and visit the Truffle Pigs  at the DC Big Flea

January 6th and 7th.
We will be bringing some exciting new inventory- fabrics, trims, buttons, sewing items, dolls, toys and crafting supplies. All vintage and antique of course! In addition there will be some fun new pieces created by us.

Here are all the particulars:

Saturday, January 6th 8:30 am to 6:00 pmSunday, January 7th 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Dulles Expo Center

Chantilly, Virginia

only 10 minutes from Dulles Airport

Free Parking

Admission: $10 - good all weekend

Purchase tickets in advance from the promoter here

so you don't have to wait on line in the cold!

Truffle Pigs will be in booths 728-729 which is in the NORTH Building.We are right up front in the corner booth as you enter.

More info about the DC Big Flea like parking and hotels can be found HERE

We hope to see you there!!

Truffle Pigs at Prim Stitcher's Society Merchant Mall

Hello everyone!
If you are in the Columbus, Ohio area on the first weekend in May please stop by and see us at:

Embassy Suites is located at:

2886 Airport Drive

Columbus, OH 43219

(614) 536-0500

 The 2017 Primitive Stitcher's Society Retreat Merchant Mall brings together primitive designers, their patterns, cross stitch and punch needle supplies. In addition, primitive collectors will find antique treasures, hand crafted Shaker Boxes and stitched pieces to take home.  A day pass is $5 with a weekend pass for $8.

Started out of a desire to present the primitive way of life to needleworkers, the Facebook Group, Primitive Stitcher’s Society, was created in March 2014. Now boasting a membership of 6700, the group has members from around the world- all connected through their love for cross stitch and needle punch. The retreat portion of the weekend is sold out however the public is invited to attend the Merchant Mall.

Truffle Pigs will be bringing tons of antique treasures including buttons, fabric, trims, pin cushions, sewing tools of all kinds and more.

This event also gives us the opportunity to to pull out all our most primitive items from the stockpile we have been saving including wooden bowls, boxes and antique frames for finishing off completed stitch works.

We will also have our own art work for sale made with antique/vintage materials. Here is just a sampling:

Please join us for a fun Ohio spring weekend of meeting other stitchers,

getting inspired and finding some wonderful treasures and memories! 

The Truffle Pigs:

Stacey Bear  ❤   Deborah Hartwick  ❤  Kim Stout

Truffle Pigs at: From Our Hands & Hearts ~ Creative

Truffle Pigs will be at
From Our Hands & Hearts ~ Creative Mercantile
Saturday, April 30, 2016

(The Mercantile is only on Saturday April 30th
but workshops run for 4 days: April 27th thru 30th)

10am ~ 3pm
The Boston Twp. Hall
1775 Main St. Peninsula, Ohio

We will be in the Mercantile section of this wonderful event. This spring event brings together those who love to create, learn & laugh for 4 days of workshops, a "Needle-In" and "The Mercantile" ~ a show centered around finished goods, textiles, sewing, hooking, woolens & the antiques that complement them.

We will be bringing antique and vintage sewing and needlework items including pincushions, needle cases, thimbles, spool holders, tape measures, fabric, buttons, ribbons & trims and more!

More information about this wonderful event including event schedule, location and lodging can be found by clicking the link HERE and above. We hope to see you there!

DC Big Flea Coming Soon!

Hi everyone, the next Flea is just 2 weeks away! Truffle Pigs will be set up at the DC Big Flea in Chantilly, Virginia with lots of new inventory including vintage and antique sewing items, buttons, ribbons, fabric, toys, dolls, other smalls and of course our handcrafted art work.

The show is Saturday January 10th, 9 AM to 6 PM

and Sunday January 11th, 11 AM to 5 PM

at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia

admission is just $8 for the entire weekend - parking is free

We have a great space this time,

a double space against the wall to the far right

as you enter the building.

We will be located in booth 014-015 which is in aisle L.

Our booth is on a corner in the middle of the aisle.

 We have all been busily purchasing new inventory to bring to the show from the respective states that we live in: Ohio, Maryland and Pennsylvania so will have lots of fresh to the market goodies. Hope to see you there!

DC Big Flea Coming Up Soon!

Truffle Pigs will be there with bells on! We three friends (Kim, Deb and Stacey) will be bringing new inventory from far and wide to please all of our friends. We've had some fabulous jaunts scouting out lots of new treasures in the past 6 months all though out PA, MD, OH, NY, VA and beyond. As per usual we will have tons of vintage and antique sewing wares like buttons, trims, fabric, pincushions, tape measures and notions as well as antique dolls, toys, folkart and lots of quirky unique pieces that strike our fancy. We will also have our one-of-a-kind art for sale as well. Below are a few quick snaps I took in the studio as I was pricing and packing just some of what we will be bringing.

So here are the Show Details:
DC Big Flea in Chantilly, Virginia
at the Dulles Expo Center
Saturday, July 19th 9 AM to 6 PM
Sunday, July 20th 11 AM to 5 PM

Parking is free and the building is air conditioned ( a welcome relief on those hot July days)

Truffle Pigs Antique Sewing will be located in Booth 387-388 in aisle G. Our Booth space is now Number 440-441-442 in Aisle H....we are on a corner with 3 spots, we needed more room for all the fresh to the market inventory!!

We hope to see you there!

DC Big Flea January 4th and 5th

Truffle Pigs will be set up at the DC Big Flea in Chantilly, Virginia with lots of new inventory including vintage and antique sewing items, buttons, ribbons, fabric and of course our handcrafted art work.

The show is Saturday January 4th from 9 AM to 6 PM

and Sunday January 5th from 11 AM to 5 PM

at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia

admission is just $8 for the entire weekend - parking is free

We will be located in booth 265-266 which is in aisle E.

Our booth is on the corner in the middle of the row

We hope to see you there!

Deborah Hartwick, Kim Stout and Stacey Bear

DC Big Flea July 20-21

Truffle Pigs at the

DC Big Flea

Chantilly, Virginia

Saturday, July 20th 9 am to 6 pm

& Sunday, July 21st 11 am to 5 pm

We are in booths 058-059 in Aisle A

As you enter the building, turn left and walk to the very first aisle. We are about half-way up that first aisle on a corner with a double booth.

We have spent the past 6 months seeking out fresh to the market antique and vintage sewing inventory and creating some

exciting new one-of-a-kind creations!

About 4 Seconds of Fame on Market Warriors

The DC Big Flea Episode of Market Warriors on PBS was televised this past Monday, February 11th and it was so fun to watch. The filming took place in July 2012. It's quite surreal to see on TV what you have seen in person and are familiar with and we recognized quite a few of our dealer friends and their wares. Although the Warriors didn't purchase anything from the Truffle Pigs they did stop in our booth looking for the target item: miniature furniture.

Here are some still shots showing our booth:

John Bruno checking out a little folk art chair.

You can just make out Debbie with her back to the Camera

All three of us love Market Warriors and often call each other to chat/recap after each episode. I have to say this is my favorite antiques related show because I feel it gives the most realistic view of antique buying and selling. Of course in the real world most dealers purchase from a variety of sources(auction, flea markets, estate sale, yard sale, shops and private collections) and likewise sell in a variety of similar ways based on the best market for a particular item. Antiques Roadshow seems to only highlight rare and highly valuable items for the wow factor and tends to focus on the same types of categories. How much more art glass, guns and Asian art do we have to see! Market Warriors appeals to my geek side, educating me about many categories and price ranges. 

We must confess, we were so busy waiting on customers that we hadn't even realized that we were being filmed so it was a thrilling surprise when we watched Monday's episode. If you missed it you can still catch it here: Market Warriors Episode Chantilly Virginia

Thanks Market Warriors and PBS, we hope you can make it back to the DC Flea again!

DC Big Flea January 2012

Truffle Pigs will be at the DC Big Flea again this January.We will be bringing some exciting new inventory- fabrics, trims, buttons, sewing items, dolls, toys and crafting supplies. All vintage and antique of course! In addition there will be some fun new pieces created by us.

Here are all the particulars:

Dulles Expo Center

Chantilly, Virginia

only 10 minutes from Dulles Airport

Free Parking

Admission $8 - good all weekend

We are in booth 212-213 in Aisle D

our location is noted below:

Click on the map for a larger view!

Some pictures from last July's show:

Click on this link for more information about directions and where to stay

Buttons Are In For Fall Fashion 2012

This season the oversized and bejeweled button are In for the fashionable. Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Thakoon and Oscar de la Renta included glittery buttons, bedazzled buttons and juicy round overly large buttons on their finery for fall/winter 2012.

Louis Vuitton

 

Chanel

 

Prada

 

All images courtesy of Style.com

Truffle Pigs at the DC Big Flea

We will once again be at the DC Big Flea this summer. After the show was downsized (reduced from 2 buildings to one) we had our own little show at the near-by Holiday Inn for two great events. We have now been invited back to the July DC Flea and we are thrilled!

DC Big Flea

Chantilly, Virginia

Saturday, July 21st 9 am to 6 pm

& Sunday, July 22nd 11 am to 5 pm

We are in booths 058-059 in Aisle A

As you enter the building, turn left and walk to the very first aisle. We are about half-way up that first aisle on a corner with a double booth.

We have spent the past 6 months seeking out fresh to the market antique and vintage sewing inventory and creating some

exciting new one-of-a-kind creations!

Parking is free and admission is just $8 for the weekend.

We hope to see you there!

Stacey, Deb and Kim



Mr. Button

With reportedly the largest collection of buttons in the world, Franco Jacassi, AKA Mr. Button loves the click clack sounds of hundreds of people sorting through buttons at conventions...I have to agree!

Sewing Automotons

With the release of the amazing movie Hugo, automotons have suddenly become a newly popular source of fascination so I thought it timely to share some sewing themed ones.

I did a previous post about a wonderful sailing ship etui here.

Video of an  Antique French Royal Palais Sewing Etui and Music Box with Original Mechanical Dolls, circa 1870's.

Vichy Sewing Lady Automoton via Skinner

Tin toy sewing Automota via Cowan

Girl with Needlwork and Mouse via Theriault

Roulet & Decamps Elderly Knitter via Antique helper

Roulet & Decamps Knitting Cat!

(via The Automota/Automoton blog)

January 7th Show Update

The darling acorn and strawberry emery necklaces above are the project for the first ever

Truffle Pigs Workshop taking place during our antique show and sale

on Saturday at the Holiday Inn in Chantilly, Virginia (see post below).

The workshop/project are by the lovely and talented Deborah Hartwick of Heartwells.

The class will be very informal, come any time between Noon and 5:00 pm

on Saturday. All materials will be provided and there is a small fee.

Remember our show is occuring concurrently with the DC Big Flea right

next door at the Expo Center

so you can shop with Truffle Pigs and the Flea.

Come and join the fun!!

January 2012 Antique Show

Saturday

January 7 2012

8:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Holiday Inn Chantilly

Grand Duke Conference Room

(occurring right beside & simultaneously with the

DC Big Flea, Chantilly, Virginia)

Fresh to the market inventory including:

antique and vintage sewing items • textiles &

 fabrics • ribbon & trims • dolls & toys

crafting items • clothing • quilts & more.

New for this show:

“Make and Take” Class

Debbie will be putting together a fun project

to take place on Saturday afternoon...more details to come!

Additional Dealers

A few of our good friends and fellow artists/antique dealers

will be joining us with an amazing array of antique fabrics, 

trims, toys and more!

 Hope to see you there!

The Truffle Pigs: Stacey Bear, Deb Hartwick & Kim Stout

Our Show in West Virginia

Deb and I had a fabulous time at Paul Gordon's show in West Virginia. We were thrilled to catch up with old friends, hang out with our artist chums and even get in some antiquing. Unfortunately the photos I took on my phone are not the best but you can see a great article about our weekend over at my sweet friend Jody's Blog. She has posted some great pics of all of us with our work!

Girls Trip!

Even Truffle Pigs need to take a break once in awhile and get some inspiration. We are hoping to get together in the next month or so and visit this delicious exhibit "With Cunning Needle" at the Winterthur Museum. The touchstone of the exhibit features the Plimouth Jacket, pictured above. Recreated at Plimouth Plantation in 2006 it sheds new light on the tools and skills of 17th century embroidery masters.

Box with embroidery pattern stamps

The exhibit also focuses on the tools, techniques, and the story behind a completed piece--something I have always been fascinated by and a direction I wish more museums would take. I always think to myself, "How did they do that?"

Silk floss

Incomplete crewelwork chair cover

I am hoping there will be lots of Berlin Work (wool work) like that pictured above--it is my favorite kind of needlework.

The exhibit runs from September 8, 2011 to January 8, 2012.

You can make a whole day of it by also visiting the Brandywine Musuem,

Longwood Gardens and of course lots of antiquing and fabulous places to eat--this place is my favorite!