Two new additions to the Collection.

In today's mail I received two packages - both of them eBay auction wins. One was a fabulous supper cloth featuring a peacock in each corner. You will find pictures of that here. The other was a three piece duchess set. Some people think the Semco 'novelty' themed doilies are just old trivia not worth collecting, but I see them as representing a certain era of needlecraft in Australia. Half a century ago, nearly all schoolgirls stitched one or more of these items which were targeted at a young age group, obviously to create interest in embroidery in young girls.
Going by the faultless stitching on this closeup, I doubt if it was done by a learning schoolgirl! Very pretty, don't you agree?