More May 2012 Hotlines

Correction: In last month’s story about Arts and Crafts metalware, Peter Müller-Munk’s last name was incorrectly spelled Müller-Monk. His name was spelled correctly in the photo caption for his 1935 “Normandie” pitcher.

Hundreds of portable sewing machines line the windows at the AllSaints Spitalfields store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago (see photos). The company, based in London, displays antique sewing machines at all of its stores, along with old printing presses, gears and machine parts. The stores’ trendy clothing ranges from casual to dressy. We noticed dozens of vintage sewing machines displayed in the store’s front window from the street, but a passerby urged us to go inside to see hundreds more. They were mostly Singer sewing machines. Go to US.AllSaints.com to learn more.

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic was April 15 this year. The anniversary has led not only to newspaper and magazine articles about the tragedy, but also to auctions of Titanic memorabilia. A two-page letter handwritten by Dr. John Edward Simpson, 37, an assistant surgeon working on the ship, sold in March for $40,700 to a new museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Philip Weiss Auctions of Long Island sold the letter, written by Simpson to his mother four days before he died. The museum, called Titanic Belfast, is located in the city where the doomed ocean liner was built.

What new decorating trends fit in with vintage pieces? Large chandeliers work. So do huge floor lamps with big bases and bulbs that are almost 8 feet from the floor. Multicolored and multi-patterned is the latest look, so buy upholstered pieces in different colors and add all sorts of pillows. Sets are out. The distressed look is still OK. Peeling paint and dings are fine. And anything related to sports or nature shows your enthusiasm for a “green” lifestyle.