Nice to see you....

In the style of Brucie's conveyor belt at the end of each Generation Game show I thought I would simply list some of the things that I've made over the past couple of weeks. I've been in such a panic about all the fairs that I've signed myself up for that I've barely looked up from the sewing machine. One of them is a three day affair and, as I've never done anything like that before, I have no idea how much to make or take. I don't know what would be worse, selling nothing or selling all the handmade stuff by halfway through and standing by an empty stall!

Anyway, here's a bit of a list...
Some fabric printed christmas cards

Metres of Christmas bunting

Christmas lavender bags

Pinnies from lovely old tea towels

A big floor cushion with a vintage tapestry seat

and I've been gathering some of my collection of vintage haberdashery bits and printed hankies and making them into stocking fillers

I also found some more Tintin fabrics - HURRAH!

and I've been working on my machine embroidery project for my course...

That's it - here's some owls in place of the cuddly toy!

Postcards from the Edge

I'm worried that I might be developing an obsession with vintage postcards.

It started when I first thought about the postcard lavender sachet idea. An idle evening's e-baying produced this gem from Blackpool... and it's gathered momentum since then.



I'd always been able to completely ignore those stalls and shops with trays and trays of categorised cards but now... I'm in there! Shoulder to shoulder with men of a certain age as we all rifle through the categories.  I found this lot in a flea market.

It was when I started reading the backs that I became truly hooked! Here's one of my favourites - it reads:  "Dear Pat, Having a fine time. I shall not be back until Sunday afternoon, so get a good tea ready. Ray".

 I've got pictures of Ray and Pat in my head.

Then there's this one below. It says: "This is a street in Mombassa. It is a delightful place but very hot, but everything looks so green, even the golf course. Lots of love Mummy."

It came from a batch I got from a house sale. All the cards are from Africa and the Caribbean dated about 1926. Each one is to the children - who are presumably at home with the nanny whilst mummy and daddy are living the life on a grand tour...

There's glorious copperplate writing (which I can hardly decipher) - Rome in 1906...

and poignancy - Paris, December 1916 complete with Field Censor stamp.

I love them! You can find a whole life in a few sentences on the back of a card and they cost tuppence - well not literaly obviously - but not much.

I've also found myself drawn to poodles - but that's another blog entirely!

I've been sewing A LOT this week in a desperate bid to overcome my blind panic at the number of fairs and markets I've taken on between now and Christmas. I've finally made a quilt that I'd been thinking about for ages.

It's crazy patchwork but put together with lots of vintage children's fabrics, interspersed with some gingham, retro pieces and vintage embroidered linen.

I had the idea that if I filled it with interesting pictures and characters it could be a kind of storybook quilt that would spark off stories and ideas for adults - and children as they got older. Anyway, it's done and I have to say I quite like it! Although on the next one I think I'll add some words...

Meanwhile back to the bunting x