Linen and lace

So here's my swishy 1957 vintage Vogue dress...

.. and here's the petticoat I made out of an assortment of leftovers (including an old linen tablecloth) and a bit of chunky lace from my fabric store.  I forgot what a chore frills are - endless stiching and pulling and pinning and faffing, but I'm pleased with the end result, and even more pleased I made it from scraps and didn't go and buy acres of net.  I've decided I want to wear cotton dresses every day of my life - ha, I'd love to see my colleagues faces if I turned up to work in this :)

Vintage dreaming

Well it's been a while - I have been neglecting the 'doing' side of things in favour of a spot of 'thinking' (aka daydreaming on Pinterest :)  But I now have another major source of inspiration - say hello to Dolly.

 My mission is to a) accessorise in a major way, b) load her up each spring with the results of my winter's crafting work and c) dress myself up all vintage-like and sell my wares underneath her pretty awning at craft fairs and markets across the province - now there's a plan...

 Speaking of vintage dress up, I've just made a rather swishy dress for myself from a Vogue Vintage pattern (the short sleeve one, in a pretty blue flower print)....

..... and now I need a fluffy but not tooooo bouncy petticoat to complement it.  Have searched high and low on t'internet and concluded I need to make my own, I'm off fabric shopping so I can make my own.  Am thinking floaty soft net, silk, ribbon and lace - but where to find that perfect pattern?  Back to Pinterest then :)

 

3 down, quite a lot to go

So - having promised myself I wouldn't buy a stitch more fabric until I had made a considerable dent in the stash I already have and don't have room for, I now have three quite pretty cushions but only one old table cloth used up; it's gonna take a while.  And somehow, my stash has mysteriously grown over the weekend - ah yes, that'd be due to a very happy Saturday morning at the antiques fair, where I found some lovely red velvet and the assortment of goodies below. I'm particularly pleased with the teacake stand which polished up quite well, and the album of little photos; it seems so sad that they've been abandoned, but I'll breath a second life into them somehow.  Couldn't afford any of the gorgeous old blankets I saw, but did manage a handful of scraps which should stitch up nicely into something... meanwhile, they've been added to the stash.

Love

Well finally I'm back on it, prompted by my little sister's birthday looming in May and inspired by a lovely piece of lime green velvet given to me by young Jane; and I have to say I'm am rather pleased with the result, which is bright and bold and I hope right up my sister's rather stylish street.  I now need lots more bright colours to experiment further - oops, there goes my 'no more fabric until I've cleared out my cupboards' rule.

Bootsale Bargains

I wish I could say I am anywhere near as good at bargain hunting as my lovely friend Jane - the last Car Boot Sale I went to resulted in one small child's shrunken wool jumper for £2 (I want to try felting).  Now look at what Jane came home with - £2.40 for the lot!  I'll have to try harder - next weekend may be the perfect opportunity as I'm off to the International Antiques Fair in Builth Wells; previous ventures (with Jane in tow) have resulted in a car load of booty for £40 - here's hoping!

Guilt and inspiration

Must stop spending time on Pinterest thinking about things to do - must get my finger out and do do do - shocked to realise I have done zilch for a whole month! In the meantime - there's not many blogs I want to read from start to finish and linger over (definately including mine), but this one I am totally and irrevocably in love with - fabulous photography, lovely easy prose, totally daydreamy... hope she doesn't update it toooo often, I'll never get anything done!

Happy Mum's Day Mum!

Well I managed to knock up a little Mother's Day card for my Mum and get it in the post along with the little embossed birds I made a while back, which I thought would make rather prettier pigeon scarers than the old CDs which are doing the job at the moment.  Although she tells me that they are currently adorning her fireplace which wasn't quite the idea...   Meanwhile, I missed the last post for my friend Holly's birthday this Sunday so had to cheat and buy a card, but (better late than never) I have a firm plan to finish her birthday present this weekend - which is going to be a bit of a challenge as sunshine is forecast and my garden beckons.