Thursday 20 October 2011

little vintage lover fair

We had an amazing time at the Little Vintage Lover fair this September. A quirky fair packed full of wonderful vintage and vintage inspired handmade items, it was held in the picturesque South Creek in North Norfolk. It was a blustery late summer's day, we were lucky to be inside one of the barns (with bare coloured bulbs swinging in the wind and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling). We even had a few chickens come and check out our wares!

our stall, (FestiveFavours and I)

Festive Favours is a dear friend of mine, she has a unique aesthetic of beautiful old items, especially stunning vintage haberdashery. She has a make do and mend approach to reusing items that would otherwise be wasted. She breathes new life into an egg cup, a picture frame, or a dusty jar, transforming them into tools for creative souls. Above are all examples of her lovely wares.





This fellow is popping back to pick up some original 1950s wrapping paper ready for christmas.

Saturday 23 July 2011

Tuesday 19 July 2011

quilted inspiration





Look at these beautiful scraps from an old patchwork quilt. The creases and wear, the mottled colours and delicate prints and the history behind them; someone carefully hand stitching it all into place. I'd love to get in the dye lab and reproduce these quirky prints, watch this space, if I can get my hands on these gems, SS12 might be floaty tea dresses and bloomers in these prints!

These pieces were found at Ironing Board Studio, a beautiful online shop specialising in vintage textiles, based in the stunning Cotswolds (where I was born!). So many incredible things I want to display around the studio.

Sunday 15 May 2011

C. Wilhelm grasshopper costume

...fingers crossed this is the next costume I'm making

Sunday 8 May 2011

vintage garment inspiration







...back when dress making was really an art

Wednesday 27 April 2011

doll fever

Scrabbling around the West End very early one morning this week, look what I came across...



A few of the dolls are for sale as brooches, but most of the bigger ones look like they were commissioned purely for the window display. I love collecting old handmade dolls, especially when you can see the hand stitching on the seams. When I've collected all my scraps together I'd like to try making some long legged hand stitched creatures, some small for brooches but others to display around the studio. Perhaps I should make them to display costumes like the Theatre De La Mode couture dolls of the 1940s. I love their spindly legs and blushed cheeks, they'd make a lovely treat to put inside a dress parcel...