A catch up.....

................well it has been such a long time since I have written a post. 

I have been very busy, so the time has just flown by. 

I can't believe we are almost through half the year already!

My Adult Education classes are in full swing at The Cube, in Folkestone, 

where I teach all day on Mondays, and at Homewood School in Tenterden, on Wednesday morning and evening. My students have produced some wonderful things: curtains and blinds;

bed covers and upholstered footstools; patchwork trims for 

blinds; cushions and loose covers.

My teaching room at The Cube is lovely and light.

 I'm so lucky to be able to work at something I really enjoy.

The students are so lovely, fun and enthusiastic. 

I love their ideas for projects, the fabrics they use and 

watching them progress and acquire new skills.

It really doesn't feel like work!

When I'm not teaching I'm busy at home in my workroom, sewing hard and completing

soft furnishing commissions for clients.

I have been making curtains and blinds:

and loads of loose covers:

One very happy client above.

These sofas are covered with a Clarke and Clarke fabric.

A make over for a very sad sofa!

This was covered in a Nina Campbell fabric.

My latest commission was loose covers for three pieces of furniture for 

a client who had a big makeover in their sitting room.                                                         

 They chose a soft, floppy linen, in white, to recover their sofa.

The linen was lovely to work with and results in a soft, relaxed look.

I replaced the old feather seat cushions with new foam and feather wrap ones.

No more plumping up!

The big squishy armchair is transformed and has a new seat cushion too.

Separate arm covers prolong the life of loose covers and are relatively

indistinguishable if they are fitted well. 

                                                                                                

The wing back chair is waiting for a new seat cushion, 

and needs a press to remove the crease down the centre back.

I'll do this when I deliver the cushion!

                                                   

Another set of covers - easy chair, footstool and arm covers - are ready for delivery to another client tomorrow. Pictures to follow!

I have plans to make covers for my sofa and a wing back chair 

but all the while the commissions keep coming in they will have to wait!!

A bit of wood work

I had to buy a new car last summer and it's a bit smaller than the old one.

 My new car 

The old car - and the reason why I had to get a new one - 

some kind lady in her Landrover Defender 

ran into the back of me as I was waiting to turn into my drive!

It was written off by the insurance company.

anyway........

The display stand for my Pretty Goods craft stall wouldn't fit in the new car 

so I had to have a think about designing and making a new one.

 The old stand had two heavy 6ft+ high uprights, that

stood either side of the table and supported the two 

display bars across the top.

It had to be tied to the table to stop it falling over,

(it never did and was very secure).

The uprights had hooks all the way up to hang bags 

and other Pretty Goodies on.

I needed something that was lighter and more manageable

and able to fit in the car.

So I set to work with some 1 x 2 and 1x1 pine wood battening.

 All pieces measured and cut to size; sanded and drilled 

ready for screwing together

I am a dab hand with the drill, having put up many a curtain rail

or pole for my Soft Furnishing commissions.

 

One side frame almost finished - a few more cross bars to 

screw on.

 The frame will be clamped securely to my craft fair table and covered with

cloths and baskets of goodies.

 Time to paint the display.

A nice blue green from Farrow and Ball

 The display bars that will be attached to the uprights

are also painted and have decorative hooks added to them to hang

my lavender sachets and the Pretty Goods bunting.

It's a much more convenient display to transport now, 

lighter and easier to carry from car to hall too.

My Stall now - you can just about see the new upright.

I haven't got one of the whole stall though - something I must do at the next

Kitsch and Stitch

Vintage and Makers'

Fair.

 Will you be there?

Come and say hello!

We've had a Ball and been to Hollywood!

......Hollywood at the V & A, that is!

Last Sunday my daughter Tess, and I

spent the day at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

We drove up to the London Underground carpark at the O2 in Greenwich -

a bargain £3 for the day's parking - and caught the tube to South Kensington.

We planned our itinery before the visit, so knew just what we wanted to see.

Our first port of call was the Fashion gallery. 

Tess is doing AS textiles and needed some inspiration for her 

current assignment. She found plenty here amongst the exhibits from the 

early 18th century to the present.

As a seamstress myself I wondered at the intricacy of the sewing, 

all done by hand, until the invention of the sewing machine around 1850.

Within the Fashion gallery is the Ballgown exhibition -

we were lucky to visit this quite early in the day -

 it was quiet and we could view the beautiful gowns easily.

The gowns, by Couture designers from the 50's to the present,

were exquisite.

We saw this

and this

Hardie Amies

and these

Ossie Clarke

Alexander Mcqueen

 Catherine Walker for Princess Diana

and many more.

The gowns were loaned by the designers or by the owners/original wearers.

Tess couldn't get over the fact that 'Beyonce actually wore that' or

'I can remember seeing .....in that'

The dresses were so close you could almost touch them, and I really wanted to - 

to feel the beautiful fabrics or to have a look to see how they were made.

There were too many eagle eyed guides around though!

(and rightly so, I suppose. Too many fingers touching the garments 

would certainly spoil them)

I think this was one of my favourites.

Designed by Cindy Beadman in the late seventies, 

it was exquisitely painted, appliqued and free machine embroidered silk,

the embroidery telling the story of Sleeping Beauty.

 

This was my ultimate favourite - designed by Elizabeth Emmanuel

and worn by Elizabeth Hurley in the Estee Lauder advertisement.

The silk was just so prettily printed with my favourite full blown roses.

After a lovely lunch and a chance to rest our feet we strolled on 

to the newest exhibition at the Museum -

Hollywood Costume

Three galleries full of over 100 costumes worn in film from

1920's to the present.

 

 Vivien Leigh's stunner from Gone With the Wind

The ultimate little black dress - 

Holly Golightly's (Audrey hepburn) 

Givenchy dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's

Scarlett O'Hara's velvet 'curtains' dress from 

Gone with the Wind

 

John Travolta's iconic white suit from Saturday Night Fever

(I couldn't believe how long his legs are!)

and of course - this dress - made famous by 

Marilyn Munroe in The Seven Year Itch.

(the waist of this dress was TINY!!)

Oh!...... there were so many more costumes, together with information on the designers,

how the costumes were designed and the films they were from.

Digital images of the actors and actresses talking about the costumes 

seemed uncannily realistic when viewed across the room and brilliant digital

displays took you through the design processes.

The costumes gave one the idea of  how tiny, slim, 

short or tall the actors and actresses were; 

there were a few surprises and notibly no fatties!!

Tess and I were fascinated and would have gone around again, 

were it not so busy and hot. 

Still,we soaked up what we could and thoroughly enjoyed our day.

 

A cup of coffee and piece of cake, then a stroll around the lovely V&A shop

before winding our way back to the car and home!

Make a Christmas Stocking

Use my very simple tutorial to make your Christmas stockings this year. It is available to download for free!

Just click on the menu, then click download or share for the tutorial to open in a new tab.
You can then use the tutorial from there or download it to your computer to print out at your leisure.

 

 Let me know how you get on, I'd love to see the results.

Good Luck x

Make overs! Number 1.

Well, it has been a long while since I have written a post

but have found a little time out of my busy life to put fingers to the keyboard!

There has been a few makeovers in my home over the last 18 months.

Firstly I made a very difficult and emotional, but life changing, decision, which has left me responsible

for looking after the children (mid to late teens so can look after themselves mostly),

and for living in and maintaining the family home and finances. 

But I'm now out of the deep rut I felt well and truly in and feel much happier and more 

positive as a result........

I lost nearly two stone in weight by going to Slimming World and felt great about that.

(though note to self - it will keep creeping back on if I don't go to meetings!!)

I moved my workroom from the garden workshop

to a spare room in the house that needed a massive make over.

 from this........................................................................

..........................................to this

It's now a pretty light filled space where I make all my soft furnishing commissions 

and craft fair items for Pretty Goods.

I spend a lot of time in here working since having to increase my means of income.

And then there was the shower room.....

It hadn't been changed or decorated in almost twenty years and was in dire need

of a major make over!

It's a tiny room - was part of the upstairs landing originally - about 7.5' x 3'

with a shower, loo and washbasin.

The old peachy coloured loo and pedestal washbasin was ripped out, 

together with the old shower door and 6" square white tiles.

The son-in-law of one of my sewing students did the hard graft, plumbing, tiling, flooring, 

panelling and fitting of the loo and basin.

I kept the old shower tray as there was nothing wrong with it, 

but the peach loo and washbasin just had to go!

I chose inexpensive, but stylish rectangular tiles-

 I do so like plain white tiles!

and a wood effect vinyl flooring to go over the ropey cork tiles.

(we just couldn't get them off the old floorboards!)

A smaller loo was installed. And some MDF bead and butt panelling, all from B&Q 

I bought a new bi-fold shower door, a shower with all the

 workings hidden behind the wall (the old one was an electric shower with a pathetic spray)

and a huge overhead rainfall shower.

A heated towel rail was fitted - we had no heat in there before, 

and the whole room felt damp and kept going mouldy - now it is warm and cosy!

I had the unit made locally for the new washbasin, which is like a little butler sink.

The tap is a bit silly though -  sold as a pack with the basin, 

when it's turned on the water shoots over the side! So it has to be changed - bah!

We just have to remember to turn it on very gently in the meantime......

Once everything was fitted I was able to do my favourite bit -

the decorating. The walls had been replastered so 

were painted bright white, as was the ceiling, little shelf above the loo, 

and the window and door frames.

I painted the panelling, vanity unit and door in 

Mizzle by Farrow and Ball.

I put up a vintage etched mirror and made a pretty Roman blind from

Clarke and Clarke fabric.

The kids and I are thrilled with the results, 

(though my son wonders why I have to make very thing so girly!).

I have also redecorated the conservatory after the Fire nearly two years ago, 

but I'll show that in another post soon.

Next up for a make over is the front garden, hall, stairs and landing, spare bedroom,

my bedroom, dining room, sitting room.................................the list goes on!!!

I just need the time......and money........

Oh well, best get sewing now to earn it!

The next Kitsch and Stitch fair is on soon..............

We'd love to see you there. xx

My Pretty Goods stall at the Kitsch and Stitch Vintage and Makers' Fair

My lovely girl, Tessa, took hundreds of photos of our lastest Fair on her new Canon DSLR camera.

(a link to see these is at the end of this post).

The following are images of my stall.

I use vintage and recycled fabrics, embroidered linens and lace to make my items,

though some new, modern fabrics may creep in if I really like them!

Vintage linen and lace lavender hearts.

I use vintage fabric to line these little needle books.

Mini Bunting - support Team GB!

Tiny bunting on the front of a vintage linen cushion.....

 ......piped and backed in ticking.

Vintage embroidered linen and pretty vintage fabrics are made into useful scissor keepers. 

A selection of gadget cases - for iPads, Kindles, phones, knitting needles and glasses

all made in vintage or recycled fabrics

Tied lavender pillows

 more lavender hearts - in vintage and new fabrics.

A useful vintage linen, fabric and lace make-up bag.

vintage, and new, fabric bags.

                                            

Vintage Sanderson tote bag, with handmade leather handles.

Embroidered linen little girls' bags.

These are 'Granny made' baby beaney hats.

(knitted by my lovely mum)

A variety of make-up bags in modern linen prints, and lined in waterproof fabric.

Cushions

Embroidered linen needle books.

Lots and lots more photos, showing displays from all the other stalls, can be found

on the Kitsch and Stitch Vintage and Makers' Fair

facebook page

The next fair is on 

1st September 2012