Hat Blocks & Grain Sacks

Just a quick post to tell you about yet more new purchases!!  I have just bought a wonderful antique wooden hat block and two grain sacks from Lois at Morgaine Le Fay Textiles.  Many of you will know her name from Ebay, but she has just started her own website selling the most exquisite textiles, linens, fabrics and haberdashery.

I just love these two old grain sacks, I am going to use them to make cushions for the seating in the garden.

.....and I just love the sculptural quality of this antique hat block with it's chippy woodwork and old wood worm holes.  I have been looking for one of these for a while and it is just perfect.  It will be accompanying me to Manchester on Sunday to display a rather splendid vintage Bowler hat!!

I still have loads to do for the weekend so better get a wiggle on.  Have a great weekend whatever you are doing.

Jo xx

French Fancies!!

I am feeling a little better this week after so much sadness last week after losing Scamp.  Thank you to all of you who left such lovely comforting messages about Scamp, it was lovely to read them and they helped a great deal.....thank you.  The problem is we are all animal lovers and when we lose one it is like losing a member of the family.  On a happier note I received a lovely parcel from France this morning....I was so excited.  A few weeks ago I managed to win a couple of items from Shirley at Simply Chateau.  Her items are so popular and coveted on Ebay that I didn't think I would get either of them, but I somehow managed.

Absolutely gorgeous shabby chic roses...I am in love with this fabric and couldn't bear to part with it.  It is in wonderful condition and to die for.

Gorgeous antique wicker basket wrapped in the most delicious faded French textile and carefully stitched in place...Scrummy!!  I am going to use this at fairs to display small items in, it is absolutely exquisite.  I can't wait to meet Shirley and perhaps make a couple more naughty purchases from her stand at Vintage at the Village Hall on May the 9th.

The entire basket is swathed in this gorgeous confection...almost good enough to eat.  

I also bought this absolutely stunning antique parasol from Shirley's daughter who trades on Ebay under the name Passionately Paris.  It is made from the most delicate floral fabric and still in good working order although I have photographed it down as I don't want to strain the mechanism too much.  I cannot resist these beautiful feminine French textiles.

Oh Yes!!  I have added yet another advertising mannequin to the collection.

I'll leave you with a picture of  some flowers Andy treated me to and my gorgeous Clarissa who is going to be helping me model hats and vintage clothing at the antique textile fair next weekend in Manchester.  I am also busy getting ready for the Vintage Jumble on Saturday and meeting a few fellow bloggers for the first time.  Have a wonderful week whatever you are doing.

Jo xx

Scamp

Today, sadly, we lost Scamp.  She was a sweet little puss who came to live with us six years ago at the age of 14.  She came from our local branch of the Cats Protection where I do voluntary work.  She was in the pensioners pen, the old cats that are hard to home.  Louis will miss her as she lived with him in his room.

She had a good six years with us but finally succumbed this morning to kidney trouble at the age of twenty.  Andy has buried her in the garden along with various other pets we have lost.

She will be sorely missed.

Jo xx

Beautiful Needlepoint

Apart from my many other collections I love vintage/antique needlepoint and have collected some absolutely beautiful examples.  I have never attempted to have a go myself as I don't think I would have the patience.

A close up of my needlepoint rug in the lounge.  I picked this up in an antiques centre about a year or so ago and it cost around £50...which was nothing when you think of the hours it must have taken someone to sit and make it!!

I cannot believe the time and skill that went into making this piece!!  However it now takes pride of place on the wooden floor in the lounge.

I bought these two bell pulls (I think....what do you think?) years ago when we lived in Devon.  They were being sold along with a bundle of other embroidery and linen in the window of a cafe in Totnes.  This little cafe (sorry can't remember it's name) at the top of the town always has some goodies for sale in the window and I think the money goes to charity.  I didn't pay that much for them along with the other linen and they are the one thing I cannot bear to part with...I did think long and hard about selling them at the textile fair I am doing but just can't live without them.

The detail on them is amazing, and although I don't profess to be an expert on needlepoint they look really old.

They are backed in a silky fabric and because of the length of them I can only guess at them being bell pulls.

Another one from my collection is this sweet little needlepoint stool which must have been for the daintiest of feet (not my great size 8's!!)

The little stool is homemade and then someone has covered the top in this ancient piece of needlepoint...too lovely to put your feet on.

I also came across several vintage needlepoint kits to make little handbags and purses.

They are unfinished and I am going to sell them on at Manchester Antique Textile fair to people who do have the skill and the patience to finish them off!!  These are just a few pieces from my collection and I truly appreciate the workmanship and time that went into making these pieces.  Hope you are all having a great weekend.  I'll leave you with a picture of the Fonz curled up asleep in my arms last night!!

Jo xx

He's such a big baby and a real Mummy's boy!!

Quilty Cushions

I have been busy cushion making again.  I do have to own up, I have been pilfering my stock that was bound for Manchester Antique Textile Fair.  I bought two rather lovely vintage Hungarian grain sacks a couple of weeks ago with the intention of selling them on, then I had one of my visions!!  Andy usually has mild heart failure when I have visions as they nearly always prove to be expensive!! I have turned one of the grain sacks into cushions for my leather sofa, and am rather pleased with the results.

I never did like the cushions that were on there before and decided to wait until I found some vintage fabric that was hard wearing enough to be used everyday.  I promise I will sell the other grain sack (although it would make a rather lovely seat cushion for the bench in the summer!!)

I have also been rummaging amongst my old cutter quilts and found a beauty that I had bought ages ago and had totally forgotten about.

It has been washed and dried and part of it turned into a lovely big quilty cushion backed in gorgeous vintage plum coloured French linen.  I am tempted to keep it but already have so many cushions it is obscene.  The rest of the quilt I will sell on as patches and larger panels.  Have also made a couple of smaller cushions to sell at the fairs.

Made entirely from scraps of vintage eiderdown fabric with an eidy frill at either end and backed entirely in eiderdown fabric.

Made from a patchwork of vintage and antique French fabrics.

Another shabby chic beauty made from faded French fabrics and quilt patches.

Have been raiding my stash of red quilt patches to make this cushion although I am not altogether happy with the backing so I think I will redo it.  I have grand plans for today once the house work is done to chain myself to the sewing machine as there is only a few weeks left before the fairs begin!!

Hope you all had a lovely and romantic Valentines day, I know I did.  I had some beautiful flowers, a lovely meal last night and a copy of Jeanne D'Arc Living magazine is winging it's way to me as we speak, I am a lucky girl to have such a wonderful hubby.

Have a great week everyone.

Jo xx

Vintage Wedding Cake Stand

I don't know if some of you can remember but last year I found a beautiful original wedding cake stand with a mirrored glass top and in it's original box.  I took it with me to a vintage fair I did last year in Stamford and to cut a long story short it was bought by a lovely bride to be called Jane.  She promised me she would send me some pictures of the cake stand in use and here they are.  She has very kindly agreed to let me show them on my Blog.

They got married last December.  The cake and the flowers are stunning!

Copyright The Studio, Whittlesey

Here is a picture of Jane and her hubby cutting the cake.  I was so thrilled to know that the cake stand had gone to such a wonderful home and was going to be used once again.  She has told me that it now takes pride of place in her home and is being used to display trinkets on.  Congratulations to you both and thank you Jane for allowing me to publish your wedding pictures on my Blog.

Have a great week everyone.

Jo xx

More Baskets

Have been busy lining baskets in readiness for the fairs.  The others that I lined ages ago all sold so I have been collecting vintage baskets on my travels.  They are surprisingly easy (for my severe lack of sewing skills anyway) to line with fabric, it is just the finishing off that can be a bit fiddly!!

I am quite pleased with the results.

The larger shopping basket is fully lined with vintage eiderdown fabric and finished with press studs either side to hold it in place, they are covered with eiderdown fabric covered buttons.  I have made a Vichy check lavender heart as a finishing touch.

The smaller basket I have lined with a Vichy check bottom and used antique Toile De Jouy for the sides of the basket.  I stitched elastic around the edges to hold it in place and again finished it off with a covered button and Vichy check lavender heart.

Hope you like them, just several more baskets to go (and a great deal more swearing probably)!!!

Hope you are all having a great week.

Jo xx