Chuffed

As you know, I love old books so I always have to have a good rummage through all the boxes of books whenever I'm in a charity shop, or at a jumble sale or flea market!

Just over a year ago I bought a 1949 edition of Dorothy Whipple's Because of the Lockwoods - you might remember me blogging about here. It's taken me a while to read it, not because it's a difficult read, but mainly because the only time I read is at bedtime and I tend to fall asleep, which is most annoying! Anyway, such was my enjoyment of this book from the outset that I vowed to look out for more of Dorothy Whipple's work. I have since purchased the Persephone edition of Someone at a Distance, but I really like to get my hands on old editions...there's just something about the old ones! So you can imagine how chuffed I was to come across this one recently at a local fleamarket:

No dust jacket and a little bit of damage to the spine, but I'm not bothered about that...I'm a book lover, not a book dealer! It has an inscription inside the front cover: "To Dad, With Best Wishes from John - Christmas 1941", which just makes me love it all the more! And, at 50p, I was even more chuffed!

I couldn't resist bringing home the needlework and dressmaking book - again 50p! It was a text book at Bingley Grammar School for Joan, Kathleen, Mary and Barbara, girls of Form 5A - I cannot be sure when, but the book is the 1937 edition. It is full of useful information, as well as snippets that make me smile, such as the advice when choosing the style and colour of a garment: "The Stout should always avoid bouffon style. Taffeta, for instance, is never a suitable material for a stout woman"!

I'm home alone today so, if I finish this now and speed through all my chores, I must just have time to read a little without nodding off!

Back soon,

Rebecca

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Quick catch up & I'm off to Wentworth

It's been a busy few weeks...

I've been rummaging for vintage bits and pieces in charity shops, where I found, amongst other things, a delightful pattern booklet entitled "Senior Knitteds - For the rich in years", which includes this pattern for knitted kneecaps!

I've been making hearts using vintage linens, lace, mother of pearl buttons and filled with lavender from my neighbour's garden




I've been preparing for some new workshops and working on my website




My school art clubs have been keeping me out of mischief...


we had lots of fun with salt dough a couple of weeks ago!


I've been enjoying time in the garden...planting, pruning, relaxing, sewing, crocheting...



and picking a few of my favourite flowers for the mantelpiece...buttercups, bluebells, lily of the valley and some of the pink hardy geranium that is beginning to flower near the pond. I am always amazed at the wonderful scent that comes from those tiny, almost ball-like lily of the valley flowers - gorgeous!

And, at the moment, I am preparing for a craft fair in Wentworth on Bank Holiday Monday - more details of which can be found here - I shall be in The Rockingham Arms Barn. I'm looking forward to it and hoping that it will be more successful than the Saltaire fair, where I only just about covered my stall fee! If you're nearby, why not pop along and say "hello" - it would be lovely to see you!

Back soon,

Rebecca

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Something old, something new, something...green!

I had chance to pop into the charity shop on the way back from the supermarket this morning and found something old - well, quite a few things! There were lots of crochet patterns for doilies and mats, some which had to come home with me - I quite fancy trying out some of the flower motifs! And, of course, to do that I'm going to need some fine crochet cotton, so I couldn't resist these balls of yellow, green and purple yarn at 25p each! I also picked up some more knitting needles to add to my collection in readiness for my knitting sessions with a group of Brownies in a couple of weeks' time.

I was pleased to find the Learn Tatting book as it has lots of diagrams - perhaps my daughter will give it another go! I wonder if this book came from the same home as the Tatting Designs book and shuttle that we bought there the other week? The Learn to Crochet book will come in very useful at my workshops as it has lots of pictures and guidance for left-handed learners.

This week I have been working on something new...

I've have called them "broodges" as they are a cross between a brooch and a badge! I am really pleased with how they've turned out...they are buttons and flowers...very me!

And, finally, for something green! I have given up on ever having broccoli from the plants in the garden - after all, they've been in the ground for 16 months now! However, in order to gain something from these enormous plants that have taken up so much of our little veg patch for all that time, I decided that we should eat the leaves!

They are very tasty indeed, especially added to stir-fried chicken, vegetables and noodles, as enjoyed last night! We won't be growing broccoli again, but we're really looking forward to making a start on this year's veg patch.

I'm also looking forward to relaxing with a cuppa, or maybe a glass of something, and catching up on some of my favourite blogs this weekend. Hope you have a lovely weekend whatever you're planning to do!

Back soon,

Rebecca

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Tips for Tat

It's not very often that my 16 year old daugher and I have the chance to go charity shop browsing together so that in itself has been a real treat during this half term week. I've not had much luck in charity shops recently so I was delighted to find these:

Vintage pattern books and some old spoons...they're only EPNS but I love them, especially the small one from Harrods!

My daughter loves vintage clothes and has promised herself that, once her GCSEs are over, she is going to have a go at making herself a dress with some vintage fabric that she bought a year or so ago. These vintage patterns at 10p each were right up her street! The green dress in the centre is her favourite!

A bag of delights...well, to me anyway...full of embroidery threads and tapisserie wools for 50p!

Looking through our finds when we arrived home, we were both amazed at the intricacy of the gorgeous lace in the 'Tatting Designs' booklet and my daughter wondered how it was done. I had never tried tatting, but I knew that it involved a shuttle and that I didn't have one amongst all my bits and bobs, which meant that we would remain unenlightened! Imagine our surprise when, as I continued pulling different coloured skeins of embroidery thread from my 50p bag of delights, I found a shuttle complete with small piece of tatting (shown in the foreground of the photo below)! There was no longer any excuse not to tat! So we consulted YouTube for video demonstrations...the ladies there make it look so easy! I was all fingers and thumbs with it - lefthandedness, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! My daughter had slightly more success!

Hers is the piece that looks slightly more like knotting than tatting, but she has improved since and can 'double' and make a 'picot'! I think it could be a while before we have this gorgeous lace collar and cuffs set from 'Tatting Design' though!

Such skill, such patience and such beautiful end results! Any tips on how to tat?

Back soon,

Rebecca

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It feels like Christmas...

I've received the most amazing Christmassy present...from somebody that I hardly know! A lady from church has given me some vintage Christmas decorations...lots of vintage Christmas decorations! I am such a lucky girl!

Beautiful glass baubles, some decorated, some plain...mini Christmas crackers, a wooden reel of wire...
Father Christmas, bells...

...a cute little cottage...

...and these delicate glass and, what looks and feels like, mother of pearl decorations - a butterfly, watering can and chandelier!

It seems that nobody in the lady's family wanted these old decorations and she was concerned that, when something happens to her, they would just end up in a skip somewhere. She found out about my love of 'old things' and thought they would have a good home here. Oh yes, they most certainly will...I love them!

Back soon,

Rebecca

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It's official...

it's the holidays! Although the soggy school uniforms were kicked off with joy on Friday afternoon, the first Monday of the holidays is when the holidays really begin here!! The weekend feels just like any other...then on Sunday evening that holiday feeling begins - no shirts to iron ready for the morning, no packed lunches to make, no last minute homework panics!! By the time Monday morning arrives, it's official - the holidays have begun!

A lovely 7 week break from ironing 15 of these each week!!

So this morning, we are quite at our leisure! We should have been going out to the dentist and then for a browse around Sheffield, but my son has come down with a sore throat and is feeling a little out of sorts so we thought we had better cancel the appointment. I shall be keeping a watchful eye on him as there have been a couple of cases of swine flu at his school! He's still in his dressing gown and has just gone back to bed with his book! My daughter and her friend are yet to emerge!! It is a lazy start to the holidays but they deserve it - they've worked really hard at school this year and we are so proud of them!

Here's my absolute favourite from the lovely old craft books I found at the charity shop last week - it's a Family Circle book from 1967 promising "Toys your children will adore...Exciting home ideas to copy...and Gay Accessories for you and the family"!

There are lots of these black and white "arty shots" - this one made me smile!


So did this one...especially as, when I first flicked through the book, I thought it said "Mr and Mrs Numpty Greenfinger"!!!

Well, time for a cup of coffee...back soon!

Rebecca
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Nancy's Hankies

I came across this little bag a couple of months ago and fell in love with it straight away...

I say 'little' - it's about 8" square! It's falling apart a bit at the seams and the embroidery is not the neatest I've ever seen but I love it! I love its little handmade button, the traces of blue embroidery transfer that can be seen between the flowers and that there can be no doubt of its purpose: "Nancy's Hankies". Inside there is a small, white embroidered name tape that confirms Nancy's surname - it is here that my imagination runs away with itself...did Nancy go to boarding school, I wonder? Were Nancy's hankies as pretty as the little bag in which she kept them? I could never part with it!

Well...I guess I need to head back to the kitchen now to tidy up a bit more, make a bit of lunch and then mop the floor!! Boring stuff...but it has to be done! Anyway, I have a nice day to look forward to tomorrow as I shall be teaching one of my workshops, where we shall be making some of these:

and having a natter over tea and cake! Oh, yes...I always take pretty tea cups, saucers and homemade cake!!

Have a lovely weekend!

Rebecca
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