Homestyle magazine cuttings

This images come from a collection of old magazines that date from the late 40's/early 1950's. It is interesting to see the comparison of the cosy pre - war styles and the more modern ideas that were emerging in the 1950's.

  Below -"A simple Bedroom as pretty as a garden!" - using Rosebank "Summer Sprays" fabric.

 above Rosebank Fabric - "In tune with today's furnishings". This has a lot more of a modern feel to it.

 Traditional florals in the bedroom (above) verses "Essentially simple/contemporary style" below...

Sanderson fabric is used in this scheme which has both elements of the traditional, but with some less fussy elements. The rest of the magazines include some wonderful  knitting patterns and sewing projects. I will be bringing these to the London Antique Textile Fair on Sunday the 2nd October 2011 which is being held at Chelsea Old Town Hall SW3 5EE.

The Sewing (and sorting!) Room

 This week has been a busy one (as usual). Apart from drying out the stock from yet another soggy fair, I have also been sorting out various rooms at home. This room (above) became empty after son no. 2 took the spare bed off to his new flat (!)

 Ah ha, I thought.. space for a sewing room perhaps? Somewhere to sit and price stock? To attend to preparation....

 .. and to stash stock ready for the busy run of fairs this Autumn...

 So far, so good... it isn't a big space, so I will need self-control not to turn it into "a room of doom" (a very fitting expression coined by Donna )

Love the way the sunlight pours in and the old green painted shelves work well with my favourite piece of 50's Cactus fabric! So, lots of lovely priced and sorted textiles and buttons to bring to the Vintage and Handmade Textile fair on Saturday 1st October in Chipping Sodbury!

Sanderson 50's fabric

Just had to share this 1950's Sanderson fabric....

it is a large piece, so might have originally been used as a door curtain...

The problem is, do I keep it - or does it come with me to The Nostalgic Mix fair in Totnes this coming Saturday? If you click on the link you will get all the details about this great fair. As usual there will be a great mix of stall holders and something for every pocket!

September so far.....

At long last, some piccies (as promised) from the fairs I have attended so far this month...

 The American Museum fair was very busy & I only took a few photos. The above are from my favourite stand in the lower hall.

 These are soggy snapshots of the view from the marquee at Ardingly, a disaster of a day.. say no more!

 .. although this photo is Rosie's stall. Despite the gusts of wind and drizzle coming into the marquee she managed to make her stand look colourful and appealing.

 These pix are from the Buttercross Vintage fair last Saturday. A splendid day with a great variety of stalls.....

 Beautiful items on Clare's stand (aka Daisy Darling)

 Creations from The Devil Makes Work and (below) the stage area with a tempting collection of items from The Upholstress

 .. and a live band and vintage cars.... what more can you want for a great day out!

Next stop Shepton Mallet 3 day Antiques and Collectors Fair in Somerset. Click here for details.

Two very Different Fairs!

 Firstly, I would like to thank all the great customers who came to the event  at the American Museum in Bath last week. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the perfect setting for an amazing Textile Fair organised by
Talent for Textiles. I was kept busy all day running a friend's stand and Mr Mangle ran my stand. Apologies to anybody who came to say Hello and missed me on my stand.

So, in complete contrast to the Bath Fair we yesterday braced ourselves for the Ardingly Fair. We knew the weather forecast was doubtful, but we are used to struggling with bad weather at fairs especially in the Winter (!) We began to set up and soon became apparent that the gusts of wind were likely to blow the marquee and our stock across the showground. The IACF staff were very helpful and made the marquee secure and laced up as many openings as they could. We struggled on throughout the morning, but by lunchtime we were totally exhausted from the sheer effort of keeping the stock on the tables and away from the drizzle which came into the stall. It is also incredibly wearing to listen to the constant rattling of the marquee. So, BIG apologies to anyone who came to the fair and found that we had packed up and gone. I had heard that today (Wednesday) would be better weather-wise, but by lunchtime yesterday most of my stock was damp and i couldn't see that it would have been a good idea to leave it in the creaking marquee overnight. I have some great photos of both the Bath Fair and the dripping mess at Ardingly... but I still haven't worked out how to get them from my phone to here! Technical support is coming home at the weekend, so I will be able to pick his young brains! In the meantime, here are a few images of truly beautiful mangle cloths. I will bringing a good selection of these to the Buttercross Fair in Somerton this Saturday. Lets hope for some decent weather.. please!

Say Cheese! The Autumn Run commences!

 The Vintage Autumn run is about to start! The fairs I am attending are all listed on the side-bar (with the exception of The new Vintage Homeware Fair in London and The Rook lane fair in Frome). Both promise to be fab events, but I am already busy on those days!
There are some new Blind Lemon Vintage dates to add to your diary, Hungerford Vintage fashion fair is taking place on Saturday the 22nd of October at The Town Hall, High Street, Hungerford Berkshire RG17 ONF . Followed by Stroud on Saturday the 5th of November in The Subscription Rooms. Last, but not least is a new fair in Wells on Sunday 27th November. (more details to follow when I have them)

The "girls" are modelling some of the latest finds. Above - Flossie is ready for a shift at the Kraft Foods vintage factory!

 Esme is looking chic in a 70's black velvet number...

 DAKS man's tweed jacket, with vintage style handknit scarf and Dunn & Co 50's fedora at a jaunty angle!

 underneath she has a 70's Lurex jumper, all ready for the Party Season.

 Flossie is modelling a beautiful pale pink hand knitted jumper, made from a vintage pattern, then (below) a hand knitted yellow jumper with knitted green and brown beret (also made from an old pattern). I have a new range of knitted hats in old fashioned colours.

 Evening wear includes this fabulous gold sequin evening cape from France....

 .. and then an English White Faux fur cape...perfect for covering your shoulders on a chilly evening.

 Introducing Gloria (I will survive) mannequin with a Vintage scarf draped over her shoulders. Gloria was found in an old farm barn and is a little worse for wear in places, but has a beautiful face.

Lastly, had to share this fantastic print. It is a 40's "playsuit".. ideal for the beach! (that will be somewhere other than an English beach then!)