Category: A Little Bit About Me!

Tools of the Trade - Part Two - A box of tricks!

16/1/2016

The machine came to me with an original tin box housing all the extra feet and tools and a marvellous etching of the manufacturer's factory inside the lid, a collectible in itself!
I inherited a supply of needles and I must confess (being self taught) it wasn't until recently that I discovered the remaining needles, that I had been routinely using were far too fine for the job in hand. I broke so many! Enlightenment came when I went to a class held by Norah Stocker of Fantasia Textiles and found I should be using needles three times the thickness. Not sure why I hadn't worked it out for myself!
The handbook has also survived but I have to handle it very gingerly as the pages are so brittle. An additional instruction book shows all manner of rather clever techniques to master : not sure I'm into festooning and monogram embroidery but who knows, it might come back into fashion-most things do!

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Tools of the Trade - Part One - One careful owner...

15/1/2016

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Here's the original guarantee for my Vesta treadle sewing machine, made by German manufacturer, L O Dietrich of Altenburg and bought at Jones Brothers, Holloway Road, Islington for my Grandma, Florence, on 18th November 1938. Knowing that war with Germany was imminent they took the decision to buy this highly recommended machine while they still could. Grandma made sure she stocked up on needles and as the factory subsequently went over to the production of munitions, this was a prudent decision.

She had two boys: my dad was 8 yrs old then, and his much older brother 15, so she was a busy housewife living in a terraced house much like I do now, but without the luxury of the time saving machines we all take for granted these days. However, a sewing machine was a must-have item in those days, when ready made clothing was for the higher classes and the women of the household were taught to sew by their mothers, so that they could clothe their families and make themselves the latest fashions!

Grandad, Frank was an office worker for Colgate-Palmolive and this would have been a big purchase for the family. Grandma was a proficient seamstress. She made her own dresses, suits and coats and by all accounts was a stylish little lady.

Florence in a posh frock and pearls

Frank & Florence in holiday mode. (Photo scanned from a brass plate.)

Grandma made my mother's wedding dress from white velvet, which is not an easy fabric to work with (as I know to my cost!) with tiny pearl style buttons and fiddly loops down the front of the jacket. I still have the buttons, but the dress is no more: Mum made me a party dress out of it, when I was little dot! (Make do and mend was the order of the day.) We were going to a Christmas Party at her old Grammar School (Camden High School for Girls) and I had outgrown my best frock, so she did what she had to do!

Mum's wedding dress-you can just see the tiny pearlised buttons down the front of the white velvet jacket. March 1st 1952

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The icing on the cake...

6/11/2015

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Here's the view from the sewing room window-glorious autumnal colours from the ornamental cherry tree. It's given me a brand new carpet and some icing on the box hedges too!

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Skinny Malinky Long Legs...

25/9/2015

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Remember a few posts ago, I introduced a fabulous fabric designer that I had recently discovered: Heather Moore of Skinny laMinx in South Africa? And remember how pleased I was to get hold of a piece of the 'Cloudbird' fabric for my flight bag? Well... I've collected a few more bits and pieces since, and It's becoming a bit of an obsession!
And I've just found out that the name Heather gave to her company is a corruption of the children's rhyme "Skinny Malinkey long legs, big banana feet..." not Minnie the Minx from the Beano as I had thought! Both reflect the fun in the designs she creates! (Update 24/02/17 : I've since read that Skinny laMinx is a nickname for her cat Monkey!)

Taken from the Skinny laMinx website.

My flight bag in Cloud Bird fabric

First I caught sight of a couple of 'Spruce Woodpile' cushion covers on Ebay. Luckily for me they didn't look much in the photo, so no-one else bid and I got them for 99p!

Didn't look much in the Ebay listing...

Once stuffed to capacity they look great!

Lots of lovely squares to play with!

I kept browsing the Skinny laMinx website, and finally, I couldn't help myself and ordered some patchwork squares as the best way to sample as many of the designs as I could and to have something I could use creatively. To my delight they came quite quickly and I posted this to the Skinny laMinx Facebook page:

"Such excitement in Braintree, UK, on coming home from work today there was a package all the way from Cape Town! Carefully opening the envelope I found my DIY fabric squares all neatly wrapped in tissue with a Skinny laMinx sticker and wonderful logo birdie tag, tied round with brown fibrous string! Couldn't wait to see which fabrics were included, I made a futile attempt at not tearing the tissue and on the top-YES-my favourite, which I've tried (sadly unsuccessfully) to purchase from any and every supplier in the UK and even your SA home store-ok, so it's only 7 squares, but I have some EEP, at long last!! Also some Cloud Bird which I also adore and which was the first of your designs to grab me! Thank you! I must confess even the sticker has been peeled off the tissue to grace my noticeboard, along with the promotional card (showing your gorgeous cushions) and my little cut out birdie logo...one very happy customer..."

To my surprise I had a reply from Heather:
"Hooray! Thanks so much for your lovely, lovely note! It's super-inspiring for my team to hear how much our packages are enjoyed. xx Heather

And then a second message:
"PS: If you're keen on more Eep, do email [email protected] and see if she can find more for you. We've discontinued that print, and Cloudbirds too, but we still have a couple of metres kicking about that we might be able to help you with, if you're keen."

I replied that I was keen! (This was sale stock, usually reserved for their home crowd). Several emails exchanges later with a very helpful lady called Sonia, I am now the proud owner of two half metres of Cloudbird. Sadly, even though I pestered for a thorough search and a very patient Sonia thumbed through the fat quarters, the EEP (top right in first pic above) was not forthcoming :(

Cloudbird in goldfinch and blackboard.

Flowerfields

I've also acquired this unusual Skinny laMinx design called Flowerfields as offcuts from a UK blind/curtain company. The fabric is a good weight and ideal for bag making, but i have a beloved wicker chair that needs a makeover and it may take all the squares and the Flowerfields. So unbelievably, the bags might have to take a 'backseat' (get it?) for a while! I'll get back to you on that!

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I left my heart in San Francisco...

3/5/2015

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Ok-I won't go on about the amaaazing holiday we had in San Francisco and Southern California-but definitely one that will be remembered! I did make a couple of purchases from Britex fabrics near Union Square in San Francisco: four floors of fabrics! Oh my-I kept searching for remnants-I knew they must be there somewhere and of course they were on the top floor-shelves and shelves of neatly folded temptation. I succumbed to two pieces each of which was 2.5 yds (yes they still work in imperial measures there) and I paid $40-which is about £26 - just over £5 a yard, which seemed pretty reasonable-its a good weight.

China Town was a riot of colour and I found some lovely glass beads at $5.99 (£4) for about 15. I bought them at the first shop I saw them and as I progressed through the streets I noticed there were plenty to be had. Fortunately for me the prices seem to rise as I got further in-so I felt I had done well! They will make lovely zip pulls for my bags.

Spot the flight bag!!

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March 06th, 2015

6/3/2015

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Done! My 'flight' bag for an upcoming trip to San Francisco...made in the beautiful 'Cloud Bird' fabric by Skinny laMinx. It took some thought to pick the lining, buckle and loops-but I'm really pleased with the finished result.

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Birds in flight...

24/2/2015

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At last the chance to make myself a bag. I found a lovely interiors fabric designed by Heather Moore of Skinny Laminx in South Africa. It's my current favourite motif of birds in flight, called Cloud Bird. It's the first in the collection below-I have it in grey and will accessorise in deep red. These designs are so fresh and vibrant - I love the tones she uses and the seemingly simplistic but very clever designs. It's difficult to source in the UK and prohibitively expensive to import. I was lucky with my piece...watch this space.

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Forward>>

Tools of the Trade - Part Two - A box of tricks!

Tools of the Trade - Part One - One careful owner...

The icing on the cake...

Skinny Malinky Long Legs...

I left my heart in San Francisco...

March 06th, 2015

Birds in flight...

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