Cushions or should that be pillows

Last week lampshades, this week it's time to sew some cushions or should I be calling them pillows.  I know the Americans have always referred to those squashy things on the sofa as pillows but it was always cushions in the UK but recently I have noticed that more and more of my customers describe them as pillows. Certainly the word cushion can often be challenging to northern vowel sounds like mine and perhaps pillow sounds softer and more appropriate but then what do we call those things our heads rest on whilst in bed
Anyway to the point.... I bought some pieces of quilted toile in December and was looking forward to seeing them made up

There was one piece large enough for the front of a cushions and the other pieces have been combined with white linen

The second piece was part of a bed hanging I think and I've kept the scalloped edge to overlap the white linen although the cushion opens at the back as usual. It's a story I've come across before, Le Digit Coupe or the cut finger and shows a little boy having his injured finger bound up by an old lady
A cat features at his feet

And for dog lovers the third smaller cushion is La Bonne Nouvelle, although no text on this piece. "The good news" is being read whilst a pekenese sits at his feet

I picked up some nice pieces of French ticking; simple blue stripe with enough for a large pair of cushions. This size is almost the same as a pillow and looks good on beds.

Also a beige linen ticking, much rarer and if bigger very nice for lampshades. I've teamed the ticking with a cream vintage linen and finished the group with a large shade in this cream linen. Looks lovely lit as the cream fabric gives a warm glow

Finally a group of simple mangle cloth cushions. These linen pieces with striped edges were used to protect fragile pieces of fabric whilst being mangled and are very useful for making shades and cushions. Finished this group with a small shade with striped band

Am now working on new greetings cards as stock had become very low by the end of last year
My next open house will be at the beginning of March, slightly earlier than usual but do hope you can make it; get in touch if you need directions....be lovely to see everyone after the winter break

new lampshades

Finally, finally I've started to sew again just when the sewing machine thought it was safe to retreat under the cover. I spent last week procrastinating; blogging, emailing, tidying drawers for heavens sake, it was beginning to look as though the oven would get a clean! And all the while that pile of expensive fabric was staring reproachfully from a corner of the room..or so it seems.
And yet as is usually the way when you confront the tasks you've put off, or swallow your frogs as a friend calls it, its not so bad after all. Sitting sewing in a sunny room with radio 4 a constant companion is not a bad life I hear you say and of course you're right. So a quick blog to show you the results..having forced myself into a small photography session of course

First up a rather smart linen ticking stripe shade which I've photgraphed on a glass base although a tall wooden column would be good for this one

I was fortunate in picking up several small floral prints in December, all perfect for shades
This is my favourite, a cream background with pink and red floral. It would be a perfect cottage lamp on a base like this

A pretty pink fabric with the flowers in cream "lozenges"

I love this pale pink sprigged fabric and have more to make up..perfect on the glass column or wooden base..see image on left

A simple linen shade has a wide band for definition

Pair of small pink Vichy check shades would look good on small pair of lamps on console or either side of bed
I'm intending to put these shades with prices on the blogshop but do get in touch via the comment section if you're interested in buying
Those that don't find a home will be coming to the Wisborough Green brocante on Feb 8th..see details to the side of this post. Weather permitting it will be the first hellish design sale of the year

Back on the road again....

I'm not sure whether it makes any kind of economic sense, especially considering the price of fuel, but planning a holiday around standing at a vintage fair is a lot more fun than slogging up and down the M1.
I had a lovely time at Lucy's lovely Sussex Brocante in the very pretty West Sussex village of Wisborough Green. How I wish I could be there every month and many thanks to all the enthusiastic customers who funded my break. It was a long time since I had last visited Sussex and I can thoroughly recommend a visit to the Bloomsbury group's farmhouse, Charleston, and to Virginia Woolf's house in nearby Rodmell. I also enjoyed visiting Igigi, mentioned in the last post, which satisfied needs corporeal (great Welsh rarebit) and ethereal.
And so off again at the end of the week to lovely, lovely Cornwall and most especially the Roseland penisula with tiny Porthscatho almost at the end. Oh will the weather behave? It was so lovely in Sussex to stroll around in a sundress and sit on a beach but tremendous thunderstorms saw us hurtling back to reality on Tuesday evening here in Nottingham.

This though is the perfect weather to escape to my greenhouse, although the level in the water tank is becoming dangerously high; a greenhouse which nurtures my soul more than it ever did plants and truth be told is an extremely useful stock cupboard.

I'm storing some pots on the printer's shelves and stone bottles on the table

I've made these floral barkcloth cushions for the Homespun fair in Porthscatho; their soft greens and yellows are the colour of the roadside banks and possibly the greys are the colour of the skies but lets not be pessimistic, perfect for a country cottage bed.

The best seller at Wisborough Green was undoubtedly my lampshades, and thanks to their bulky nature this made a pleasant difference when repacking the car. Just time then between fairs to restock in the hope that Cornwall likes them. This Vichy check is usually popular, oh to find some bigger affordable pieces with which to make larger shades
I am no photographer but at least taking lots of digital shots helps; I thought I had understood that it is best to snap with the sun behind you but in my workroom the reverse seems to be the case. Generally I find items placed on the table below the south facing window are shown in their true colours.

Anyway it allows me to show how warm and golden the light is through this white linen shade thanks to its cream lining and yet how white it is when unlit, like the rain dashed windows on the edge of the shot

I like making these wide banded shades with something of the prom dress about them

This floral has been so popular for shades but this is the last, or possibly there's enough for a teeny one; a very pretty shade

Beautiful blue, I've placed this tiny shade on my favourite indigo tablecloth; again the last scrap of a favourite lampshade fabric

If you live in Cornwall or are lucky enough to be holidaying there, don't miss Jane and Gertie's lovely fair next Sunday or indeed a visit to their shop in Porthscatho..The Sea Garden
And if you go buying at Kempton racecourse.tomorrow..I'll be there on my stall  come rain or shine...slogging up and down the motorway in a day

Telling the story

One of my favourite trade customers always talks of the "story"; we need to tell a story she says.
By this she means choosing cushions and shades which work well together and draw the customer into their grouping in order to promote a purchase or maybe more than one.

I find these stories often emerge as fabrics lie next to one another in piles in my workroom or accidentally as I place cushions in bags ready for fairs. The starting point for this story was a lovely vintage French floral with pink roses on a red ground. it looks great with cream or beige and tones with stripes as in this image

Sometimes there may be a positive/negative connection as in this group.

Finished cushions and shades sit in a muddle on the chaise longue in my workroom awaiting pricing and photography. However I decided to bring these down to my bedroom for neater shots; this little sofa is such a favourite piece. I recently made this simple loose cover from a lovely slightly crumpled linen sheet I'd bought

I often make both cushions and shades from the same fabric in case someone is looking to coordinate them in a room.

I like this "waisted" shape shade and have accentuated it with a wide striped band.

The floral panel shade is a regular favourite and I like using a toning stripe if possible.

If you see anything you like just email for individual photos

Time to restock

Seems a while since my last post and I guess the reason is 2 weekends away from home selling at fairs.
The salvage fair was great fun despite an incredibly wet Saturday; the marquees proved watertight and customers visiting on that day were obviously the keen type and spent well. I had wondered what stock to take to fit the brief and the garden containers, rustic cushions and fabrics did sell but in addition I sold more pretty lampshades than average.
So this week time to restock and its nice to be home in the peace of the workroom albeit with builders downstairs banging a hole in the wall! The new Laura Marling will hopefully keep the choas at bay.

I like this very simple shade in beige linen, a good size for bedside or living room and lined in cream for brighter light.

Another simple but very effective fabric is this cream textured linen; I've chosen to give it a simple tie finish

This is the third and sadly final shade in this beautiful French faded cotton. The colours are perfect Farrow and Ball; the background matches Pigeon or shown here against Hardwick White...sad I know.....

This is classic French, lovely blue Vichy check, named for the area of France where it originates and sadly increasingly hard to find. It and its pink counterpart make lovely shades which give soft diffused light.

When I saw this piece of fabric at the V&H fair on Saturday it said lampshades; lovely soft draping fabric with perfect cottage roses print. This is quite a large shade but I'll make some smaller ones from the rest of the fabric
I've just opened an Etsy shop, hope you'll take a look, and hope to put some of these shades on it. I'm also intending to update the blogshop, just click on the link to the right

Vintage alphabet

I've always admired beautiful old embroidery and would love to be able to afford a lovely old sampler but exquisitely embroidered monograms are still affordable. These monograms can be found on napkins, towels, sheets and clothing, often part of a bride's dowry and marking her possessions with her new married initials.
Even if the tablecloth or sheet is worn the mongram is usually salvagable and can be made into another functional item.

I love incorporating a mongram into a linen cushion cover, using antique linen for the surround, and these cushions can make lovely personalised gifts. In the run up to Christmas I try to have as many intials as possible as they are always popular. I've recently bought a large supply and am currently making sweet little cushions which sit happily on a chair or bed and can make the perfect christening or wedding gift or perhaps a special birthday can be marked with one.

I love the faded pink of this group, originally red but uniformly faded and very pretty.

I particularly like the cross stitch embellishments on these mongrams

Very stylish, white on white; very sweet as a christening gift

This is a T but must confess it looks quite like a C to me; often ask the french lady I buy from to "translate" the letter

The P and V are really lovely with a floral design incorporated into the letters

I used to make up the mongrams as they were, that is a double set of first and last name, but as it was difficult to find exactly the right pair for a customer I now separate the 2 letters and make smaller cushions. I've left this RL for now as it was on a linen cushion cover.

Similarly TS remains for now; a beautiful monogram on a very fine linen tablecloth

Would these 2 make a gift for a newly qualified doctor?
Each cushion is 30cm square and contains a feather pad; usually £22, readers of my blog can buy one for £20 or 2 for £36 until the end of April. (Postage is £3). Just leave a comment and I'll send images of any letters you're interested in.
Had a lovely time catching up with both buyers and sellers at last weekends Country Chic fair: this Saturday I'll be heading in the opposite direction to the Vintage Bazaar at Hartley Wintney. I've been on Liz's waiting list for ages so excited about my first fair with her..wish me luck and come and say hello if you can

back to basics

I started my textile business in 2003 and one of my first designs was this little storage bag.
Very simple and designed to showcase the fabric and hide away unattractive necessities in bathroom, bedroom or wherever you like.

This early example lives in my guestroom containing tissues, make up remover, toothbrush and any other bits I save from hotel stays to pass on to friends and family who may have forgotten something vital in their packing.

Yesterday I made a couple from some of my favourite scraps of fabric. In this design the lining folds over to give a contrasting cuff..just fold up to store taller bottles etc.
This vintage Laura Ashley chintz contrasts with rustic Hungarian linen stripe.

I've placed it next to a jug of roses to continue the floral theme. These apricot roses flower outside my french windows but were about 3 weeks later than usual into bloom; just in time for the Jubilee weekend rain!

This bag uses a lovely old piece of linen union with soft vintage linen inside.

I picked up this unusual purple striped sack last week....like it with my little book which is a regular prop.

I'm tempted to hang onto this gloriously faded quilted cushion. I bought the quilted piece from Jo (Hesta Nesta) who always seems to find great quilts. Decided to leave it as a piece and just decorate with a few buttons
The last two weekends have been busy ones with 4 fairs in all so it will be good to spend the next at home catching up on gardening and seeing my family. Whilst I tittled off to Stamford last Staurday I persuaded my husband to repaint our old summerhouse in Farrow & Ball Mouse's Back.

 I think I like the result!..probably just needs getting used to after 15 years in its sea green incarnation.
Like the marble top table against the new colour.

 The marble piece came from a trip to the local tip a few years ago; sadly on Tuesday all that was on offer was more garden waste just like ours.
Lets hope the showers stop and we can enjoy June for the beautiful month it can be.