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

Country Chic beckons

I've returned from planet wedding (aka Harrogate) where our daughter married her lovely long term partner but I've found it hard to get back to work; daily doses of wedding photo viewing are required at regular intervals.

However this weekend sees the first of the North Yorkshire Country Chic fairs this year and so has concentrated my mind somewhat. Before we left for the wedding I had bought an enormous and expensive quantity of fabulous vintage textiles so have set to turning them, hopefully, to profit.

Some simply require washing and pressing but in the case of this lovely fine French linen sheet I am leaving well alone. There is an original label from the draper's but should the purchaser wish to use the sheet, a couple of hot washes will soften and lighten the fibres

This softly faded cotton is perfect for a cottage style lampshade

I love the strong cherry red in this ticking; in fact the fabric is so strong it would have been great for an upholstery project had there been a bigger piece. These cushions would be equally at home inside or in a conservatory or garden; we may get a summer this year!
I've been sewing so much over the last week that the sewing machine finally begged for mercy yesterday grinding to a noisy halt. After clearing the feed dog and shuttle of an enormous amount of packed in lint I took the hint and decided to sand, paint and wax instead

This small cupboard would sit neatly in a bathroom or kitchen, painted in Farrow and Ball "Old White"

I really like this bigger version with its crazed mirror glass; perhaps not the best for applying make up but very decorative.

I chickened out of using this dull pink on my stairs but the matchpot came in useful for painting the inside of the cupboard
The Country Chic fair is this Saturday and Sunday from 9.30-4.30 in Whixley village Hall. Whixley is a very pretty village situated just off the main Harrogate to York road and only a couple of miles from the A1 so hopefully it will be easily accessible for lots of you. Come along for a tempting collection of painted furniture and mirrors, vintage textiles and furnishings and jugs, china all in the shabby chic style.

I'll be taking a couple of pretty French parosols, very decorative even if the sun doesn't shine

A delightful pair of French boots

Spot the bubble trapped in this handmade glass jarwhich contained a supplement for calves; young cows that is not legs!

Nice functional piece, these filing drawers make organising more interesting
Hope to show you these and more if you get chance to come along; now back to the rejuvenated sewing machine

The current favourite corner

Last weekend's open house seemed to lead to a mini spring clean as I tidied the leftover stock away and returned normality to the ground floor. I had sold my gorgeous blue skittles (know you'll love them just as well, Sarah) so the mantelpiece was in for rearrangement.

I did however find that I preferred one corner just as I'd set it up for the sale.

This fab cupboard came from Station Antiques in Chipping Norton just before Christmas and was intended for elsewhere in the house but was "dumped" in the living room until after the festive season only to find that this corner was the perfect location. Still looking for the perfect TV cupboard for the sitting room!

I love this French tin which contained sweets, think its that wonderful red. The lid is incredibly stiff so more ornament than storage

I like these lamps made from stone balustrades and they have a real presence....i.e. very heavy and tall!
I'm keeping this one with the white linen shade as it gives such a great light, clear yet soft

The daffodils are in zinc containers, small enough not to need huge numbers of plants but big enough for a garden planting. I'll be taking these to Peterborough this weekend so the corner will have to change then.

The log burner was a real hit over the weekend giving a welcome warmth and welcome to all visitors, many thanks to all of you who came and hope to see more of you at forthcoming sales
The blog shop is about to be updated and I'll be adding some furniture items

Spring Open House this weekend

I always enjoy getting the house ready for one of my open house sales but this time its involved rather more furniture shifting than usual. I've a few pieces of furniture to sell so making room for them has been a priority.

The large space we cleared in the sitting room to accommodate an extra sofa whilst the log burner was fitted has been usefully filled by a bed!
This sweet brass and iron bed has been stored for use by our grandchildren only to find that a blow up bed is a much more practical and indeed very popular alternative. Hopefully someone else will enjoy dressing it with a quilt and a pile of cushions; the art nouveau motif is particularly nice.

This weekend however it will be great to show off the quilts and the abundance of red and blue cushions I have at present

This oak dresser has really neat proportions so useful storage where space is tight. It has polished up nicely but could of course be given a painted finish

I placed this sweet hat and gloves as if their owner had just returned from her errands; think I had Mrs Dalloway in mind!

The paint finish on this bench is original and a lovely shade of green and cream. Great for halls and conservatories these benches can also be left outside although maybe not over a winter as long and chilly as this one is proving to be.

They are lovely left bare but I find ours tends to fill up with cushions or more often abandoned coats..please note discarded shoes husband dear!

I have a tiny cupboard for sale, very beautifully painted inside and out with a waxed finish; it sits nicely on a table and hides a stack of CDs for instance

I like this interesting box although the camera hasn't captured the lovely dark blue grey paint colour. It was used to carry round radio equipment in WW11 and I love the stencilled instruction to "handle like eggs" obviously more precious than china in the war

Finally a close up of the mantelpiece with a French road sign and a rather lovely portrait
Do hope I'll see some of you on Friday or Saturday; if you need directions just email or ring as its always lovely to welcome customers both old and new

return to the past

I first called myself hellish designs many years ago when making greetings cards to send to friends and family
So it seems ironic and a little sad that I've rather neglected this element of the business of late
It's probably down to commerce in that the cards are a relatively low earner and take up more space than can be justified at fairs but also lack of inspiration I'm afraid.
Its easy to make cushions and bags when presented with fabulous vintage fabrics, less easy to start designing a card from scratch.  However I was fortunate enough to buy some very old (1849) French legal documents at the Manchester fair on Sunday. This fair always delivers the unusual!
The beautiful copperplate handwriting is tiny, the perfect scale for a card and there are some interesting seals as well. I've used it as a background in a collage of family photos and fabric scraps

With my daughter's wedding in mind I've designed a wedding day card using my parent's wedding photo
They look so young! What a fabulous lace veil although not at all what Imogen has in mind for her wedding outfit

Had to even things up with a photo from my husband's past; his father with his 2 boys
Love the blue linen fabric which is actually a photo torn from a magazine, wish I had the real thing

My lovely grandma and her brother, Percy are, somewhat unbelievably given their clothes, sitting on Scarborough beach
I've now run out of documents, typical, just when I was really enjoying making the cards. Still hopefully it's got me started on card making again.

One occasion when I do sell a lot of cards is at my open house when I have plenty of room to display everything I make. Hope you'll come along next week..Friday and Saturday..do leave a comment if you need more information. I'm selling several larger pieces of furniture; photos to follow early next week.
The blogshop is now full of cushions, click on the link to the right to take a look.

First fair of the year

It's been three months since my last fair; the longest lay off I can remember and some of the time at least used productively. Nevertheless I feel quite nervous preparing for next Sunday's textile society fair in Manchester. The early morning start, rush to set up amidst trade buyers who arrive early and most of all, will I sell anything?
I've always enjoyed this fair as there is a great mixture of vintage and ethnic textiles, both fashion and furnishing so it appeals to a wide range of customers, often very knowledgeable about the fabrics they are looking for.

I'll be taking more fabrics to sell than usual alongside my designs; quilts, manglecloths, sheets and some fab 1950s curtain fabric. I have however been sewing madly and have more than enough cushions and shades to fill the stall, hopefully enough for my spring open house which follows 2 weeks later (see details to left of post)

I first used this lace before Christmas when it sold so quickly I had had no time to take photos; I have made more now including this pair combining the lace with antique French linen, first world war sheets which had never been used to be precise

This group combines the lace with vintage linen, also mother of pearl buttons

I always buy warm red fabrics with roses, they're great for living rooms or on beds

The brick red and cream of this quilted toile cushion tone beautifully with the Hungarian monogram on cream linen

This beautiful blue print, roses again, has made a lovely pile of cushions

Pair of sweet candle stick shades

I like this simple floral shade, lovely for a cottage interior. Hope to make another before Sunday if you need a pair of shades

Finally some lovely scraps of quilted fabric, too small for real cushions they've made pretty lavender sachets
Do hope you'll come and see but ring or email for details if you'd like to buy any of the items and can't get to Manchester. I'm also pleased to say we have a date for the first Country Chic fair of the year. It will be on Sat/Sun April 20/21 at Whixley village hall, details to left or visit Polly's website

a new perspective

We're having a wood burner fitted so the contents of the living room are dispersed around the house. I'm rather taken with the sofa in its new spot in the bay window of the sitting room. It won't work in the long run but a nice spot to perch in today's sunshine or to use for today's photos

Of course any photographer could tell me that sunlight shining straight into the lens is not a recipe for the perfect shot and must admit cushions are clearer when placed on a sofa to the side of the window

The quilt looks soft and inviting slung over the sofa; sure a cat will find it before long

Its a pretty traditional eiderdown with sweet rose print.

A slightly larger example which sits nicely on a double bed.  Measurements and prices of all the quilts and cushions are on the blogshop; click on image to right of the post

I have 3 very nice Durham quilts at present. I love these simple handstitched quilts which lie beautifully over a duvet or can be used as a throw or even curtain. Even the white underside with handstitched quilting looks good in a minimalist contemporary setting.
This quilt has some lovely florals and I particularly like the cherry red against the denim blue patches.

This quilt could work well as a hanging or maybe the strong colours would be good in a teenager's room.
 There is some damage to the edges and to a few of the patches but such a lot of work has gone into the design and stitching that it is well worth saving.

Finally a lovely floral quilt which is completely reversible; the warm pink for autumn and winter and the soft blue for the warmer months maybe. There is no patchwork here but lots of lovely hand sewing and 2 lovely prints, turn the underside down for contrast if you can't choose between the 2 prints.

I've taken more images so if you're interested in any of the eiderdowns or quilts just take a look at the blogshop