Birthday Gifts





Hello Everyone, how nice to see you.  I do hope you are enjoying life and keeping well.  I wanted to share a couple of wonderful gifts I received last week for my birthday.  It is so difficult for everyone to find gifts for us older generation as we are sometimes perceived as having everything we need.  I always think the best present of all is to spend time with those we love but that doesn't stop me enjoying the gifts I receive.  I love cushions as they are things which can change the whole emphasis of a room whether it is colour, season or event.  My new cushion is very much in tune with the crafting revolution we are enjoying.

What Fun!

It has really got me thinking about how I can make another one to match and I would love some of your ideas my lovely readers.  I was thinking of a caravan or a beach scene.  For my level of sewing it won't be as detailed or neat as this one but, hopefully, will be a nice addition to the settee. 

I also received a gorgeous set of vintage books which are going to provide me with hours of reading. As you have probably guessed, I do love the 1940s/50s as it was a great period of change.  The books reflect this development coming out of the terrible years of war.

Ideal Home 

1947-8

Well lovely readers this is a fantastic book, if you ever manage to get your hands on a copy please grab it.  I was lucky enough to be given three books in total from 1947 to the early 1950s and they are fabulous.  Even the advertisements made me chuckle as some of them seem very 'Un PC' now, although at the time no one else would have batted an eyelid.  I am very aware that a lot of you will not remember anything about this period and I am glad to say that even I wasn't born at the time this book was published!!  What did strike me though was the similarity between some of the trends then and those which we have now.  

Shades of Victoria Beckham?

This gorgeous suit really reminds me VB's style and wouldn't look out of place now for a special outing - what do you think readers?  I was also very interested in the domestic life portrayed in this book.  All of this was, as you can imagine, centred very much around the home and again links in with today's attention to domestic life.  The difference is of course is that labour saving gadgets were not around in this era compared with now when families have so many other things they have to deal with such as work and other commitments.  There was also a greater emphasis on new technology such as television, new style cookers and boilers.  A huge difference was also the inclusion of cigarettes and people smoking in the majority of photographs and advertisements.  There were so many images I could have included but don't want to bore you lovely readers, if you like them let me know and I will include others from time to time.  I am sure that lots of you have these types of books and probably enjoy the nostalgia as much as I do.  The final image from the book is one which I found amusing because of the footwear - I can sadly remember wearing some boots like these when I was in junior school and felt like the 'bees knees' in them!  I wonder what you think?

Love the Boots!

Well Everyone, enough of these frivolities, what about work?  Well I must confess that sometimes I seem to be doing a lot of reading, planning, thinking and so on without actually getting down to doing anything.  I have a lot of projects in my mind, including finishing the crochet and the vintage cushions, starting a cafetiere cover and finishing off a little knitted cardigan which I started just ages ago.  Am I alone or do other people have lots of unfinished projects all over the place?  My goal is to really stop fiddling about and getting distracted by all these lovely blogs, magazines and books and actually get down and produce things...........I have actually finished something which I can show you dear readers.  I made this little owl for a special person in my life and thought I would show you.  I do hope you like it, it is all hand sewn and I had lots of fun making it.  The sweet little heart on the front was a special extra which a lovely local company called Dragonfly Workshops did for me.  I haven't given a link yet as they only have an email so I have contacted them to ask their permission to give this. If they are happy I can give you the link in another post.  I do hope you like it and I have plans for many more - if time allows! 

A fun make



Well lovely readers, nearly time to finish off.  I just had a little more to share with you.  In order to further my sewing skills I have joined a craft club with Seamstar which is a fairly local firm and I have been buying from them for a while.  This month the theme is vintage and the pack comes with a selection of fabrics, felts, trimmings and buttons.  They do give you some guidance for a small project and the rest is left to your imagination.  Well I have changed my mind over a dozen times about what to make and perhaps you can help me.

 I bought Mollie Makes yesterday and there was a wee little doll which I thought was very cute so this is what I am thinking about.  Have you any ideas, would really welcome some encouragement as the problem with me is that I want everything to be 'perfect' which of course it won't be at this level of sewing.  Also I am not sure what perfect means in this world as often, imperfections are what makes us so attractive (so I tell myself every day when I look in the mirror).  I hope you have lots of lovely ideas but what ever I make I promise I will share with you all.  Have really loved chatting to you as always and hope to hear from you all very soon.  I am off to read my favourite blogs now before getting down to my unfinished projects - promise!! 

I must apologise to you all but I have struggled with the layout of the post today, the gremlins have been in this computer all day and I have tried to set out the post in a justified text but this last section won't go into this and continues to be centralised.  I hope it hasn't distracted you - it has driven me mad as I do like text to be in the same format.

Bye for now. xxxxx