What a long week Folks!

Hello Lovely Folks how are you all doing?  I hope you are all well and happy.  Do come in and have a coffee and something to eat.

 

Well it seems to have been an age since we last chatted and I have missed you all very much.  Amongst one of my many resolutions this year was one which I promised myself that I would not let work over-run my whole life and I would free up some time for crafting, blogging and doing all the things I love to do.  However that particular resolution took a real battering this week and I have hardly had a moment to spare.  At this time of the year many people do catch colds and flu and so it was at work.  We had so many people off ill and it was all hands to the pump unfortunately.  We got there in the end but I have felt frazzled all week!  I was determined that I would go out today and have some fun so took myself off to Shrewsbury once again.  Last week when I went I didn't feel that I had time to have a proper look around so I set off early this morning looking forward to a great day out.  The lovely Jane from Plain Jane had told me about a fab fabric shop which I had completely missed on my earlier trip so I was determined to find it.  Thanks so much Jane you were absolutely right, it was wonderful.

 

Just to bring you up to date with the little crafting I have been trying to do this week - I am working very slowly on a couple of secret gifts which I cannot show you yet until they are finished and delivered safely to my lovely friends.  Once I have done that I will show you.  However I did manage to finish an iPad case for my husband's friend who said that he would like one for his new iPad.  The whole lot only cost £1 as I made it from a bag of scrap fabric which I bought ages ago at a sale.  I am hoping that he will like it, it is very plain but hopefully manly enough - I was tempted to put some fancy buttons on but thought better of it - you know what I am like with beads and buttons..........

 

 

 

I couldn't decided on a button or press stud - however you know how wary I am of using buttons so I stuck to Velcro in the end which was far easier. 

 

 

My first stop at Shrewsbury was a charity shop and I found this nice little cake tray from the 1930s - I do love this era and at £1.50 I thought it was a bargain.  It needs a little cleaning up around the handle but will look pretty with some fancy cakes on it.  Do you like it? 

 

 

I spotted this box in a window and liked it because I thought it would hold some buttons.  When I went in the lady had to climb into the window to get it and I was getting a little nervous thinking about the cost and the condition of it as it was quite a fancy shop.  However, it was the last one in the shop and we discovered that there was a tiny button missing from the top of  it - I hadn't noticed but she had so she suggested £5 which I thought was ok. 

 

 

Then she opened it to show me inside and I was amazed as I genuinely thought it was just a container.  Meet Dolly........................

 

 

I think she is a real cutie and I just love all her outfits - for £5 it was a real bargain - I know that there are some little Peeps out there who will love playing with her when they come to visit us. 

 

 

Following lovely Jane's post I made my way to the beautiful fabric shop called Watson and Thornton.  I promise you lovely Friends that the little lady peeping through the shop window in the photograph is not me.  I was standing on the other side of the road waiting for her to move so that I could take the picture but she was there ages so in the end I had to snap it.  People were all walking past me and I had to keep standing in the road to let them by so the photograph is not that steady as you can see as I was also dodging cars coming down the street.  The building is so lovely to look at.

 

 

Here she is again, still looking bless her.  In the end she didn't go in for some reason but had obviously paid a lot of attention to the contents of the window. 

 

 

I didn't take many photographs inside the shop as it was so busy but I was absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of things in there and could have spent a fortune.  I honestly couldn't make a decision on anything.  I didn't have any projects in mind so I think that was the problem but honestly do go and have a look if you are in Shrewsbury Folks as it is amazing. 

 

 

Anything to do with sewing was here and the staff really knew their stuff when it came to helping people decide what they needed.  I wish this shop was nearer to me as I would be visiting every day. 

 

 

On my way back into the main part of town I noticed a little street I have never been to before so wandered down.  But before I forget, anyone thinking of visiting Shrewsbury at the end of the month might like to go to this vintage show - if I am free then I will be thinking of it so have to save my pennies from now on.

 

The street I was on was called St John's Hill and I nearly missed this wonderful shop at the end of the row called  Violet Rose.  It is a gorgeous shop with so many little rooms to explore.  The young lady who owns the shop is so helpful and delightful to talk to.  Everything in the shop is well cared for and in beautiful condition.

 

 

 

I tried to take a photograph of one of the windows but the sun was shining on the reflection but can you make out the fabulous outfit in red.  I would have loved to have worn this when I was younger, it is so glamorous, fancy going skating wearing this Lovely Folks wouldn't you feel the Bee's Knees!  

 On the top floor there is the bridal and evening wear section.  I spied this gorgeous cream/coffee coloured dress which I thought was in wonderful condition and so in vogue with the style of today. 

 

 

 

It is a lovely ballerina length and had an old photograph pinned to it which really intrigued me. 

  

 

As you can see from the photograph below the bride was married in this dress on 12th May 1956 and I love the fact that I was called witchcraft lace which I haven't heard of before, have any of you?

The photograph is not that clear so I do apologise as I think it was a photocopy of a newspaper clip or an older photograph.  However she does look lovely in the dress doesn't she - I wonder what happened to her.  She must have treasured her dress and kept it carefully put away as it was in amazing condition considering it is 58 years of age.  I really wanted to buy it to keep it safe but had to give myself a big talking to Folks - what a silly think to contemplate.  I do hope some beautiful young bride to be comes in and buys this for her wedding. 

 

 

There were so many gorgeous things in this lovely shop and I could have spent a small fortune. 

 

 

I just love these radios as they are part of my childhood when we didn't have a television or DVD player.  Listening to the radio was our entertainment and I do feel that it really helped to form a child's imagination.  I particularly loved Uncle Mac who was on every Saturday and Sunday morning playing requests for children.  He always used to sign off saying 'Goodbye children - everywhere' and I always thought he was only talking to me. 

 

 

 There were loads of packets of glamorous stockings.

 

 

Very racy underwear, I am sure that this little outfit would have driven men wild. 

 

 

 The sturdy old Singer sewing machine - I am sure that this one has sewed many miles of thread in it's heyday.

 

 Lots of wonderful old patterns and buttons.  I was really weakening here lovely Friends.

 

 

Just look at all these dresses.  They were all in amazing condition and the colours were fabulous. 

 

 

 

Now lovely Friends I must admit that I did buy something special.  The lovely owner of the shop said that the fabric was Liberty, I don't recognise the pattern but I am not an expert, anyone know which one this is?  She thought it was dated around 1940 which is the timeframe which I love.  The photograph below shows part of the hemline in red cotton stitching.  I am not sure if the owner's machine was playing up as this side that you can see looks really good but if you turn it over it looks as if the bobbin has been misbehaving and missing out stitches.  You can also just make out the hand stitching in white cotton.

 

The photograph below is hard to make out as I tried to take it as near to the fabric as possible to show you the hand work.  It is part of the band across the middle of the garment and I am not sure if you can make out the stitches, again all done by hand.

The back of the piece has two straps which she had inserted extra pieces of fabric which are different to the main one.  I am not sure if she was trying to lengthen the straps or whether they had worn out and she was trying to mend them. 

 

For goodness sake what is it you are all saying........have a look below - another pinny.  I just fell in love with the style, the fabric and the fact that almost every inch of it has been handsewn by someone. You can see more clearly the two pieces of extra fabric put in the straps.   Possibly she has done all this work at night sitting by the fire at the end of the day.  A pinny in those days was such an essential part of a woman's wardrobe and often there was very little money left to spend on such an important part of her 'work uniform'. 

 

Here is the front - I do love it and wish I knew more about the woman who made and wore this every day.  I hope my obsession with pinnies is not going to reach the epidemic heights that my tea towels have reached...............Would love to know what you think of it and do you like it?

 

Well all my Lovelies I must leave you now for a short while.  I have loved chatting with you and always miss talking to you.  I do hope you have a fabulous day/evening tomorrow depending on where you are in the world.  Do keep yourselves, warm, safe and above all happy.  I do send you all my love and hugs.  Do leave a comment if you are able to as I love hearing from each and every one of you.  See you soon, Dorothy :-)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx