Florence's Attic

May days

Oops, sorry about the break - as usual lots going on here...

Brighton Festival happens every May and it means there is lots to do.  We took part in the children's parade which officially opens the festival.  Mister J and I had a great time and stayed out in town after just the two of us which was a treat.  The theme this year was board games, and when we met his friends and their mums on the train into town we looked like a hen night gone wrong in our outfits!  Fortunately everywhere you looked in town people were dressed up.  We have done some open houses already, and plan to do a few more next weekend.  We went to two on the estates on the outskirts of town.  I always like to support these ones as it is far easier to open your house up in a trendy area such as Hanover and Fiveways, than out in Bevendean and Moulescoomb.  Some of the work we have seen is amazing.  Friends who aren't from Brighton often find the idea of open houses a bit strange, but if they do them near you then try them out.  Yes, I do have a nose at the houses and gardens, but who wouldn't - it is part of the fun!  It also supports artists and craftspeople as they get to sell their work direct.  Personally, I don't think I could open my house.  It is far too messy, and the children would probably get a bit bored by the afternoon on the first day!  Then of course there is the 32kg greyhound which likes to say hello to people whole heartedly...

We had rather a hicup at the beginning of the week as Bizzie broke her arm.  We didn't see her do it, just a couple of bumps on the stairs and a wail, but she was fine after - we even had dinner.  Even though she was still playing happily we felt there was something not right and kept getting her to catch things and squeeze things which was ok, but later on when she put weight on it she winced so that was it, straight up to a and e.  The two of us spent a lovely night up there (rounded off by a very lonely walk back to a dark multi-story car park which we paid for the privilege of using - the nhs eh).  Even at the hospital she was happy.  The assessment nurse gave her some Calpol, but she was actually just crying as she wanted chocolate from the machine.  After waiting for over 2 hours, I think everyone was getting fed up of her whining, so I found a doctor and asked if she could have chocolate.  She was eating this snack using her broken arm when the nurse came to say it was broken!  So she is so well (apart from a lovely cast all the way up her arm) and has refused all medicine, but we aren't .  She has no fear, and whilst some things have been addressed such as not having bunk beds, other things I can't control so I have now turned into one of those mothers who follow their children everywhere around the playground!  It has amazed me how she is not bothered by it.  The same stairs she did it on were the ones which I fell down when I was pregnant with her and ended up having the bones in my leg pinned and plated, so I am worried things come in threes.  I may get visitors to sign a disclaimer about using our steep Victorian stairs!

My round robin quilt has gone, and is hopefully there by now.  Here is a photo - not the best one I could have taken, but I was in a rush to get it posted out.  I trimmed the size down, but the white spotty fabric and I kept having rows about laying flat!  The checkerboard border, and the plain green one where put on at the exact size, so with an iron it behaved!  I was really happy with the block I received.  Sometimes, it is a question of what to leave out, than what to put in, and I felt the strippy second border gave me the chance to do something busy.  The green fabric it has been edged with is one of my hand dyes and fitted in perfectly with the green strip round the first block.  The backing I sent is a fine dark blue check.  I was rather shocked to open my sewing box and see the label peering back at me, so that will be on its way tomorrow!  It could have been worse and I could have forgotten to put the block or backing in I suppose.  I have heard there will be a bit of a delay getting my last round, but it is not a bad thing with how busy I have been. 

 

here it is originally

I have also been sewing some samples for college - anyone for a bit of folded patchwork?

and made my very first quilted postcard.  I actually started this a couple of months ago, but a couple of factors led me to actually get it finished.  The first is that it is from a photo of the landscape near my brothers house and his birthday is coming up and I wanted to give it to him.  The second is that I was inspired to make it from the book Landscape in Contemporary Quilts by Ineke Berlyn and I went to a talk she did last week.  It was really interesting as she discussed her inspiration, and explained the design and craft process she goes through to make her quilts.  It is the first talk I have been to where a quilter has pulled out a tray and demonstrated how they dye fabric.  It was interesting as the two techniques I have used is the plastic bags, soda, salt and dye method, and the sodaing fabric and then painting on it method.  What she does is (I think I remember) is soda's the fabric, and then puts it in a plastic bag with a small amount of water and the dye.  It seems quite a clean method and i will definitely look this up and give it a try.  When I got in I couldn't wait to pull the postcard out and finish it.  I loved making it, and whilst not happy with the composition can't wait to make more of these.  I always thought it was a mystery, but all you do is lay out the fabric and quilt it, then bondaweb it to pelmet vilene, cut it down to postcard size if it isn't already and satin stitch round it.  Of course, if you are reading this you probably already know this as i think I am the last quilty person I know who has made one of these!  Voila, here it is.  Again, not the best of photos, but it had to be sent out...

 

Happy Sunday

Frustration and a peek into the past

The return to routine round here has been delayed by Mister J being ill last night.  He is much better today, and will be at school 15 minutes early tomorrow!  Bizzie is going through the "why should I go to bed when the two of you are still up" phase, so I still haven't had that much sewing time.  She is so sweet, really really sweet, but boy does she have determination. 

I did get a little bit of sewing done on Saturday night when I went to babysit for friends.  I turned up with a big bowling bag full of notes and fabric and my hand sewing box and looked as if I was moving in for the night.  I had a lovely time, the children didn't wake up, and I sewed whilst watching rubbish tv including a Carry On film.  There is something about being at someone else's house which means you aren't thinking about all the other things you should be doing, like you would at home.  I feel I am in a bit of a rut and have lots of projects going on, so my aim this week is to get some of them finished.

To get a bit of inspiration last night, I turned to two vintage sewing books I recently bought in charity shops.  One is dated 1948, and the other doesn't have a date, but must be from the same period.  They make me realise how far we have come.  Both books have chapters on dressmaking, mending and reusing items, and a few crochet and knitting patterns.  The patterns in both books have no pictures, or diagrams, so you only find out what the project looks like as you are making it.  It is almost like making a mystery quilt.  I had to call my mum to find out what "stays" are, as one of the crochet patterns is for "Baby's Stays".  It seems a bit harsh to put a baby in a crochet corset, but when I am having to deal with a tantrum and having to get somewhere on time I can see the attraction!  It is the same with the embroidery patterns, with a description of the stitch and how to sew it, but no diagrams. Here are a few scans of the books, and a couple of the patterns.  Each book has about 10 crochet patterns in it, for shawls, a dolly and bedroom slippers.  My favourite is the "Brassiere (for a medium figure)", imagine sitting on the bus crocheting yourself a bra!  If anyone would like a photocopy  of the patterns (knitting as well as crochet) just let me know.  If you are having trouble reading some of the scans, just click on the picture to enlarge it)

I also got this in the post today, my Wee Wonderfuls Quilting Bee pattern.  I love it, and it is a lot bigger than the other Stitchettes, so when once I sewn it I want to make it into a cover for one of my ring binders with my patterns - perfect eh!

Finally, thank you to Louise for nominating me for a "You make my Day" award.  I would like to pass this on to some of my old favourite blogs, as well as a couple of new ones I have found.  So, in grand Oscar style speech, I would like to give this award to
Hillary whose blog was one of the first I found and is still a favourite
Jo whose blog I have just found.  I love the button jewellery she has done recently. 
Sarah the only blog person I have met.  Love the descriptions of her working process, and her cat is called Florence!
Michelle, my partner from the first doll quilt swap.  Her blog is a really good mix of quilting and crafting with kids
Kate, another Brit quilt blogger
Marisa, another blog I found through the doll quilt swap, full of lovely quiltyness
Quilt Whilst You're Ahead - I have only just found this one and am already a fan.  Crochet, quilting and humour - a fab mix
Amanda at Treefall (who has just introduced her gorgeous new baby on her blog - go and say hello)
Lynne - I love the work, and love the humour

and Louise, please accept this back from me - I love reading your blog.

Night Night x 

Quilting Bargains

Time is flying by and I feel we are most definitely in autumn.  I am loving the cosy evenings in and desperate to finish a quilt top to sit under and sew in the evenings.  Unfortunately my plans for my college quilt have stalled.  It is foundation piecing, to my original block pattern, and I cannot get all my grains sorted.  To those of you who don't do patchwork, I have probably lost you, but to those of you who do, you will know what I mean!  I need to work out fabric quantities to get on with dyeing and printing, but cannot do this until I have worked out exactly how much of each I need through my samples.  Grrr, I had great ideas when I broke up for the summer of having the top pieced by now.  It has however freed me up to get on with the Zine (after years of seeing them collecting dust under friends computer tabels, no one now has one) and other bits such as crocheting (more on this tomorrow).

I had a bit of luck in the charity shop last week.  Everyone I know seems to get great finds, but I rarely do.  Wel, meet my knew fabricsI  I don't really go in for ditsy prints, or even blue, but they were such a bargain and I liked these, I even left quite a few in the shop of prints I really didn't like and weren't Laura Ashley.  Each piece is at least a metre, some as much as three and there are two Laura Ashley cottons in there - one from 1976 so it is even older than I am!  I have decided that when I use it I will try to incorporate the selvedge so there is a bit of history in the quilt.  I also love the dark blue colour and print.  The other blue ones are big enough to back quilts with so I'll save them for that.  The cream and blue one at the top is in a upholstery weight, as is the stiff linen - these will be turned into bags.  I paid 50p for each piece, apart from the linen which was £1 - not bad eh?

I have also had a bit of a result with books.  I find you don't get many patchwork books in charity shops, so always snap them up when I do.  I love to see photos of seventies patchwork clothes (a dressing gown is my favourite, I must post it one day), and can always find projects to inspire me.  These are no exception, with projects going from the sublime to the ridiculous.  On the right is a booklet from the needlework development scheme, (more here).  It is tatty and not even all intact so the shop owner gave it to me for free, but I read about the sceme in a copy of Embroidery magazine and am really intrigued to find out more.  I love the style of needlework from the first half of the Twentieth Century.

 

Here are another two books, real finds.  The one on the right is a book of quilts from the American Museum in Bath.  It is a good book, full of colour photographs and short descriptions, and was a bargain for a quid.  The one on the left is by Valerie Campbell - Harding and is called simply Strip Patchwork.  If you are into strippy quilts I cannot recommend this enough.  I get frustrated at books which are just pattern after pattern, and this one is not like that.  She takes you through so many different ways of strip patchwork and curves.  Despite having black and white photography, it is so inspirational.  The link I have put in is to a later edition, which if you buy I hope has been left just as it was. 

 

and here is a peek inside at a picture for inspiration and diagrams.  The book is full of these diagrams for putting a quilt together.

So there we are, not much money spent and loads of information.  I still have a gap in my collection though.  I am about to Google to see how big a cot quilt should be.  I always make them really big so they fill a cot, or really small so they last for about a year in the buggy.  i am intrigued to see what size it should be and unbelievably I don't have that information on my shelf!

Happy Monday x 

Magazines

Busy busy at the mo - a work deadline, a collegey type deadline and the summer holidays.  I also made another doll quilt and pillow last night for a birthday girl.  This photo was taken from the top of the bus on my way home from work about 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon.  Being the grumpy moo I am I actually like this weather as it means Brighton is not too crowded.  I have always loved Brighton off season when the beach is empty and the sea a dark greeny blue, however it does feel a bit odd that it is the end of July.  In the background you can just make out the West Pier.

I have had a lot of magazine treats recently.  I get given some, read some at other people houses, or persuade people to buy them (mum I shall be borrowing the copy of Knit 1 very soon!).

First up, Country Living magazine had quite a few pages dedicated to their rural business awards.  Here are selection of them, with links to their websites.

Jan Constantine - check out the green pop art collection, absolutely gorgeous colours

Hume Sweet Hume - a shop in Orkney specialising in fashion and home accessories using knit, felt, stitch and more.  Lovely muted colours.

Kind Hearts Clothing - love the girls clothes

Jolie Home - the website of a cute shop in Hertfordshire.  Not a lot to buy on the website, but there are great photos of the shop.

Made in Hastings - Lots of different gorgeous bits.  I saw some of their wares at an open house in Brighton last summer and we bought Bizzie a lovely sunhat (which she then lost the following week in Rottingdean High Street - typical!).

Eve and Red magazines both have articles about disposable High Street clothing/Eco clothing.  It makes shocking reading the amount of units Primark and other retailers can shift of their stock each season.  I feel that in Britain we are concerned about getting the best quality food and drink, but do not have the same attitude with other material things and do not put much thought into how products can be retailed at such ridiculous prices.  The last shop on the list above, Made in Hastings, has it's niche that all the products are made locally.  I have for a long time felt that my local council are happy to have the Fair Trade logo on their publicity, but are not concerned about other, more local issues.  I am certainly not knocking Fair Trade, just take a look in my food cupboard, but I feel that the commitment of councils needs to go further to encourage local crafts persons.  For the large population of Brighton and Hove there are few farmers markets, but perhaps crafts should be incorporated into these more.  Interestingly there was a French market in Hove a couple of weeks ago and there was a stall selling quilts - I wonder if they would sell at a British street market and if people would pay the full amount for them...?

I was very excited to find my local WHSmiths stocking Embroidery magazine.  I have only ever managed to get this at Leeds Craft Centre - rather a long way from here!  I really like this magazine and find it well worth the £4.90 price.  This issue has an inspiring piece about using letters and words in your work, with lots of examples in machine and hand stitching.  It will have to wait though, as I am trying to persuade Mister J to go charity shop shopping with me as he wants to go to a party dressed as Luke or Hans from Star Wars!