Treasury love

I know I've been quiet over the past week or so - I'm frantically getting ready for another craft fair on Sunday. To prove it, here is the mess that constitutes my creative space.

Just out of shot is a mug of tea that constantly mocks me - I fill it often and yet 'tis always cold when I come to sip it.

Anyway, apart from moaning, I also wanted to gloat a bit (oh dear, not exactly showing my best side today am I?). The Grace handbag was included in a treasury this weekend . It's called Vintage Florals and is by Jai.C.Maie. Look at all the vintage loveliness....

Sale: Hurray it's Christmas in July!

You know how they say that Christmas seems to come earlier every year? Well, this time it's true! I'm taking part in the Etsy 'Christmas in July' sale - so, from now until the end of the month, I'm offering a 20% discount on every item in my Etsy shop over $20. Browse my shop here

Prices listed are the full price - to receive the discount, pay as usual via paypal and I'll issue a 20% refund once the order has gone through.

Right, I'm off to put some fairy lights up around my hanging baskets.... "Jingle bells, jingle bells..... "

Treasury love

Yay - the Lola 'Vintage Butterfly Garden Tote' has been featured in an Etsy treasury. It's called Cottage by the Sea and was made by Shop On A Lark

It's grey and dreary here today so I am very much appreciating the beach cottage theme!

Another contestant for the best tip ever!

Just as I'd got over the wonder of Flossie Teacakes' hemming tip, there's an equally genius and simple tip on Sew Mama Sew that will change my life - again. I'm often sewing narrow tubes for handles and really hate the turning right-side out shenanigans. I've got a tool to help but it never really works and always results in much swearing - but no more! Place a long peice of tape or ribbon along the inside of the tube as you sew it up, then secure the ribbon in place by sewing along one short end. Then pull on the tape to turn the tube the right way out. See the full tip here.

The "ta-da" moment
photo from Sew Mama Sew

Again, I'm really very excited about this. Also, am becoming increasingly aware that I probably need to get out more!

The best tip ever!

Florence from Flossie Teacakes has just changed my life forever with her incredibly simple but amazingly genius tip about hemming. Instead of laboriously measuring round the hem with pins she uses a peice of A4 card with lines drawn at 1/4" intervals and then uses this as a pressing guide - see the full tip here.

photo from Flossie Teacakes

I can't believe I've never thought of this before - I wonder how many minues of my life I've wasted!!!

My fabric stash really doesn't need to get any bigger right now, but I took a sneaky peek on Ebay last week and couldn't resist bidding on these vintage cotton curtains. I'm loving the stripe and floral combo - there's definitely something of the deckchair in a summer garden about this little beauty!

Vintage blog finds

Just when I thought there couldn't possibly be more room in google reader for another blog subscription, along comes a gem that's set me off on a whole new blog network and - whoops - a whole afternoon has been spent in blog wonderland!

I've been a bit lax on keeping up with my blog reading lately, so I've only just seen the fabulous tips on sewing vintage patterns by Mena Trott from Sew Weekly featured on Sew Mama Sew blog as part of their Make it Wear it month. It's a fab introduction to sewing vintage patterns, but even better is Mena's blog itself - since Autumn 2009 she has sewn something (mostly from vintage patterns) every week with the aim of having a completely home-sewn wardrobe by the end of 2010. I am quite literally pea-green with envy at both Mena's amazing blog, and her fabulous wardrobe.

Mena's blog reminded me that I've got a number of vintage patterns in my sewing stash, so while I'm not sure I'll ever manage an entire vintage wardrobe, I have set myself the (small, but hopefully achievable) goal of sewing at least 3 items of clothing between now and my return to the world of work at the end of September.... I've got to do it now it's in writing!

Mena's blog has also led me to some other fab vintage sewing blogs and shops:

Gerties New Blog for Better Sewing: Follow Gertie as she makes all fourteen fashions from her favorite 1950s sewing book, Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing.

Casey's elegant Musings: Graphic designer, vintage pattern seamstress and vintage style-ista, Casey's blog is beautiful and inspirational. Check out her great feature on sewing vintage patterns.

Lisa Freemont Pages: Retro styling with a focus on Hollywood glamour

Vintage pattern vendors:

• Elegant Musings
• Wearing History
• What I Found
• Sandritocat
• So Vintage Patterns
  

Replica Vintage Patterns

• Decades of Style
• Pattern Retrospective
• Past Patterns