Exhausted but happy.... Living North

What is it about attending a fair that is so exhausting? Is it getting up early, staying chatty and cheerful all day, long periods without a cup of tea - or perhaps the anticipation of the whole event.  Whatever it is, after four long days we are all looking forward to a day of doing very little.

Setting up went really well although it did take all day, a tweak here, a tweak there, moving and swopping of props to achieve the look we were happy with. Three of us sharing a table required a considerable amount of planning.  Having a stand in the corner of a room we were able to utilise every single inch - and that we did.  We used shelving, suitcases, vintage cake stands, driftwood, contorted willow branches and even a what not to display our wares.  Betty and Violet put in an appearance although Betty had to don a vintage garment to preserve her modesty as she was sporting only a necklace!

Violet was adorned with Gill's lovely nuno felted shawls and scarves.

Gill Pinkney's colourful quirky felt accessories

 

 

Gill Wilds driftwood fish and bird hangings

 

 

my vintage inspired cuffs and corsages nestling in a tiny tattered suitcase with dried hydrangea heads to compliment the colour palette

 

Four busy days followed, lots of people shopping for Christmas gifts for friends and family.  We all were supported by visits from friends and family making it an enjoyable experience all round.  The hard work preparing, setting up and taking down was all worth it.  Lots of cake, mince pies (warmed on the radiator behind us!) tea and sweeties helped us get through the event.

 

The Letters have been read......... coming soon   Jayne x 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A trip to the Post Office .........

Today I finally posted my final order received at Harrogate Home & Gift.  It was an order for twenty corsages to be made in autumn and winter shades using velvet, lace, trims, buttons and beads.  The colours were quite specific and not the usual palette I work with (although a little grey and ashes of roses did somehow slip themselves into the mix!!).

a snapshot of the new rich colours

 



hand printed and dyed tags, labels and doilly

 



 

 

packed and ready to go

 

It is very satisfying when it is all parceled up ready just to make a trip to the Post Office, just hope she likes them!  

 

until next time ............ Jayne xxxxxx



A sort out on a grand scale!

You know when you are positive you have something and then can not find it - you have a look in the most likely place like your sewing box where the object of your search should live but doesn't!  Sound familiar?  The next step is to search the next most likely places.  If this doesn't succeed the only thing to do is to have a full scale sort out!!!  Into the box bedroom I went, boxes lifted down, storage boxes searched, bags rummaged through, all to no avail.  The elusive item(s) brooch backs!  I even bought ten as spares last weekend, which I would stake my life on putting in my handbag zip compartment - they too have not materialised.  Anyway, an order from e-bay, very nice ones too, 40 lovely antique gold sort of up-market looking brooch backs were ordered and arrived, however, much too small for the required purpose.  Back to the drawing board........

sorting out mother-of-pearl buttons -as you do when getting waylaid

 

sorted and nestling on my little shelf unit

 

Well, the buttons got sorted at least, still no brooch backs found!  Three hours later mcuh sorting and tidying of crochet trims, tray cloths, lace, knitting yarns I could go on!!! I decided to give up my search as I had work to do.  Dyeing - one of my favourite occupations..... 

 

Dip dyeing in my lovely jars







Creating using my newly dyed fragments 



 



 new corsages



 autumn/winter shades velvet, lace, beads and trims

 

A visit to my local flea market yesterday saved the day.  My friend Anne has a stall every Saturday and she had some large brooch backs!  Just the right amount that I neeeded to complete my corsage order.  Well, must get sewing these little beauties in place.  Until next time ......... jayne x 

 

 



Bags, Tags and a trip to the Post Office

Just a quick post to tell you about my week so far.  My first ever internet order via my blog (thank you L) and the Harrogate Home & Gift Fair drawing near, made my thoughts turn to packaging.  As my work is all hand-made, I do like the idea of producing hand rendered tags and gift bags to compliment my accessories.

brown paper printed tags and hand painted doillies

indian block printed and stamped

I was happy with the outcome of the tags so as I had some lovely quality brown paper carrier bags I decorated one of them with my doilleys and made a matching tag.



 my first ever blog order- dip dyed and printed linen corsages x 2

a matching item

I made several different combinations, folded, centred, torn etc and decided on the design below.

the whole kit and caboodle!

and so - the corsages were tissued, labelled and tagged, placed in the carrier, jiffy bagged, addressed and taken to the Post Office.  They are winging their way to my lovely bloggy friend - hope she likes them!!

Have a lovely week, the sun is struggling to shine, let's hope the rain stays away.

Jayne x



Obsessions of a natural kind..........

Linen....
I am sure I am not alone in my obsessive collecting of antique and vintage textiles that may (or may not!) be incorporated into my work.  Linen, lace, buttons, threads and yarns seem to find their way into my possession without me realising it.  Friends give me lots of things, charity shops are searched, flea markets perused on a regular basis to feed my obsession.   As a student for four years, I did not spend a lot of money.  People are very kind and if an exquisite piece of lace or fabric is damaged or torn it can be purchased for a very reasonable price.  I only use natural fabrics and yarns such as linen, silk and cotton in my work.  Linen has to be my all time favourite.  I love to print, dye, hand embroider, embellish, and wear it.  There is nothing like the feel of it, I just love the way its beauty increases with age.  Here is a beautiful old french postal sack .....

 showing its age beautifully, worn and darned

now living on the bottom rung of a bamboo ladder in my sitting room

the top half of the ladder

small corsages, dyed and frayed, embellished with crochet pansies made from old linen

Seaweed.....

I live five minutes away from the coast, I often beachcomb and pick up some incredible organic pieces with fascinating structures and textures.  Here is a piece of dried seaweed which is now on a shelf in my garden.....

knarled and twisted

a tangled web of organic shapes

Physalis....

Sometimes you find something so breathtakingly fragile and beautiful it takes your breath away.

I was tidying my front garden when I came across two physalis skeletons.  I used to have a plant but lost it a few years ago.  I do love these little lanterns, they dry beautifully and keep their hot-orange colour.  A mystery then how two came to rest under my laurel shrub.

a tiny individual hydrangea petal accompanies the lanterns

a delicate filigree structure

has this been spun in gold?

More of my obsessions to come.... the list is endless.   Hope the weather is kind to you and the sun continues to shine. 

p.s. In a charity shop today I bought a bag of doilleys, tablecloths and a lovely darned very tatty linen embroidered sheet, tell you about them next time, they are soaking as we speak.

p.p.s. linen postal sack courtesy of Julie from The Cloth Shed, thanks Julie!

Jayne x

Happy Days, Making Days and Home made soup!

I have had a lovely making day with my friend Gill Pinkney-gillpinkney.blogspot.com.  We take it in turn to go to each others houses, drink lots of tea, eat cake and generally put the world to rights.  Today I was finishing things off, I have a terrible habit of having several things on the go at once.  Gill was nuno felting a scarf.

 adding a linen corsage and button to a hand stitched cuff

I took some home made lentil and vegetable soup, Gill supplied lovely wholemeal buns and then a carrot cake slice for afters.

putting brooch backs on corsages

We listened to lovely music, sorted through Gill's button collection and my work box and did a few swops - some gorgeous linen lingerie buttons (a particular favourite of mine) mother-of-pearl buttons for some beads and pins.  Think I came out on top on that one!  Thank you Gill.

more corsages finished

So all in all a very good productive day, I left Gill throwing her scarf into her kitchen sink - all in the name of felting honestly!  I will leave you with a picture of some buttons I picked up at my local flea market on Saturday,  just gorgeous.  Until next time, hope you have all had a lovely day.

displayed in a lovely vintage tin on a wire cake stand (thank you Julie)