Vintage hunting near Skipton and a giveaway

A couple of weeks ago we had a lovely weekend break near Skipton. The weather was rubbish but we were determined to shake off the flat post Christmas blues and enjoy ourselves.

We stopped off en route at Saltaire where we found a small but busy vintage fair at the Victoria Hall. Loads of great vintage clothes and collectibles. I almost bought a jacket ready for Twinwood later in the year, but it wasn't quite the right style. It would have been super to wear for every day, but I really didn't need another coat.

As you can see by their flier they do several shows a year, so if you are in the area it's really worth a visit.

We spent our first evening meeting up with a cousin of DH who we haven't seen for several years. It was lovely to catch up and we had a great meal at the Hopper Lane Hotel. Lovely atmosphere and great hosts.

On the Sunday we went to a large car boot sale near Chorley, where we met Danny Sebastien.  As flamboyant and jolly in real life as on TV.
From there we went to Bygone Times a vintage and Antique Emporium covering 6 Floors.
Vintage Heaven!

I was very good though as we are in the middle of completely overhauling Olive and Edna. We have all our stock at half price at the moment (extended to end of February), but I was tempted!

And finally the bargain of the month! I have been looking for a new pair of red/purple long boots. I've had my eye on some Fly London boots for a while and DH gave me some money for my birthday towards them. The best price I have found was on the Internet at £94. On the way home from our weekend we popped into Wetherby as we often do when in the area and as usual we had to check out the CS. And yes, you've guessed it. A brand new pair of red Fly London boots, my size, that fit my skinny calves for just £15. I almost fainted. They are perfect. So I've used the rest of my birthday money to purchase a lovely silver mounted red jade pendant I've had my eye on. Lucky girl or what!

Well I have a busy week ahead, WI committee meeting Wednesday, manning a stand in our local museum on Saturday and having a stall at the Lincoln vintage flea market on Sunday, so I'm off to put my feet up and read for a little while. May not get another chance.

Talking of books the lovely Lisa from Jumble and Jelly introduced me to the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. She initially sent me the first two, Maisie Dobbs and Birds of a Feather, then followed up this kindness with a third, Pardonable Lies. I said I would read them and then pass them on and so if anyone fancies a bit of pure light reading in the form of some female detective novels which start at the beginning of the 20th century, just leave a comment here. I will draw a name from a hat if more than one person replies. I have really enjoyed them and as there are 13 now and another due I will be able to follow Maisie for a bit longer still.

TTFN

Jenny xx

In a Crazy World at least my ears are warm!....and a giveaway!!

Yes the world has gone crazy, and yes there are some very important issues out there, but we all have to deal with this in our own way. I have two favourite options for this. One, turn off the TV and radio and avoid the Internet ,or two, immerse myself in something I love and hope that some of the awful panic starts to fade.
It's not any kind of solution but it's my way!

And so naturally since I can't just avoid everything I dislike I've decided to embrace number two and hit my sewing room...again.
I completed the sweat shirts for the grandsons and am currently deciding on my next bigger project, but it is sooooooo cold here it's enough to freeze, well just about anything really!
So I thought I would share my favourite headband, earmuff tutorial with you.

You will need:
About 6 inches, (15 cms) x the circumference of your head measured  around your ears plus 4 inches, (10 cms) of fleece.
A small amount of polyester filling. The band is slightly padded for extra warmth and it is a little more flattering
About 4-5 inches (8-10 cms) of Velcro, hook and loop fastener.
Matching thread
Sewing machine, although this project is small enough to be hand sewn if you don't have access to one.
Card or paper to make template.

First of all measure around your head, or your child's as this is suitable for all sizes, going over your ears. Make a note of this measurement.

Next you will need to make a pattern.Take a piece of card or firm paper half your original measurement plus about 1.5 inches (3 cms) and about 6 inches (15 cms) wide. A4 paper was just the 1.5 inches short for my head, so I used this and noted my pattern piece to add that on to the back measurement when cutting out.
First draw a line 4 inches,( 10 cms) down from one long edge.

Next measure from the centre front of your head to the centre of your ears. This is the second measurement. Jot it down.

One short edge of the card will be your centre front. Mark this. Measure along the  long edge from the centre front and mark the second measurement (centre of ear).Mark this again from the centre front along the drawn line. Connect the two marks and draw a vertical line.

Next you will need something rounded to create the slight shaping to cover the ears. I had the backing  ring from some bias tape. Place the bottom of the circle or saucer, whatever you are using so that it is centred over the second measurement line and comes below the bottom line of the band by about 3/8 inch (1 cm) . Draw the curve and then blend that into the bottom line so that it is a gentle dip as opposed to a deep curved flap. This is then your template which is half your band. As I was using fleece and I find cutting it on a fold rather tricky, I copied the template onto another piece of card and joined the two together at the centre front with sellotape. This is also a good way to check you have measured correctly and that the slight dips line up with your ears!

You will need to cut two of these out of fleece, not forgetting to add the extra length at the back seam  if like me your card was shorter than needed, and then right sides together pin and stitch them together leaving a small gap on the bottom edge to turn the band out.

Trim the corners, making sure you don't cut the stitching and layer the seams, that is trim one side to about an eighth of an inch to reduce bulk, then turn out to the right side.

With the bottom shaped edge towards you fold the left side over to the middle and the bring the right side over to overlap this.

The overlapped side should be the one that is completely sewn, the side with the opening still is the one underneath at this point.
You will now stitch the hook portions of the hook and loop fastener to the underside of the right overlapped piece. Cut two pieces about 1/2 inch less than the finished width of your band and centre them side by side.

This is the point at which you will insert the stuffing. You are aiming for an even flat slightly padded look, so you don't need too much.You should keep the stuffing about  two inches, 5 cms away from the end which is still open as you will be stitching the loop part of the fastener here. Its a little tricky with the opening but not impossible. You could use thin batting that you would use in quilting, but this would need to be attached when sewing the band together and I thought this might prove a little tricky with the thickness of the fleece.
Once you are happy with the look of your band close the opening neatly with a ladder or similar stitch. There are lots of videos on the web showing the neatest way to do this.
Ease any stuffing away from the end to leave you about two inches to work on and then you will finish by sewing on the loop fastener.
To ensure that you are sewing it on the correct side fold your band as before, with the shaped side towards you fold in the left side to the middle and then the right side to overlap this. If you have it folded correctly the hook part of the fastener will be on the underside of the right overlapped piece. You will then sew the loop part on the end of the left side facing up.

And you are done, A cosy band to keep head and ears warm.

Dress it up with a vintage brooch or even make some felt flowers to add a bit of fun. Why not make several to go with your different outfits! If unlike me you don't have a ready supply of fleece there are sellers on eBay who sell scarf sized remnants of fleece that would be perfect, or you can recycle an old fleece of your own or from a charity shop.

Do let me know if you have a go, I would love to see some of your creations.

Here are a few I made earlier, I hope they might give you some inspiration.

And finally if you want to have a go I have quite a quantity of fleece in basic colours, beige, navy, dark brown and black left over from my slipper making. I will send a piece of your choice to the first 6 people to leave a comment here and there might be a little surprise gift included too.

Good luck

TTFN

Jenny xx

PS I will keep the give away open until 31/01/17 and then contact the winners for their addresses.

SO WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON......

I sometimes find it a bit hard to get back into my crafty ways after holidays and particularly Christmas. I think we all set ourselves so many tasks that we get a bit overloaded with it. At least I do.
I love making all the decorations, table settings and the odd gift, baking the cake, making mincemeat and mince pies but when you add that to customer orders and family requests, I sigh a little with relief when the big day comes thinking that now I can decide what I want to do, and when!
And so now that things have calmed down a bit and I have decided to take a break from my sewing business, I have been able to pick and choose how I spend my 'spare' time.
I have kept my hand in by making these, for family members and really enjoyed doing them without any pressure.

I have also been busy making this little knitting bag for our giveaway,

 and Ive also made a  knitting needle roll for this lovely lady  Jan from Lemonade Kitty  who wrote out a graph pattern for a knitted cushion I admired on her blog. So very kind of you Jan! Hopefully it will get done before next Christmas and I will be able to show you how beautiful it is!
I have done quite a bit of baking  and trying new soup recipes. Though why when I think of all the food consumed over Christmas I don't know except that in this dismal weather I think we all need a bit of comfort food!

And I have finally got back into knitting. I used to do loads when my children were small, but as they got bigger my enthusiasm waned and sewing rather took over (much quicker for me). I also found that unless I could afford to pay an awful lot out for wool the results never quite matched the effort.
That was until I discovered Phildar!  I know, I know I should support British and I do try but for me I have personally never found any patterns as stylish or yarn as delightful to knit! (Please don't all clamour to beat me up)

Phildar withdrew from selling here some long time ago but  from a chance read on Jorths blog I discovered that they were still in operation and that I could order the magazines and yarn direct from France. Of course I am not only revising my knitting skills here but also brushing up on my not very good schoolgirl French as all the patterns are in this language, so perhaps I get browny points for that!!
I am pleased to report though that I have already completed the back of a new jumper for my grandson, and am beavering away at the front now.

 I am really enjoying it and cant wait to make some of the others in the 3 magazines I have so far purchased. They were all on special offer and the yarn very reasonable.
So that's me for now. I would love to know what you are up to and if you have a favourite reasonably priced yarn you would recommend for ease of knitting and  practicality. Little ones' (and sometimes big ones') knitwear does need to withstand an awful lot of washing, so I'd be interested in your thoughts.

Have a great week. Don't forget our giveaway and if you know someone who likes knitting and a bit of vintage don't forget to tell them too, its free!
 Hope to hear from you soon

TTFN

Jenny xx

A LITTLE VINTAGE STYLE GIVEAWAY

I cant believe that its been a week already since my last post!. It has been a busy but happy week. We have added a few more bits to our shop Olive and Edna's Vintage Emporium and had a few sales. But as with any new venture promotion is all important and though we know that all you lovely bloggers are worth a giveaway at any time, I hope you will forgive us on this occasion if we are doing it with a purpose!

We are offering this lovely handmade vintage style knitting/crochet/craft bag made from vintage and new materials. It is embellished with a hand crocheted doily and as you can see from the picture is plenty big enough to hold your next knitting project. Of course it can also be used as a tote to carry your every day necessities. The uses are endless. We will be adding these to our shop very shortly.

Of course this wont be the only little treasure we will be sending to the lucky winner. There will be other delights including a French copy of Modes& Travaux from November 1955. This wonderful blast from the chic French past is full of amazing fashion, awesome knitting patterns and brilliant advertisements of the time. I mean girls don't you all long to have 'un poli brillant' on your saucepans!! There will also be one or two other little surprises which we hope to match the personal style of the winner.

 

And so how to enter....  

Just click on the link on my sidebar for Olive and Edna's Vintage Emporium, have a browse and then 'like' us if you do. Then pop back here to tell us and you will be entered into a draw which will take place in two weeks time on Sunday 9th February 2014. If you want to follow us on Twitter too we are @oliveandedna  so let us know in a separate comment that you have done so and we will enter your name for both in the draw.

Have a lovely week and I will be back soon with a round up of some of my makes since Christmas, ( just to show that I havn't abandoned my crafting altogether)

TTFN

Jenny (and Heidi too) xx

OOOH BETTY!

Let me say that again OOOH BETTY and I do mean that in the best possible way!!

I won the lovely  Emma's give away, and yesterday I was stunned by the contents of a little package that was pushed through my door. Now if I had known who occupied this package I would have been straight outside to the postie to rap his knuckles for squeezing him through my letterbox.....Let me introduce......

Basil (like a king, royal, majestic) the Badger

He is exquisite, beautifully made, and presented in such an original way, (Badger in a bag). I am over the moon with him. In fact when I entered my comment to be put in the draw I even stated he would be given to my grandson who is having this woodland themed room. But the truth is I don't want to part with him, so he is staying with me for the foreseeable future!!

 The attention to detail and the neatness of the makeup is fabulous. Just look at that little bag and his knitted jumper!! I like to think that I take a pride in my sewing, particularly in the things I make to sell, but this is awesome. 

And of course he wasn't the only treasure to fill my parcel....I also received these beautiful crocheted table mats....

 As you can see one has already been commandeered for the kitchen table...

And this pretty little pack of fabric trim and buttons, which  I will take great pleasure in finding a suitable project for...

So thank you so much Emma, this really was a lovely surprise. (Even my DH is quite taken with him) .

Right off to celebrate his adoption with a wee glass, Cheers for now.....

Jenny xx

Bye Bye Autumn.......and a little giveaway!!

Well that's it Autumn has definitely left the building here...

With the delivery of some fabulous mercury glass ornaments and then this........

 ( surely I could enter a competition for the messiest cook....and win!!...)

and a quick look at my poor cookery book will only confirm this..........

but when you see the year I received it and I have made the same cake every year since, perhaps I have a little excuse.....

but no doubt there will be cookery book guardians out there who will still not forgive my wanton destruction. My only defence is that it is still a well loved and definitely used book, and the results do speak for themselves.....

 The cakes will now be subjected to forced alcoholism until about a week before the big day when they will be dressed in there finery.

I have also been working on a little project that  I have just realised only confirms my book cannibalism Ooops!!! Involving (honest) a very worn 600 page novel that I didn't enjoy (and therefore did not pass on to others as usual) and rather a lot of hot glue, it has taken several hours so far but if it turns out half as beautiful as the one in the original tutorial I will be thrilled....can you guess what it might be?........

 There will be a little parcel in the post for the first correct answer pulled out of my paper hat on Friday 30th November.... and one for the most creative or bazaar idea (for those of you who quite frankly haven't a clue what I am up to!!) so come on have a go and let Christmas come early to the lucky winners......

I will then reveal the answer with the link to that tutorial, (Just in time to make one yourselves) so good luck......

TTFN

Jenny xx

1st ANNIVERSARY.....AND A GIVEAWAY

Well can you believe it...I missed it!!!

 The 1st anniversary of my blog was yesterday February 20th, and due to being so worn out with this blasted cold, I couldn't even face the computer. What a pig it has been, two weeks of thumping headaches, a throat so sore it felt as though I was swallowing razor blades, cold sores on my eyelids....yes you heard right, and I've coughed and sneezed so hard that I set off an old back injury and spent several days bent double, unable to stand upright.......

Picture courtesy of  britishcomedyclassics.co.uk

Two soups!!................... the irony is that for a good part of my adult life I have often been told that I am very like Julie Walters, and I have certainly felt like Mrs Overall this last week or two.

Anyway enough of my whinging, it's just a cold and there are so many much worse then me, so I will now get onto what I hope is the good bit....

To celebrate how great I think you all are and how much I have enjoyed both the writing and the reading for this past year I would like to give away a couple of bits which I have named my...

Fly away giveaway

My theme is sea birds, for no other reason than the fact that I love them, and the gift will include,  a drawstring bag and one or two bits and pieces which might be useful on your travels.......

As you can see they are not finished yet, but I will have them ready to fly by the time I draw the winner on Monday 7th March.

So if you fancy feathering your nest with a few birds (and the odd surprise), just leave me a message on this post before Sunday 6th March.

If you would like to put one of my piccies on your blog to spread the word that would be great, but not essential.

Well I'm off now to down yet another whisky toddy (shame but someone has to do it) and then to my bed.

TTFN

Jenny xx


PS. I am just adding this as I feel a real fraud with all the lovely comments of sympathy which I really do not deserve.  You are all very kind and it is really appreciated but I am on the mend now...Thank you!

ONLY 132 DAYS.................and a GIVEAWAY..!

Yes....to Christmas, but I have to say in the last week or so it has seemed much nearer.

Firstly at work there has been talk about Christmas catalogues...then I received 2 fabulous parcels, which were just like receiving  early Christmas presents and then this weekend........

Well it wasn't exactly Santa's Grotto, but a snow festival in of all places Basingstoke! We had come for a weekend break at a lovely Spa hotel and took a ride into the town before dinner and this is what greeted us at the entrance!!

The fabulous parcels I received were this....from the lovely Aija of CraftySmiles...

....loads of scrummy things for her own Seaside swap.  I received fabric, and a handmade fish. A necklace and some seashells thoughtfully sent by one of her daughters. There were also sweets, candles and a pretty bag of assorted beads.

As you may know if you follow Aija's blog she has recently returned home after an operation and I was  so surprised that she rushed to get this parcel to me before she was admitted. I had told her not to worry about it, so I am glad she received mine before she went into hospital.

Thank you Aija ( and your daughter) the gifts are lovely.  I hope you are taking it easy and are on the mend.

My second wonderful parcel was from Emma of Silverpebble....

I was only a runner up in her Pass the Book giveaway and just look what I received....

As well as this little book...packets of seeds and.......(please forgive the awful photo, I got a bit too close!)

This exquisite little silver cotton reel, hand made by Emma together with a pearl and a button on a silver chain.  I am so thrilled with it. 

Thank you Emma you are so kind.

Well as these lovely bloggers have made my week another special one I would like to pass on something too...I am going to carry on the PASS THE BOOK giveaway by sending this book

Dandelion Soup by Babs Horton. If you have not read this and like something a little different you will not be disappointed.  A bit of a mystery with shades of Joanne Harris, it really is one that you can't put down!

So if you would like to win this book, (and a small gift too) and would be prepared to read it and pass it on, or pass on a book of your choice just leave a comment on this post.  If you would like to grab the piccie too and pop it on your sidebar that would be great.

I will leave the draw open until next Sunday 22nd August at midnight and post the result in the next week.

Well I think thats enough for one post, I'll be back later in the week with some projects I have been doing.

Hope you have had a good weekend ,

TTFN

Jenny x x