What Madeline's wearing this Wednesday

Hi there!

Introducing Madeline, my fabulous dress form (and friend, of sorts). Madeline is often used for sewing, but is used just as often for me to hatch and test ideas about outfits, accessories, ideas to sew. I was looking at her this morning thinking just how gorgeous she looked, and decided she deserved a photo. And perhaps even a blog post!

So, this is what Madeline is wearing this Wednesday:

Singlet, so old I just do not know where this one came from, or when.
Cardigan, old (now too small, read: tight) JAG jumper split up the middle
Vintage lace trims, opped for $2 for a huge bag
Skirt (yet to be stitched), vintage tablecloth
Necklace, braided tshirt strips from opped tshirt
Flower from miss rose and sister violet

Thanks Madeline!

How do you organise your creative thoughts? Are you a pinner on pinterest? Do you have a mood board? A journal? What helps you pull ideas together and know what's next?

Chat soon xx

vintage kitcheny goodness

I have a few weaknesses.

Yes, fabric. Wool, guilty.

But lovely kitchen vintagey goodness I just can't go past. Hello, pyrex. Hi there, fire king. Any of this good stuff in an opshop, and I can't leave empty handed.

And, let's face it. Everything, even just a basic lasagne, looks better in fire king.

addictions, collections and moral dilemmas

Well, hello!

My name is Hannah. Did you know that already?

I am coming clean today. You see, I have an addiction... ah, a collection. Well, let's be fair, a couple, but I'm not talking about the fabric stash kind. I'm talking about vintage books. Vintage childrens' picture books in particular. It's all about the illustrations, which I just love.

Illustrations like these:

I see these books, and I just can't stop myself. Perfect condition, drawn in, split spine, completely and utterly falling apart - if they have illustrations I find quirky, funny, really just so ugly I am amazed they ever got published, or beautiful, they're popped in my handmade tote, coin purse lightened and off I go. To the next op (thrift) shop.

[Sigh.]

So I was looking at some of these in less than fabulous condition the other night, and thought I might need to take out a page and frame it for my boys. But it does feel wrong to extract a page from a book. Particularly one that has had at least one previous owner - I almost feel as though the book is just on loan.

But this would look gorgeous on the boys' wall, wouldn't it?

What do you think? Is it criminal to tear pages from a book? Or ease pages from a split spine? Or slide out a page wedged between other loose pages? Is this why colour copying and printing were invented?

These are the dilemmas I ponder when everyone else (hubby included) is in bed. Perhaps I need something to do, like folding some washing. There is plenty of that.

Chat soon xx

ps. i'm playing along with a month of home  - are you?

a happy thrifting report, and some crochet success!

Our move to Sydney has been, well, mixed. I miss sunny Brunswick with all of its stimulation, beautiful friends, food and coffee, but love being closer to family, other lovely friends, and having a backyard for the boys to run about. One of the great excitements for me, living in the Sydney 'burbs is that it seems that many of my local opshops are yet to have been discovered and picked over by professionals or serious opshoppers. Yippee! So there often fab finds to be had. Some which warrant a post of their very own.

I have recently just ventured into the land of crochet. I am loving having something to do whilst sitting with hubby on the lounge in front of the telly, instead of having to remove myself to the backyard shed, where my sewing machine etc lives. So when I stumbled on these eight vintage pattern books I was beside myself! And only $4.



Whilst cooking tea for the boys I picked out  few favourites to try, and then whipped this up in less than an hour - just amazing!



This is from the (red) Paragon Crochet Book - a collection of favourite Medallions (popular reprint R1 - sorry, no year of publication), and is the Star Motif. Of course the design is meant for doilies, and much finer thread, but I wanted to try a beefed up version with some chunky yarn. It photographed pretty terribly (taking photos at night will do that, but I was too excited to wait!), but it is in a soft, variegated brown and cream yarn. And it's BIG - probably about 25cm diameter.

So, now I am looking for a use for this big star motif... any ideas? Some of the patterns in this book are just gorgeous and I am beginning to think about flash crochet blankets, whizzy-bang scarves, and lah-dee-dah cushion covers...  The pattern book would have me keep going and make a trolley mat from a number of these... any other ideas?

Yippee! loving crochet!

Chat again soon xo