Oops I did it again - again!

Hello, sorry it's been a few days,we have had some sad news at the long thin house. My mother- in-law passed away on Friday after a long illness, things here will be a little strange for a while, but I will try to write when I can. On a more cheery note I know I said I had done with getting more toy sewing machines and when I said it I really did mean it! Only I saw this ...


... And just couldn't resist!! In my defence it is rather spiffy,it looks as though it has hardly been used, it has the original cotton reel, it still sews and who wouldn't fall for the cutesy picture on the box, Little Betty Blue, I was smitten! I was so giddy with her that I was almost out of giddiness for the other package Mr postman had left, but as soon as I opened it it came flooding back, giddiness with a Capitol G!


I don't know if any of you read the Dottie Angel blog or visited her Etsy shop,but it is beautiful, full of 'peachy goodness' to coin a phrase, and her book isn't a let down either, I had to order it from America and now it's here and I have only allowed myself a very small peak, as I want to savour it! She just makes me want to crochet and sew all day long and it seems from her photos in the book that we have more than one pair of shoes / clogs/boots in common, very strange! While I have been quiet in the past few days I have not been idle. Folksy goodies are on hold at the mo, I can't seem to get back in the swing what with everything that's going on, but I'm sure I'll start again soon. But I have still been sprucing up our sitting room, all brown furniture has now been painted French grey, cushions have been covered,knickknacks have been re arranged, pictures have been replaced with ones more in keeping with the new shabby - navian ( shabby chic / scandinavian cross! )theme, and the rather hard rush mat we had on the floor has been replaced with this...


So pleased with it as it really warms the room up.Cosy is good right now!
Hopefully it won't be too long until I get back to you.

Oops I did it again!

Sorry no blog yesterday,away visiting family,by the time we got home I couldn't think straight let alone blog.There has been a small development with my sewing projects.As you may well of guessed by now I have trouble focusing on one thing at a time,and my multi tasking sometimes leads to more tea less making! But being really determined to get on with things I have made enquirys into booking a pitch at a Bicycle Bazaar! Basically you load as many things as you can make or want to sell into the baskets on the back and front of your bicycle and sell them, it's a cross between a craft fair and vintage fair all in one,the only things that are new are things that are handmade! It looks like a lot of fun,this one will be for the Diamond Jubilee, so it should be a real occasion, and having a firm booking will give me something else to work too, I shall keep you posted on how it's progressing,look out for more photos, including my Dutchie bicycle which I will be loading with my wares! Before we set off yesterday Mr postman visited again with more goodies from Mr Ebay . If you remember a while ago I posted a photo of my vintage toy sewing machines... Well I did it again! I couldn't resist, it turns out the little blue 50's Vulcan machine had a baby sister and two big sisters! I just happened to find them whilst not really looking for them on eBay !


Meet the girls, Minor, Junior, Senior and the Countess, I think there might be others but I am not looking anymore!
While not looking ,I spotted a very cute little,Little Betty,


Already having the 60's / 70's version it seemed a shame to ignore her shabby little self ,so she is now another member of the family.
Then when it seemed that I just couldn't find another reason to buy anymore toy machines I found these,


Essex Girls! I just couldn't leave them could I! A miniature Essex machine which was actually made for the adult market, which became very popular for children because of it's size. The company made thousands of the mk1 until modern looking imports from America meant that they had to change the look to keep up , these little machines were extremely expensive to buy, but when the Japanese imports started after the war they couldn't compete and stopped making them.they really are all so very cute, I like to think of all the little things that were made with them, and they look so cool in my sewing room.
But I really really have stopped looking , I have enough vintage toy machines, I should be using my adult sewing machine, to make more things for Folksy and the Bazaar, so I am off now to be busy,I mean it, no tea and definitely no more toys!

To do !

Right! Have been reading lots of your blogs and seeing all the really cool things you are all making! This is making me feel very lazy,and unworthy! So having woke up to brilliant sunshine ( although I was expecting it to be gloomy) I have decided to set myself a goal. Last year I set up a Folksy shop to sell a few things I make, mainly cushions, tea / coffee cosies, glasses cases, knitted corsages and Christmas Angels, amongst other things, and I did sell a few, which made me feel really good! Then, what with one thing and another I let it slide, I did have a stall at a local school bazaar where I did better than I expected, and the feed back was very positive, but I still didn't stock up my Folksy shop.So now spurred on by all you fabulously talented people I have set myself a goal . By the end of April I will have a fully up and running Folksy shop, filled with a range of things I love to make, keep an eye on this space and I will let you know when I have started listing my things, and I would be very grateful for any feedback. There I've said it out loud now! So there is no going back!