Patchwork Bag

This is a very handy little number! Defiantly crafted and NOT manufactured!! Just as it should be in our society... too much importance placed on massive scale manufactured boring non goods that everyone has and everyone throws away in favour of another 'thing' that the mags tell us we should be interested in and interested in buying! THINK FOR YOURSELF!!!!

Betty Zee's Z

I have always loved the story of Anne Boleyn as she is the mother of my all time favourite person in history, Elizabeth I. I have always been fascinated by her trademark necklace. Well last April I went to a craft fair in Buckinghamshire and came across GEMMEUS HISTORICAL JEWELLERY! She had some examples of her work including a copy of a necklace that Catherine of Aregon (Henry VIII first wife's) wore in some of her portraits. Hmmm I thought I wonder if Nicky (the master craftswoman) could make me an old Austrian medieval 'Z' for my family name. In the same style as Anne Boleyn's trademark 'B"...........Her answer was yes! Well after putting down a deposit and 4 months later I had a message from Nicky to say that it was finished. Here it is! Gold and fresh water pearls. It is an honour to have my late father's name and I will always wear it with pride! Check out GEMMEUS! .............. www.gemmeus.com

Patchwork 4

This is a quilt using fabrics I would say from the 40's up until the 60s! It is a little difficult to tell when it was made although the hexagons shapes were often used in in patch working in the 70s! It needs a little mending here and there as there are a couple of tears in the fabric but I have used it on my bed it is lightweight but comfy!

Patchwork 3

This is a very very old quilt. It is in a pretty bad state! I think that it is American perhaps 20s or 30s. Unfortunately, the stuffing which is wool is fall out as well as the fabric failing. This out of all my collection is the worst for wear and not really useable in it's current state. I am deciding what I should do with it or how I could try to repair it. I will have to have a think about it. In the meantime, as you can see a lady or even ladies as well as men could have worked on this. I have taken close up pickys for you too see the tiny stitches that keep the quilt together...... very heavy quilt and warm hmm decisions to make!

Patchwork 2

Well I think it is about time that I let you see some of my most beloved patchwork quilts. Beyond doubt patchwork quilts embody everything that I adore in the visual world. Design, colour, print, texture and story.I'll put a mixture of the quilts that I have made or found either on my many bric-a-brac hunts or through dealers and traders!

The London Vintage Fashion, Textiles & Accessories Fair 12 Sept 10 no. 6

You know I think that it is worth mentioning the interior of Hammersmith Town Hall! Just look at these murals!

The London Vintage Fashion, Textiles & Accessories Fair 12 Sept 10 no. 5

Well half way through it wasn't going so well so I after Alberto gave me some advice I changed the stall around and almost straight away the dealers were looking and BUYING!

The London Vintage Fashion, Textiles & Accessories Fair 12 Sept 10 no. 4

Well I think that it is about time that I updated you on how the fair went! Very tiring but great to be part of it all. This is the first set up of the day! So I named my stall 'Betty Zee's Wardrobe'! Can you see my little display stands? The polka dot white and red stand and the little duck egg coloured one that I customized!

Baby Boy Play Blanket

My little baby nephew Matthew has been waiting patiently for his little play blanket! He must be all of 6 months old now!! SO I am working full steam to get it finished!!

Frames, Frames, Frames 3

So here is the first attempt with the frame idea! I thought well I have loads of linens and lace. Well my lovely Edwardian lace dressing table set would look lovely with the colours that I chose for my the frames that I customised! I used wrapping paper for the backing .... I think it works really well... As soon as I finish the Vintage Fair I will start work on my other projects... so much to do so little time!!!

The London Vintage Fashion, Textiles & Accessories Fair 12 Sept 10 no. 3

So there you go.... after lots of rubbing down with sandpaper over a couple of afternoons and then using a collection of different colours and a near miss with Booboo my little black and white kitty cat (who had to have some paint stripper on her ear so that she didn't become black, white and blue)!!! well...these are the finished articles!! I wonder if I have even got room for them on my stand but well hey I'll get them into the back of the Katy Car if it kills me!!

The London Vintage Fashion, Textiles & Accessories Fair 12 Sept 10 no. 2

So I have a very small stall 2 metres deep by 1 1/2 metres across! Small eh! so this is what I'm going to do!! I have a 2 metre rail for the clothes and a lovely little 60's table that is going to be against the wall! But hey I need to be able to put my bags and bits on some kind of display! I thought I could make some little see through boxes and paint them.....but then Dylan suggested why not find a small bookcase and paint it ... hmmm well I don't want to spend more money as I had to pay for the stall! I want to make it as cool as poss for as little as possible since I'm not going into business! SO I got thinking about Dylan's idea... I thought hey girly you are surrounded by charity shops so get shopping! These are what I found!! BUT don't worry they won't stay like that!! Keep your eyes pealed!

The London Vintage Fashion, Textiles & Accessories Fair 12th Sept 10 1

Well wouldn't you know Paola offered me a stall at the fair!! Woh all systems go go go!! There is so much to organise, arrange, sort and MAKE! I have documented all over the last couple of weeks which is why I haven't blogged .... so sorry I should have told you! Anyways, Liisa made a very good suggestion when I told her.... she said 'take pictures of everything you are doing' well that is what I have been doing... so keep an eye out for the next few days...

First, it was the clothes, jewellery, bags, textiles and scarves to decide on... we can come back to all that ....The main thing is that I am up against some amazing stalls at the fair selling AMAZING vintage clothes etc I just have to make my stall look interesting and fun!!... So first I thought that I should have some funky labels. I used some of my fashion ephemera! I think they work well!