Sat what ..... tell us about yourself!! Vintage Betty Zee

Hello!!

I live in Holly House.

Perched on a steep hill in the Chilterns, Buckinghamshire overlooking a beautiful valley!!

I live in vintage or rather second hand…preferring to make my look my own… colour print design…all are the most important to me…. both in what I wear, what I make, what surrounds me …. and is …what I love…..

 

  

I spend time with Marylin my trusty sewing machine, creating my little makes….and Booboo and Roobarb my furry four legged children.

I try to be creative at least once a day…. 

Twice is a bonus what with a full time job…..Vintage Betty Zee is a night time/weekend and any other time that I can fit in at the moment adventure......but who knows what's in store!!!

.

Betty Zee at The Fox

Well it was the calm before the storm!!

Happy Shopper

It was a very fruitful day for me looking around my local charity shops....



A lovely vintage basket ..and two tapestries from the 1930s...



.... and too top it off a fabtastic 50s teapot....oh how lucky I am...

Tree

I do love this and am quite proud of it if the truth be known! I had found loads of brown wool. Now I am not really a huge fan of the colour brown but thought why not try and make something since I don't knit! Terrible! I really have to learn anyway... I used loads of different shades of brown wool as well as green and a touch of white (to create light and shade) I had to bare in mind that it had to be bark coloured and then used netting to produce the effect of perspective. Hills get lighter the further in the distance they are...not sure why but it happens! Then I sewed them down onto hessian.

Butterfly

I really wanted to create a 3D effect with my butterfly. In this picture hopefully you can see the sunflower's petals hang over the frame as well at the butterflies wing. I tried to show that this delicate insect is resting for a short time! I screen printed the background colour green on hessian and once I finished embroidering the butterfly I glued the base material (felt) to cardboard. The platted wool petals then sewn to the backing. I created the butterflies antennas from wire and wound embroidery thread around them. Not the best bit of embroidery I have ever done infact it was a little rushed... I think that I might have another go and focus more on the embroidery itself..... hopefully she won't fly away to soon...!!

Lamp of beauty

I popped into this little antique and collectibles place in Ruislip, Middlesex and was wondering around. It had been a little dry in there recently, a little too much newer stuff but... well I had exhausted my usual charity shop hunt and thought 'well lets have a quickie look' ..... low and behold there was this lovely German (I think?) 50s lady!! I have quite a few faces from the 50s but not a full figure such as her. HMMM I thought I have just the place for her to stay at my place. On my 50s table cover next to my 40's embroidery. Funny how as soon as she found herself there she look right at home!

Hot Water Bottle Covers

I never thought that a jumper could be so warm! Well they were 3 jumpers until I put it into a very hot wash and made them into felt! It really is as easy as that! Both of these were made out of jumpers/pullovers from different charity shops! Beware though if you decide to give it a go... make sure that the jumper is between 80-100 pure wool.... otherwise it won't work...then I did a little bit of embroidery to make the "Night Night" one. Also best to look for jumpers just when Autumn is creeping up on us as the charity shops change their stock around!! Night Night ...don't let the bed bugs bite!!!

Suit Cases Galore! part 2

So as I was saying I did manage to get them all home... like Russian dolls one sitting inside another... I've put some of my embroidered tableclothes in the smallest who know what else I will be able to put in!!

Fire Screens are Us

This is one of my favourite tables. I found it a while ago in a reclamation yard! Can you believe it! It was made as a fire guard but it could also be used as a table. It was probably made in the 30s. The flowers are sewn using satin stitch in the lovely Deco colours of the period. Then covered with glass (a bit like my Art Deco tray) I have it in my sitting room with one of my 60s lamps...... now all I need is a coal fire... maybe a bit tricky!Hmmmm!!

GORG GARDEN

I picked this up from a lady that I met at a carboot! She dealt mainly with linens and of course I bought some lovely pieces and was just about to leave when suddenly I saw this poking out from under a tablecloth so of course I had to buy this! It goes fabulously well with my collection of beautiful embroidered samplers.... more about those to come!

Fox Hunt Tray

As you know from my musings I am definately not a fan of fox hunting but want to show you this. I found this Art Deco embroidered tray quite a few years ago. I absolutely love it. The workmanship is stunning even the faces of the man and woman is highly worked. The detail is incredible. There is a sense of fun and movement caught by the horse jumping with the dogs and the dogs jumping after the butterflies. Much nicer than jumping after foxes me thinks!!!

It is quite typical of the Art Deco period found in crockery and prints. This has been woven and embroidered and then placed under glass and made into a tray.

Let's meet up and be crafty....

Liisa and I met up and thought why not work on our projects together! Just look at her crochet blanket... I can tell you it is even more gorgeous in real life and feels so cosy! What an amazing collection of colours.

I was working on my table cloth, it has taken quite a while I can tell you! .... I think that it needs a bit more colour. There is only so much green in one project I can take!I have been working on this for years now! I do a bit when I feel like it and seem to move from my furniture frolicks, through my quilting, sewing schinanagins to bric-a-brac banter! I'll let you know when it is finished... lets hope in the next say.... couple of years!

Cosy Cushions

I just love my little collection of embroidered and applique cushions! There is something so special about them and knowing that they are unique! Mostly using iron transfers popular from the 30 - 70s!