Make & Mend

Well, 'vintage-love' has even made it onto the highbrow TV programme of Newsnight !! Did anyone see the show earlier this week? OK, so maybe they were already preaching to the converted to many of us blogging ladies, but perhaps it will inspire others out there who have not considered buying secondhand, or to hand make something before, to at least consider it. Mary Jane Baxter (she has a blog) is going to be travelling around Britain reinventing vintage items, making things, and recycling items rather than buying new, in order to spread the word...(She said to let her know if you have any 'Make Do and Mend' needs or ideas and she could come and see you during her trip...)

So, inspired to actually get on and use up some of the vintagey bits and bobs that I have collected up over the last few months, I got down to completing a few projects that I have been meaning to get done for a while...
An old willow basket was given a frilled cover made from vintage floral linen...

I'd bought a pile of old shoe stretchers at the flea market which were very rough and ready...

But with the addition of some antique fabrics, French velvet ribbons and millinery flowers, they could now be well received as Christmas gifts...

Wooden coat hangers have been covered in pretty vintage cottons...

And a work in progress is this old wooden drawer that I bought at the beginning of the year and have been putting off for a while! I shall line the cubicles in fabric or wallpaper and use as a small shelving unit.

And the pièce de résistance, is a new flapper girl hat stand for my collection. I had bought a lovely old wooden candlestick recently, which has a metal insert making the base very heavy and sturdy. I also gathered together some c1930's velvet fabric, cream rayon thread, a vintage costume brooch and a half moulded dolls face that I had been keeping for a special project.

Firstly, I firmly filled the toe of a pair of tights with polyester fibre filler and tied-off the bottom to secure.

I then glued the dolls face onto the head shape.

I was inspired by the look of the elegantly classic flapper girls, who wore cloche hats and furs all those years ago.

A short tube of velvet, seamed at the sides, was hand gathered around the top and pulled tight. I created curls of hair from the shimmery rayon thread. Both items were then glued where they touched onto the head - The head was then glued onto the top of the candlestick.

I didn't have any faux fur, so used a Victorian ostrich feather trim around her neck, looping round to make a large rounded collar effect; all glued into position with a glue gun.

A tuft of feather and the addition of a costume brooch with faux coral bead creates the right look to her hat. A sparkly button finishes her neckline.

As I have used mostly old items to create her, she sits happily amongst my authentic boudoir girls.

So although my make do and mend makes have all been rather frivolous recently, its nice to be able to reuse all my redundant riches that have been cluttering up the place, and to have completed the projects that I have been putting off for a while (except for the painted drawer that I still need to finish! ;-))

Have a lovely weekend,

Niki x