Sunday at Semley.

It's been a fun week in Shepton Mallet this week...

There was the local primary school's Easter Parade out on the Market Place on Thursday...

Where all the children say songs to the crowds that had gathered.

And today was Market Day - It was much busier than usual, with plant sellers alongside the usual, meat, fish, cheese and fresh fruit and veg. It meant people were staying longer in town and were at last stopping to shop on the High Street...Its been a long winter and difficult for trade, on and off, but I can now see some positive signs. The sun has been glorious, which has also helped to bring a lot of tourists to my doors again - Susy from Italy, to name but one! (Baring cake she was too!...which I am enjoying as I type this! ;-))

I'm hoping for a good day in the shop tomorrow, whilst I sort out some extra stock to take to the Dairy House Fair on Sunday...My schedule is quite full at the moment, but I wouldn't have it any other way really...

The 2nd Annual Vintage Textile and Costume Day at Dairy House, Semley, Near Shaftesbury - Sunday 10th April - 10am til 4pm. Full details can be found here.

My unpredictable camera worked for a while, and so I was able to take pictures of some of the items coming to the fair with Hubby and I...

Something that I am struggling to part with is this wonderful (and large) Victorian hand stitched patchwork quilt top. I love the collection of fabrics in it.

I'll also be taking some carefully selected antique and vintage treasures from the shop, which I feel come under the 'costume and textile' heading.

The rest of my stall will be full of my handmade goods. These include:

Handbags...

I recycled some of the beautiful oyster fabric that I acquired recently (and posted the story of on my blog here.)

I've also been brave(!) and used some of my precious antique fabrics to make this collection of gathered handbags.

Two with old abalone button fastenings.

A vintage hand embroidered panel, that I bought from Michele at the Vintage Jumble Sale last month has been incorporated into this patchwork bag.

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And I salvaged all the hand embroidered motifs from a vintage linen tablecloth, to make this springtime cushion.

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Smaller projects are lavender filled sachets...

Of various descriptions...

These smaller ones being my favourite...

Made from fragments of antique French fabric, with glass bead decoration.

I have a line-up of dolls to add to my stall too.

There are four 'Fallen Angels', each dressed in antique lace and holding a French beaded flower.

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I've also worked hard producing five rag dolls...

There's little Clara, dressed in a very old 'eiderdown' cotton.

This is Sapphire in her patchwork quilt skirt.

Pretty Jolie in a French fabric skirt and softest mohair jacket.

Saskia in her art nouveau era skirt.

And finally Morgana who is cosy in a Welsh Blanket coat.

If you can make it to the Dairy House Fair, it promises to be a lot of fun, if last years is anything to go by!

But I hope you have a great weekend whatever you get up to!

Niki x