Original Vintage & Handmade Textile & Fashion Fair

Tomorrow is the Original Vintage & Handmade Textile & Fashion Fair, at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall. I shall have my little stall there, in the main hall. I've been working hard on some new handmade pieces to tempt, with lots of pocket money items as well as a few special one-off heirloom treasures. I've also been brave and am parting with some of my vintage fabrics, buttons and trims, which I've been sorting out from my workroom this week.

I'm always keen to give my stall a different look at each of the fairs I attend. This time I've gone for an antique feel with a French flavour.

I've been madly covering the collection of vintage film boxes that I bought last month, with a harmonious selection of C19th French fabrics and a variety of pretty trims.

I've then filled each little box with vintage buttons.

A few of the boxes have been covered in sections of old maps too and again are full of buttons.

**

These brown craft paper boxes were given to me at Christmas with my gifts inside from a friend. I thought they'd also be ideal for covering in fabric.

I've used some more of my precious antique French fabrics and selected various antique trims to complete them.

They make great gift boxes, or are ideal as storage too.

I've made a few sewing related items, such as pin cushions and needle-cases.

And precious antique French fabrics scraps went into making this selection of lavender-filled scrappy patchwork hearts.

*

A collection of four unique handmade fairy dolls will be taking flight from my workroom to the fair...

There's Queen Caramel...

Dame Deco...

Cherry Pie...

And Rouge Powder Fairy.

This gorgeous wooden bed was an exciting find at one of my local buying haunts...It's quite large for a toy...I found a genuine old ticking feather pillow to be the perfect size for a mattress.

I made a feather-filled, doll-size pillow from antique French ticking...

And a quilt that I handmade many years ago, during this time in my life...(maybe it now counts as being vintage?!) was also the ideal size.

Its been tucked away and never used, so I'm prepared to let it go with the bed, as I think it complements it perfectly with its mellow country colours toning nicely with the rich wood.

The bed is the PERFECT size for my large rag dolls to take a nap on - I have several of them hot off the sewing machine...

This is Isadora, who I have given as genuine an antique look as I could create. Her skirt is made from a very old hand-worked tapestry that I bought on my last buying trip of 2011.

I've used French ticking, eiderdown cotton and a fabulous Irish hand woven wool for the rest of her outfit.

Her sister Elspeth has a similar look...

With the same Irish wool as her jacket...

And a beautiful tapestry skirt and tea-stained underclothes.

As a slight departure to my usual girls, I've also made this grand looking lady. Her name is Dulcie and she is dressed in fine antique silks, hand embroidered linen jacket and a velvet cloche hat.

Rare metal thread braids add extra detail to her skirt.

Keen to promote angels all year round...not just for Christmas, I've made Gabriella too.

She is dressed in a crisp white antique baby gown, which I adjusted to fit and embroidered with the words Guardian Angel.

A few vintage trinkets decorate her wings.

That's a taster of what will be coming with me to the fair...Hope to see you there if you can make it...Otherwise, have a lovely weekend, whatever you get up to!

Off to work now...

Niki x