Kewpies

I am in love with Kewpie dolls and treated myself to a few of them recently. They remind me of the Easter Show when i was little. Did anyone else used to come home with a Kewpie on a stick? They usually wore a little ballet tutu with glitter instead of hair. They sat for years on my dresser.

Here are my new (but old), slightly larger Kewpies. Photographed with my iPhone 4, using a suitably retro filter from Instagram.

Too cute.

Quilting and instant gratification napkins

I have started a quilt - and i have probably bitten off a bit more than i can chew, but when has that ever stopped me?

I was shopping in Cath Kidston several months ago, when i spied the most beautiful quilt i have ever seen in my life! I don't know exactly what it was that made me love it SO much, but i think it might have been the use of white with the immense variety of pretty patterned colourful segments that pleased my eye. I am a pattern junky, and this quilt was overloaded with different types - all very retro, although i cant know its age, a lot of the fabrics remind me of my granny's linen cupboard, anything from 30's to 70's.

I think it is kind of a 'charm' quilt in that there were no obvious repeats in the fabric (there were a few though, it took me a good while to spot them), however i don't know that the white 'background' really fits with this. I wish i had some kind of quilt mentor who could answer my questions - in fact a quilt course at university would be brilliant, there is so much to know and learn! The other thing i especially loved was the 'floral' type arrangement of these patterned segments. I stood for ages trying to work out the pattern exactly and how it broke down into squares.

You might ask why i didn't just buy the quilt? Well at close to £500 it was a bit out of my budget, but i was determined to have something similar.

And so, after taking a few trips to fabric shops around London and to the Eternal Maker in Chichester, i have finally worked up the courage to try and make my own.

First of all, i needed to work out the pattern. I did this by using my finger and hand to measure the original pieces and then went from there - not an exact science, but i think i have got it right to the inch. I then got out my old school geometry set and employing both compass and protractor, started sketching away a plan. I had to remember all of the triangle rules and what angles i needed for each corner -  whoever said you never use maths again after school must have never tried to make up a quilt pattern before! Once i had this all sorted, i washed and ironed and folded about 12 different fabrics and began cutting.

I have managed to sew together the beginnings of my first square; I have at least 41 more to go! So, I am definitely in this for the long haul. I am pretty thrilled with it - and i hope one day i will have something that doesn't look too far off the original. As a complete novice i have struggled a little with sewing the curved edges together, but i am finding that hand sewing, is not only very relaxing, but also very forgiving. I hope that i will be able to employ my sewing machine at some point to try and speed the process up, but I'm not sure if i will be able to control how well all of the points meet. In any case, i am not in any hurry, aside from wanting to see it all finished and laid out on my new bed.

To sate my hunger for instant gratification, i whipped up these two napkins for the dinner table out of some left over Cath Kidston fabric i had left over from a table cloth.

Very satisfying.

Best wedding cake i have ever seen

Cats, sweetheart lollies, flowers, birdies, butterflies and glitter, this wedding cake had it all - my favourite ever! 

Fireplace restoration

I have been wanting to share my reclaimed, rescued and restored fireplace and mantle piece for a while now.

I found it in a reclamation yard in North London (the one I saw on Kristy's Homemade Home in fact). It was a sad looking thing. it had been painted white at some stage and was all rusty with some of the ugliest tiles i have ever seen. I obviously showed far to much excitement upon finding it because the owner wouldn't budge when I tried to argue the price down from £50, which frankly I thought was a bargain considering some of the ones I had seen sold on eBay for 14 times as much.

The face features a pretty wreath detail that I found charming and thought would complement some of the vintage tiles I had already started collecting for it. Its shape was also ideal, being fairly narrow and not to tall to work well with the lower ceiling heights in the loft.

The restoration involved getting it dipped (in an acid bath!). I was going to attempt this stage on my own with some NitroMors, but thought the better of it. The dipping removed the layers of paint and rust, taking it back to its original cast iron finish. When we got it back it had to go back outside for a little while before the builders could fit it. This meant it started to oxidise again and came out in rust spots again. My husband, bless him, sanded all of these spots off for me again. The oxidisation largely stopped once it was bought inside, hence I haven't been rushed to make a decision on what type of varnish, paint, sealant I want to use. Suggestions again are more than welcome. I was thinking of painting it white initially, but I have gone off that idea now.

The original chimney breasts - from the fireplaces downstairs, worked as a natural looking protrusion to bolt the mantle on. Because of a mistake the builders made in placing a RSJ, it couldn't sit as far back as I hoped, but the builders made a casing out of wood, that eventually will be painted over to look like a continuation of the fireplace. This also meant that a sweet little recess could be created where the fire would have been. I have used this area to showcase little French oils, books and other knick knacks.

I purchased each of the tiles from Portobello road. Each is unique with the bulk from 1800's England. There is a Japanese one or two in the mix too. I think my favourite is the yellow tile, it reminds me of a lemon tart. Yum.

ENO's La Boheme at the London Coliseum

I went to the Opera last night and saw La Boheme at the Coliseum in London. It was great, and quite something to hear those songs I knew so well from my parents CD and movie collection (Moonstruck anyone?) belted out 'live'. But I have to admit, the bit that really caught my imagination was the set design. WOW. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't fancy or dazzling or anything like that. It was the "miniature-ness" of it. Like a life size doll house, that spun around to reveal different rooms and even a street scape.

I couldn't take any photos unfortunately, I did get one of the curtain before it went up, but that was all I could manage. However there are a few lurking around on the web that you can see here or check out the video on the ENO page.

This particular version on La Boheme was set in 1930s Paris, and apparently was heavily inspired by photography from the time. The style of the windows, the brasserie and even the staircase were so authentic and conjured up a real sense of the Parisian architecture of the time. I particularly loved the advertisements painted on the walls, entirely reminiscent of those interwar years.

As the characters are 'bohemian' and essentially poor, there is no glitz to be seen, except perhaps in the brass fittings in the French brasserie they dine in during the second act. Otherwise, the sets are furnished with drab material, dirty looking bed sheets, an armchair that has seen better days, a few wooden dining chairs, some lovely old wash basins attached to the "invisible wall" we view the set through (nice touch in my opinion), and some long work benches that reminded me of the old science labs at school.

The use of light was special too. The room in which Rodolfo and Marcello live had some wonderful little skylights that cast lovely shadows on the room. These shadows were even nicer as panes of glass were cross hatched with lead to create long trapezoid shadings on the wall. The broad expanse of glass across the entire back wall of the room gave the studio a very artistic feel. Oh and the light fittings, some lovely industrial styled shades hanging from lone cords from the ceiling.

I found the female character's outfits were really quite lovely too, particularly as I am very fond of the fashions from that era. Again, poor Mimi's dresses were generally stained and marked with dirt, but the cuts and colours were really something special. Musetta's outfits were tailored pieces that were better cared for, probably thanks to her knack for snaring rich men.

What an amazing job it must be to come up with these set designs. All you set designers out there - I envy you.

Pretty music

I was working on some designs the other week, bopping away to BBC 6music in the background, when I heard Undertow by Warpaint. It was love at first listen. The feminine voices singing lowly over guitar and bass reminded me of Mazzy Star crossed with My Bloody Valentine. It took me straight back to my teenage years, spent almost entirely with my Sony walkman earphones plugged in my ears.

What's more the four girls that make up the band are all gorgeous girlfriends from childhood. I can feel another girl crush coming on. My husband last night said to me "you really do love them don't you?" upon finding me sitting, glued to my computer, watching them perform some of their songs live. Their CD has been played on a loop continuously since I got it last week. I told him, that these girls must have grown up listening to the same music I did; they are from Los Angeles, I have never been there, but in my imagination, its not worlds away from Sydney; and if I could have ever been in a band (forget for a second I cant play any instruments, and even though I enjoy singing immensely, technically I don't have any actual ability...at all...whatsoever) this is the band I would have wanted to been in.

Their first full album, the Fool, was released just a few weeks ago on Rough Trade records. If you like your alternative 90's bands, music filled with distorted guitar riffs and ethereal female vocals, I strongly suggest having a listen.

I missed out on tickets for their London show next week. However my Australian friends might have a bit more luck, they are heading down that way in February and from all reports (and my Vimeo watching), they are brilliant live.

Selfridges sparkles

A dazzling display of dangling disco balls glittering away in Selfridges as a part of their Christmas display. So pretty and sparkly.

Crochet

I have been getting back into crochet over the last couple of years.

Why?

• I blame Cath Kidston. A while ago now, I saw some lovely crocheted blankets in one of her shops. When I looked at the price tag I nearly fell over. I remember saying, slightly outraged, "I could make that!". And so I decided to try and make something akin to the granny square blankets my grandmothers made for me.
• Secondly, I am on a never ending mission to 'soften up' of my husbands very masculine flat and create a 'cosy' atmosphere in the previously Spartan and cold lounge room.
• And finally, it is nice to have something different to do on the tube to work. I love reading, but I have peaks and troughs with it as with anything, and it is lovely to be able to pick up something else. 

My crochet pedigree

My nana taught me the basics of crochet when I was young and I can vividly remember creating long crochet strings with my French Knitting doll. My nana really is amazing with her hands and creating things. I think it is where I have got my crafty bug from. The spare room in my grandparents rooms was jam packed with sewing machines, material, patterns and sewing models. My granny had a similar stash of wool and knitting needles, in fact I can remember my granny breaking a knitting needle in half and sharpening it on the concrete outside to made a pair that were suitable for my size (at the time I remember her saying to call her 'Supergran', and she was). So there was a lot of yarn in my childhood.

How I rekindled my crochet romance

Initially, I bought one book and hopped on YouTube to look at videos but kept getting myself muddled. It was around that time I discovered the Make Lounge and they were just bringing out two crochet courses (their offering has since grown). I enrolled on the Learn to Crochet: Fashion Accessories and the Crochet Amigurumi Toys courses. There were lots of 'Oh, that's right' moments, and before I knew it I was racing ahead creating my own little crochet motifs. The instructors were brilliant as always and it is such a lovely environment. Im sure I have raved on here about the Make Lounge before, but if you live in London and are looking for a crafty outlet, the Make Lounge is just brilliant.

This is my half finished Amigurumi bear. The poor thing has been waiting months for his arms. I must finish those!

But then, the crochet fever dropped off for another few months. It was upon returning to a wintry London earlier this year that I got fired up again, and this time I was determined to make a beautiful blanket.


I found the perfect book on Amazon - Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs and after reading the Patterns entry from Jane Brocket's blog  (she is amazing! And this blanket is so so so gorgeous!) I was inspired.

I still get stuck occasionally and have to unravel and start again, but I have found a simple enough hexagon motif from the Beyond the Square book that I am going to apply to a blanket plan like the one Jane Brocket made. I am going to continue with one hexagon style for a while before I venture on to some others. I will eventually crochet all my little hexagons together, although in true Phoebe style this may not happen for another 2 years.

Here are the beginnings of my blanket hexagons... well hexagon.

Live East, Die Young - East London

On Sunday, I visited a friend in the very hip, east end of London. We planned to wander the flower markets on Columbia Road, before a quick lunch at the Albion cafe, and then a look at the shops. It is a shame the weather wasn't better for my visit, indeed it felt like winter had finally arrived, but it still made for a wonderful day out. Here were three of my favourite spots of the day.
 

Quilter Street

As I walked up to Columbia Road from where I parked on Brick Lane (it seemed that 90% of the tube network was shut for the weekend...again), I came across Quilter Street a block from Columbia Road. It is a line of beautiful, workers-cottage style, Edwardian (?) terraces. Each seems to have been lovingly restored, with glossily painted front doors and neat brick work. As I wondered up the street, I imagined the women who must have worked behind these doors, quilting away. They say in London, that the street names derive from whatever use was made of the streets in the old days, generally, from what was sold there. Threadneedle Street and Petticoat Lane owe their names to the Huguenot weavers who settled there, and as Quilter Lane isn't too far from these, I assume it might have been named for the same group. My dad is very interested in our family history is always telling me his latest theories for where our family came from. I remember one of these was that we were descendent from the Huguenot's, so who know, maybe its were I get my love of all things textile from?

Beyond Fabric
http://www.beyond-fabrics.com/
What a super fabric shop, with a real emphasis on traditional looking, old fashion, 30's style fabrics, as well as some more vintage style 50's & 60's-esque children's fabric. You can buy online too, but personally, I love going in and looking at the different fabrics together, pulling them off the shelves, um-ing and ah-ing, driving the shop assistant mad, before finally making off with a nice little stash of fabrics. I got about 6 metres or so. The prices aren't cheap, probably average from what I have seen around London, with prices at the £12/metre mark.

Nelly Duff
http://www.nellyduff.com/
Across the road is Nelly Duff, a very cool gallery and shop selling very cool prints. Mainly silk screen printed, I have also seen some letterpress style posters in there and they have a VERY cool colourful print of some Mexican skulls. I am pretty desperate for them. They are so bright and beautiful I thought they would look great in a nursery, when I said this to my friend, she said "what kind of nightmares do you want to give your children?!". She has a point. I am eyeing off another one of their items for my husband's first anniversary gift. The first anniversary is paper and I think I have found something he would love - if you read this, don't freak out! Nothing I saw in that shop is over £100.

The name from this post is from a print in the Nelly Duff shop, not to be confused with the following piece of graffiti. The print in the shop looks like a wood cutting with an image of an east London street in the 1800's (I'm guessing). A play on words, and very true if you were living there 100 years ago. Unfortunately it seems to still be the case, I saw someone comment on that flickr post for the graffiti art, that the age expectancy of people living in East London dropped with each stop on the eastern extension of the Jubilee line. I don't have a source for this, only hearsay, and very sad if it's true.

Reading for quilters

I have been learning the beautiful and relaxing art of quilting of late. Whilst searching the internet for help and inspiration, I have come across some lovely blogs as well as purchasing a wonderful book with one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen.

I will start with the book first as it neatly segues into the blogs.

Jane Brocket's book, The Gentle Art of Quiltmaking is just beautiful, there is no other word. Her words are wonderful. I find her writing so enjoyable in fact, I actually read the instructions and notes contained within her book, instead of my regular morning novel on the tube. I think her quilts are amazing. I haven't had the opportunity to attempt one of her designs yet, but I can see they are not going to be terribly difficult and leave me feeling like a lost failure. Her focus is on enjoying quilting and she is very practical in her advice. I read more than once, lines like, "They say you should do x, but I just do y and it works just fine". As a beginner, it is lovely to be guided by someone not too hung up on the fiddly traditions, and focus instead on what makes it an enjoyable past time. The recommended retail is £20, but I picked up a copy on Amazon for almost half that.

http://yarnstorm.blogs.com/

Jane Brocket's blog, Yarnstorm, is another gem. Living in England with her family, Jane writes about wonderful European holidays, shares amazing and inspiring photos as well as reviewing books and recipes. She often posts pictures of quilts she has made, or blankets she has crocheted. I visit her blog every few days now to read her latest posts. Her photos are always amazing to look at.

http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com/

Anna Maria Horner's blog is another I love to look at. She loves her photography, and her kids and house feature prominently in her posts as well as cacophony of colourful shots of her materials and and sewing project she has on the go. Again I love the style of her writing. She has recently seen her eldest daughter off to university and I got a tear in my eye reading it. Makes me wish i had her life!

http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/

I used some of Heather Bailey's fabric in my first quilt, Nicey Jane, and instantly wanted to know more about the woman who had created patterns and motifs that took me straight back to my childhood. Again Heather shares wonderful pictures and inspiring words and looks set to take on the world with her creative empire.

Happy browsing!