Vintage fabric for sale in my Etsy online store

I have recently added a number of vintage fabric listings to my Etsy store.
Follow this link to grab yourself some fab retro textiles...

Retro, tablecloth, 1970s, Vintage, Flower Power, Jonelle, linen, Psychedelic, Daisy, Daisy Chain

Made in the 60s or 70s, it is covered in pretty daisy flowers - perfect for retro fans. It features a bold pattern in shades of pure white and zesty orange on a chocolate brown background. £15.50 plus p&p

Vintage 60s 70s flower power spring garden fabric in lilac, blue and olive green 85cm wide
It features a bold floral pattern in shades of lilac, pale blue, plum purple and olive green on a pure white background.
This fabric is in great condition, no fading, the colours really pop. £8.50 plus p&p

Vintage 60s 70s flower power fabric in mustard yellow and chocolate brown large piece
A beautiful vintage fabric featuring a bold floral pattern in shades of mustard yellow, zesty orange on a chocolate brown background.
No fading, the colours remain bright.
You will receive a large piece measuring 168cm long and 116cm wide - £16.50 plus p£p

Purple daisy floral vintage retro fabric in purple, lilac and pure white 88cm wide

This fabric features a floral pattern in shades of purple, lilac and pure white. It is in great condition, no fading, the colours really shine out at you.
This is a medium weight, cotton fabric. Perfect for all manner of sewing projects such as cushion covers, lampshades or clothing.
You will receive 1 piece of fabric measuring 88 centimetres wide by 100 centimetres long. £14.50 plus p&p

This is just a small selection of vintage fabric on offer. Head over to the Pouch Vintage online shop to see the full range plus fabric trims and handmade homewares. If you have any questions, please contact me, I'm always happy to help.

I would love to connect with you via my other social media channels, fine me here: Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest

A family day out to Bristol Harbour and the M-shed

If you love nostalgia then you need to make a beeline for the M-shed in Bristol this Summer. They are hosting an exhibition entitled "The Story of Children’s Television From 1946 to Today" and it runs until 25th September 2016. As soon as I heard a host of beloved characters from my childhood would be on display, I knew we had to pay a visit.

Magoo had been asking if we could "go on a double decker bus" over the school holidays. Because we all like visiting Bristol and the bus stop is situated at the top of our road, we decided to jump on a double decker and head to the city. Like I say, I'd been itching to see the Story of Children's Television" exhibition for a while now. Because this temporary display covers Children's Televison from 1946 up to the present day, I knew Grandma, myself and Magoo would all find something to enjoy.

The M-Shed is situated right in the middle of Bristol Harbour, so there are plenty of boats to see. At the moment there is an impressive tall ship called the Kaskelot moored opposite the M-Shed. It was a truly magnificent sight and you can't help marvel at the size of it. If you look at the ship's website, you can see images of it at sea in full sail.

After admiring the Kaskelot we stopped off at Millenium Square to see the Official Team GB FanZone where live coverage of the Olympic Games from Rio is shown on a big screen. Grandma and I drank a cup of tea from the @Bristol Cafe and we all ate homemade cake watching the swimmers do their thing at the Olympic Games.

Once we'd finished our tea and cake, we headed across Pero's Bridge to reach the Queen Square side of the water. Whilst on the bridge, we stopped to look at the padlocks covering the sides. These 'love locks' are attached to the metal grids by couples as a romantic gesture and the amount of padlocks has steadily grown over the years. I was surprised at just how many locks are now on the bridge, they seem to have covered every available space.

The council don't like them and there were attempts to cut them off in 2015. Bristol citizens have a habit of not doing what is expected of them. It seems the council's dislike of the locks has prompted a whole sea of them to appear. I don't find them offensive and we all enjoyed looking at the names, inscriptions and different shaped locks.

We walked past the Arnolfini and across the swing bridge on Prince Street. Before we went into the M-Shed we took a moment to look at the sun shining on the water in Bristol Harbour and admire The Matthew. The "Modern Matthew' is a replica of the caravel ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 from Bristol to North America.

It is a beautiful boat, run by volunteers and funded by charitable donations. Magoo was keen to climb down the wooden steps to see below deck. We found about eight small bunks crammed into a tight space. It's hard to imagine how the 1497 crew sailing to Newfoundland lived, ate and slept in such a small space. It must have been horrendous in severe storms and rolling waves.

After our tour of The Matthew we headed into the M-Shed. There is so much to see and lots to learn about Bristol life past, present and future. One of my favourite parts of the M-Shed are the perspex boxes cut into the wall looking out over the docks. There are quite a few of these 'windows' and each one is filled with intricate model boats. I love the juxtaposition of the tiny models against the impressive sight of a real tall ship outside.

The museum is divided up into three main areas, Bristol Places, Bristol People and Bristol Life. Each section spans past history and places through to modern day characters like Banksy. There's even a bright green, full-sized Bristol Bus from the 1960s for everyone to jump aboard. Magoo loved this part the best and she had the opportunity to sit on the top deck of a modern bus and an old fashioned one all in the same day.

Once we managed to coax Magoo off the bus we headed to the Children's Television Exhibition on the top floor. It was, as I had hoped, a complete nostalgia-fest! So many memories flooded back and I adored seeing Humpty from PlaySchool, Gordon the Gopher, puppets from Button Moon, DangerMouse and many, many more.

Magoo was also in her element as the exhibition features modern day TV programs from Cbeebies and CBBC. Having said that, she was glued to the compilations being shown on various televisions around the exhibition. The clip of Pogles' Wood which was made back in the late-1960s caught her attention and she particularly loved Roobarb and Custard. I know watching TV often gets a bad rap, but we all have shows we loved as kids and this exhibition celebrates that. Children's TV holds happy memories for lots of people and we all loved looking at the exhibits.

Once we'd had our fill of nostalgia we headed back out into the sunshine for an ice cream. As we looked out over the water I promised Magoo we would make a return visit to the M-Shed. We had barely scratched the surface of the vast array of items on display and we'll definitely be back...

This week I am linking up with:

"Country Kids" over on www.coombemill.com

My latest craft project: vintage fabric applique rabbit hoop

At the start of the year I decided to try and make more time for creativity. I wrote a post about the therapeutic effect of being creative. Sewing makes me relaxed and happy, so I resolved to do more of it this year. Alongside this, I've launched a new blog linky called "Crafting is my Therapy", it acts as a place for people to share their crafty skills. With Spring on the horizon and Easter only a few weeks away, this months project is bunny-themed.

Over the past couple of weeks I have sewn a colourful applique rabbit using vintage fabric and calico. I love blanket stitch and try and incorporate it into my sewing projects wherever possible. This version uses a floral fabric in shades of turquoise and cobalt blue. A few months ago I created a similar applique hoop using orange and chocolate brown vintage fabric.

Over the years I have amassed a wide selection of vintage fabrics so there is scope for me to make more variations. I find this particular manmade fabric features colours that really pop and they rarely fade.

I love the finished effect, but they aren't the easiest things to sew. It's quite hard work getting the needle through calico and the thick vintage fabric. The smaller blanket stitch around the ears was particularly fiddly. Having said that, I do still enjoy making them.

Looking forward to next month's project I'm particularly keen to practise some new embroidery stitches. The latest Crafting is my Therapy linky goes live this Friday on the 4th March...the focus of the linky is crafting for pleasure, basically taking some ‘me-time’ to unwind in our busy lives.

It doesn’t have to be a finished project, I love seeing work in progress photos or tutorial posts too. I hope any crafty bloggers reading this will come and join in with Crafting is my Therapy #2

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if you'd like to sew more of my sewing projects, I have a "Sewing is my Therapy" board over on Pinterest:

Follow Pouch : blogging + craft's board Sewing Is My Therapy on Pinterest.

This week I'm linking up with:

The 'Making Home' link up over on www.mrscraftyb.co.uk

Blogger Club UK over on www.cuddlefairy.com and mudpiefridays.com

1970s nostalgia inspired fortieth birthday canvas: a handmade gift

Back in May, my friend Lisa turned 40. I wanted to make her a handmade, personalised gift, so I decided to embroider a canvas for her. This canvas features a number of the most iconic events from 1975. I think the 1970s were a heady mixture of glamour, glitz and political struggles. I wanted to try & reflect this in the canvas.

The 1970s gave us David Bowie, Disco and the birth of Punk. It was also an unsettled time politically for the United Kingdom with high inflation & industrial action by coal miners. This triggered the Conservative government to try & restrict electricity consumption with the Three Day Week.

I transferred my selection of 1975 events onto a cream calico fabric using a transfer pencil. I then used back stitch in various, bright embroidery threads to create this piece. I love hand sewing and find it relaxing, so making this canvas was really enjoyable.

I was born a year later in 1976, so may have to make a similar one for myself as the big 4-0 is looming on the horizon...

Grab a bargain: I'm having a half price sale

I'm having a sale! Save 50% on all my vintage fabric peg bags, lavender sachet owls and rabbits. There are bargains galore in my online shop, head on over to see the full range. This is perfect opportunity to grab some Christmas gifts for your friends and family.

15 creative ideas for using vintage trims, ribbons, fabric scraps and haberdashery items

I have been selling vintage trim in my online shop for about five years now. I often wonder what creative projects people use the trim for. So I decide to put together a list of inspiration and ideas for utilising trim, ribbon, fabric strips and other haberdashery items. Some designs come directly from customer emails and the appreciation photos they send me. Some are my own sewing projects and the rest I have found via my travels around the web. I also have a vintage trim projects and inspiration board over on Pinterest. There you will find even more ideas to get your creative thoughts flowing…

1) Bookmark for a journal, diary or sketchbook
I put together this tutorial on my blog a few months ago for a handmade bookmark or strap to use on your journal/notebook. This book strap is pretty to look at, simple to create and useful. The perfect way to personalise your books, journal or a sketchbook. I’ve used a piece of my vintage woven fabric trim in mustard yellow and sage green to make the bookmark in this photo

2) Embellish skirts and aprons
You could try adding vintage trim to skirts, tunics, patch pockets and aprons to name but a few. There are lots of examples out there, but I love this beautiful girl’s skirt via Hanna Purzel’s blog. You can also see more of her sewing projects over on Pinterest.

3) Embroidery Hoop Wall Art
I love embroidery hoop art. I know the trend has been running for quite a while now, but it doesn’t seem to be falling out of favour just yet. The great thing there is no limit to what you can add to an embroidery hoop. So grab some ric rac, ribbon, vintage trim, buttons and get to work with various embroidery stitches to create your own piece of unique textile art. This hoop from Little Bit Funkygives you a taste of what can be achieved.

I also love the hoop made with vintage fabric from Henhouse Homemade’s blog. Again, a mixture of fabric, vintage linens and trim would make a great patchwork hoop.

I’ve also spotted a book entitled “Hoop-La! 100 Things to do with Embroidery Hoops”. It’s high on my wish-list for books I’d like to own. Take a look at the Youtube video advertising the book to get a taste of what’s inside and to inspire you further.
4) Vintage trim belts
Using trim on a handmade belt is a great way to add a retro twist to your outfit. Perfect for adults and children. Take a look at this tutorial from Sew Very for reversible trim fabric belts. This idea is definitely on my to-do list…

5) Dog collars and leads
In a similar vein to belts, narrower trim can also be used to make DIY Dog collars and leads. Again there are lots of tutorials out there, here are a few of my favorites: Think Crafts, Totally Stitchin and Dog Paw Print.

6) Upcycled painted key necklaces or decoration.
This is another favourite of mine. Love the idea of combining old keys and vintage trim or ribbons to make an interesting display in your home. I would probably create quite a few to hang from hooks on a piece of driftwood. You could mix any combination of trim and key colours or you could stick to a certain theme to fit in with your home’s colour scheme. Take a look at Maize Hutton’s blog for further ideas.

Alternatively you can wear the keys as an interesting piece of upcycled jewellery. Take a look at Jessica in Your Ear’s blog post for more inspiration. Again the combinations of trim and key colour are endless.

7) Adding detail to a bandana
A simple way to add extra detail to a bandana or headscarf is to stitch some vintage trim or ribbon around the seam. I made this bandana for my daughter and added the trim to make a tie. There are lots of bandana tutorials out there, such as this one from Straight Grain and then adapt it with trim or ribbon of your own choice. Great for small children, bandanas tend to stay on a bit better than traditional sun hats. Also perfect for adults to give your outfit a folksy, festival vibe.

8) Crazy Quilts
I don’t really claim to be much of an expert on quilting. But apparently there is such a thing as Crazy Quilts and quite frankly I love them. This is a definition taken from crazy quilts on wikipedia.org:
“Crazy quilts differ from "regular" quilts in other ways as well. Because the careful geometric design of a quilt block is much less important in crazy quilts, the quilters are able to employ much smaller and more irregularly shaped pieces of fabric. In comparison to standard quilts, crazy quilts are far more likely to use exotic pieces of fabric, such as velvet, satin, tulle, or silk, and embellishments such as buttons, lace, ribbons, beads, or embroidery. Crazy quilting as a textile art is extremely creative and free-flowing by nature…”

Some of my favourite examples come from Debra Dorgan, the creative mind behind All Things Pretty. I love the way she combines fabric and trim to create a riot of colour and texture. There are some beautiful examples over on Allie’s In Stitches blog. You can also visit indulgy.com to see a beautiful photo of a selection of stitches used in Crazy Quilting.

9) Add vintage detail to a cylinder lampshade
I have found through customer emails that one of the most popular uses for vintage trim is to use it to add retro detail to a lampshade. Take a look at this tutorial from Beach Vintage. It shows you a step-by-step guide to recovering a cylinder lampshade with fabric and trim. Just looking at it makes me want to grab a glue-gun and make a heap of lampshades for my home.

10) Create a naked or skeleton lampshade
Another take on the lampshade idea is to create a skeleton or naked shade. Quirky and unique, you can combine just about any fabric or ribbon for this project. The sky is the limit. There are some great examples out there, many use fabric scraps, but you could make one with a combination of fabric and trim.
Pursewna Pursewna creates a different twist on the naked lampshade by tying the fabric across the frame rather than wrapping it. Her original inspiration came from The Pleated Poppy. It’s worth taking a look at both blogs to get more ideas. The naked lampshades featured here are clockwise from top left: Dottie Angel; The Pleated Poppy; lystadsvingen.blogspot.com; Pursewna Pursewna

11) Ribbon hoop mobile decoration or garland
I’ve seen a few of these over the past few months and I think they would look great with a mixture of ribbon, fabric and vintage trim.
You can either make a mobile version using a hoop to hang from the ceiling. If you take a look at my vintage trim Pinterest board you can see people make many versions of hoops and wall hangings for children’s rooms, parties, weddings and the classroom. I think they are pretty, tactile and colourful. This is another project high on my to-do list. Take a look at this tutorial for a hoop mobile over on Shannon Berry’s blog. There are lots of wedding decoration ideas out there, try Brit + Co and A Low Country Wedding to see some pretty examples using ribbon, trim and fabric strips.

Another twist on the hoop idea is to create a garland. There is a great tutorial over on The Scrap Shoppe blog using fabric strips. I think it would be interesting to add trim and ribbon into the mix. This is a lovely no-sew project, so could easily get children involved with making one.

12) Fairy Lights
I first saw fairy light like this on a stall at Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair in Bristol a few months ago. I was peering at the lights and realised they were made with covered plastic shot glasses with fairy lights threaded through. There are oodles of tutorials out there. The top two photos in the image below are from Ruususuu and use paper cups. There are more ideas over on itsamakkie.blogspot.co.uk and rebeccasdiy.blogspot.co.uk. You can combine vintage fabric on the shades and then add trim or ricrac along the edges. Again the combinations are endless and they look amazing hanging from a fireplace or bookshelf.

13) Christmas Stockings
A friend of mine gave me a lovely collection of vintage trims a couple of years ago. I had been waiting for inspiration to come to me and I hit on the idea of making felt Christmas stockings with trim detailing. They are simple, but effective and the trim is so festive. I'm really pleased with the way they've turned out.

14) Fabric, yarn and ribbon wreaths
Yarn wreaths have become incredibly popular recently. Alongside yarn, wreaths can be made with vintage fabrics, ribbon and trims. Katie Runnels, the creative mind behind The Constant Gatherer makes some of the best examples I’ve seen.

There are heaps of wreath tutorials out there. I’m particularly in love with this vintage fabric sheet version from In Colour Order. It would be nice to add some vintage trim or ribbon into the mix to add extra retro detail.

15) Embellish a bag or purse
I’m a big fan of bags, especially totes. So a tote combined with vintage trim ticks lots of boxes for me. It’s no wonder I fell in love with this bag featured on the Lola Nova blog. Grab the Carryall Bag pattern from Fabenmix and add your own modification and embellishments.

Another lovely example is this purse from Karen Meyers made from a repurposed wool jumper with vintage trim detailing. It is featured on the Grains of Earth blog post – 18 ways to upcycle old sweaters.

Follow Pouch's board vintage trim projects & inspiration on Pinterest.
I hope you have enjoyed my list of creative ideas and uses for using trims, ribbons, fabric scraps and haberdashery gubbins. Please head on over to my Pinterest board for further inspiration. The projects included in this blog post are for personal crafting use. Please do not employ for commercial use unless the specific tutorial gives permission for this. I have made a great deal of effort to credit all the designs featured here. If you share this post, please take the time to credit their hard work. Thank you & happy crafting!
I'm linking up with The List over on youbabymemummy.com