Fashion on the Ration Verdict

Yesterday, 3rd May, I headed up to London to join a good friend of mine, Laura Howard of BugsandFishes, to nip over to the Fashion on the Ration Exhibition at the Imperial War Museum. A place I don't think I've been too since I was a kid, needless to say it's changed quite a bit since then. Especially given the major revamp which saw it close for a considerable amount of time to do it. 

Alas, as it was a paid for exhibition I don't have any photographs from the actual exhibit so you'll have to use your imagination, or pop over to the website to see a few snap shots. It certainly was very well laid out, and very interesting. I always was a sucker for a well tailored attire, and especially uniforms. You might recall in 2012 I went to Goodwood Revival which was an utter hoot and who doesn't love a spot of dressing up. 

Anyway, back to the exhibition. A very well curated collection of clothing and not just women's there was information on the demob suits and how men's clothing was adapted to use for the whole family. I think the only thing I found that they missed a trick on, was having live demonstrations of how clothing was adapted (there were a few videos but nothing beats seeing it in person), even the mending that was constantly talked about, how do you darn tights? I think that would have added an extra something to it, and perhaps even to entice kids into the whole make do and mend. Which I am sure some people see as just a passing fad, forgetting the realities of what people had endure during the second world war. Would we cope now? Not so sure, for one thing the clothing that many people purchase now, really wouldn't even survive to being mended or patched. 

Still, it was very interesting and easily navigated and viewed in a comfortable hour and a half. 

I also liked being able walk about the IWM again, especially the WW1 exhibition on the ground floor..or was it basement?

Been to any interesting exhibitions of late or is there one coming up you can't wait to see. 

Magazine Review: Love Patchwork and Quilting

As you know I am a little obsessed by my sideline hobby of quilting, its my go to thing to do when I don't really want to do any embroidery. Still keeps my hand in stitching just in a slightly different way. Some point I might combine the two and bring it into more Mason Bee things, I have done a little bit in the past but for now I am happy keeping it as a way to make things for me. 

I've been looking a lot lately at books and magazines on the subject for sometime to build up a bit of a mini reference library. Now I know I have mentioned several times over that I am not much of a magazine buyer, being rather fussy about it too. I have ones that I buy from time to time, and others that I have stopped buying all together as it was turning into an expensive coffee table habit; quickly read and discarded. 

So I was rather happy and surprised by how much I enjoyed Love Patchwork and Quilting mag. It's a rarity to find a publication that I want to read cover to cover and have a really strong desire to make the projects. Not just think about doing them but actually working out when I can do them.

As you can see from the two editions I have, lots of sticky tabs for me to refer back to, for little projects I am tempted to do, fabrics and bits and pieces for reference.

One project I have my list to do, and have already sourced the fabrics (one of which is going to be this delightful Koi print), and worked out the quantities for is this Hexagon Table Set by Elizabeth Bett. Been after some nice table mats for sometime, especially now that I have chairs for my dining table...it's taken a while.

I am having to keep myself on a bit of a tight leash so I don't end up buying loads more fabric before I've got even one project complete. 

But it is rather tempting and this magazine doesn't help...

Craft Book Review: Storyland Cross Stitch

Every now and then I come across a craft book, usually randomly stumbling across it on the web whilst looking for something completely different. Or I happen to be following the author's blog or twitter feed. Now for this particular book I can't quite remember where or when came across it might well have been osmosis. Basically I saw it and I wanted it. 

Storyland Cross Stitch by What Delilah Did a.k.a Sophie Simpson, has for me a winning combination of an awesome feeling cover (I do love a bit of texture) and wonderful looking projects (great photography). I opened the package and did the classic 'Oooooo, it's so pretty'.

The book arrived on what has to be the best day ever to sit outside and stitch, which was exactly what I ended up doing. After a quick dash about the house to gather various tools and materials. So that was my exercise for the day...not really...sort of was.

I must point out that I needn't have worried too much because rather handily the book comes with a little added extra, in the form of small piece of fabric, thread and needle. Perfect for when your caught short and in desperate need to stitch.

Me getting well and truly stuck in

So yep, today really was one of those rare moments when it just felt right to go 'sod my to do list' and work on something completely different and this was largely because I really, really wanted to do every single one of the 15 projects contained within the book. That doesn't happen often. In fact it took a lot of will power not to crack on with one of the larger projects, like the crown cushion.

It has something for everyone, and there are some great projects that I think solves my what to make for the hundreds of kiddie winkles (my term for a baby) that are due later this year. Suddenly all my friends are expecting.

What I think is so great about the book is that its subtly broken up into three stitching levels of beginners, intermediate and advanced, which I think is great. As it slowly eases you up the levels without barring your way or scaring the bejeebus out of you and making you discard the book.

The designs / projects are so utterly charming and for me they are the sort that I would be more than happy to do more than once. As there is nothing worse than getting a book that you only end up making one thing from it. I'm already thinking there will be plenty of keys, frogs, Jackalopes and foxes on the horizon.

Storyland Cross Stitch, will now sit perfectly within my collection of craft books (sadly they are currently in boxes pending the move), and I can easily say that if Sophie were to write another book then I'll eagerly purchase it. Though that time round I will actually remember to buy it from her site and not from everyone's favourite/least favourite e-commerce site that is the name of a rather large tropical rainforest. 

To purchase, nip over to Sophie's lovely site www.whatdelilahdid.com, stop and take a moment to admire her work, maybe pick up one of her other cross stitch designs whilst your there.

Book summed up in three words: wonder, lush, stitch-able 

ISBN: 978-1-908449-39-9
Images copyright What Delilah Did