Kew Fair this Saturday!

Galliers here. Well, we finally got our stuff together in one place and "mocked up" our stall for the fair on Saturday. See photos. Having purchased a lovely rosey red pop-up tent thingy on Ebay we finally got it out of the bag and set it up in my garden on a dry and sunny afternoon. Easier to set up than anticipated I am glad to say. A bit of "right a bit, left a bit" and wishing we were about 5 inches taller but we managed. Two wallpaper pasting tables covered with old curtains and all our hard work displayed on top.. didn't look half bad.. although the delightful rosey red glow of the tent did cast rather a strange shade on all the stuff... but then hopefully the punters will consider their purchases in the front in the natural light. The Rescued & Revived bunting looks rather fabulous if we say so ourselves, gives a jousting tournament tent look I feel. SO... we just now need a dry and pleasant day (not too hot though), and plenty of people to visit us. The Fair should be a lovely day out anyway, on Kew Green between 11 am and 6 pm, there will be a Pimms tent, food tent by Anthony Worrall-Thompson, a dog show, a Victorian Fairground, craft marquee and lots of stalls. There are also bands and musicians playing on a stage throughout. We decided not to go in the craft marquee but to have our own little tent outside in the fresh air. We hope to see you there! ALSO! stop press we have finally updated our Folksy shop - do take a look.

Tea Cosy Heaven

Yes, it's me, Botkin, it may have looked as if I left my shoes on the jetty in Florida and disappeared a la Reggie Perrin, but in fact nothing so extreme, I'm just here in Kew, ensconsed in a tea cosy making mania. It must be to do with life "out there" being totally strange and alien, and everyone seems in a jumpy frame of mind, and I absolutely believe there's nothing quite like a nice cup of tea ...... here's one in progress (now finished) there's more on the way ...... watch this space ...... Visit us at Kew Fete on Saturday 19th June ..... though if the world carries on like this I might just take to my bed under Sam's "Bed of Roses" - isn't it just so gorgeous - and not emerge until the world has sorted itself out. Adieu xxx

Our Bed of Roses in a Gypsy Caravan....

Finished "Our Bed of Roses" yesterday... looks a bit lovely... if I say so meself... I feel a Gypsy Caravan theme coming upon me... I aim to follow this through with some bolster cushions and bedroom wallhangings and other stuff with blowsy roses and bright and sometimes clashing colours...here are a few photos which do not do it justice - the lighting was all wrong, the green of the blanket looks a lot fresher and more that particular shade of green I always think of as "1930s green".. but you can get the overall impression. There is a photo of a tea cosy cover (unpadded) I made for myself in ticking - Victorian style. Also I photographed my bedroom muse Isadora - who is dressed rather in the Gypsy Caravan theme this spring.. in a bright chintz 1930s gown weighted down with a collection of necklaces and a silk corsage...Roxy has made two wonderful tea cosies "Builders" and "Bankers" which we hope to have photos of next week.. they have already had "first dibs" put on them by a friend of hers but she will be making more!....

Stitching til our fingers bleed...

Galliers here. We are now fully paid up stallholders to be at both Kew Fete on Kew Green 19th June and Barnes Fair on Barnes Green 10th July. Now we just have to make stuff to put on them!...... I am halfway through another "skirt-into-bag" - a lovely bit of magenta cashmere with handfelted flowers beads and embroidery... also into a bedroom "comforter", or small bedquilt, which is from a lovely faded 1930s green "Swando" brand blanket appliqued with bits cut from a vintage cashmere shawl and the words "our bed of roses" in soft red canvas.... two things in production... managed to sew through the tops of BOTH my index fingers yesterday in my efforts to push ahead... so literally "stitching till my fingers bleed"!... luckily no drops of blood on the fabrics so thats ok. More haste less speed... or something like that. Roxy is steaming ahead with her tea cosies. We have a page in the local free magazine "Living in Kew and Richmond" devoted to us this month ... "A day in the life of Rescued and Revived".... how exciting!... my friend Pippa who publishes it kindly offered to put us in and drum up a bit of interest for our stalls, she is also a mover and shaker organizing the Kew Fete. Few photos of my on-going items to show you. Also a photo of a mosaic for my garden which I started at least 2 years ago and finally finished - just needs the back and edges waterproofing and it can stand outside and brighten up a gloomy corner. More photos of items for sale when they are finished which hopefully when my savaged fingers heal up will be soon...

Spring is finally Sprung....

Galliers here.....Our early spring break on Siesta Key obviously put us in such a laid back mood we came home and did almost nothing for about six weeks.... but are now full of good intentions to plan and make... here are a few photos of a couple of little projects I have managed to undertake....a beautiful old baby blanket dredged up from my Pa's houseful of the flotsam and jetsam of life.... the moth have had a feast and moved on... it has been lovingly laundered in soapflakes and dried on the washing line and lived to tell the tale of... Spring!... Hare in Foxy in the Springtime - I thought I would back it with some vintage cotton and it could be a little wallhanging for a nursery, motheaten but still beautiful I think. The label is lovely "Swando" registered by the Institute of Hygiene, so that's alright then. The other photo is a shoulder bag made out of a pink tweed skirt I got at a jumble sale ... I took the zip out and sewed up the gap, cut the whole skirt in half across the width and put a seam across the bottom, edged the top with pink velvet ribbon, created a strap from some wonderful vintage black and white striped hessian upholstery webbing (charity shop find) and more pink velvet ribbon, stitched a turquoise flower on the front. The flower was made last spring in a period of "let's make felt" where we felted beautiful hanks of wool into flowers with strands of Angelina (heat fusible shiny rainbow coloured fibres) mixed in and handsewn beads. We made smaller ones for corsages but I made 3 large flat ones in various colours which lend themselves very well for stitching down onto cushions and bags. Final touch to the bag was to make a couple of ribbon ties one with a wooden bead from a 1970s necklace and the other a tiny toe-ring of tiny pretty dangly bits! I am rather pleased with it myself, I have another little bright magenta cashmere skirt to make into a bag too, so there could be a run of these. We have already booked our stall at Barnes Fair in the summer July 10th and are in line to have one at the Kew Summer Fair on Kew Green in June. SO we better stop procrastinating and start stitching! It was my birthday this week and I received today from my friend Mairead the most beautiful handtied bunch of amazing flowers (see photo) including pink lilac, purple clematis, sweet peas, deep pink peonies and more... her shop is called Rebel Rebel and is in Broadway Market in Bethnal Green.

Blimey, I think she can do it!

A successful posting, so I shall carry on a little. Rescued and Revived spent a week at the beginning of February in sunny Florida - how lucky are we?? Chilled out, laid back, at least one bit of sunshine everyday, we mostly pottered on the beach in our pjs every morning picking up shells - watched the pelicans, shags and gulls in the lagoon behind the house and generally reeeelaaaaxed. Danced a couple of nights away in the front room and Galliers now officially has the best ipod music ever. Bought trimmings and stitching gadgets and the odd "must have" fabric at Joanne's - a supermarket of all things stitch - never seen anything like it in my life, and that's the truth guvnor. Oh happy days! Needless to say Botkin's suitcase way too small so things had to be left. Here are my beach shoes on the jetty (look at the texture of that ageing wood...) just waiting for my return ......

Botkin here - I am rubbish at this. Think I'm publishing a photo of a Don't Panic teacosy, but not at all sure. This one, has stamped on the back "Have a Nice Cup of Tea and Plan your Revenge". Currently its on display at Monica Boxley's shop in Church St. Twickenham. Pay the shop a visit its a little cornucopia of wonderful handmade things. I shall try this one and if I succeed I've lots more to report!!! Toodlepip x

We are in gear for the New Year

Right! Happy New Year to all, Galliers here. The photo is of Botkin and Galliers at their mate's 50th birthday party on 2nd January in the Coxswain Bar at Ye White Hart, The Terrace, Barnes, SW13. We danced, we drank, we did NOT fall over, we embarrassed the teenagers! Yippee. We are v. close to finishing another "Lie back and think of England" blanket - the same as the lovers blanket EXCEPT... it is a wallhanging .... and very beautiful it is too, destined to hang on the wall of The Breakfast Club in Hoxton, East London. It was commissioned by the owner who saw the original hanging in all its glory at Coralie and Kristie's Christmas Cooler last month. We are so looking forward to going to eat brunch there and sit underneath it... sigh! .... This week we are going to be making bedpost baubles for Valentines Day - little heart shaped pouches made from tweed, fine black leather, lace, silks and satins, to hang from the bedpost and keep your rubber johnnies in (now I bet you've not heard that name since you were at school! - or was it just me???) - they will be embellished with the phrase "Something for the weekend Sir?" and possibly Madam too. Its brass monkeys weather at the moment so hope you are all keeping warm - teacosies! ... that's what Botkin has been working on a lot recently - lots of lovely quirky teacosies - soon to be photographed and put on here. Keep warm out there.