As I mentioned in yesterday's post, on Sunday I was lucky enough to meet the lovely Donna Flower. She is a huge inspiration to me. I remember reading about her in a sewing magazine years ago and thinking how fabulous it must be to make a living collecting and selling gorgeous vintage fabric.
Donna's stand looked stunning, she really knows how to style her wares to appeal to vintage lovers. Unfortunately I was so overcome by fabric lust that I forgot to take any pictures - pop over to her blog for a peek at some of the goodies she was selling!
Her array of vintage goodies was super popular so I had a look at the stack of gorgeous fabric, and when the throng around her died down I found a moment to speak to her...she is charming. So friendly and a total fabric geek just like me...once I'd introduced myself she ran off to find a bag of fabrics that she'd brought SPECIALLY FOR ME... I was so flattered that I was almost lost for words...and when she showed me what she'd brought I was reduced to gasps!
I'm sure I don't need to tell you that I didn't come away empty handed...but I did try to be restrained. Before I went I gave myself a stern talking to and decided that what my stash really needs is a special barkcloth with some pink in it - a colour that is sorely under-represented in my cupboard of joy! And just look what she'd packed for me...
It's barkcloth. It's got pink in it. And it's SPECIAL!! Not to everyone's taste I'm sure, but definitely to mine. It's got a couple of fade lines and imperfections, but to be honest that's a good thing. If a bit of fabric is too perfect I struggle to use it - I can't bear to cut it up!! This will make some gorgeous cushion covers either on its' own or combined with other fabrics in a patchwork.
It's a curtain, and Donna has kept the other one for herself. She is truly a fabric addict after my own heart!
Sorry if this post is a bit word heavy - I had a story to tell. Thanks for sticking with me if you got down to here; I hope you had a fun weekend too!
Rachel x
P.S. I might have bought a couple of other teensy little bits of fabric...I'll show you them
tomorrow...x
It's just you, perfect! :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it?! I couldn't believe it when I saw it...obviously there was no chance of going home empty-handed! x
DeleteHow lovely and what a treasure ... hand picking fabrics just for you ... Donna must be really lovely ... so glad you found something you wanted and really needed :) ... Bee xx
ReplyDeleteOh Bee she is truly fabulous - we have chatted a little online but I knew she'd be busy and it never occurred to me that she would think of me when selecting her stock for the fair...made me feel so lucky! She is super stylish too - a true inspiration. xx
DeleteSo pleased for you, it's lovely! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Pippa! I'm pretty pleased too...can you tell? ;)
DeleteThat is so fabulous! What are you going to do with it? And I love that Donna had a special bag of goodies just for you - that's brilliant. Gosh bloggers are lovely! x
ReplyDeleteOh Jen I rarely know exactly what I'm going to do with a bit of fabric - the mist comes over me and I just know I have to have it! But of course, long term my plan is to make and sell lovely things for the home...so although I will always keep a bit for myself it will hopefully find its' way to others who like it too.
DeleteAnd yes Donna is brilliant and lovely, I really was blown away by the fact that she'd thought of me like that. A truly gorgeous person in every way! x
OOOOh so lucky, sooo envious, its so gorgeous!
ReplyDeletecan't wait to see what comes next....
What a lovely lady she sounds?
Daisy x
She's a star Daisy, and I do feel very lucky...am a tad worried that this post is a bit over the top but I like to appreciate good things that happen to me - I'm no good at being 'cool' about these things! x
Deletehow nice of her to do that for you and for you to appreciate it so much! Heather x
ReplyDeleteIt was a very nice thing all round - it's important to appreciate kindness, and it was so kind of her to think of me! x
DeleteOoh yum! :-) x
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping over to comment Jo...thinking of you lovely. xx
DeleteYour passion for retro fabrics really shines through in your blog. Yes, that barkcloth may not be to everyone's taste (although I like it!) but so long as you love it, that's all that matters. x
ReplyDeleteOh Gillian I am a true 60s & 70s fabric geek - I even dream about it (I'm not joking)! As the fair is held in a little market town there was a lot of shabby chic/chintzy stuff - which is lovely but not really me.
DeleteShe knows her stuff so wouldn't normally have brought a piece like that to sell there - I'm so glad she guessed that I'd like it! x
I love that fabric and am still kicking myself about the pair of curtains very similar I passed up (no pennies) on holiday in Galloway this year! Never again will I pass up such vintage loveliness!Hope you are all well and loving the beginning of the festive season, Jxx
ReplyDeleteOh no Jo! Never just walk on by special fabric if it's cheap...I'll always buy it off you if you don't want it yourself! You can be my buyer north of the border and on your travels...from what I've seen you get some bargains up there and I know you've got a good eye for a retro pattern! All good here thanks - I have let the fabric geekery get in the way of acknowledging December's arrival - I'll try to remedy that later this week! Hope you're well and enjoying the run up to Christmas. xx
DeleteHow lucky to have found exactly what you were after! Love barkcloth, so tactile!!
ReplyDelete