Monday 4 May 2009

From Stroud to Devon...via Meadowgate

This weekend has been filled with of textile loveliness...I'm still smiling about it all! 

Friday night saw Mum and I off to the opening of the Stroud International Textiles Festival 2009 at Museum in the Park in Stroud. Not only was there a fabulous jazz band and wine and nibbles, the work on display was rather good too! We saw Michael Brennand-Wood and Matthew Harris milling around...just two of the artists who are exhibiting work at the Festival this year. The Festival's well worth a visit if you're in the area and it's certainly a great opportunity to see pieces by a bevvy of well-known contemporary textile artists.

My favourite pieces were by Matthew Harris... I love his use of colour and line. 

I was really drawn to these canvasses by Dawn Dupree. I love colours. 

The highlight of the weekend was definitely our trip to Devon to Donna's fabulous Spring Open House Sale. As ever, there were plenty of treasures to look through...and I came home with some too!  We even went for a drive after the sale and found Meadowgate, from Kirstie's Homemade Home. It's in the most beautiful secluded location. 

So many glorious vintage treasures to look through. I came home with some lovely Sylko threads on wooden reels with glorious names like 'Lido Blue' and 'Fiesta Pink'; a jar of the most fabulous buttons (which I've tipped out to look at numerous times since bringing them home!); a chunky red necklace and a 1950's dress, which will be perfect for our friends' wedding that we're going to next month.

There were tempting textiles draped everywhere! If only I could have thought of somewhere to put them all in our house!

I just love Donna's kitchen dresser. It's jam-packed with a mix of old and new pieces. Grouping things together in colours is definitely the way forward and I'm inspired to give this philosophy a try in our new kitchen (when it's been built!).

As if rummaging for goodies wasn't enough, Donna always has the best cakes waiting for hungry sale-goers in her big farmhouse kitchen. 

This is me having a 1950's moment in the dress I bought at Donna's sale! I'm also modelling my new chunky red necklace. I feel the urge to wear my new dress everyday (but will make do with saving it for special occasions for now)!

6 comments:

The fabric of my life said...

Such a lovely post and wonderful pictures Katie, thank you for those. Thank you too for your sweet comments. It was lovely to see you and Mr Treasure and Mum and Dad Treasure too. I could have happily kept Dad Treasure :-)

The dress looks AMAZING on you like it was made just for you. I'm so glad you got it.

grumpy old woman said...

Katie, you look fabulous in that dress!

It was so lovely to see you again and to meet your parents.

xxxx
~{:O})=

wendyg said...

Loved your blog. I've just read through the previous postings too. Donna's place in Devon sounds wonderful. I'll have to visit sometime. Are you sure you have time to write for Sewing World magazine!!!

Suzy's Vintage Attic said...

Hello Katie

You are so lucky to make it to Donna's house in Devon. I was away that weekend so couldn't make it. The photos were great to look at and gave me a taste of what I missed out on! Sounds like you had a really good day out at the textile festival. That dress looks fantastic! I love vintage clothes.
Take care
Isabelle x

.Homemakers Tales said...

HI Katie thanks for stopping by ..... I,m also a fan of the 40s and 50s and have a lot of my mums clothes from the time ..we have put them in a kinda time capsule big old chest ...so that the grand kids of the grand kids can see what it was all about.. Mum was a young service wife with 3 young girls and Dad was gone to war Mum has told us vivid stories about those times and things she would do to make do and mend black eye brow pencil lines to make a seam up the back of her legs when she had no nylons !! she was very tiny and her dresses don't fit any of us but we wont part with them ...so stylish ...There was a long gap and along came me and my sister making 5 girls .... we all love fashion .... Kieren x

claire Maraldo said...

The dress looks wonderful on you!