Charity Shop Treasure

I found myself with a little free time on Saturday morning and decided to indulge in a little saunter round some of the local charity shops (Op shops, Thrift stores, Goodwill). I was after some light reading for my upcoming holiday and of course I am always on the look out for a bargain!

I was happy to find these two vintage Agatha Christie novels, a little heavy for my holidays but I do enjoy her works and have been reading them on and off since I was a teenager. In the past 6 months I have been seeking out her books whenever I pop into a charity shop, they are, however, becoming rather thin on the ground so it is always a bit of a thrill to find one.  I really enjoy the age and life shown on the books from the fading on the covers to the pencilled notes by one of the previous owners.

My holiday reading has been provided thanks to another Agatha, Agatha Raisin written by M C Beaton. The character is a PR guru who retires to a sleepy Cotswold village and ends up turning detective, it is written with a lovely lighthearted touch.  I enjoyed the Sky TV's version of a "The Quiche of Death" that was shown a couple of Christmases ago and am really looking forward to the new series which starts 7th June.  We visited the Castle Combe village last year and they were in the process of filming there so I have been eagerly waiting for it to be shown.  Without giving anything away I can reveal that at least one episode will feature a garden centre and a gnome!

A small haul for my sewing and vintage haberdashery collection. A nice piece of what appears to be a wool based fabric that I think will be big enough to make a straight skirt from, however, I think I may need to venture into the unknown territory of lining a garment, but as the fabric was only £2.95 it gives me the confidence to have a go without worrying about cost.

I picked up the little card of lace with a thought towards possibly using it to wrap a jam jar and pop in a tealight, if you are a regular reader of this blog you will know that I love decorating jam jars! or that I could thread a thin ribbon through the holes and use it as a trim on something.  I did not however, look at the front of it untl I had it at home and realised that I had brought a small piece of social history.  It is a sample card from a Nottingham based lace company, the pattern is trademarked in 1968 and the sample is date stamped to 1982.  The Birkin family were one of the great lace making families of Nottingham, sadly this industry as with many in the area is no longer active and the Guy Birkin company no longer exists.

The final purchase of the day was this pack of stencils, I thought they could be used on one of my many blackboard paint projects,  I hadn't realised there were quite so many until I it home and unpacked it, not bad for a pound,

I love buying in charity shops, it keeps things out of landfill and gives them another life, it raises funds for the charity and you never know exactly what you will find.

I seek out Agatha Christie books, what do you look for when you visit charity shops?

#MMMay16 Me Made May

Well May is almost over and this is my first post of the month! I am happy to say that I was able to fulfill my pledge to wear something I had made myself at least once each week during May.

Blue white linen skirt

It was by and large a Me Made Monday and the most worn garment was this linen mix skirt that I made a couple of years ago.  I adjusted New Look 6035 as my waist is larger than the pattern size, I think it may be a little flat in the centre area where I made the increase, but I also think that I can see it because I  am looking for it.

Navy dress

This navy dress got a couple of wears but I do find the neckline a little wide.  This is the dress I made at the Sewing classes I took last year so the pattern was not my choice, however, I am pleased with the the quality work I did and it has made me realise that I the more sewing I do the better my skills will become.

Last but not least is the red spotty top I made last year and is one of the favourite garments I have made.  The fit is not perfect and each time I wear it I realise that I need to explore how to do a FBA (Full Bust Adjustment).

So there we are my first Me Made May completed and my first post for May 2016,

How was your #MMMay16 did you meet your pledge or did life get in the way?