The Cloth House, Soho

I took some time out last week, to trip into London, to look at pretty things. I popped into Anthropologie, walked every square meter of Liberty, and wandered down to Soho.

Suddenly I was transported back in time nearly 20 years. Back to when I used to work just off Oxford Circus in the Fashion Industry. I often used to head to Soho in my lunch hour, to meet up with a boyfriend, to buy Silver for making jewellery, to buy fabrics from the numerous fabric shops down Berwick Street - sometimes for me, and also for the five Wedding dresses I made for close friends over the years. 

Today I was heading to Berwick Street to the Cloth House, which you can find at two different locations on the Street. Berwick Street hadn't changed much. The bustling market was still there, and I smiled as I remembered the tales of the sausage shop boy who used to swap the shop's sausages for spuds with the market traders - so he could have sausage and mash for his tea. Naughty!

The Cloth House was an utter feast for me. Haberdashery heaven. Shelves of ribbon, stacks of lace. Buttons old and new. Every variety of denim, more linen than I could dream of, cotton voiles, velvets, and some hand blocked Indian fabrics that smelled of Rajasthan and transported me back there in an instant. I could happily while away a long time in here. I just wish I had the meterage in my head, for the projects that I have in mind. Still a good excuse to go back soon.

I had meant to tell them I was coming, and ask them if I could take some snaps for the blog, but somehow I had forgotten to get in touch. Happily, I asked one of the shop girls, and she very kindly let me take some pictures. I just wish I was a better photographer!

Setting Stones

Oh my goodness what a busy day. I have set four large aquamarines, a big elongated oval moonstone, and eight of these little 4mm stones. 

I bought a selection of gems in gorgeous colours, thinking they could sit well together. Mostly I bought smooth round cabochon cut gems, but I also bought some rose cut faceted ones, which now I have set, I love.

Gems include: rainbow moonstone, green amethyst, prehnite, sky blue topaz, green and gold labradorite, milky aquamarine, blue / aqua labradorite, Swiss blue topaz.

These are work in progress, unfinished, in poor light - but I was genuinely excited by them today. It reminded me why I make jewellery. I got a real buzz, from beavering away in my studio, using nature's pretty stones, to make some very pretty jewellery. They mix and match beautifully, and I would wear them all if I had made them in a size that fitted me!

I'll post some more pictures when they are finished.

x

English Breakfast

Remember those silver plated egg cups I bought? With the help of an old linen tray cloth, they have had new life breathed into them as gorgeous little pincushions. I for one will not be using anything else now! They were joined by a little silver plated Christening cup, and a tiny candlestick - which works really well as you can stash pins quickly in the bottom as you take them out and start sewing.

This blog must be really rather confusing for people who have come here for contemporary Silver Jewellery... I seem to have gone off on a temporary tangent! xx

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...

Bitten by the Vintage bug

Look at these treasures. Plans afoot. Been busy taking photographs today, while my boys lounged in their hammocks and read their books. Apologies for lack of jewellery!

Vintage and handmade

I had a lovely visit to the Selina Lake, Vintage and Handmade Fete this weekend. It was taking place in the gorgeous old market Hall in the middle of Kingston's historic market; a hop and a skip away from where I live.

It was a chance to finally meet Viv from Hens Teeth, who's quirky Textile Art I have admired for some time, and who I have chatted with on line, but have never met. I was also the opportunity to put faces to names of other makers who's work I had stumbled over on facebook and Twitter, and to see their pretty wares.

With offers of cake and home made lemonade from the Vintage Tea Room, my boys were persuaded that they did want to spend part of their Saturday here.  (Perhaps due to the trade off that I would go to the toy shop afterwards.) So while they ate, I had the chance to sneak around and take some pics.

Pincushions by Mabel and Bird

Ceramic jewellery by Abby Monroe

Bundles of Vintage pegs from The Linen Garden

Vicky at The Linen Garden's pretty floral stand.

Cheryl-ann Taylor's Stand (Look at her name handmade in lace!)...

... her selection of clips

...and corsages. 

(Cheryl-ann; your teeny crochet bunting has really inspired me to press on with my attempts at crochet!)

'Open for business' with Little a Designs...

...where you could buy corsages ready made or in kits to make yourself.

And finally the work of Viv at  Hens Teeth

Including lovely brooches hand made with vintage textiles, hand and machine embroidery, and vintage haberdashery.

Oh and what with it being the Selina Lake Vintage Fete, Selina Lake was there busy signing her books...

They are a jolly and friendly lot the Vintage crowd. The place was packed to bursting with happy shoppers, and the atmosphere was great. 

I hope you have time to visit some of the maker's pages, just follow the links with the photographs. xx

The jewellery of Ebba Goring

At the start of the month, it was London Jewellery Week, and I visited Treasure at Somerset House. One of the makers who's work stood out for me there, was Ebba Goring. Delicate threads cast in silver struck a chord with me, and I wanted to share her work with you.

Ebba set up her business in 2009 after graduating with a BDES (hons) in Jewellery and Metal Design from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee. Her jewellery is inspired by her love of traditional needlework and her passion to translate textile skills that have been handed down from generation to generation, into a new material that will preserve them forever.

Magically, handmade, delicate lace and crochet is transformed into solid precious metal and combined with sparkling stones.

Not surprisingly, Ebba had a very successful Treasure.

You can visit Ebba's blog here. 

You can look at her website here.