Winter Doldrums

Oh dear, I see I have been a fair while away from the blogosphere but I have the excuse of wonderful winter deco in Napier to explain my lack of activity.  Once again winter deco really was "deco decanted" and this year it felt even better than ever. (I suspect I may say that every year, but it's true.)  After a weekend casino nights where even the handbags were beautiful

not to mention the dancing girls

and the cyclists

it was hard to return to what some people view as the "real"world.  Poor little Figgy had been so tightly packed on the journey to Napier that Mr Shoestring had to load cases in via the sunroof

and even then one case had to be removed before we even set off.  So on the return journey after I purchased one priceless art work from the op shop 

I had to request permission to check a second to see if it would fit in, before purchasing.  Sadly it did not,so had to be returned in a forlorn and unloved state to await approval from some other discerning art buyer. (At a cost of $10 it should not be too long before another art lover comes along and gives it a home, I like to think.)  Mr Shoestring and I did track down a few other objects likely to add to our art deco costumery for next year including shoes and hats. I won't bore you with Mr Shoestring's purchases because mine are far more interesting, but I have to report that it was a very cosy trip home and there was imminent danger of suffocation by falling furs and other purchases, which all added a certain piquant excitement to proceedings. It didn't really matter that there was no possibility of using the rear view mirror because of a plethora of fabulous new finds cluttering up the back window, after all.  

The sisters from the South were full of good ideas inspiration and plans for wonderful costumes for next year and even now we planning some wonderful times for next summer.  And spring is just around the corner, the days are getting longer and Mr Shoestring has almost finished resurfacing the bath at Shoestring Cottage, so I shall be able to recline in aqueous bliss and dream of things to come.  

The Dreadful Knock On Frugal Effect

I always had a hankering for some pretty chandeliers for Shoestring Cottage, despite the fact that she is a rather raffish and very modest cottage and not grand by any stretch of the imagination.  Having seen the modern ones on offer I knew they were way beyond what I was wanting to spend and so I was very pleased with myself when I found some languishing in a shop which was on the move, looking for a good home and not expensive.  

Mr Shoestring put in a lot of time and effort to bring them up to scratch but of course some of the fittings were missing which meant we needed to find another old light fitting to pirate bits off and reuse.  After the necessary stripping down of that light fitting we were left with this, the discarded remains of the light fitting reused for parts.

It seemed to good to toss it out and so the quest began for a new use for this leftover.  Perhaps I could decoupage it with pretty pictures and turn it into a plant pot?  Or maybe set it into the ground and use it to keep precious bulbs safe?  

All kinds of possibilities sprang to mind but then it occurred to me that being frugal has many hidden dangers, not the least of which is the “knock on effect” of things left over from other projects and the desire not to waste anything, and to put every remnant to good use.  Looking around Shoestring I realized there were bowls of buttons removed from garments before they were discarded,

pieces of broken jewellery waiting to be remade into other things,

 baskets full of left over crewel and tapestry wool,

scraps of patchwork fabric almost (but not quite) too small to be of any use whatsoever,

 pots of cuttings taken at pruning time,

not to mention the bits of damaged china waiting to be smashed up and turned into mosaics

 doilies for recycling and using in crazy quilts

 small blocks left over from patchwork quilts

on and on the list went.  This is where we need to start to be a bit firm with ourselves and ask whether we really do need another box hedge, and whether those pieces of fabric really are too small to be of any earthly use.  But it is always difficult to know where to draw the line.  Ruthlessness is the order of the day.  

Some things will definitely have to go.  But one thing I can never discard is my precious Farmers Trading Company catalogue from my nana, which is falling to pieces and has tissue thin pages and no cover.  If there was anything to save from Shoestring Cottage this would be it, I could spend hours poring over it and marvelling at the things people used to buy from all around the country, and apparently if they weren't satisfied their money was returned without question!  I think it dates from the early 1930s and maybe it is partly responsible for my fixation with all things deco, who knows?  

And looking out for signs of spring (the shortest day has passed at last) I was surprised to see this bird at my dear mama's place, instead of wishing to steer well clear of any chance of being caged it was determined to perch on top of her ornamental outdoor bird cage - even birds can be contrary and misguided we humans are not alone.  This bird was probably contemplating spring time and wondering how many recycled objects it could accommodate in its next nest,or that's what I like to tell myself anyway.  

Big Red

In an effort to stem the flow of one inch hexagons seeping out of the sewing room (because now I begin to find them in the bottom of my handbag, lurking under the bed concealed amongst the shoes, in plastic snap lock bags strewn about the place and adhering to my clothes even), I banned myself from cutting a single extra one last weekend.  

Instead I have pressed on with Big Red, who is beginning to get ideas above her station and think she will take over the world.  (My friend Ma’am started a hexagon quilt which has similar ambitions, only hers can’t be “leveled up” and is growing ever larger as Ma'am struggles to find symmetry around the edges.  Her quilt ended up being named La Marquee because of tent-like proportions and she is even considering making a miniature version for her much loved cat, leaving the papers in of course because cats adore the rustle of the backing papers.)  For some reason when I commenced work on Big Red I thought that one unit was more enjoyable to make than the other.  (You can see that it looks rather complicated at first glance, but is really only composed of two units pieced together in strings.) 

 There is the long lozenge 

and the smaller hexagon shaped, but both surrounded by the neutral shaded blocks

She looks a bit wavy here but that is because of her enormous size and the difficulty in holding her up ready for photographing.   

Thinking ahead I somehow made more of the long lozenge shaped units, which were the ones which were more time consuming and less enjoyable to make, so now am left with “spares” which I will feel compelled to use somehow.  And so it goes on, the never ending process of using up all the various hexagons.   Maybe they could go into a couple of cushions for Big Red, only then of course there would be needed some others to complete the project….. aaargh. 

I did have some inspiration about using up all the one inch hexagons though, rather than just randomly continuing to join them together.  I found two sets of bag handles in my local Japanese bargain store (how I do love that shop) and I think they could be just the thing to use when making hexagon bags, rather than the old metal bag handles I had been thinking about. 

And while we are on the subject of favourite stores I have to recommend two unusual shops in Auckland which are well worth a look if you have time (or live in the vicinity).  The first is The Fabric Room which until recently was located near my apartment, in Parnell.  Whenever you call in there you will find not only the most wonderful range of luxury upholstery and curtaining fabrics, but also (and this is the best part) a bin with natural coloured and white linen remnants perfectly suited to embroidery and counted cross stitch.  If you are used to paying $60-odd per metre for something to embroider on you will be thrilled to find large sized remnants for only $10 or so, and you will be able to get several good sized pieces from each one.  If you want a fabric for the back of a needlepoint cushion you are sure to find something suitable too.  I was sad to hear they are moving to 715 New North Road, Kingsland.   But at least that is still quite nearby.

The other shop is completely different, called Red River Trading Company and there you can find a huge selection of wares imported from Asia.  (67 Maurice Road, Panmure is where you will find them.)  What took my eye to begin with was the enormous collection of kimono and obi which come in every colour and style you could dream up, some obviously very old and some more modern.  Most are silk and some are wool, and what a luxurious garment a silk kimono would make to lounge around in at the end of a busy day.  The enormous choice means you are bound to find one just perfect for you and they are very reasonably priced as well.  You can find boxes full of old pieces of silk and some of them have been lovingly darned and are worth buying just for the artistry in the darning.  Old sewing boxes, pieces of furniture, bric a brac, pictures made up of a few simple brush strokes, ceramics and old handbags, photos and amulets make up some of the other wares to pore over. Life is so much richer with just a tiny bit of magical retail therapy added into the mix.  Or if not retail therapy just an inspection of all the beautiful things on offer.