Meet the smockers

One of my favourite book titles

Following hot on the heels of last weekend's Margate Soul Weekend, Broadstairs Folk Week is now upon us and, in honour of the anticipated morris dancer invasion, I've dug out my smock book to bring you some pics of some men (women and children) modelling the very finest in rustic separates. You're welcome!

Portobello Market?

Stone-age man

Get off my land

Sally Tuffin-designed jumbo cord smock

From Smocks and Smocking (WI Books Ltd, 1980)

Socks n sandals

Ahoy there! It's been a while... I've been down on the coast renovating a house.

Hoping to refocus on the blog in the coming weeks. Hope the socks and sandals trend has been a feature of your summer!

EDITED TO ADD: Some of you have asked for the pattern for the splendid wooly accessories in the pic; click here to make the hat, gloves, scarf  (not pictured) and socks. To be worn all together with high-heeled wedge sandals and denim shorts, naturellement!

Keep it under your hat

Illustrations by the author. Nice work, Dora

A short and sweet post after a long absence! Facebook friends will know the saga of this book, spotted in the window of a Cats in Crisis charity shop in my local high street. But whenever I went past, no matter what time of day, it was closed – yet the window display had often been rearranged.

Well so desperate was I to get my hot little hands on this book that I made two trips into town today specially, determined. The first I was greeting by the customary Sorry, we're CLOSED sign, but the second time – bingo. £4 and it was mine.

They weren't always cheesy romance y'know

Love the fact it's published by pedlars of cheesy romance Mills & Boon. Also like the sound of Dora Shackell's other publications:

If you see any of these, let me know

This tiny book has only 30 pages, including stockists and an intro, so the projects are thin on the ground but include Make a Sailor Hat, Make a Breton Hat and this one:

Charming huh. And if you want to find out how, just click here and here for your free instructions.

What I call a stall

When I spied the Judith Mansfield Books stand at the Knitting & Stitching Show in the pretty northern spa town of Harrogate this weekend, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven...

Just a teeny part of the stall

Packed with secondhand books and magazines about sewing, knitting, crochet, weaving, embroidery, cross stitch and printing, not to mention the boxes of old sewing patterns, this was a vintage craft book collector's dream come true.

Wonderwall

Or it would have been if I'd not been working. I was hoping for an hour off from teaching workshops to have a proper rummage, but my classes were all booked up and all I could manage was a dash to Judith's stand just as the show was closing. Judith herself wasn't there but I had a chat to her husband, who told me they don't have a website or sell online, but they do have a seven-day-a-week stall at the Hebden Bridge Antiques Market I feel a special trip back to Yorkshire coming on!

Modern macramé

Us Londoners are experiencing our first prolonged heatwave for as long as I can remember, and it's great – just as long as you don't need to use public transport, work, move your body for any reason, wear clothes or sleep.

This hammock was my gateway drug back into macramé

I'd rather be in a leafy garden, book in one hand, Pimm's in the other, swinging gently... in a handmade macramé hammock. Ahhh

Think macramé, think plant holders

It's the law that every 70s craft book had to have a chapter on macramé, and I've always been fond of the plant holders and owl wallhangings. But one too many dubious necklaces...

Extreme accessorising

... bags and belts crept in, and this hippie-ish artform was deeply unfashionable for decades. Maybe I've been looking at Pinterest for too long lately, but the results of knotting very long pieces of yarn – especially white, primary-coloured or neon – are suddenly looking quite edgy again.

Anyway, if you'd like to lounge around the garden in your own piece of fibre art, here are all the instructions for the hammock (from The Book of Creative Crafts, Octopus/Book Club 1978) – and macramé virgins will find a basic guide to the main knots here.

Knitting in Iceland

Rainbow-coloured unspun wool for sale at the Handknitting Association

I've just (reluctantly) returned from my favourite place in the world – the Icelandic capital Reykjavik, a paradise of beautiful friendly people, hot spring baths, smoked salmon breakfasts and midnight sun (not to mention delicious cocktails and homemade gin).

A pile of lopi sweaters, handknitted by Icelandic sheep. Or something

Icelanders just sort of seem to have their priorities right and, as you might expect in a country where cosy woollen clothing is a year-round necessity, and to describe the winters as long, dark and cold is an huge understatement, knitting is BIG here. 

The doorway to a knitter's paradise

Tucked up a side road off Laugavegur, the sweet main shopping street, on the way to the cathedral is The Handknitting Association of Iceland shop. Step through its humdrum front door, head to the back room and you'll be dazzled by floor-to-ceiling shelves stuffed with characteristic Icelandic lopi sweaters, each one a unique colour, pattern and size. Fashioned from Icelandic sheep wool by local women (and men?), it seems everyone in the country owns at least one of these super-warm circular-yoked sweaters – and what better place to buy one?

Mitten display at the National Museum of Iceland

The next day we paid a visit to the National Museum of Iceland. Partway through finding out all about the country's history and after marvelling at the rest room with an inviting single bed you can have a quick lie down on if you feel fatigued looking at the exhibits, we stumbled upon an area devoted to knitting. It was small and mainly consisted of colourful mittens displayed in a cute 'holding hands' arrangement. 

Hands up who loves these two beautiful pairs of embroidered rose mittens

Thence to the museum shop. I was so very tempted to buy these beautiful embroidered rose mittens but they cost 9500 ISK (£50) and, as I already have Icelandic mittens from my last trip, I made do with a photo – alongside a 'Happy summer' postcard, which I also regret not buying!

I have so much to learn about Icelandic textiles and I'd particularly like to find out more about the saumaklúbbur, or sewing clubs, that I've heard all Icelandic women belong to. If anyone knows anything about these, I'd love to hear it in the comments!

Bæ bæ Reykjavik, til next time!

School library scoop

I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I happened upon a massive collection of 60s, 70s, 80s (and one 30s) craft books in my local bric-a-brac market yesterday. All from a school library in East Dulwich in south east London – and at £1 a pop, I bought as many as I could carry.

Sadly, for reasons of shelf space, I had to leave behind titles on macramé, plaiting, braiding, soft toy making and other skillz just a little out of the scope of my interests, but this little lot will keep me going for a while. Watch this space for some of the highlights.

Gay flowers

 

'Gay flowers on a trellis-work background' (detail)

I was delighted when my colleague and neighbour* gave me this copy of Stitchcraft magazine, published in September 1934. It's hard to believe it's nearly 80 years old, especially as the iron-on embroidery transfer is still folded up inside, in pristine condition.

Autumn modes

Several colourways are suggested for the Gay flowers design, but I'm ever so taken with these bright blooms on black linen, reminiscent of a design by Celia Birtwell.

The Stitchcraft people propose making your finished piece of embroidery into a cushion and runner set, a dressing table set or even a Radio Times or telephone directory cover (it says you need to make two phone book covers if you live in the London area – back in 1934 was there one directory for north London and another for south, or perhaps one for inner and one for outer London?)

Iron-on transfer, free with Stitchcraft, September 1934

The clever thing about the design of the transfer is that you can use sections, separated along the lines of the trellis, depending on the size of your project. I adore the flower with the sunray (/eyelashes) in its centre.

The 80-year-old transfer (detail)

I'm desperate to put this truly vintage transfer to use soon, but it seems such a shame not to keep it. Think I'd better trace it instead!

 *(thanks Cleo!)

A pattern a day

Micro mini and hooded caftans c1970. Far out!

Just a quick one today, to say I'm posting a vintage sewing pattern a day over on Twitter, so if you fancy a daily dose of mod girl dresses, 60s maternity separates, micro-mini caftans, capes, and lots of culottes, follow me (@GYCMI via the link on the right)

Capes c1967

Knit-a-rama

Published by Collins/Conde Nast (1972)

Two new (read: 30-year-old) craft books recently came into my possession, both on the subject of knitting - must be something in the air (er, that would be the snow, sleet and rain).

The first – the Vogue Guide to Knitting, I picked up in Oxfam in Tooting (a nice area of south London I venture to rarely and which makes me think of Citizen Smith and 'Power to the people'. I was in that neck of the woods getting some advice at the amazing Wimbledon Sewing Machine Centre, which, incidently, is attached to one of my favourite museums, the weird and very wonderful London Sewing Machine Museum).

I clocked the 'Tiny bikinis' referred to on the cover, and then the 'Exciting designs' – for example a terrific smock (with rolled-up jeans, thick socks and sandals), and a fair isle sweater and matching beret worn by a rather stern child:

I also just love the floral/stripey pullover on the cover (not to mention the girl's hairdo). Here she is again, looking as if she's holding an iPod in some bizarre knitting-meets-time-travel experiment.

The shape of things to come

Click here for a (as always free) PDF of the pattern for her lovely floral pullover.

Published by Marshall Cavendish (1982)

The second book, Aran and Fair Isle Knitting, I received as a gift from someone who knows me only too well. 'Tis a technicolour treasure trove of Scottish knitwear, such as this lovely jumper:

Getting it in the neck

and I also just really like the colours in the stitch samples and the diagrams:

Add caption

I'm spoilt for things to share with you from this book so I'm plumping for the adorable pompom mittens shown on the cover. You will need three balls of Aran wool and these instructions.

Stay cosy!

My first sewing book

 

She's got a skirt pattern and she's going to use it

While having my customary new-year clear-out, I came across the first sewing book I ever owned: My Learn To Sew Book. Why it had been put in storage I have no idea apart from the fact it's really tatty with a ripped and stained cover and half the pages are falling out. Anyway, what a blast from the past it is...

By Janet Barbour/illustrated by Belinda Lyon/published by Hamlyn, 1970

The projects are so familiar they're like old friends. Hello Lazy Daisy cat, Polly Dolly, hedgehog pin cushion and inhabitants of the primitive dolls' house:

(Not to scale)

And a special welcome back for these stylish lion slippers, I missed you *scroll down for a link to the pattern*

 

One of the mane things I like about this book

These lovely illustrations made sewing look fun...

Best hairdos ever

Ah the memories

Sew (geddit), if you can see yourself lounging about with two lions on your feet, click here for the slippers pattern...

Or, if you are looking for something a little less ostentatious, here's how to make this marvellous money belt:

Put your money where your belt is

Does this classic kids' book look familiar to you? Or is there another one that got you into making things? Let me know in the comments!

Happy new year!

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, crafty and prosperous 1958 2013! Thank you for reading – I'll be so 'glad if you can make it' for more of the same over the next 12 months and beyond – cheers!

Cosy crochet beret

In the hat department of Liberty the other lunchtime, I tried on a very nice pompommed beret affair with a price tag of nigh-on £100. It brought to mind this crocheted beauty from my Hats of the Week series back in February:

Tres chic

I thought why not revisit this splendid hat pattern (hattern?) in this freezing cold weather…

I found it in the 1969 book Fashion Crochet by Caroline Horne:

An ex-Hornsey Library book, I seem to remember

 ...published by Mills & Boon – which evidently, before it became chief purveyor of cheesey romance, used to publish craft books and have this lovely logo:

If you're on the lookout for new headwear, you can find another of my favourite patterns from the same series here.

And if you want to tackle the jaunty beret above – here are the materials you'll need, the instructions and a few more instructions. Ooh la la

Golden Hands fashion drawings

Whenever I'm flicking through my Golden Hands books and partworks magazines which, let's face it, is quite often, drawings by one particular illustrator always catch my eye.

Design in dressmaking: pockets (part 3, 1972)

Her name is Anna Kostal and she's credited in issues of the publication dated 1972-1973, but that is all I can find out about her.

Design in dressmaking: pockets 2 (part 3, 1972)

As well as loving – almost without exception – all the clothes, accessories and hairdos she chose to illustrate, I also adore the style of the drawings, the movement and interaction between the figures – but mainly the attention to detail.

Knitting design: darts and shaping (part 81/vol 6, 1973)

I know that when you're illustrating stitching techniques for craft books and such like, it's essential to emphasise the details – but this lady has really gone to town. For instance, can you spot the heart-arrow brooch in the 'collars' picture below? Nice!

Design in dressmaking: more about collars (part 81/vol6, 1973)

I also really like her use of (lovely sludgy) colour for the main article of clothing and black and white for all the rest.

Reversible fabrics (Golden Hands Encyclopedia of Dressmaking, 1973)

I mean, checked shirts, tweedy skirts, capes, chunky tights with sandals, sailor collars, clogs... what on earth is not to like?!

Reversible fabrics (Golden Hands Encyclopedia of Dressmaking, 1973)

I also think the way she draws hair is just out of this world...

Tailoring (part 7, 1972)

I'd love to know what happened to this brilliant artist after the Golden Hands 1972-1973 heyday, whether she carried on drawing and where she is now. Anna Kostal, if you are out there, I hope you are still doing what you do best!

Knitting design: darts and shaping (part 81/vol 6, 1973)