Tag Archives: Nicky Grace Vintage Fabric & Goregous Things

Flower Pot Girls

The flower pot girls

It’s funny how you can go through a phase in your life of doing  something, then stop and then years later pick it up again. I used to make so many fabric pictures years and years ago. I sold them to shops at the Top Drawer trade fairs  and at The Country Living Fairs  both in London. That was about 15 years ago. There was no social media then and things were far simpler. I can’t remember why I stopped, I suppose it’s because I started making all sorts of other things but recently I’ve started longing to make them again, probably because of the children’s fabric workshops that I’m going to be doing at my next  Open House Sale  https://nickygrace.wordpress.com/.

I just need to arrange my space more effectively as it’s very crowded with piles of mini bunting and lavender bags at the moment.

When I started all those years ago, there was very little choice of pictures for children’s bedrooms. Now there’s lots and we’re spoilt for choice but I still think it’s nice to make our own stuff too. The pig and horse above I cut from my baby’s old T shirts which I used to buy from a wonderful children’s second hand clothes and toy shop on the Archway Road a mile away. It’s sadly no longer there.

I’m going to start making pictures again.  At least that’s the plan.

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Filed under Vintage Pop Up Sales

Invite with more info about my Pop Up Sale 27th & 28th October

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03/10/2012 · 4:52 pm

Fabric workshops for children at my Open House Sale on Sat 27th & Sun 28th October 2012

My living room will be transformed into a lovely fabric workshop with a long table and chairs.  About eight children will be able to sit round at a time. I and a friend or two will be on hand all the time to help them make pictures, mini bunting, or a lavender bag.

Below are a few photos of pictures that I made years ago.  Since then I’ve made lots of other things but I’ve always wanted to go back to making pictures as I love it so much.

sun, sky, flowers

beautiful serene flowers under a blue sky on a sunny day

I will pre cut some of the shapes from all sorts of fabric,  some of it vintage.  I’ve been collecting fabric for a very long time so have lots to choose from. Children will have a piece of card and I’ll help them choose what they want to do and they can do the gluing if they like or I can do it if they prefer.

hearts and flowers

If they like, instead of making a picture they can make 2 meters of bunting. I’ll help them to choose the fabric they like and I or a friend will  sew it on the sewing machine. I’ll have two friends there who are both professional  machinists.

pretty gingham hearts

Children can come anytime between 11am and 5 pm can stay for up to an hour. biscuits will be provided and hopefully they’ll have great fun. They can bring friends or siblings and if they come on their own we shall do our best to ensure that they feel welcome and at home.  We are all   mothers and being with children comes very naturally.

Lovely ducky

Lovely orange duck

Another option available will be custom made sleeping bags. Your child should bring his or her doll or teddy (or ducky, monkey ….) and we will help choose the fabrics of choice to make a lovely little sleeping bag for it.

Your child could make a lovely dolphin picture to take home

blue grey smiley dolphin

little pigs and mini bunting

I’ll be making mini fabric bunting with children too which they can take home with them.

I’ll have lots of fabric to choose from including bits of vintage.

Little crabby.

Your child can make a picture to take home

Parents can stay in the room if they like or wander around and see the array of amazing and unique things on offer including handmade ceramics, vintage fabric lavender bags, floral jugs, cushions, cards, bunting and more.  There will be home made cake and you can wander round the garden if you like.

Cost per child will be £6 each.

I have public liability insurance and am CRB checked.

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Filed under Childrens Workshops, Vintage Pop Up Sales

Invite to my October Pop Up Shop

Nicky Grace October Pop Up Shop

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Filed under Vintage Pop Up Sales

My little haven

This is where I walk my dog most days.  It’s a sweet little park that most people don’t know about because it’s tucked out of the way.

It’s sort of wild and windswept and high up and I love it. It’s a quiet little oasis just 2 minutes drive away with easy parking which in London is very precious.

Every Spring a new pair of geese raise a family on the little pond. There were eight goslings this year and they all survived. It was a few short weeks before the eight tiny balls of downy fluff became strong and independent and it was a joy to watch their progress every day for a few minutes. Sometimes they were all closely tucked up tightly down the side of the bank  protected from the wind with the parents keeping a beady eye out for danger and if felt threatened they quickly all jumped in the water.

Those geese are the most amazing parents. Fiercely protective and guarding their beloved offspring every waking minute.  Eventually the babies were independent enough to fly away one by one every couple of days and I wondered if the parents were sad…..I was.

The poor old ducks by contrast all seemed to be one parent families and it looked much harder lonelier work. There’s also a lone turtle who live in the pond. You see it sunning itself on hot summer days and it’s lived there for years. I didn’t see it this year though. I don’t go when the sun is high as it’s too hot for the dog to run.

This blackberry was eaten after having it’s pic taken. I love blackberries and the feeling of pure vitamin c being absorbed to ward off colds.

There is also a stork who lives by the pond and is often there standing alone. It’s very jumpy and flies to the other end of the pond at the sight of a dog careering down the hill.
There is also the odd rat which I don’t mind at all as they are at home where they belong. The sight of a couple of them jumping into the pond sent shivers the other day though as there is something very unappealing about a rat swimming somehow.
Well that’s my handy little haven and the best part is…………….

that there’s a busy 2/3 lane road close by on one side and a drive thru MacDonald s even closer on the other side. Not that I’m particularly partial to fast food extractor fans ( though I do find them strangely alluring & comforting) but I’m a city girl and if I don’t see a shop or a car for more than 10 mins I start to panic.

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Filed under Muswell Hill, London, UK

Autumn mini vintage bunting

Hot colours

I’ve just made this. It’s 2 meters long. It’s a bit Halloween ish I think.

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Bunting for Autumn

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Filed under Vintage Fabric

Hand knitted finger puppets

Finger puppets

Hand knitted finger puppets

I’ve always loved the work of my friend Jane Clucas who’s been making wonderful things with vintage fabric for many years. We meet up every few weeks usually in Berkhamsted (Herts) and have a 3 hour lunch in The Attic cafe which does the most amazing food and never fails to impress.
Jane made these beautiful little vintage fabric sleeping bags for these hand knitted puppets and I’ve just listed them in my shop.

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Hoopy hoop

lovely flowers :)

Lovely hoopness

I’m just practising putting pics onto my blog at the moment. I’m SO out of my comfort zone I might as well be on the moon. But with the help of my friend Lindsay @RedDeskVA who’s helping me with this I’m just about managing to keep up. I’m sure she wrings her hands when I’m not looking though as she drags me kicking & screaming into the 21st century. “Rubbish at social media but made nice hoops” is my epitaph today.

Alone in the kitchen playing at blogging with Paul Gambaccini on the radio and a cake in the oven for my son’s birthday. Saturday nights don’t come much better 🙂

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Filed under My Etsy Shop, Vintage Fabric

Hoopy Picture

Vintage embroidery brought back to life

vintage embroidery brought back to life

Here’s another hoopy picture made from an old and damaged embroidered tablecloth which I’ve sewn a colourful variety of vintage fabric flowers on to.

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Filed under Handmade, Vintage Embrodiery