Monday Evening craft

Monday's Winter Craft

 Clown Mouse burrows for juggling balls stitched out of felt that he finds in holes in walls and unlocked suitcases. He was most pleased at acquiring three matching coloured balls which brought him a delight so great his button nose turned a fantastic bright red and crooked an extra spring in his tail.

Ingredients for gluten free, vegan shortbread.

Sunday evening card making and sleeping fabric owl.

 

  Ebony painted rocking horses

 

Mustard coloured shortbread with brown sugar sprinkles and buttons of raw cacao.

Winter blister

The white stuff has returned, which I think is quite a bother. I'm not a fan of the cold and my hands now need regular oiling to stop from flaking away. Hopefully travelling down south (If I make it in the ghastly sludge) will be warmer.

Today I have been researching the traditional European circus as one of the stories for my creative writing dissertation. My protagonist is named Bernard, he lives in an Oddity shop but rarely leaves his castle of dirty teacups that frame his slouched body. He repeatedely twiddles his fingers as they are used to repititive movement due to his past clown profession. He was the finest juggler in the land.
In my evening I slid down the treacherous ice glazing the streets of Manchester to The Thirsty Scholar for The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life book signing by author Melisser Elliot. 'A cross-stitching, protesting, vegan baking fairy Godmother', the words of author of Vegan with a Vengence, Isa Chandra Moscovitz. The book did look interesting, there were guides to what to feed the non vegans in your life,(no vegan cheese, please) setting up an eco enterprise and where to get the vegan tattoos which apparantly are compulsory for the non animal eating ladies. I did not purchase a book as I had £9 and the book was £12. Melissa seemed to enjoy the cupcake I brought her (left over from my housemate's birthday party). A pumpkin and carob chip delight. The rest have been distributed to my Sunday running club and my writing workshop companions. I am off to London on Thursday to see Alice in Wonderland at The Little Angel Theatre and attend a Christmas Craft fair run by Selvedge magazine.
The snow would have melted on my megabus return.

On Monday please attend sandbar for a fine night of poetry and storytelling at Sandbar, Oxford Road. Feauturing Joseph Dobson, Belinda Johnston and myself.

Threads and Letters

My new fanzine is coming together- A self publication about literature and textiles . I thought you would like to have a sneak peek at what it will most likely include:

Secret Button archive artcile and photos
Ecological sewing
Embroidered poetry
Paper windmills

I'll keep you posted.

The Manchester Vintage Fair

My favourite look, Russian Ushanka, peep toes and cable knit scarf.












My dainty rhyming postcards bought from the fair.




















The Whitworth Forest- this lovely lady accessorized a Peter Pan collar blouse with this tartan pleated skirt echoing highland mainstays.










The jumper is the making of this outfit.













Preppy style with a punk edge, the hair.






'The Vintage Fair' is the UK's leading vintage fair bringing affordable and quality vintage items to various locations across the country. The Whitworth welcomed stalls from Manchester based vintage reworked jeweller, Yellow Squirrell, Didsbury hidden hoarders gem, In all her Finery, Killed by Rose, grunge meets glamour History's Attic, reworked timeless vintage finds and extravagantly theatrical cakes from Cupcake Palace . Are just a few of the treasure hunters who presented their wondorous wares to the Whitworth.

Saturday 30th October 2010, The Vintage Fair adorned the green leaf papered walls of the Whitworth art gallery with stalls of antique décor, cupcake tea party, retro hair saloon, grandmother's shoes and libraries of embellished 1920's evening couture and vintage warmers. The dusky smell of worn woollen jumpers amidst the collection of past thrifts and treasures were quickly grasped by the bustling pigeon eyed collectors. It recalled the hustle of a Victorian market albeit the flush of vintage clothes contrasted to the tough bartering of a less consumerist age.
I was photographer and promoter on the day of the fair. I was given the task of capturing members of the public (which then became subsequent attendees of the fair) who were adorning vintage clothing or inspired looks of a more independently stylish era.
It was refreshing to see so many people attending a vintage fair, showcasing individual contemporary styles by patch-working elements of nostalgia's past in their outfit.
People were photograped that represented vintage styles that expressed their individuality. It is subtly political to wear clothes that distinguish individuals, a gentle petition against the mainstream conforms of mass produced fashion by not looking like everyone else.
Purchasing and wearing vintage clothes is like passing on a patchwork quilt, you are reworking and reliving stories of the past wearers in your contemporary footsteps. My purchases included a few essential accessories; a tweed clasp purse, dainty 1950's caricature postcards and seventies floral bucket. Less may be more, but surely having more to play with is more fun.


Photography and writing by

Rebecca Aimée Lanyon Willmott-

threadsandletters@gmail.com

A long walk to the post office

Figaro is getting ready to travel to the post office. Although he is most upset about having to get a bus to his nearest post office to post his weekly letters. The local post office has recently been shut down and replaced by a McDonalds. How upsetting. Figaro is going to write a letter of gentle protest, detailing his upset at the demise of one of his local amneities.
'I hope the local cardboard house shop doesn't close soon too.' Fabric mouse whimpers.



Figaro is a recycled paper and plasticine cat who lives in a recycled cardboard house found in a recycling bin. Follw his adventures at dollwithbigeyes.blogspot.com

My favourite day is Sunday

Today I actually got to do most stuff I want to do on a Sunday.
Previous Sundays seemed to be filled with stuff I don't want to do, but today was pretty neat.
First I had a sort of lie in, and I got to wear my lovely vintage nightie I bought yesterday from the new vintage shop on Ullswater Road in Lancaster. I had my coffee and vanilla soya milk and a green apple. I wish mum would put apples in the fridge, they obv taste fresher and crispier that way. I contemplated NOT going for my run as I had been for 5 runs this week totalling over a marathon. :O So I messed about on the laptop and emailed some whole-food companies to see what deals I could get for the food coop/veg box scheme I'm setting up at my uni. (Manchester Metropolitan) I would love it to be like the one they have in Leeds. They do vegan picnics and cookery lessons, cheap veg box scheme and vegan snacks and workshops. I then realised I left my usb pen in the library. Crumbs! So tried phoning uni, but they were closed. (Lazy) I then thought I should go for a run. So I did, I ran up a big hill and took five pounds so I could buy soya milk and a apple on the way back. The soya milk was 79p and the apple 40p. I then went back to buy the Independent on Sunday 5 minutes later. When I got back I tried practising my ballet stretches and slipped on my new ballet shoes. I think my balance is defiantly getting better. Over breakfast I read my newspaper outside with Weetabix and museli and honey and soya yogurt. I then started making my Madeline pinafore dress for Manchester children's book festival. The volunteers were told to dress up as their favourite story book characters. WEll I have so many so I am dressing up as Madeline as I look most like her. I spent most of the day fiddling about with the straps of the dress and my mum helped me with the box pleats. It is sort of finished and it has a matching cape. I'll wear my new boater hat with it also.
My dad phoned asking about some phone. We had a nice walk along Lancaster canal yesterday and saw a little frog and a canal boat cat.
I then roped my brother Harry outside to do some skipping. I purchased a skipping rope from The British Red Cross shop in Watercup where I am doing volunteer work at a Puppet theatre named The Boo. The rope has pinochio wooden heads on each end of the rope. I adore it. After some skipping I was hungry. But today I had to make tea again. Yesterday I made stir fry with peanut butter sauce. Today I made a vegan sausage shepherds pie sorta thing. It was pretty nice.
After tea I was bit bored so had some soya yogurt and Weetabix again.
I phoned a friend, then felt confused as usual and then played with my little sister.
I then put on my nightie and read The Old Curiousity shop with a cup of tea and two ginger biscuits.

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