Hoop Construction

I've had a few people curious about what the back of my hoops look like.

So i thought i'd share...

I use vintage cottons and linens on all of my hoops and they tend to be a little thin so i back them with a strengthening interfacing called Vilene. Along with strengthening the fabric it also adds opacity so you cant see any of the knotted thread from behind (yucky)

I tighten the screw at the top of the hoop and pull the fabric as tight and taught as i possibly can. However over time it is possible that the material can slacken. To combat this on the reverse of the hoop i cut approximately 1 inch excess fabric and sew all the way around pulling the tread tight to gather the fabric.
Then if, over time the fabric does seem a little slack you can just pull the fabric a little from behind and tighten the screw at the top of the hoop if needed.

So far i've never known that any of the hoops have needed this, but i always like to think that there is a way to combat this if it happened. I'd hate to think one of my hoops wasn't displayed cause it had gotten saggy in it's old age.

I know some people like to glue fabric on the back of their hoops and glue the edges down. I don't trust myself with glue though, im a little messy and i know it would just ooze all over the pretty fabric and go all crusty (EWWW!) 

SHOP HOOPS

Stockton Chic Vintique

This posts is a little late to say the least but better late than never..?

A few Saturdays back I headed to Stockton's Chic Vintique Fair. They have a few fairs each year,  held in a huge purpose built marquee in the Paris Gardens just off Stockton High Street.

This time visiting i noticed that although it's meant to be a vintage market i'd say only about 30% of the stalls were actually vintage. A lot of the stalls were handmade crafts, jewellery and a few food stalls. Not that that is a problem (I bough some locally produced stinky cheese for my Dad) I was just hoping for a lot more vintage to rummage through, after all it is a vintage fair! 

I headed straight to the Teesside Hospice Stall which was piled high with vintage goodies. Although i was on the look to for vintage fabrics for my embroidery hoops i came across some gorgeous hand knitted vintage jumpers, a cardigan and a beautiful heavy weight bed throw.

Neopolitain vintage jumpers!

These jumpers and cardigan are so well made, in amazing condition and so soft! Ive already wore the pink jumper and the white cardigan, i love them. And at £4 each they are an unbelievable bargain!

I picked up this vibrant daisy jug to hold some beautiful flowers. I though it would be a great prop when photographing hoops but i just really wanted it if I'm honest. 

From the same seller (I can't remember their name) I bought a huge vintage linen table cloth which i used in a few hoops.

I almost feel guilty for cutting up such pretty linens….almost.

These hoops sold out pretty fast but keep checking my Etsy shop as new hoops are added regularly.

This beautifully embroidered shirt was also £4 from The Teesside Hospice. It is all handmade- the shirt has been cut and hemmed by hand and all the pretty floral embroidery has been hand sewn. I can't believe that someone made this themselves, it must have taken them weeks and weeks! I wish i had such patience and skill to make something like this.

Unfortunately this was the last Chic Vintique Fair of the year but it will be back next year… hopefully with more vintage sellers! 

COMPETITION

Have you got a really awesome idea that you're just itching for me to get stitchin'?

Well now is your chance to throw your best suggestions my way. Just leave a comment below with your best phrase, quote, song lyrics, whatever! Rude, cheeky suggestions welcome, just nothing too rude.

Please also include your email address so i can contact you if you're a winner!

I haven't set a closing date yet so feel free to pop by as many times as you like as and when new ideas hit you.

Once the competition is closed i will contact the winner and their suggestion will be stitched onto pretty vintage fabric and framed in a wooden embroidery and posted to them.

International participators welcome.

'Bride To Be' Rosettes

I have been making these beautiful oversized ribbon rosettes for brides-to-be for quite a few months now.

Each rosette can be made in any selection of colours you like. Made from a vast array of ribbons, lace and trims. 

You definitely wont need to worry about seeing anyone else wearing the same rosette as you!

Rosettes can be ordered through my Etsy store or you could always send an email over my way at thimbleandbobbin@hotmail.co.uk

Shooting Hoops

I have decided to branch out and start making a few new products.

What better combination than vintage granny chic and hip hop lyrics & funny phrases? 

Destiny's Child- Bug A Boo Hoop

R Kelly- Bump 'n Grind Hoop

You can find all my hoops in my Etsy shop. Worldwide shipping is available.
I will be making lots more as i've got a bunch of funny phrases and lyrics that i am just itching to get stitching.But if there is something specific in mind that you would like to commission please feel free to contact me at thimbleandbobbin@hotmail.co.uk

I mean who doesn't love cake?

Packaging

I'm a sucker for pretty packaging and love livening up boring post and parcels. I was recently inspired by some beautifully handwritten jiffy bags i discovered on Pinterest.

So i figured why not try it out on my next order i had to post out.

I decorated the boring plain envelope with some patterned brown tape i got a while back from Urban Outfitters and added some colour with red and orange paper tape from Target.

I like the idea of mixing up different styles of font for each line of the address. If you're stuck for fonts/lettering styles visit a free font site such as DaFont.com they have a great variety of different font styles.

This envelope is sure to stand out from the rest of the plain letters and boring bills coming through the letterbox. 

Sunny Saturday Shopping

We all like to support our independent businesses and shop local but perhaps we don't quite manage to as much as we would like.
It's not quite as inviting to browse the local market on a cold rainy day, however on Saturday that wasn't the case. Taking advantage of the glorious sunshine we have been having lately my freckles and i visited our local (Stockton) market.

I picked up local produce for our lunch and snapped away on my phone all the vibrant colours of the fruit and veggies.

A few stalls down was a flower stall filled with so many different types of plants and bunches of flowers, all for a really good price.
I just had to buy a sunflower plant for the garden and a bunch of pretty flowers.

While i was in town i had to pop by the flea market for a browse, would be rude not too. It can be pretty hit and miss there so i didn't have my hopes too high. But i was wrong, there were so many cool things there like a folding Formica table that i adored but have absolutely no room for at home *sob*
Some awesome (slightly creepy) mounted deer antlers and of course the obligatory mismatched tea sets to rummage through.
I did buy a small woven top footstool for £3.00, which i haven't got a photograph of, but i will share once i have painted it some funky colour.

My new sunflower plant catching the rays in the garden.
How long before naughty Dexter chews it up?... I give it a week!