Get thee to Macclesfield!

As the months roll by we welcome July

Snow White lithograph by Wanda Zeigner - Ebel

For as long as I can remember Little Sis has had a bit of a 'thing' about Macclesfield. Nobody knows where it came from, it's not somewhere we had ever been to or talked about but she thought it sounded like a nice place and wanted to go. Then a short while ago I read a post at Cosmos and Cotton about her local market. She talked about the wonderful atmosphere and had pictures of stalls filled with all kinds of goodies. It was the sort of place I wanted to visit so when I found out where it was the die was cast. Last Sunday Little Sis and I took a trip to the long awaited for Macclesfield and it's accompanying Treacle Market. We could have taken the train but decided instead on a wonderful road trip through the lanes and villages of Staffordshire and Cheshire. Once parked we knew which direction to head as the sound of drums called us ever nearer (more on that in a bit!)

Before we even reached the market I was taken with this shop front

It reminded me of a household version of the bucket and spade shops that line our seaside resorts

Then we came to this and the scene was set for the most wondeful array of stalls, characters and treats that I have come across for some time

We followed the drumming along the banner lined street

Passing all kinds of goodies

Little Sis had to drag me away from more than one stall

Crates anyone?

And here's one for the pyrex fans

There were curiosities

And hand made talent

In the centre of the square we found the drums

Looking back at this picture I can't believe there were so few drummers - the rhythm was compelling and the atmosphere electric! If I'd had a drum I'd have joined in (fortunately for Little Sis  it was not something I had about my person)

We sneaked a peek at the church where they were selling refreshments inside

and playing with ukeleles and hoola hoops outside (okay we'd missed the  main event but you get the picture)

Look at this plant stall

Who could resist these little beauties?

The pleasure continued

And then we reached the food section!

Hand made chocolates

The most delicious potted shrimp

International cuisine

But these had to come home with us

So Jane - enough of the pictures already. What did you actually buy?

Well in a little basket under a stall I found these

But what is it they are sitting on - a sheet perhaps?

Why yes oh observant one it is indeed some sheeting - perhaps I can make it into a dress.

Hold the phone - somebody already has!

A little modification around the neckline and sleeves and I'm set to go!

Little Sis bought the most beautiful belt clasp

Now we just need to make some belts to go with it.

Macclesfield - you did us proud. You were welcoming, friendly and fun. Would I come again - certainly (and I might even bring a little drum!)

Hope you are all having a good week.

Jane 

x

P.S. Oooh Betty has also written a post about the market - hers is far more eloquent than mine so pop over and take a peek ( I wasn't going to tell you that at the beginning now was I?!)

The amber glass beads

Do you like amber?
Do you like amber glass?
Do you like amber glass beads - with a little bit of history thrown in?
Here's a little morsel to tempt you with.

For as long as I can remember these beads have been around. When I was a child they were kept in a box with mum's 'best' jewellery. I knew that they were special but never really knew their exact history. Many years ago I borrowed them, for whatever reason, and have (accidentally) never managed to hand them back! Since then they have adorned my various dressing table mirrors where there translucent richness has reflected back on itself tenfold. 

This is Harriet.

She was my great grandmother. I always knew her as Nanny, and to mum she was 'Nan'.

My actual grandmother was Irene.

Sadly Irene succumbed to a bout of tuberculosis, age 22, following the birth of her third child. Mum was thirteen months old at the time. Nanny had ten other children yet, at the same time as grieving for her daughter, took mum in and raised her as her own. Great Grandad earned a modest wage as a printer but with so many mouths to feed there was never a lot of money to go around. But Harriet was generous to a  fault. Whatever little they had there was always enough to share. The house was always full and there was always food on the table. The step got scrubbed and the stove was 'blacked'. She was a proud, down to earth woman who would stand no nonsense!

Here she is on the left with Auntie Blod (yes, really) and an adorable pup!

Mum was evacuated to the nearby Cheshire countryside when she was three years old. Her life then became one of collecting eggs and acres of grass and fresh air - a vast difference to the inner city Liverpool she had left behind. By the end of the war she was to return to Nanny who, by then, seemed like a stranger. Nanny knew that mum might struggle to adapt back to city life but was determined to be the best mother she could.

 Mum at the bottom right with a proud Nan behind - V.E. Day 1945

Mum remembers Nanny as having two outfits for 'best'. According to the occasion it would either 1) a brown woollen pin stripe skirt suit or 2) a black taffeta dress ( top photo). There was never any dallying over what to wear - it was one or the other! Similarly she had her jewellery - short glass beads or long amber beads.  Sadly I can find no photo of her wearing the amber beads but here they are

As a child I remember going to visit Nanny on a Saturday. The house was large and packed with dark furniture. We never went in the parlour at the front unless it was a special occasion. Instead we would follow the smell of 'scouse' (Liverpudlian hotpot) toward the scullery and find Nanny in her favourite chair next to the blazing fire. I would sit at the table by the window overlooking the small back yard and draw, or read my comics, while mum and Nanny would put the world to rights (I always knew there was a scandal when voices would suddenly turn hushed!) As Nanny got older she retreated more and more into that wonderfully warm and cosy room. Instead of dragging herself up two flights of stairs in an old draughty house she decided to stay by the fire. She sat in front of an old sideboard and it seemed to me that it contained everything you might ever need. She would open one drawer and it would contain neatly folded parcel paper and some string. Another would contain old ribbons and trimmings, dutifully saved from past clothing, presents or flowers. A third contained old letters and cards.There was one drawer that I never got to mooch around in. This was were she kept her essentials - brush, 'lippy' and beads. I remember glimpsing the amber beads from time to time and thinking that they must be real gold.

 Looking at them later I could see how well they had been cared for. As something she treasured you can see how Nanny had adopted her 'make do and mend' philosophy. A couple of bits of knotted string and some 'irregular bead formation' makes me wonder how often they must have been rethreaded - and what event had led up to them breaking in the first place?

For now though they hang ceremoniously on my mirror. A reminder of a real lady - strong, resourceful and kind. She lived until the ripe old age of eighty nine years old and swore her longevity was due to her daily bottle of stout and twenty Benson and Hedges ciggies. We'll leave her in the snug of her favourite pub and raise a glass.

Cheers Nanny xxx

Hook book tutorial

I love my crochet hooks. I especially love the metal ones in assorted colours. I've got quite a few so how on earth have I managed to keep track of them so far? I'll tell you how - with an elastic band. That's right these poor beauties have been unceremoniously bundled together in an almost perished elastic band for longer than I can remember. I need a 4mm - hold on I'll just consult my bundle - oh no not again.

It's a sorry sight.

So after getting frustrated by not being able to find my 6mm last Sunday I had a light bulb moment - make a hook book!

I'd seen some lovely hook holders that had been knitted or crocheted, and several fabric made knitting needle holders but I had no pattern. Ready for second light bulb moment - I'm a grown up, I can make my own!

I firkled through some of my fabric 'that isn't quite big enough to make anything substantial' stash and came up with the following.

Now if you're expecting this tutorial to give accurate measurements look away now - it's what I prefer to call a 'bespoke' (yes that word sounds good) pattern.

Line up your hooks so that you can get a rough idea how wide your material needs to be. 

Leave about 5cm from the top of each needle ( enough to fold over the top - it will make sense later on) and a seam allowance all around. At this point if you want to add anything extra make sure you factor that in as well (I wanted to have enough room for a scissor pocket). Cut out your rectangle.

Then cut out some contrasting material the same width but only half the depth.

Fold over the top edge of your smaller rectangle to make a neat edge ( you don't need to stitch this as what you do next will hold it down). If you want to add an extra pocket (like I have for my scissors) add a patch by cutting out required size and stitching along three sides where you want it to go.

Is this making sense so far? It really is much easier than it sounds.

Next you need to make the slots for your hooks. Stitch vertical lines through both pieces of material at the required spacing. Mine vary between 1 and 2 cm depending on which hooks were going in.

How are we doing?

Now you need to neaten up the stitching by pulling the front thread through to the back and knotting to secure (bad picture alert).

Okay.

Using your work as a template cut out another piece of material - the one you want to be the front of your book - the same size.

Place them right sides together...

...and stitch around the outside, leaving a small gap for turning.

I'm sure you know what to do next. Clip the corners...

...then push your nearly finished book through the gap so that it is the right way around.

 

Hand stitch the opening together.

At this point I was distracted as Little Sis had made some fudge and I was forced to go and try some.

I digress.

I thought it would then be a good idea to fold over the top of the book so that the hooks wouldn't be tempted to slip out and forever be lost in the bottoms of various bags.

Pop a hook into one of the slots and measure how far you need to fold the edges over.

Then hand stitch the folded bits down.

I love this next bit - try it out and stand back!

My hooks have upgraded to a luxury 'bespoke' home!

I've put a large safety pin above my scissors that I am going to use to hold stitch markers etc. on.

Fold it in three - it will probably do this quite naturally - and add a snap fastener.

Choose your favourite button and stitch it on the front!

Look!

What do you think?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

(NB: No hooks were harmed in the making of this tutorial!)