Pop-Up Sale in Pictures

I had a ball at The Homemaker Pop-Up Sale at Red Door Studios in East Ham earlier this month - it was my first venture into organising such an event and my time was divided between -

preparing scenery, sorting stock, moving furniture, pricing items that came in...

... Tweeting, labelling and tagging clothes and collectibles ...

... moving more furniture, preparing posters, dressing the sales rooms, late night stock taking ...

... more furniture moving, more Tweets, coping with nerves ...

... manning the til, taking money, wrapping purchases, eating cake, dancing and merrymaking with the wonderful customers who found us over the two days were trading!

It was a baptism of fire and I thoroughly enjoyed the process from pre-planning to sweeping up the last stray button. Thank you all the East Ham locals who attended and a big thank you to those who came from further afield to help put Red Door and East Ham firmly on the 'places to go in East London' map.

Our Homemaker event was boosted by the collaboration of Candy Pout the fantastic Vintage Styling Make-over team who set up shop in the hairdressers adjacent to the Studios. They provided a steady stream of retro duckling to swan transformations as ladies returned to the sale with fabulous up-dos and vintage make-up.

 

Adam Pasty Guy cooked up a mouthwatering array of cakes and pastries, complete with Red Door cupcake cases.

We had guest singers The Hudson Belles who introduced our Sunday Salon Bookchat hosted by Matthew Crampton author of The Trebor Story. He was in conversation with two of the original 'sugar girls' who worked in the local Tate & Lyle factory in the 50's and 60's.

All in all it was such a great weekend that we have decided to open the Homemake Sale for a one off spree of pre-Xmas shopping on the 3rd and 4th of November! Anything that didn't go in the original sale will be there to buy and we will re-stock too from local sources.

If you fancy a trip to the East Edge, we'll see you there! 

Red Door Studios, Masterman Road, East Ham E6 3RW

Photography were indicated was by the wonderful Mr Phil Russell, you can contact him here.

Quilted Phone Case Tutorial

It's a phone sleeping bag with a button and elastic loop fastening. 

Having just invested in a shiny new phone, I was equally excited at the prospect of making a cover for it. This is quick tutorial in keeping with the blog title ethic ... just Make It Up as you go along and put some good tunes on the turntable.

1. Fetch some wadding and two contrasting fabrics, enough to wrap around your phone once - there will only be one seam down the back. Essentially you will be constructing a quilted tube.

2. Cut the fabrics to size (centre a motif on the outside fabric if you like) and make a wadding sandwich. I free embroidered the cactus motif - this will become the front of the case.

3. Trim the outside fabric and wadding from the top edge of the quilted oblong sandwich leaving the backing fabric longer. This is then turned over and used to seal the top edge of the case. Hand stitch in place.

4. Fold the oblong in half right sides together - you're about to sew the back seam. But first grab a length of elastic (about 12cm) and stitch the loop firmly in place to the right of your intended seam line.

5. Fold the the oblong in half again and sew this back seam, making sure it's a snug fit for your phone.

6. Now you have a tube with the elastic loop in place, trim away the excess seam fabric on the loop side. Trim the other side of the seam enough to fold under and cover the loop. This will lie flat like a french seam inside the phone cover and look very neat. Hand sew this neatened seam in place. 

7. The last thing to do still with right sides together, is sew the bottom seam making sure the quilted motif and loop are centred. 

8. Now turn the case right side out. Voila!

**INTERLUDE**

Grab a coffee and a well earned treat whilst you congratulate yourself on following my improvised instructions thus far.

(Cup cake made by my daughter, mug decorated by her also)

8. Finally dig about in your button stash for a suitable button. I chose an 'almost sombrero' early plastic hat. Sew the button into place - I opted for the brown one.

You're done!

Meccano at the Olympic Park

Something rather large and wonderful is being made down the road from where I live. Not that I’ve got an Anish Kapoor in my back garden, but almost.

The Olympic Park is a short bike ride away - and we often cycle down to the Container Café adjacent to the 2012 Olympic (building) Site for coffee and Brownies (believe me - they do the best Brownies). 

The View Tube as it’s known is a haven for other cyclists and mummies and daddies with toddlers who want to watch the big diggers build the Olympics. But it’s also an Education Centre, a hub of Green Fingered gardening/reclaiming projects and an exhibition site for local school arts projects and artists.

The Anish Kapoor sculpture ‘Orbit’ which is being constructed next to the Olympic Stadium is coming along a treat. I’ve not heard any locals say a good thing about it other than it’s bloody huge, but I love the colour - real liquorice shoelace red and I’m really quite in love with it. 

It puts me in mind of roller coasters and a Meccano trumpet tied in knots. 

And judging by the small piece already in place … yes   it   will   be   massive.

Do go and take a look!