50's Blouse in Deckchair Stripes

Spring has sprung

I've had this pattern for so long I thought it was about time I made it up.

The lady in the illustration looks vexed - she's obviously abandoned trying to line up her stripes like her neighbour and opted for the plain version. My look of serenity belies the mental torment of stripe matching, which led to a fair bit of unpicking and re-stitching - I am simply exhausted.

As with a lot of vintage patterns, the sizing was hit and miss. The cut is quite roomy, not as fitted as the illustration and might be a bit too blousy tucked in or wasp waisted. 

I really like the shape with capri pants.

The back of the collar has nice detail, if you look to the illustration - it sits up quite perky. I pressed mine to lie flat in a less Elvis stylee.

So all in all a good afternoon's work - and sunshine to boot!

The fabric put me in mind of a dress my mother had which I can only recall in black and white pictures - here she is holding my *big* sister around 1959 I reckon.

Bexhill-On-Sea blustery day

I live in the city but I love the Seaside, especially faded seaside glamour of the British variety. I'll retire to the beach one day, maybe open a B&B or park up an Airstream.

It's the colours I love along with the noise of the surf and smells. We used to holiday in Colwyn Bay, North Wales when I was a girl - I froze in the Lido and rode the penny rides on the front.

This May bank holiday I took a trip to Bexhill and stumbled across the De La Warr Pavilion.

It's a Modernist masterpiece on the seafront, built in 1935 and some claim - the first Modernist building in Britain. 

'Pioneering in structure as it was in spirit, the purpose of this steel and concrete Pavilion was to provide accessible culture and leisure for the people of Bexhill and beyond and so regenerate the economy of the town and the surrounding area.'

The views from the Pavillion along the inhabited front and out to sea are wonderful.

The De La Warr Pavilion has recently undergone renovation and is now open as a Contemporary Arts Centre.

The illustrations in this post are by Andy Tuohy and capture my lust for Modernist Architecture. I will retire to the beach and live in a bloksy white dwelling that resembles an ocean liner. It's the simplicity, clean lines and large picture windows - all so alluring.

Then I spotted this print at the gift shop ...

Another ocean liner of a building just up the road in St Leonards, so we headed up the coast to find it. It wasn't quite as splendid, a residential and retail block - but still a joy to behold.

source

Surfing through Andy Tuohy's blog I found this gem ...

Now here's a venture I'd heard of on the grapevine - Save Deamland - a bid to transform Margate's crumbling Amusement Park into a viable attraction with a vintage appeal. 

This is a really exciting project and one that I'll definitely be keeping an eye on because along with seaside dwellings I also love old Funfairs and Funfair art.

It was breezy day in Bexhill (hence the gloves), but the sky was blue and my heart soared with the seagulls (despite the glum look).

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!

Self Help for Plastic Addicts

How about some work in progress, it’s Spring and I’m dabbling in new projects. I’ve always had a fascination for decorative plastics, I loved to buy cheap gum ball charms and rings as a kid. I love threading plastic beads - there’s nothing too precious about plastic jewellery, you can lose a piece and it won’t break the bank - unless of course it’s a one off Vintage Bakelite creation.

There’s plenty of informative blogs about the birth of early plastics and their use in fashion. I have fond memories of the weight and clunky sound of Bakelite - it’s quite distinctive, as is the smell of the warmed plastic. We had quite a few bits and bobs of Bakelite in my family home as a kid - light fittings, my dad’s razor box, electrical plugs - all in that swirled slightly dour muddy brown colour.

I look out for early plastic pins or brooches on my vintage fair forages and I’ve had a few successes, but not many. I’ve taken to drooling over Bakelite crib toys and articulated pins online - it’s become quite an addiction, so in the time honoured tradition of self-help I’ve decided to make my own.

I’ve got quite a collection of vintage buttons and findings and I’m thinking of investing in a small hand ‘Rota-tool’ for drilling and cutting. I’ve got quite a chunky cordless Makita, which is just a bit too hefty - a relic of my scenery making days

I ordered some beautiful Bakelite beads from Etsy - you really have to see them up close to see how glorious the colours are - like highly polished jelly beans. 

The guy on the left is a prototype, the doodle if you will. The more rotund jazz guy on the right will be the finished model with painted face, complete with silver trumpet dangling from his hand. Most of his components are Vintage Plastic. I’m making a jazz gal too - a la Ms Baker, with banana skirt. Both come with a pin on the reverse so I can wear them on jackets and coats. 

Watch this space for the completed jazz duo - sometime soon I hope.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

Kathy at Post Cards From The PP has been organising monthly photo scavenger hunts. I thought I'd join in with February's challenge, it would be a good opportunity to get out with my camera. Here's the list of items we had snap ..

a bridge

something with stripes

a musical instrument

a big lorry/truck

a round clock face

your shoes

a park bench

a newspaper headline

a postbox

eyes

something heart shaped

something red

And here's my batch of pictures ... mostly from around East London, the musical instrument courtesy of a busker in Southport.

The challenge wasn't as easy as it looked - the big truck eluded me for days! Lots more photo sets from this challenge can be found on the Scavenger Hunt Flickr group here. 

Why not join in next month?