I'm often asked where I find the old embroidered linens that I use to make baby shoes. There are lots of places, but lately, I've been lucky to receive some in the mail from blog readers and friends. Back in NZ, i would often find embroidered pieces of linen in opshops, antique stores and at the flea market. My favourite pieces are those that are generally worn and stained, because then I feel I am doing them a service to live the rest of their lives as small shoes, rather than sitting in the bottom of a drawer unused. But here in Norway it's a little harder to find such pieces. We have just two second-hand shops in the town I live in (that i know of) and most of the older goods in them seem to be bought quickly by antique dealers, so I haven't had much luck finding old linens.
Above are some pieces that I got in the mail this week from Louana in Auckland, who very generously shared some of her stash with me. She also sent these, (along with some treats for the children):
.. which are gorgeous. Thank you Louana.
This parcel came from Kathleen in Australia, who so kindly sent me some linen pieces she found in a Sydney op-shop. The pansy shoes I posted a few days ago were also made using fabric from K.
Those buttons on the little cards are great. Keira wants me to 'sew them on a cardigan' for her.
And this is the last piece of mail I have to show. Alison sent me this original 70s Clothkits set after I blogged about Clothkits' resurgence a while ago. She said that her Mum bought this in the UK to make her an outfit, but never got around to it. I love the idea of 'kits' and everything being provided. You just cut the pattern directly from the sheet of fabric. Excellent for a lazy person like me.
