#ArnoldsAtticStash Archives

14th April 201730th June 2018

A Gift of Vintage Treasures

A visit to my Auntie’s home always involves pots of tea, biscuits and lots and lots of chatting. Occasionally she gives me gifts – finds from her car boot hunting or from her own stash. On my last visit I came home with some amazing treasures she had saved from Arnold Papworth’s home, the gentleman who inspired my blog name. More treasures from Arnold’s Attic. She knows me so well, I love them.

This is the most exquisite wooden date box full of old beads and lined with paper which I just have to open and read.

It’s a little bit of temperance history – and it’s got handwritten notes on the back too.

Another gorgeous cigar box for my collection.

Buckles galore and a charm bracelet of ballet dancers in various poses – I’ve lots of projects in mind for these.

I just love this chap.

A tiny vintage wooden spool and plenty of finds to play with.

These are the tiniest purses I’ve ever seen.

Lots of amazing goodies that will keep me happy for hours. Thank you Auntie.

31st May 201630th June 2018

How to Make an Apron – A ‘Make-Do-And-Mend’ Challenge

It’s Bank Holiday Monday. All my chores are done, and I need a PVC apron for an up and coming mixed media workshop this weekend – but I don’t actually own one.

My new Make-Do-And-Mend Spotty Apron

I thought about buying one, but instead set myself a challenge to make one from the bits and bobs that were in the house.

My first thought was an old wipe-clean tablecloth I had left over from a party that was languishing in my sewing room.

An old PVC table cloth

Then I thought of the webbing needed for the ties and neck straps – this I found in a box full of trimmings (and I also found some yummy ‘sewing tape’ for decoration), and some bias tape.

The whole piece was constructed in an afternoon, and this is how I made it.

I found an old apron that fitted me well and folded it in half lengthways. Folded dressmaking paper in half (I’ve used greaseproof paper or newspaper to make templates in the past) and made an apron pattern, adding extra all around for my seam allowances.

Cut a piece of the spotty fabric larger than I needed and folded it in half to get the spots symmetrical down the front of the finished apron. Placed the folded paper pattern on top and used tins to weight it down – could’t use pins in this project! Cut out the fabric.

Stitched the bias tape to the curved edges.

Marked the seam allowance with a pencil and used a ruler to help fold and finger press the sides, bottom and top edge.

I used paper clips to hold the folded seams in place then stitched them down – the sides, bottom and top edge. Then added some decoration – a strip of ‘sewing tape’ to the top edge of the apron.

I pencil marked the ‘plaster’ to create a guide for the depth of the seam allowance

Using the old apron, I measured the neck and waist webbing. Then cut out the blue webbing and ‘measuring tape’ which I stitched into place as decorative detail. Then added each to my apron using my old apron as a guide.