Flea Market Shopping in Brussels

Morelles Market at La Place du Feu de Balle is open everyday 5am-2pm and well worth a visit.
It’s a good old fashioned flea market selling bits and bobs from house clearances.
It takes a keen rummager to find the treasure so allow yourself a good few hours to browse.
As for prices, I love a good haggle – I managed to haggle down to around half of the original price, only paying what I felt it was worth.  
There’s everything from furniture, ceramics, jewellery, paper ephemera and of course textiles.
Two stalls had boxes of chandelier crystals.
 
 
Morelles Market at La Place du Feu de Balle is open everyday 5am-2pm and well worth a visit.
It’s a good old fashioned flea market selling bits and bobs from house clearances.
It takes a keen rummager to find the treasure so allow yourself a good few hours to browse.
As for prices, I love a good haggle – I managed to haggle down to around half of the original price, only paying what I felt it was worth.  
There’s everything from furniture, ceramics, jewellery, paper ephemera and of course textiles.
Two stalls had boxes of chandelier crystals.
 
 
A receipt for macaroons dated 1938
   
 
These goodies came home with me.
 
This book is full of vintage wooden matchbox covers.
  
The tiny piece of film – the kiss.
 
I ran out of small bank notes early on and had to buy a coffee at Pin Pon (fabulous bar decor!) to break into another large bank note – note to self: take plenty of change and small notes next time. 
I arrived at 8.30am and by 11am some of the stall holders were offering ‘anything for a Euro’.
It’s a brilliant place with plenty of cafes dotted all around the square. Good food at good prices so you can rest your feet if it all gets too much.  
It’s a traditional Belgian Flea Market with an absolutely, fabulous atmosphere. 
I’ll be returning on my next visit to Brussels with a much larger suitcase. 

A receipt for macaroons dated 1938

   
 
These goodies came home with me.
 
This book is full of vintage wooden matchbox covers.
  
The tiny piece of film – the kiss.
 
I ran out of small bank notes early on and had to buy a coffee at Pin Pon (fabulous bar decor!) to break into another large bank note – note to self: take plenty of change and small notes next time. 
I arrived at 8.30am and by 11am some of the stall holders were offering ‘anything for a Euro’.
It’s a brilliant place with plenty of cafes dotted all around the square. Good food at good prices so you can rest your feet if it all gets too much.  
It’s a traditional Belgian Flea Market with an absolutely, fabulous atmosphere. 
I’ll be returning on my next visit to Brussels with a much larger suitcase. 

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.

Liberty Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum, London

As you might have gathered from some of my previous posts, my textile chum and I have regular trips here, there and everywhere in search of the latest inspiration in pattern and cloth.

We both dabble in embroidery and felt-making. I have a background in patchwork and quilting and my chum is a tailoress.  Every now and again we come across an exhibition that enthrals and captivates us. The Liberty exhibition ticked all the boxes. The Fashion and Textile Museum’s fabulously high ceilings and interchangeable space was arranged to display the pieces beautifully. Many of its previous textile exhibitions haven’t been behind glass enabling visitors to see each garment up close. The Liberty Exhibition was no exception. You could see every stitch, texture and surface embellishment unhindered so the true beauty of the fabric shone through.
We were taken on a journey through time from the Court Dresses of the 1900’s, the Arts and Crafts movement, the Swinging 60’s through to Liberty in 2016.
Here is a just a flavour of the exhibition – enjoy.
1900-1910 Court Dress and Afternoon Dress, Spitalfields Silk Brocade
Early 1900’s Kimono Style
Embroidered detail – Kimono Style garment
1910 -1920 A celebration and revival of the art of Smocking 
Smocking detail
Smocking detail and Dorset Buttons
1930-1940 Silk, Cotton.
Garments mainly made by dressmakers, but some are beginning to be commercially made.
1950’s A revival in Art Nouveau patterns.
The Swinging 60’s. Influence by the pattern of Art Deco.
Cotton, Cotton voile, Cotton Velveteen, wool, Tana Lawn.
1970’s Nostalia. Tana Lawn
1970’s – Silk, cotton, velveteen, wool.
1999 – Collaboration with Jimmy Choo
Liberty in 2016
 The photos capture the essence of the exhibition which finishes at the end of February 2016. I can definitely recommend a visit – especially for the Liberty fans out there.