MK Handmade and Vintage Fair and a BARGAIN to upcycle!

I was lucky enought to be one of the Traders at the recent three day event in Milton Keynes as part of the Festival Fringe Street Bazaar. 

As part of the section from the fabulous MK Handmade and Vintage it is just great to share good quality time with fellow artists and artisans and with such a fantastic mix it is sometimes just a work of art walking around the stalls.  No two are ever the same and such thought and care goes into displaying such amazing talent and bargains.  The Vintage element is the best vintage fair I have ever been to or attended. 

The stallholders are friendly, knowledgeable and love the chance to chat with customers about what they have for sale, how it was made or in the case of the vintage finds details about the items.

My craft room from where I work is due to have a makeover so I was looking out for what I could find, and I did buy these amazing vintage peg dolls which will sit proudly on the shelf above the door. 

I love the Sailor dolls and of course the Norah Wellings vintage sailor man!

Norah Wellings dolls can often be identified by the cloth tags sewn into the clothing or on the bottom of a foot. Her dolls always have an appropriate number of fingers. She also made pajama cases, tea cosies and telephone covers.

Unlike many manufacturers, Victoria Toy Works survived the war years; partly thanks to a line of patriotic toys. The company managed to stay in production throughout the war.

What a sad end to such a great talent, Norah had been in business with her brother, who sadly died, so grief stricken, she did carry on making for a few months and then in 1959 Norah closed the factory after Leonard’s death. Although she had many offers from toy companies wanting to purchase her factory and designs, Norah refused them all, and burned not only her designs and the special tools used to execute them, but all unfinished inventory as well. Any finished dolls she donated to worthy local good causes.  Can you imagine starting a bonfire and burning a lifetimes work? Norah also sold her dolls to major cruise liners - my doll is from TSS Lady Killarney which was a 3,220 ton ship which offered cruises around the islands and sea lochs of western Scotland in the late 1940s and 1950s. Built in 1912, she belonged to Coast Lines Ltd. of Liverpool. I love my new little family of dolls and I know they will all live happily together in their new home.

I also bought myself the most amazing necklace which was hand spun on a spinning wheel by the talented monika zemojduk

The picture does not do it justice!  Monica will certainly be a talent to keep a close eye on!

And then my final BARGAIN find was a cot bumper - now I have no cot or need for a cot bumper, but as soon as I saw it, I knew what it would become - I just love upcyling!

So today with the help of these, and a few buttons and my sewing machine, I now have made the first thing for when my room is decorated:-

It will mean that I have my scissors to hand and the oil cloth table covering is great to be able to sweep threads away from my embrodery and sewing machine.  I have made a different smaller one before and it sits beneath my machine, but this one will not move as I have stitched it to the oil cloth!

So if you need inspiration,love to  find a bargain or just want to go window shopping around an amazing event, do not miss the next one!  Details can be found on the website and of course, we would love you to come and say Hello to us at our stand at  Never Forget!