Weekend of inspiration

So, turns out I can sew. Sort of. Yesterday was my first visit of (hopefully a few more) trips to the Papered Parlour for my introduction into dressmaking. I'll be writing about my attempts over on the Guardian's Life & Style soon, but in the meantime, here's a little sneak of what we had and did: cups of tea, cake, sewing machines, mad fabrics and the godforsaken bias binding which was a total bloody nightmare, but more of that later. I came home covered in threads carrying my scraps of fabric and unfinished hemming in a holdall feeling, well, a bit bag-lady-meets-Shoreditch-make-do-and-mendish-type.

After that, it was the Mid-Century Modern fair at Dulwich College. Mad Men, eat your heart out. Some beautiful, heavy printed vintage fabrics and a few handsome monograms too - I only wish my name began with a 'B'. A fine wooden tapered leg here or there had me at hello, and I ended up coming home with a Marimekko-esque reupholstered 70s footstool and going halves on these rather hot 1968 sidetables. One for me, one for my best friend. That's a cracking weekend.