Bargains Galore and A Crown Tea Cosy

 Have you ever come across a bargain you had to have? In this case shoes reduced from $125 to $5, never mind that they are 3 sizes too big for me or have heels 4inches too high for me to wear. I had to have them as I knew they'd be good for something. Now look and I haven't finished yet. I think they need something sparkly like glitter.

 The back of the shoes. The other shoe might be kept plain so I can see before and after.

The shoes are perfect with my Australia day dress. Now if only I was taller, slimmer, younger and with bigger feet! If the 2 men in Darwin who dared to wear this dress on Australia Day (see a previous post) want to borrow the matching shoes I might consider lending the shoes.

 A new Crown tea cosy pattern from Peta in Victoria. This one is jumping the queue of cosy patterns as it might be a bit quicker to knit than some patterns I am struggling with. Visit Peta at www.handmade4u.net.au
Peta has a book of cosy patterns and readymade cosies can be ordered for non knitters.

 Two swans added to my collection, both both are from op shops at a bargain price. These 2 are unusual because they have eyes painted on. Both are Hollyware made by a Sydney pottery Sullivan and Griffiths. This pottery I believe only lasted a few years in the 1950's.

 I bough this shell vase for $2 last week in an op shop. I think it is also Hollyware as they have an almost identical wall vase. I don't have space to keep this vase so I'll admire and research it for a few weeks then donate it back.

Three interesting jugs. The pink one at the back is kept because it's small and interesting, I know nothing about it yet. The 2 jugs in front are unusual. The one on the left with the pretty scene is Victoria brand made in Czecho-Slovakia which according to Google if there is a hyphen it was made before World War II.
The jug on the right was made by IBC in Czechoslovakia no hyphen so it was made later. IBC made a lot of souvenir ware for Australia and New Zealand. I wonder why when there were so many potteries here at that time.

Teresa Gil Queen Update and More

You can see my Teresa Gil cross stitch is growing, still a long way to go but I know I will get there. Guilty again of stitch hopping and looking for easy bits to stitch and then going back when the mood takes me and filling in the missing bits. Any lone missed stitches will show when I do the backstitch and beads.

 In my magazine stash I came across this page dated February 2nd 1954, just before the Queen's first visit to Australia. 'Mrs Ellena Buiko, who describes herself as a White Russian monarchist and who keeps a photo of the late Zsar Nicholas II on a mantle piece in her Sydney Cottage, recently completed a tapestry of the Queen'
She started her tapestry early last year and worked on it 40 hours a week for 8 months. Ellena copied from a portrait of the queen but changed the face a little so the Queen wouldn't look too serious.
The tapestry at the bottom is of Madonna Dolorosa  copied from a painting in a German art gallery. Ellena stitched it from Australian wool before the war.  " A Queensland farmer heard that I was working on the Queen's portrait and sent me a case of bananas. These, he wrote me, should sustain me in my work. Isn't it marvellous." Ellena was director of the Belgrade School of Embroidery before she came to Australia.
All I can say is I wish I had met Ellena and no one has sent me any bananas.

Working hard on my cross stitch and at the same time knitting my 3rd crown tea cosy with at least 3 more queued up waiting to be knitted. I am a multi tasker.

 Sydney Harbour Bridge is 82 tomorrow. Happy birthday Bridge and I have a new souvenir apron to show.
The one on the right is my latest one. Both old aprons have the date 19th March 1932 stitched on the pocket.
A third apron not yet and possibly never will be stitched is at the top.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown" said Shakespeare in his play Richard IV. Charlotte and I are both starting to feel uneasy with all those samplers above our heads at night but I am now so short of wall space that there is nowhere else. I see it doesn't stop you using my queen pillow when it's not really your turn Charlotte and I hate unmade beds though you force me to live with a rarely made bed.

 This is the panel I had hoped to place on the ceiling but was warned against. I had it stuck to the wall with lots of those sticky things and it came crashing down. Look how the heat and humidity have made it warp. Now held up with wire and nails it needs to be placed on stronger board,

 My old doll has a new outfit. Straight from the Salvation Army. A hand knitted cardigan and a skirt that I have attached a Prince George badge to. She is also wearing a Princess Margaret badge from the cancelled Royal Visit 1949. Ted (and here I should point out that big ted is very obliging and is whatever sex I want him to be. Sometimes male, today female.) is still wearing a denim skirt and a royal visit T shirt from 1954. Also 'diamond' earrings and a 'diamond' tie necklace. The small doll is wearing a very unusual crocheted hat from the Salvos, I threaded red white and blue ribbon through it.

Went to the BIG 2nd hand book fair on Saturday and came away with a couple of very interesting old books, I'll talk about them later. This is only a very small section of the books on offer. As I was downloading this pic onto my blog I saw it. The man with no shirt!! On the far right. One of my bugbears is showing I know, but still. I know this is Australia and it was a hot day and the beach and lake is not far away. BUT put a shirt on. He is not young and with a great body so put a shirt on. I wonder now if he was wearing shoes. Lucky while I was there I had my head down looking at books. Lucky I don't live in London where I've heard some people shop in their pyjamas and dressing gown. Is that his shirt over his shoulder?
So put your shirt on....

Royal Commemorative Embroideries

 Lots of luck on eBay lately has allowed me to add some beautiful samplers and embroideries to my collection. This sampler celebrates the birth of Prince William in 1982. Love the colours and the stitcher's name has been added.

 A sampler to celebrate the marriage of the Queen and Prince Philip in 1947 with a verse by Patience Strong. I have the iron on transfer for this sampler but I would never have been able to stitch so expertly.
This sampler has the initials EVS stitch into the base.
PS. have just found our that this wedding sampler is a Royal School of Needlework design available to readers of Woman's Own Magazine.

 A Coronation calendar stitched for the Coronation of Edward VIII 1937, you can see his initials in May.
This sampler came badly water stained and for some reason I have been nervous about washing it. Some of my samplers are a bit rare and I'd hate to lose one in the wash.

 A tablecloth stitched for Edward VIII All those woman stitching for the new King and then he abdicated, Were they annoyed, did they sigh and then pick up their needles and start stitching for GeorgeVI ?
This tablecloth has had a lot of use and the cloth is a bit thin and even has a small darn in one corner.

 A sampler for the Silver Jubilee in 1935 of George V and Queen Mary. Very unusual and interesting with lots of themes from different countries and their children are also stitched in.

 The samplers above and below are in the same style of the Abdication sampler I have shown before.

A sampler for the Coronation of George VI and it is NOT mine But I want it and must have it somehow.
I found it when I was browsing Google images and now I can't find it again. I think someone in Wales has it. Elizabeth and Margaret are stitched. There must be more than one of these samplers in the world. If anyone sights one in any country please let me know. Blog followers, watchers, lurkers anyone at all please let me know if you spot this sampler.

And The Stack Came Down

 Not sure if I should cheer or cry when the Port Kembla copper smelter stack came down. At almost 200 mtrs tall it could be seen for miles around and no one could be lost at land or sea if they could see the stack. It has not been in use for some years and there was hope that it could somehow be used as a tourist attraction.

I could see the stack from my house so sat outside for over 2 hours harldly daring to blink in case I missed the stacks last moments. There was a delay in the timing as 2 people refused to leave their house in the exclusion zone. Though all residents in the zone were entertained in a nearby club and I think there was a drop in centre for pets.

 When the stack was built 50 years ago Port Kembla steel works and copper smelter was in it's heyday and migrants from all over the world as well as locals found employment here. But things change

 Streets around were crowded as everyone wanted to take last photos of the iconic stack.

 All went to plan.

 No more stack. Police on horseback patrolling to make sure no one tried any last minute heroics to save the stack.

 There was a streaker of course. You can see him just to the right of the interviewer. His lack of pants covered by a black blob.

And a politician having his tweet.
Now the souvenir T shirts are on sale and I want one. There is also talk of pieces of the stack being sold as souvenirs. I think I have space in my home for a piece of dusty concrete.

Charlotte Celebrates her 19th Birthday

 My beautiful Birman girl Charlotte celebrates her birthday wearing her new cloak. Direct orders from The Palace have confirmed her new status as Princess. Not only as a reward for her longevity but her services to humanity (me). Princess Charlotte will now only answer to her full title For her next birthday I think she is in the running for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Princess Charlotte is inspecting one of her many birthday cards while wearing her new diamond crown.
The Princess enjoys very good  health, can still jump on the bed to sleep and The Veteran Birman Club in the U.K has been told of her new status. The Birman club has some Birmans listed at 23 yrs old so I think we will have a few years together yet Pr. Charlotte.
Pr. Charlotte if the time comes and you can't jump on the bed I will saw the legs off and we will both sleep on the floor.
This is the first birthday the Princess has celebrated without her sister Emily so while we celebrate we will take a few moments to remember Emily.

My Australia Day Dress Shock Another Early House and Swans

 My beautiful dress (previous post) and now look, worn by two men to a Ute Run in Darwin. Brothers Paul and Dylan wore the dresses and wigs for a dare, The dresses are a bit stretchy but I can almost hear sequins popping off. Even I would have looked better in the dress. I might cry when I stop laughing. Beauties rich and rare refers to a line from our national anthem and means the rich and rare beauties of nature. Not men in sequined dresses. Shock Horror.

 Now look at the catalogue and the girl bottom right. That's how the dress should look. I don't look like that and Paul and Dylan certainly don't.

But I did wear my dress to the barbecue. Daughter S suggested I turn it into an apron. So I added ribbon to the neck and waist, a few stitches joined the back to the front and my sparkly apron was a great hit at lunch. I love it so much it will be on permanent display with my aprons.

 An early Australian house I forgot in my previous post. A holiday cottage belonging to my paternal great grandparents. Possibly built around 1910 I only remember going there once as a child. That was long after my grt. grandparents had passed on. I think it only had 2 rooms and why would you need a bathroom with all that (salt) water around. The house has long gone possibly eaten by white ants, termites.

My paternal grt. grandparents. Amelia Louise French and Joseph Mason. She was the great grandaughter of convicts and he came from Durham U.K as a young man. Joseph's father was a miner so perhaps he came to Australia to escape the fate of mine work. They had 11 children, my grandfather Edward was the oldest.
Amelia sadly died in her fifties and Joseph lived to 90 years old.

My swan collection that I don't really mean to have but can't resist bargain swans. The red swan on the right is my latest. Like the others it is Australian lustre pottery from the early 1950's. Look behind the red swan, there is a pansy wall vase also early Australian pottery. I bought it years ago and will give it to B. who collects wall vases. (see earlier) I have no wall space for wall vases.

Australia Day Celebrations

 Australia Day tomorrow and I have found the perfect dress to party in..........
In your dreams Sylvia. Do you want to be laughed at, pointed to or have Charlotte ashamed of you? No, I am going to a barbecue lunch and will wear something sensible and allow myself one glass of wine.
I bought the dress at one of those cheap $$$$ shops and thought it so special I had to buy it. I love sparkly sequins.

 Three old Australian houses. This one belonged to my maternal grandparents. All three houses were owner built around 1920 or before and remained in the family until pulled down by developers. All houses have a lot in common. In all three the toilet was outside even when the sewer came along. The first 2 had a sort of tacked on bathroom and I don't remember a bathroom at all in the last one. Must have been hidden in a shed. Two had a piano and the house below had a tennis court. Strictly for A grade players only so my siblings and cousins never played on it.

 My paternal grandparents owned this one. My father and his brothers slept on the side verandah as was common in those days. Boys and young men often slept outside somewhere. Under the house, in a shed or in this case the verandah. These photos are the only ones I have and taken just before the houses were pulled down.

 This one owned and built by Mr Linen's maternal grandparents and was still there and owned by his family last August. The house is almost walking distance to Sydney airport and is surrounded by flats and hotels and I think has already gone. The verandah on this house was closed in, once it is closed in it is then called a sleepout so the spare men and boys have a bit of shelter. Tough life in those early days. I have enclosed one end of my verandah but I call it a sunroom and only Charlotte sleeps there sometimes.

I love king tides, they come every January. Daughter S and family have just returned from a holiday at this pretty spot on the coast north of Sydney. The picture speaks for itself.

 An Australian cat. Charlotte likes to remind everyone she is descended from the temple cats of Burma but you are here now and have me for a servant, that makes you Australian. Charlotte is a thinker not a doer so she is thinking about going down the steps but maybe not doing it.

I know there are herons all over the world. This one must be Australian and he is spending a lot of time on my verandah lately. I leave out water but he/she looks around for a while then takes off.

Mostly Royal Stuff Again

 I was alerted to this eBay find by friend M from Craft Group. It was sold by the Salvation Army eBay site and came from Melbourne.
The doll on the left and all the hand knitted Coronation clothes are original from 1953. Even the chocolate box is a collectible item as James chocs. ceased production years ago. The left side doll came fully dressed and with a spare set including underwear of Cor. wear. The doll on the right came from a local Salvo's shop and is wearing the spare set of knitwear. Wonder if these were knitted from a pattern from 1953 or just a one off from a clever knitter.

 Always wanted a dressmaker's dummy for display and guess where I found this one at a bargain price? Salvation Army again. Now it is on permanent display wearing a Diamond Jubilee shirt and a skirt made from original Coronation 1953 fabric. I made the skirt very simply, elastic waist, only one seam at the back and a quick hem so the skirt can be taken apart and returned to a length of fabric if needed.

 Bought this little chair at the markets. I never can resist little projects like this.

 A coat of paint, red because I had some leftover from a doll house roof. Some leftover London fabric and now the chair is better than new. Not sure if I have space to keep it, might have to be a Salvo's donation.

 Prince George christening stamps are on sale. I bought some to keep and some to use.

Update on my Terse Gil Queen cross stitch. I admit I've been hopping about a bit and choosing easy bits to stitch. Now I've been forced to stitch with gold metallic thread. To make it a bit easier I am only using one strand of gold and I think I'll get away with this. (see far left). Also trying to keep control of the back of my work which I'll show when all is finished. The bunch of roses the Queen is holding was also a bit difficult but now I can see it is a bunch of roses.