When guests show up unexpectedly...

I took 100 photos today - taking photos is probably what has done my back in. *Ahem* (no, not that extra weight I have, nope - not walking the lunging dog around the suburb). I love taking photos and am looking forward to enhancing my lens capability in the future.

I found this little guest when I went back through my photos. I hadn't even noticed him/her/Mrs/Mr. I hope he/she was able to abseil off before I folded the fabric when I had finished taking the photos. What a way to go, though...death by vintage fabric. Perhaps there is something there for all you authors out there.

Listen to something that doesn't speak your language

Somehow illness, lack of sleep and a busy week caught up with me today and I just had to go go to bed later in the morning. Had to leave work. Had to sloth here. Had to crawl under the doona and make my pillows just so. And then the whippet had to join in, too. Four hours we snoozed, turned, sighed and snoozed some more. And it did a whole lot of good, too. I feel better. Yep, I do.

Sometimes you've just got to stop, listen to the body and rest, don't you?

Tut tut

Well, somehow I haven't blogged for more than a week. It's been one of those full-on weeks that go by in a blur. It's had tax man visits, super sales and lots of packing, more purchasing of fabric (someone help me, please), a visit to the Tutankhamen exhibition in Melbourne (astounding - but go early!), a son turning eight, a visit to the movies to see Kung-Fu Panda 2, too much scotch, lovely coffees with friends, the best Melbourne coffee at Brunetti's in Melbourne (well - the best after Mario's on Brunswick St), much watching of MasterChef on TV, cleaning the house, sleep overs with other eight year old and living, living, living.

Must rest now - I'll be back with more news and updates soon...

You know that feeling when you inhale sharply...

One of the best feelings I get is when a vintage fabric comes along that is so special it takes the wind from your sails. Working with fabric each and every day means I see a lot of design - whether it's a lot of paisley, a lot of floral, a lot of pink or green etc etc. And then you open a box to choose fabrics to go onto the website and you inhale sharply when you see the special piece. This is one of those fabrics above. A mad 1980s soft velvet with the most abstract design you could imagine. It's painterly. It's drawn. It's pure abstraction. It's velvet. It's divine.

What a way to end the week. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

xNess

Look back

Some days you think you've spent the majority of your time frazzled with kiddie antics over Beyblades, grumpy man friends, enough housework to last a lifetime, hissy-fit recipes and a dog with the 'trots' all down your hallway.

And then you sit in the quiet of the night and remember other things.

Like the sourdough starter a lovely lady gave me. And the way the chickens career around the backyard with a certain mission in their little minds (and then they come to their call and Weetbix even more eagerly!), playing Go Fish with the whole family and laughing at the three-year-old trying to set his cards in a 'shape' and telling everyone to GO FISH at the top of his lungs. Laughing to Absolutely Fabulous and Patsy Stone falling into an empty grave. Loving the tagine I cooked for dinner. Loving the chocolate self-saucing pudding I cooked for dessert even more. Enjoying the moments taking photos of beautiful fabrics, like the one above. Loving the swimming stories and how all of my boys loved an afternoon of togetherness jumping into water and doing backstroke...

Looking back can sometimes be so healthy. I realise now how good today was.

Working to live - not the other way around...

Tomorrow is Friday. We've decided to have a partial rest day tomorrow and escape the world of vintage fabrics. It's a day to spend time together, enjoy each others company and just be free of our day-to-day obligations. It's important, I think, to leave the workplace and just be a normal couple. We don't live for work - in fact, we both think it's unhealthy to focus on work all of the time. We have never been those people who work 12 hour days and work whenever we can. We are not driven. We want a quality life - a life lived instead of working. Sometimes there is a difference. I don't want to end my days thinking I worked too much - as, then, I know I have a problem.

Isn't the photos above a little ray of sunshine? I love it...

We're totes excited - lay-by/layaway now available!

Hmmm...I wonder if I am as excited as this Egyptian peep? Maybe he is doing the macarena?

Anyhoo - great news from us! We've have now included lay-by (layaway in the US) as a payment option on the website. We're offering one and two month options for those of you who prefer to lay-by purchases instead of hitting the purse in one swoop. And you can pay any way you prefer - PayPal, direct deposit, money order etc. Our new ethos is to make it as easy as possible for our customers - and we feel this is one way we can enhance the website, too!

To read about our lay-by/layaway offer click the button below...it's exactly the same one to look for on our home page :)

Back to the vintage fabrics for me :)

xNess

Prayer

The people who read this blog will know I have a Buddhist shrine at home. I have been reading about Tibetan Buddhism since I was 17 and, even though I have not taken 'refuge' (become a Buddhist, officially), I like to try and live my life with some of the wonderful morals, ethics and teachings that pervade this philosophy.

For instance, every time I drive by or see an animal on the side of the road that has been hit by a car, I say a prayer for it. If I see something that has died I say a prayer, whether it be an ant, a fly or a human. There is no difference to me - all living beings matter. I also have a money bowl on my shrine - every time I add to it, I say a prayer for the people in the world who are in dire need of money.

For some reason, when I was uploading the above fabric onto the website yesterday, I said a prayer to those who need love. There are so many people who live their life without love, whether it was their choice or not. So I send heartfelt hopes to those of you who need to feel the love of love - I hope you feel it today and you remember there are those of us who love you...

xNess

Watch out, hippies

On this cold Monday morning I am dreaming of huge knits - I love wraps and often live in one. This is more unique copywriting from the 1969/70 edition of American Fabrics magazine - I love the humour in this writing style - and I hope you enjoy it, too...

Watch out, hippies!

xNess

Sex and the Single Knit

The Winter 1969/1970 American Fabrics magazine I am currently reading is good for so many things - learning about corduroy is one and looking at the fashion and textile forecasts for the coming season that year is another. Here are two excerpts - Direction Number 3 and 4 have been expertly written - I thought you would get a kick out of reading them, too...

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

xNess

Sale, peeps - we're on sale!

It's not a usual thing for us, as you know. But I am totes excited to be able to offer all customers who spend $25 or more a 15% discount until next Friday! Yes siree...any fabric, any gift voucher, any Vintage Fabric Lovers Club subscription...anything you see on the site can be yours for 15% less!

It feels totally ace to be offering a sale :)

Happy Friday, all!

xNess

PS. Have you seen our new arrivals, lately? We have 20 gorgeous pieces all photographed eagerly waiting to be put up for sale to go to new homes...

Calm and excited!

I took a tonne of shots of the vintage fabrics today - I think I may need a new back (or a massage - hint, hint to lovely husband). These two shots are my favourites - the piece above makes me feel calm and the turquoise blue and gold colourway in the piece below gets me all excited. Isn't that what is so great about textiles - the instant reaction?

What I wouldn't give to walk into this fabric shop...

I have found myself reading my Winter 1969/1970 American Fabrics (issue 85) magazine snuggled up in bed these past two nights. It is the first day of Winter today, but it has been cold in these parts for some weeks. My thick comforter and hazy bedside lamp have called me away from the chills already. I read a really interesting article on home sewing in this edition - and I just adore this main photo from the article. Not only is it quite funny (as the 'new' fabric shop is now 'old'), but it also struck me that this is probably my fantasy shop - or, one of them anyway. Others would be fabric shops from the 1960s, 1950s, 1940s and so on. Have a look at those thick, lush bolts on the top floor...wouldn't you just love to walk down that window-framed aisle and touch them? I wonder what colours these beauties are, too? Oh, what a fantasy I have!