Charity shop finds - books and fabric

Prompted by the queen of thrift, A Thrifty Mrs, who has posted her charity shop finds in her 'Sunday Spied' series, I thought I'd share my charity shop finds with the world, well the people who read this blog anyway. If you've not visited A Thrifty Mrs' blog before, I urge you to go and have a browse through her writings.

Yesterday I made my usual Wednesday trawl around our local charity shops. We have a good selection in Wallasey and New Brighton as there are St. John's Hospice, Age UK, St. Vincent, British Heart Foundation, Roy Castle Foundation, Barnardo's, Claire House, Sue Ryder and Oxfam, though some of them carry a lot of new stuff, which I'm not really interested apart from the cards.

I found this book in Oxfam for the princely sum of £1.99.

McCalls Sewing in Colour.

Though this book was first printed in 1964 and this is a 1974 reprint, so some of the styles of clothes are well out of fashion (though some of the 70s ones are 'in' now) there are some great instructions for dress-making and for soft-furnishings.

Full of useful dress-making information

That book was my only find in Liscard, so I popped on the bus to New Brighton, the home of my favourite charity shop, the St. John Hospice shop (they do have a book shop in Liscard as well, but I didn't go into there). Here, in a full shop (there was lots of furniture in there this week) I found the rest of my finds, another book, an old needlework magazine, some fabric and a bar brooch.

The fabric - a large piece of red cotton, a grey velvet and a lovely flowered print. All of which will be used to Elsie May and Bertha projects.

Charity shop fabric finds.

The book - this was Anna Griffith's 'An Introduction to Embroidery'. I already have lots of other embroidery books, but I always find something new in each one, so can't help but buy them.

Another embroidery booked added to my collection.

I like the idea on this page for creating a picture using french knots.

Using french knots to create a picture.



The magazine is a 1956 edition of 'Needlewoman and Needlecraft', and it still has its free transfer still inside.

Needlewoman and Needlecraft 1956 edition.

The intact embroidery transfers.

There are a couple of knitting patterns for two lovely 50s jumpers.

Two knitting patterns.

Last, but not least, I spotted this diamante bar brooch under the counter when I went to pay for my other items. I'll be making a brooch cushion to go with it in the not to distant future.

A vintage diamante brooch.

I only had to spend £4 for this little lot from the hospice shop, £2 of which was for the brooch, that's a bargain.

Pop into your local charity shops to find your own goodies (or you could buy something from the Elsie May and Bertha Vintage Emporium).

TTFN
Louise