Time for Tea - a collection of tea sets

 This is an overview of the tea sets I played with as a child.  Three different tea sets and a few extra little bits and pieces.
Playing tea parties started in earnest when I was five years old.

  My first tea set was given to me by my Grandad. This was the only present for one of his grandchildren that he brought himself instead of sending my Gran back to get it.  I can only suppose that he fell in love with it.  I know I did.  He died not long after he gave me this which makes it even more cherished.

 I played with the tea set so much.  My Mum brought little loaves of Hovis bread which she sliced so they were the right size for my tea set and baked me little cakes and tarts.

I can remember buying this tea set when I was eight from a toy shop in Ramsgate and a whole new era of tea parties began.

Luke warm tea in the teapot and multi-coloured sugar crystals meant that the cups were always filled with undissolved sugar.
This set had its good and bad points.

The shape of the teapot, milk jug and sugar bowl meant it was easier to use but it did not have plates.  Mum found me some small plates that matched.

 This enamel Chad Valley set was given to me when I was about ten or eleven, My sister who is nine years younger was also given one.
I find it surprising that this set that was not played with as

much is the one that shows signs of wear.  All my tea sets were used - a lot, the handle of this milk jug is broken and I have lost a tea cup.

I aslo had this lovely peices of minature glassware.  A cakestand, fruit bowl, wine glass and six tankards.

There were breakages, after all I was a child, this little Noddy teapot has a broken lid.  And one of the white tea plates was broken into three and had to be mended.

Other treasures include this little tea cup, the coffee cup and a very small milk jug.

  With all of my tea sets washed and ready for action I may have to put them to use again and have a tea party.  Baking is fantastic fun and I have quite a few mini cake and loaf tins.  So the question now is who to invite first .......... that is if I can bring myself to share my precious toys.

Goldwork Project - the final chapter

 

 With the embroidery finished I had to decide how to display it.  I could have had the work framed (would have meant to and put it into a box) but while I was sewing the idea of a bag kept sneaking into my head.

 This is not how a bag should be made, this bag kind of evolved around my embroidery - so there are flaws!  The pattern was just a piece of A4 paper with the corners rounded and I cut the handles using a wide ruler as a guide.

 Pieces cut out and ready to go.

Handles cut and pinned ready to sew up. 

The back of the bag with the pleats pinned.  By this time I have a good idea of how I want the back to look.  So this picture shows where the handles will go and the clasp I am going to use to fasten the bag.

Pleats sewn into place front and back and the lining has been attached.  It was because I didn't want to damage the goldwork  that I lined the work before attaching it to the clasp.  I did this with glue, unfortunately it was only after gluing the back into place I realised I had not inserted the handles so I had to take it apart and do it again.  

 I had made the coin purse that was the cover gift on a recent MOLLIE MAKES magazine - very clear instructions - so I did my handbag in a similar way.
First I sewed some blue paper string so the top of the bag would fit tightly into the clasp.

 Then I glued the bag into position.  I then let the bag dry thinking I could sew the bag to the clasp later (there are times when I am a belt and braces kind of person) this was a mistake because when the glue was dry it was impossible to get a needle through the glue.

 I stitched the bag together twice.  First sewing the linings together and then the blue linen fabric I had used for the outside of the bag.  I did it this way to make my seems as strong as possible.

I know a lot of people will read this and be screaming 'THAT'S NOT HOW YOU MAKE A BAG' and I quite agree it isn't, but as the bag evoloved around the embroidery this was the only way.  Next time I start a project like this I will try and have a better idea of it's purpose and how to achieve it.