Vintage fair / blog comment response

Today I went to the Antique Textile Fair in Manchester. I expected a kind of V&A store room sell off but it was more like a giant jumble sale! However, my coat got lots of attention and admiration. The nice ladies from Black Cat Books voted it the best garment they had seen all day. I bought this book off them in response.

I will never ever have the patience to make a perfect quilt to win a show but I don't care if I keep turning round and stumbling over people who apologise for following me but ' we just wanted to see how you made it..!"

Now, I love getting comments on my blog, but don't often respond - sometimes they don't require one, other time I am just bad. But two recent ones inspire a reply.

First, on my complaint that I can't tell left from right and am therefore a lousy person to take driving directions from, Melusine says,

"If passenger is sitting on the left hand side of the car and the driver sits on the right, then the passenger navigates by saying "my side" if you want them to turn left and "your side" when you want them to turn right.Trust me, this works. I learnt it from a driver friend who can't tell her left from her right. It is also easy to use if you are in a country where the driver is seated on the left hand side. "

I agree - this ought towork. However I actually know when I need to go left and in my head I say left but the word that comes out of my mouth is right. So when we tried this all that happened was that I'd think 'my side' and say 'your side'!

Then, Jennifer asked whether my leg is OK and about my garment making history. For the benefit of others the leg question relates to the fact I that I had a trip in a hotel on a dangerous ( in my view!) lip to some laminate flooring, fell smack onto an adjacent tiled floor area and took a right bang to my right leg. I had to sit on the floor for a while and then on a chair with a costa coffee footstool for a while before I could stand on it and while we waited for an ambluance. I was right by the lifts and everyone was so British, averting their gaze and not questioning why I was there!

I can walk on it but it is still stiff and bending my heel up to my backside is not a good idea. Putting socks on is bizarely quite hard. I can also tell you that crouching at an angle to access the bottom of my design board is an instinctive but highly painful movement. The first time I did it I screamed and Dennis came running. The second time ( 'coz I never learn!) I screamed but the rugby was on and there was no response at all!

As for garment making - no, I have not been dong it under the radar. I made a very badly finished skirt once, which I only ever wear to quilt shows where other arty people go! (it's long and swishy and I fear too flamboyant for normal wear although others disagree) And a black shift dress which I have never worn at all because I don't like the neck line. Then the coat. I know that I will never get a tailoring finish as good as I could buy so I am only interested in garments as a base to embellish with one off design ideas really. Oh and to get attention!