Rewinding back to the end of August, we had a rare weekend at home and I was pretty glad because I had an outing planned. Off we set in Delia Disco (that's our new car, christened by The Munchkin) for the pretty rolling countryside of Sussex. We flew past perfect village greens, cute public houses promising scrummy home-cooked food and the most gorgeous crooked cottages replete with leaded multi-paned windows and gardens full of hollyhocks. The stuff of English fairy tales. Finally, we found ourselves in Wisborough Green and it lived up to all those images one has of the quintessential English village.
On the green, the cricket match was taking place which the boys enjoyed but I was more interested, I confess, in that large white marquee in the distance. It promised to have many delights inside in the form of the Wisbrorough Green Brocante. We were early so we had a chance to stroll round the green and take it all in, bumping into a few old friends for a natter along the way.
I bet that just like me you like a good nosy at the local houses, especially if they are lovely cottages awash with character such as these.
A longish queue had formed outside by the time we returned from the charity shop (with a bag full of gorgeous linen and haberdashery!) It soon dissipated as eager shoppers thronged inside. If I have a complaint about the fair it is that it was a bit too busy. They would have done well to have operated a "one way" system inside the marquee and better controlled the numbers inside at any one time.
Anyway, right inside the entrance, I was thrilled to see a lovely young lady and favourite seller of mine, Emma from Velvet Ribbon. She has a great eye and I fell greedily on her fabrics for sale. Stash maintenance is a subject I take most seriously.
I would say the theme of this fair was definitely along French and faded lines. There was a lot of painted chippy furniture, pastel coloured enamelware and linen textiles. There were some lovely handmade items too and it was necessary to exercise restraint on the purse strings!
I didn't take a lot of photos, it wasn't really possible with the volume of people. Some of the stalls were incredibly packed in, I had to walk round several times to get to look at most things (I expect I didn't see everything). I'm sure this is great for the organisers but doesn't make for the best experience for the visitors (who had paid to get in).
The pubs in the village also fitted the bill perfectly and were very quaint but there was an hour wait for lunch at this one. I think Wisborough Green had been besieged by treasure-seeking ladies of Sussex and beyond!
All in all, we had a lovely day out; the weather was kind, the setting glorious and I was most happy with my purchases, mainly of the fabric kind. (Roses still blooming in the garden.)
It wasn't long before I wanted to get my hands on those lovely textiles. A spot of patchwork and quilting then.
Some more flea market bags were born. I love making these, get a thrill out of coming up with something so pretty but decidedly useful. A few remain in my Etsy shop but others have been re-homed already.
I now have one last order on my commission books this week and then I'm going to be taking quite a break. I'll tell you more about that next time. Xxx
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