The Vintage and Handmade Fair .... What a great event !

A quilt will warm your body and comfort your soul. 

Well we made it to The Vintage & Handmade fair in Chipping Sodbury on Easter Saturday!  The weather was terrible with winds and rain but it did not dampen the spirits of the hard core vintage hunters ....

Chipping Sodbury is a very pretty town and what amazed us was the FREE parking everywhere .. that was a real treat and so we were able to park near the Town Hall where this amazing event was taking place.

I went in and who should I find first ... but the lovely Nicki from Quilterdown and her very beautiful stall.  There were quilts and pillows, lavender bags and shopping bags to name just a little.  As usual we were laughing within seconds of talking to one another as Nicki had pointed out to me that in front of her were some tables and comfy chairs and she called it the 'man creche' !!  I did laugh because later on my husband along with a few others were indeed sat there drink teas and coffees with a plates of the WI cakes!!

I might have bought another small quilt from Nicki as well because as the saying goes  quilts warm your body and soul !!! .... will show you later.

Whilst I was talking to Nicki I spotted Clare from Daisy Darling fame but she was there as a buyer like me and not with all her beautiful things as a stall holder.  She said can I borrow you a moment there is someone I would like you to meet .... intrigued I trotted off with her into the larger part of the hall, where I was introduced to Gertie from Treutmade.  Oh boy! well what a lovely lady and her stall had me in awe... paisley everywhere!  can you imagine dear reader .. paisleys, buttons, cushions made from tiny hexagon patchwork from the Victorian era, Suffolk puffs from the 1930's ... I was, quiet frankly, undone!!  I asked how much for the lot at one point ... only a slight joke really because I was tempted.  I bought some beautiful things from here and was really restrained.  I did however spend the most on this particular stall and Gertie gave me a present of a really pretty light blue glass dish.  It is cut glass and I was so touched and thrilled. There will be doing a show and tell as normal later on.

Dragging myself away because I wanted to find Nicole from Pretty Nostalgic, you may remember I made the flag for this magazine and we have spoken so many times on the phone and emailed one another BUT never met in person.  So I went to her table where she was selling Pretty Nostalgic magazine back issues as well as the latest edition and I walked up to her and she recognised me from my photo on here and we had the hugest cuddle... It was was so wonderful to finally meet this incredible lady, who is so passionate about the way we all live and not being a disposable society.  Nicole has worked tirelessly on this publication and I wanted to support her even the more. I am so sorry that this will no longer be in print form but the prices of printing and to get the magazine shops to sell them and indeed people to buy it has been a up hill struggle.  It really is a bookazine .. meaning more like a book and I use mine for reference on some of the long lost recipes that are in there.  The A - Z of silko threads and so much more.  One of the issues has a section about looking out for and buying vintage glass and all the colours that are out there.  I love my copies and they are on a book shelf for me to go to for information or indeed just paw over the pages and pages of beautiful images .....

Then I met the W I ladies who were providing all the refreshments with there homemade cakes and smiles.  The men, as I said before that were there were most happy and I had a piece of lemon drizzle cake and a great coffee from them.  They raise money and do great work.

They all belong to the Rangeworthy WI and all the coffee/tea were served in bone china vintage cups and saucers and the cakes were beautiful.  There were bunny ear cakes for the kiddies amongst us and two different chocolate cakes along with lemon drizzle, fruit cake, coffee cake and carrot cake to name a few.  I do know my husband went up twice .......

Along the way was the great stall Ginger and Rose and this particular day I met Belinda who is the face behind all things scrummy!  They will be at the VB on the 16th April as well so if you are going along then look out for this really pretty stall.  There is so much to look at and buy.  Exquisite butterfly brooches for one along with an eclectic array of vintage beauty.  I love mooching and truffling around this stall and Belinda is a really lovely lady to talk to as well.

You can see the butterfly brooches on the top far right row of the photos.  They are presented on vintage image cards and would make such a lovely gift for someone or indeed a present to yourself!

The Town Hall was filling up with eager vintage buyers and it is not just the ladies believe me.  There was a great stall called Sopworth Vintage, which captured the gents that were there,and this gentleman was selling toy cars and trains along with vintage camera's as well.  It was displayed beautifully along with boxes to rummage around in, which always appeals to us vintage hunters who feel we have found treasure when we find something in a box rather than displayed.




I found Cowboys and Custard stall which belongs to one of the organisers of this lovely vintage fair.  I had seen it before but there were lots of people crowded around so I had decided to go back later and I met Michele for the first time as well.  It was lovely to meet her and have a chat.  Now on this stall as you may have guessed from her business name is toys.  I was looking around and saw some Enid Blyton books and I am sure at some point I had those very ones!  My mother was a throw away person, which was unfortunate for me and as a small child you do not question these things.  You are told ... you are to big for this now and you must make room for your Birthday or Father Christmas....  I loved Enid Blyton and I remember reading the adventures eagerly as a child.  There was a beautiful wooden shop with all the bits that come along with it and two stunning vintage rabbits along with teddies and dogs ...... all bringing home, to my mind, of childhood toys that I had owned or played with at one time or another.  Maybe not as old as some of these beauties but loved never the less.

Opposite was the other organiser of this great event, Jayne of Country Cottage Chic and although we have talked before on social media I had never met her before so this was turning out to be a a very social day as well.  There were some great children's sewing machines on display and I was tempted but I had spent quiet a bit at Gerties stall at this point ....  There was some great vintage china and some very lovely teddy bears as well.  







Then I found a really delightful stall called Miss Clementine and this lady makes some unusual and beautiful things ... stunning things to put into your home.  Teacups that had houses on top and  one with a mushroom ... all so very beautiful.

There was also some great pictures that were all stitched and embroidered pieces as well.  I love to see others imagination and work, it is truly inspiring and just shows how we all see our art in different ways .....

At the very back of the hall was Lucy Bloom's stall (pictures on the right) and she had spread out on to two stalls and there was so much to look at and buy.  Great tiny bundles of fabrics, china, cigarette cards, pegs with ribbons and all sorts of lovely things to tempt.

She had made corsages from wool which had been knitted and crocheted into beautiful spring flowers and had themed her stall with lots of Easter goodies as well, it really was eye candy...... I was tempted to some bits that came home with me including a tiny bundle of great fabric and I will cut out little hearts from these for my heart jar ...


The weather outside was worsening and it was nearly time for us to leave and find some lunch before our journey home but I managed to get some photo's of this lady's stall called Emma Giacalone textiles and she had made some really pictures and some were of cows, which I love.

There were chickens and camper vans and flowers in vintage marmalade jars ....  all beautifully made and stitched.

It was hard to leave this fair but my husband had been very patient in his man creche and so it was time to go and get him some lunch before our journey home.  The rain and the wind meant it was not an easy drive home.


This fair was outstanding and the first time I had attended one of the Vintage and Handmade ones, it will not be my last.  They have another fair planned for Christmas which is on my calender and is on the 3rd of December.  For further details go to vintageandhandmade.co.uk  I am sorry this blog will not allow me to link but if you write that down and google it, then you will find more details on these fairs .... They also do vintage jumbles so please take a look for details on where and when.  These fairs are not to be missed!

Well have a great day and I hope you have enjoyed a little peek into the great fair and as always Happy Stitching!

Photo above courtesy of Pretty Nostalgic

This is from the HOME bookazine and

is still available .....