Swags, and Swatches and Silks. Oh, my!

There is a curtain "boutique" in the village near where I live.  They specialise in making the most beautiful curtains.  Using gorgeous silks, cottons and brocades.  Their window displays are the curtain equivalent of Tiffany diamonds.  Swags and swatches and silks.  Oh, my!

I love going past and peeking in.  Oodles and oodles of swatch catalogues.  Tie-backs.  Embroidered silks.  Rich colours.  Textures to sink the fingers into.

I was passing there a few weeks ago and thought I'd chance my arm.

"Excuse me.  Do you ever have any swatch catalogues that you need taking off your hands?"

I told the lovely lady owner about my creative experiment.  One year to change my life by embracing being creative. She was very sweet, took my name and number and told me she'd call if anything came up. 

I forgot our converation. 

And then she called.  

"I'm sorry, we don't have any swatch catalogues for you, but we've gathered together a few bits and pieces here, if you want to come and collect them."

When I arrived at the shop, the lady went into the basement and hauled up the stairs the mother of all plastic sacks.    Packed to the gills with oddments of material cut from larger pieces during the curtain making process.

It was too heavy to carry and so was dragged to my waiting car!

When I got home I tore straight in...

Oddments and off-cuts of all different shapes and sizes.  Some big enough to make a small cushion cover.  Others that would make beautiful pin cushions.

And then it came to me.

Bunting.

I love bunting. It reminds me of Summer fayres, morris dancers and cream teas. Three of my favourite things...

The material was so beautiful it needed to be displayed.  What better way to display lovely material than to hang it from your rafters?

So I set to putting needle to cloth once again.

And it's getting a little out of hand.

I am currently typing this from under a pile of bunting.  I have made bunting for my bathroom.  And am currently sewing bunting for my bedroom.

I keep dipping into the bag and finding another gorgeous piece of silk, or brocade.  And I can't leave it lying unseen in the bag.  If I don't sew it into bunting it won't have fulfilled its curtainy destiny, I tell myself.

If I don't manage to restrain myself soon, people are going to start knocking on the door asking to buy cakes, pots of tea, and knitted egg cosies.  And men in flowery hats are going to start hopping around my garden doing things to sticks. 

Here is the bathroom bunting. 

I think it adds a little springtime cheer to the room.  What do you think?