Holiday cheer!

I enjoyed using my tea cosies while away in September, so decided the SpaceVan needed more accessories. 

When I first learned to sew, I lived in Newcastle and bought fabrics from McElwaine's on Hunter Street and Anne's Glory Box, when it was in the mall, near the food court (for the Novocastrians). 

I occasionally bought from Pooh's Corner and another shop in the main street of Belmont. Sometimes Spotlight. 

These days I pick up fabric and notions from op-shops to add to my stash - and buy a few special prints online. 

I still go to Spotlight, mainly for needles and thread, batting and interfacing and try to buy these at during one of their regular sales or when they send a voucher.  Of course, I'll rummage in their remnant bin while there! 

I wanted my Spacevan kitchen and dining accessories to be bright, like the tea cosies.

The sunflower fabric has been in the stash for so long, I can't remember where it came from. The green dots were a recent opshop find - and there was enough to make a small tablecloth also. The main fabric of the sunflower tea towels was a 50c piece! (The green tea towels are new, purchased from a different opshop). 

In total I made two tablecloths, two placemats (the reverse side is a bright llama print), four bowl cosies, a jar opener, two pot-holders (backed with yellow batik that was used for my tea cosies), two tea towels and one hand towel. 

We have a green/white melamine set of plates and bowls (originally purchased back in 2014 before the Millard van but well-used during our 18-month stint of caravan living) that co-ordinate well with these accessories. The insides of the bowls were looking sad but a few soaks with denture tablets worked wonders. I was able to salvage six of the original eight.  Given it will be mostly Nick and I using the van, I'll keep a set of four plates in both large and small sizes in the Spacevan, as well as two similarly coloured smaller plates.  (The other green plates in our larger picnic kit).  I'm liking the holiday cheer!