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Sewing Machines as Commerciasl Decor!!!

Hi Guys, Just home from the 2 1/2 weeks spent in Ireland & Scotland. Had a truly lovely time -- of course -- and even managed to find a quilt shop in The far northern reaches of Ireland in Co. Donegal just outside of Dunfanaghy! It's run by an American woman who retired up there with her DH 11 years ago. All I bought was a lovely bundle of batik FQs that will be used in a {{{Hug Quilt}}} for a friend and a half meter of some sparkly lime fabric with sequin looking metallic bits covering all sorts of beautiful butterflies & dragonflies. No way would I have bought more since the going rate for fabric is 14 Euros per meter!!! That is somewhere in the vicinity of +$18. I might have been able to find the sparkly stuff in a LQS but I will use it to make an outfit for the SMDGD and I can tell her it is fabric I got in Ireland :-). In Scotland, we stayed eight days in Glasgow and I spent a lot of time shopping the pedestrian areas of Buchanan & Suchiehall. there is a clothing shop on Buchanan that has over 2,000 old sewing machines on display!!!!! They were all sorts of flavours of old, Old, OLD machines that were displayed in the huge windows in massive ranks of 5 machines across and 10 high. I walked past that shop time and again until I finally couldn't stand it and had to go in and ask how many machines they had on display. They also had them lining the back wall of the shop and displayed throughout the large shop. They even had really old sewing work room tables that were gigantic and several old machines that looked like would have been used for luggage or saddle making. There were a number of Singer and White machines but most of them were other brand names I had never seen before. And talk about beautiful. There were machines with such exquisite gold floral designs it took my breath away! Add to that the lovely red, blue & green metallic colouring and they were absolutely beyond description. ALL of the machines were clean and there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere I could see. They much have someone come in and clean them periodically because the windows and the machines in them sparkled in the sunlight. When I took DH to see them, I told him that I would have to post about them and he asked me if anyone would be interested -- LOLOL! Poor man just doesn't get it. VBS -- it was a lovely trip and we got to see all of the famous Lochs, famous castles (Edinburgh Castle, of course), even Scotland's oldest distillery who had a statue of their famous kitty (gone to the Rainbow Bridge now) who is in the Guinness Book but the icing on the cake was all of those lovely, venerable sewing machines so exquisitely cared for and displayed for all to see. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

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Tia Mary
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I too found that shop about 8years ago when I called at Dunfanaghy. Alas it was closed for holidays so I did not get chance to go inside. It was on part of our tour around Ireland. I had a special reason to go to Dunfanaghy. I called to see my old GP who had retired there. I used to get on with him well when I was his patient. He was very pleased to see me and gave me a hug.

Your trip sounded wonderful and is giving me itchy feet, if only I were well enough. Shirley

In message , Tia Mary writes

Reply to
Shirley Shone

I have seen a similar display in the big shopping Mall in Manchester & DMIL saw one somewhere else. I can't for the life of me remember which clothing store it was, but I hope they have good intentions for all these machines when they change their look.

Glad you had a good time this side of the pond

Lizzy

Reply to
Lizzy Taylor

I enjoyed your trip. What a sight that must have been. Thank you, Mary. Polly

Reply to
Polly Esther

I go to Glasgow every few months (and since Buchanan Street is just beside the bus and train stations, I usually walk down it) but I don't remember a display like that. Can you remember what the shop was?

It's the sort of thing Harvey Nichols does for window displays, but I didn't think they had a shop in Glasgow?

Did you find Mandor's, or any of the Asian fabric shops? (If not, maybe you owe Glasgow a return visit).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- e m a i l : j a c k @ c a m p i n . m e . u k Jack Campin, 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland mobile 07800 739 557 Twitter: JackCampin

Reply to
Jack Campin - bogus address

The clothing company is 'All Saints'. They have opened a store in Bath and the windows there are full of machines! I thought that it was a sewing machine shop to begin with!

Megwen

Reply to
Megwen

It could have been Top Shop or All Saints...saw a similar display at Westfield London...just can't remember which of the two shops it was that my daughters dragged me into!

Karen

Reply to
one of the Nussbaums

I can't remember the name of the shop but it is a very large clothing shop. It is on the side of the street away from Central Station -- not sure if it's N,S,E,W side just further away from Central Station. Thinking about the little tourist map and the shadows when walking back to the hotel in the evening, the shop is likely on the West side of the street. I'm thinking that it is somewhere about halfway between Argyll Street & St. Vincent's but don't hold me to that. I actually walked past the shop once and didn't really realize that the windows -- very tall ones at that -- were full of sewing machines of all things! I also *think* that it takes up the whole of that section of the street as I sort of recall that there were THREE sides of windows with sewing machines on display. But at least TWO sides of windows for sure so that puts it on as corner and not in the middle of other buildings. Haven't a clue as to the name of the shop but it's worth a visit just to look at all the wonderful sewing machines! CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

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Reply to
Tia Mary

Thanks, we should be able to get through to Glasgow fairly soon to see it. All Saints (if that's the one) does clothes for young women, and I doubt if many of their intended clientele would ever think of using a sewing machine in real life.

Did you see any of the C.R. Mackintosh stuff in Glasgow museums? (the Mackintosh house at the University, the College of Art, etc). There's some neat textile stuff in the People's Palace Museum too (it's in what used to be the weaving district).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- e m a i l : j a c k @ c a m p i n . m e . u k Jack Campin, 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland mobile 07800 739 557 Twitter: JackCampin

Reply to
Jack Campin - bogus address

My cousin has a flower shop, and had rescued a great aunt's treadle sewing machine when some other relatives were putting it out for the trash (!), and she has it in her shop as part of the decorating. In spring it may have some white lacy fabric on it next to another great aunt's wedding dress on an old-fashioned dress form as a center piece in a bridal flowers display, and in fall it might have some black and orange fabric on it along with a witches' hat next to a child mannequin dressed for Halloween, etc. That sewing machine has brought a lot of people into the shop over the years -- many who want to buy the machine, actually! One year for Christmas she had the small mannequin dressed as one of Santa's elves, sitting at the machine ready to stitch a piece of red felt. I think Great Aunt Lena would be pleased.

Reply to
Mary

I didn't see too much Mackintosh stuff but then I didn't do much in the way of museums. I have arthritis in my hips & knees and doing that much walking is fairly difficult for me :-( . I did see several of his tea houses and other buildings he designed. I do love his designs -- very decorative without being what I call "gorpy". As for the shop, it does sell stuff for young women and I *think* there was stuff for young men also but not sure. Also, the name All Saints seems familiar . Hope you find it on your next trip -- those sewing machines are truly wonderful. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

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Tia Mary

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