Sunday 2 June 2013

From the beginning...



Vintage quilt Swallow cushion.

Well hello! This is my first blog post so I'll try not to waffle on. What shall I talk about? I guess a good place to start is who am I and what I'm about!
My name is Caroline and I live in South London, though originally from Fife in Scotland. I came to London a good 16 years ago(!) to go to college and study costume making at the London College of Fashion. So one degree later, I became a costume maker and also worked and still do in theatre in the "West End".

My main job is as designer/maker for retropoodle which I started in 2011 out of a desire to channel my creative skills into things I like making. I've got a thing for old things, love scouring junk/ vintage and charity shops for quirky bits and bobs for my home. 
I've got quite a little collection of vintage textiles amassed which are crying out to be repurposed into a lovely new item to be enjoyed again.

I have fabrics, buttons and quilts from the 30s to the 70s which have been sourced to create home accessories and shopper bags with a bit of a modern twist. Some of the products made are one of a kind, some limited edition but all are unique and a bit quirky. I want to appeal to like minded people who need something different, a statement piece with a bit of history and don't want bland furnishings you can get anywhere. This is not for the "beige brigade"!

Hope that was a shortish introduction, if you read this far, thank you!