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[icomefromalanddownunder]

High Energy Efficient and Quality First.

okokart3 has found the exact inspiration involved in Sewing For The Sale.

In the autumn of 1965, in good time for the Sale I began making a stuffed penguin.

I had wandered aimlessly in Pratts of Streatham during the October holidays. I loved the Fabric and Haberdashery Department. All those rolls of glossy soft crispy velvety immaculate fabric in glorious colours! The huge shiny inspirational books of Vogue, Style, McCalls and Simplicity! The display stands of cottons - scissors, pins, interlining, and needles!

Do you remember the smell of the department? I just loved it, but have no idea what was responsible for it.

Some time ago I mentioned how I love the smell of freshly cut cotton fabric (love it so much that even SWSNBN couldn't induce enough fear to make it a negative stimulus) to three friends - one English, the other two Australian. Cherry (English) knew exactly what I meant, and also loves the smell. The other two (Aussies) had no idea what we were talking about, even though they both sew, and began Uh huhing and reminiscing about the time that we went bush walking in The Clare Valley in autumn and Cherry and I, without prior thought or intent, both began sloshing through the dead leaves, kicking them as high as we could, just as I used to do in Battersea Park each year.

xx

[MaryB]

High Energy Efficient and Quality First.

I had wandered aimlessly in Pratts of Streatham

It must be about 20 years since Pratts closed. I used to go there quite a lot - a local John Lewis was a good thing to have - and I remember buying my now 23 year old son's first full size duvet cover there - multi coloured cheerful animals (no malevolent penguins). That end of Streatham is sadly run down now - the Rector said recently that she passes three pawn shops in the couple of hundred yards between the vicarage in Prentis Road and the church, and two of them are new...

[gma]

The worst thing ever about sale of work was buying a wax and dyed epic of a witch flying over the night sky by RA (Roberta Aylesford sticks in my head) and telling terrible tall tales that I'd made it and then spluttering over RA being something in Latin... oh dear.. still have it too!