FEATURED SHOP
Lynda Slade, from allthepreciousthings 
For those of you who don’t know me, this
will be an introduction, and for those that have known me online (or met me in
person), it’s a little bit more about my world.
My name is Lynda, and I live in Sydney, Australia. I started selling
vintage sewing patterns here on Etsy in 2009, but my dual love affair with all
things Vintage and Sewing has been going on for as long as I can remember.
Puttering around my Great Grandparent’s home in the Blue Mountains
(near Sydney) was one of my earliest memories. To a small child, it seemed like
the house was filled with beautiful antiques and vintage curiosities – some
of which, I’ve inherited. My
Grandmother’s sewing room was a favourite place to spend the day, watching her
sew, and playing with her buttons, fabrics and ric rac. My mother taught me to
sew as a child, and I still sew most of my own wardrobe.
Just before I started here on Etsy, I discovered the thrill of “Op
Shopping”, or “thrifting” as those in the US refer to it. Since then, I’ve
started buying PILES of vintage patterns, most of which I sell through my shop,
allthepreciousthings
What started as a hobby has now become a small business, which has
actually worked out very well for my unusual family situation.
My husband and I have been married for 28 years, and we have a son, 21
and a daughter, 19. Our daughter is severely autistic, has virtually no spoken
language and has Epilepsy and a myriad of behaviour issues. I work part time in
Sydney’s CBD at a breast cancer clinic, but my hours there are getting shorter
and shorter because of my carer responsibilities at home. In 2011, my husband
was diagnosed with Leukaemia, and has had months in and out of hospital with
treatment including chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. He is currently in
remission, 1 year after his transplant.
Working from home, therefore, has become more and more important, as I
snatch little pockets of “free” time when things are quiet.
Visits to the op shops are necessary for the shop, but also therapeutic.
Part of that therapy involves vintage collections.
Current collections: (See photos below)
-vintage patterns
-vintage sewing books
-vintage Australian Home Journal magazines
-vintage buttons
-vintage fabric
-depression glass (clear, pink and green).
-vintage Pyrex (1950s-1970s)
-vintage sewing machines
I love admiring the things in my collection, but I also USE them!
Thanks for reading about me :)
Nice to met you and "see" you Lynda!
ReplyDeleteLynda, I have no doubt that if we lived near to one another we would be fast friends. You're a strong and beautiful woman, someone to admire. Keep on truckin' !
ReplyDeleteOOH Lynda! Can I come for tea? I'd like to just sit in your sewing room and absorb all the vintage goodness. Then we could hit the op shops in search of more! Too bad Canada is so far away...
ReplyDeleteHi Lynda! You have such cool collections!
ReplyDeleteI have seen Lynda's stash. It's impressive.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lynda - You have great patterns in your shop - thrift stores in AU must be better than here in US as I seldom find any patterns at all in the many stores I haunt:) Lovely collections. I also used to collect depression glass but due to poverty sold it. Had Pink Florentine II.
ReplyDeleteHello, ladies!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wish I wasn't on the other side of the world...
As Mary will tell you, it's fun to meet up :-)
Lynda
So nice to read more about teamies in depth! I, too, collect needle books...so happy to hear about your husband's continued remission. Your family is lovely! (This is Sherri from Sew Betty and Dot, BTW.)
ReplyDelete