Fabulous Frome

My darling boys were away this weekend, visiting Grandma & Grandad in Wigan so on Saturday I took myself off to the lovely town of Frome, about a 45-minute drive away, for the Vintage Rag at the Cheese and Grain. I wasn't sure if it would really be my sort of thing as I'm not much of a sewer/wearer of vintage clothing, etc, but I thought it was worth a trip as I've enjoyed the Vintage Bazaars so much in the past; also Frome is such a lovely town that I would be more than happy to spend my time wandering round if the Rag turned out not to be my cup of tea.

As expected, most of the stalls were selling vintage/retro fabric, clothes, hats, bags, etc. It really made me wish that I could find the time/inclination/inspiration to drag out my sewing machine and turn the gorgeous fabrics into something practical or frivilous, but instead I managed to pick up a little something rather lovely that needs no sewing by me in order for it to be a fabulous addition to the house.

Ta daaaah - a very lovely feather-filled eiderdown in a gorgeous floral (Cath Kidston-esque) fabric. We've been after one of these for a while, but at £18 I absolutely could not resist snapping this one up from This'n'That's lovely stall.

It's a single size, perfect for a small bed, or for popping across the foot of a double bed. Which is exactly what we've done with it in our spare bedroom - perfect for keeping toesies warm on these chilly summer (?!?) evenings.

After the Vintage Rag I set off for a wander round Frome, and specifically Catherine's Hill which is home to some wonderful 'one-off' shops.

First stop was Millie Moon where I spent a good deal of time admiring the fabrics, especially these Christmas ones (they obviously realise that some people, like me, take a long time to get their crafts up and running so they really need to start now if they're going to be finished in time for December...)

I thought this patriotic quilt was rather fab. Must try my hand at quilting one day...

Near the top of the hill is this wonderful-looking ironmongers, brimming with all sorts of home-based items like candles, mops, brushes, tools, nails, and all those bits and bobs you don't realise you need until you take a look around.

Across the way is a gorgeous florists. Or should I say 'Floral Emporium' - a decidedly grand, and fitting, name.

 

Back over the other side of the hill, there's Poot and Make and Mend, to name just two of the many and varied retro/vintage/antique shops dotted around these parts.

Then there's the yarn shop

and the lovely OWL, selling a lovely assortment of pottery, jewellery, prints and other gorgeous items (some of which I bought, but which I've forgotten to take photos of - I'll have to show you another time.

After all that shopping and window shopping, it was time to rest my weary feet in Stardust, at the bottom of the hill

Cappuccino and a chocolate brownie? Oh, go on then!

  Just enough time to wander up the sweet little street (Cheap Street) with the water course running through the middle,

where I bought a couple of books on garden birds (so that we can identify the different species we keep seeing in our back garden) from the extremely well-stocked Raven Books

And then it was time to head homewards. I made a quick stop off at the John Thorner farm shop, which stocks a few out of the ordinary items alongside the usual sausages and bacon...

And got home just in time to prepare a little afternoon tea ready for the visit of my good friends Rachel from Lazyhill and Debbie of Skein Queen fame whose yarn, incidentally, is stocked in Marmalade Yarns in Frome.

  All in all, a very pleasant day indeed!