In my sleep I have dreams of tassels and textiles and bright shiny beads.
I started life in the sun on the Island of Malta, I have an Irish Passport, an English Rose for a mother , grew up in the green of the middle counties and now live in deepest darkest Dorset.
My home is down a country lane where the cowslips billow in the space where the pavements should be and on a clear crisp night, the moon gives you shadows bright enough to dance with.
But my name isn’t Miss Tallulah Blue, but we may be related… I Think.!
I was born with an impatient squeal and a needle in my hand, and have been stitching all kinds of shiny things ever since. Bags and scarves , and coats and corsets.
I’ve made Elizabethan ruffs for a queen singing Opera, and PVC catsuits for boys on skates. I ran away with the Circus …..but I came back!!!
A while ago, not too far back I received a letter, yes, an old fashioned letter on rich creamy paper inscribed with a flourishing script and a faint smell of leather and spice. It was sent by Mr Levi J Russell. A gentleman who “ looked after the affairs of his clients” ,and was most intriguing.
It informed me that a lady by the name of Miss Tallulah Blue, was a distant relative of mine . She had left instructions that in the case of her disappearance, various items that she held dear, were to be passed to me. The letter gave very few details and no hint of the items that I was to receive.
A few weeks went by and the memory of the letters promise floated to the back of my memory, not quite faded , then the Trunk arrived. It was ancient , battered ,obviously well travelled and big enough to hide a body in but held something much more exciting!!!
As I opened the lid a perfume of such exotic nature enveloped me, it sang of Kasbahs and cafes.
Inside , carefully wrapped in brightly coloured papers were lengths of cloth, pieces of delicate lace, braids and beads from the far flung corners of the world. My very own treasure of textiles and treats.
There was a brief note , hastily scribbled on the back of a faded and ancient looking map, it was from Great Aunt Tallulah.!!!!
She told me of her dream of travelling the world collecting rhymes and tales of women and there skills with a needle. She also collected samples of the fabrics and trims from her travels. She was still alive but , for reasons that would be explained later , she had to keep moving, but she wanted these tales and Textiles to be used and appreciated.
“Use these Pieces to make your dreams come true”. was what she wrote. so that’s what I have done, I sew “Whimsy’s and Fripperies from fabric and lace.”
Every so often I receive a package from Miss Tallulah Blue, they come from all over the world, sometimes they are wrapped in newspapers or have pages of a travel journal or diary inside . These are making a very interesting read, maybe I’ll share her adventures with you, I think you’d like my distant relative MISS TALLULAH BLUE………
