If I Lived in Tasmania, I Would Need a Really Big House

Why, you ask? Because of all the cool stuff in the Antique shops.

You may have noticed that it's been a while between blog posts. I'd like to say that it's because I've been away, which I was, but I scheduled one post per week to go live while I was on a recent holiday in Tasmania, so there wouldn't be a break. Problem being, I haven't written any posts since I've been back. And it's now been three weeks since I came home again. I blame my new cardigan that I've been knitting. All of my spare time that I would have been typing up blog posts have been overcome by knitting. Good news though, it's just about finished, so I'm pretty sure my next blog post will be the reveal of my Miette, and life can get back to normal, (whatever that is).


I love the Antique shops in Tasmania. I mean, seriously, there seems to be no shortage of old sewing machines at quite reasonable prices just waiting for someone to give them a new home. I snapped photos of machines at most places that I found them. There are also quite a few shops that use antique machines in their window displays. Again, I have taken photos whenever I remembered, but the quality isn't always that great, and generally features some reflections off the glass. Sorry about that, I was trying to be inconspicuous.

Anyway, without further ado, bring on the parade of machines.

Shop window display, Hobart

Shop window display, Hobart

Shop window display, Hobart

Singer hand crank, Courtesy of Museum at Federation Chocolate

Fiddle Base hand crank Singer circa 1880, courtesy Oatlands Antiques and Collectables

The Royal hand crank sewing machine, courtesy Oatlands Antiques and Collectables

Jones hand crank sewing machine, courtesy of Oatlands Antiques and Collectables

Singer 201 electric knee operated machine, courtesy of Oatlands Antiques and Collectables 

Shop window display, Oatlands

Singer fiddle base hand crank, circa 1880, courtesy Church St Antiques and Collectables Ross

201 Singer treadle, courtesy Church St Antiques and Collectables Ross

Singer treadle Museum piece West Coast Heritage Centre Zeehan

Singer hand crank Museum piece West Coast Heritage Centre Zeehan

Apart from the wool that I bought on the first day of my holiday to make my cardigan (you'll be hearing more about that when I blog about the cardigan), here are the goodies that I did buy whilst away.

Silk / Llama yarn bought from the Salamanca Wool Shop. You'll have to wait and see what I'm up to with this.

1.5m of fabric from a second hand store in Queenstown (I keep reading about other bloggers great finds in thrift shops, and now I have one!) My first thought was to make shorts from this, but as there is so much, I could probably get long pants out of it. The more I think about it though, the less I like the idea of wearing so much of this particular fabric at once. It seems to be a light weight upholstery fabric, and when I did a burn test it looks like it is some kind of cotton / acrylic blend.

100% silk yarn from textile artist Rebecca Kissling. Bought from her stall at Salamanca Markets in Hobart. This will probably end up being a scarf for me. I thought I'd branch out from my usual colour schemes of blue, and tan / brown / cream.

A six pound iron which will have a new life in my studio as a paper weight. Bought from an antique store in Oatlands. I had been looking for one (or more) of these in good condition for a while, so what better time to buy something old and heavy than when you have to take it home on a plane and risk putting your luggage over the weight limit?

I'm already looking forward to my next Tassie trip.