• A stack of four vintage-style fabric books tied with yellow-and-white string, topped with a white seashell. The spines read Sewing, European Costume, Flowering Trees & Shrubs, and Farm Animals.
  • A styled tabletop scene with a clear glass bottle holding dried eucalyptus stems, next to a small set of vintage-style books with colorful spines labeled Farm Animals, Flowering Trees & Shrubs, European Costume, and Sewing. More aged papers and a twine bundle are arranged on the right against a white background.
  • A stack of vintage hardcover books tied with yellow-and-white string, placed on a white wooden surface next to a clear seashell. A glass bottle and a cream fabric bag are blurred in the background.
  • Four decorative hardcover books tied together with yellow-and-white twine, standing upright on a light surface. The spines read &
  • A styled tabletop scene with a stack of vintage costume-themed books tied with yellow string, a white seashell on top, a translucent blue glass bottle with dried leaves, and a cream envelope bundle wrapped in twine against a light wall.
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The Blue Loft

Vintage Observer's Books Sewing, European Costume, Flowering Trees and Farm Animals Set in Green, Grey, Cream and Orange

£20.00
£20.00
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Two books for the sewing room and two for the garden gate, in a palette that could have come straight from a 1970s haberdashery drawer: jade green Sewing, dove grey European Costume, buttermilk Flowering Trees and Shrubs, and terracotta Farm Animals. These four vintage Observer's Pocket Books all date from the later years of the series, when Warne was branching out from wildlife into crafts, fashion history and country life.

Sewing, written by Meriel Tilling with drawings by Barbara Firth, arrived in 1975 and covers everything from stitches and seams to finishing touches, with clear diagrams that still make sense to anyone at a machine today. European Costume appeared the same year and traces what people wore across the centuries in a handful of pocket sized pages, a fine companion for anyone interested in fashion history. Flowering Trees and Shrubs for Gardens dates from 1972 and guides you through the blossom and shrubs that fill British gardens, while Farm Animals introduces the familiar faces of the farmyard.

Each book measures roughly 14.5 x 9.5cm (5.75 x 3.75 inches). They would be lovely beside a vintage tin of buttons or a wooden cotton reel on a craft room shelf, propped against a stoneware jug in a farmhouse kitchen, or tucked into a gift for a dressmaker or keen gardener. Stacked as they are in our photos, they also make a neat base for a shell or a small plant.

All four are hardbacks in their original boards and come without dust jackets. They show light wear to the edges and corners and some mild toning to the page edges, but they remain sturdy with clean pages. Please look through the photos for the full picture.

Thread, frocks, blossom and a few friendly cows: a cheerful little mix for a shelf with personality.
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A stack of four vintage-style fabric books tied with yellow-and-white string, topped with a white seashell. The spines read Sewing, European Costume, Flowering Trees & Shrubs, and Farm Animals.
A styled tabletop scene with a clear glass bottle holding dried eucalyptus stems, next to a small set of vintage-style books with colorful spines labeled Farm Animals, Flowering Trees & Shrubs, European Costume, and Sewing. More aged papers and a twine bundle are arranged on the right against a white background.
A stack of vintage hardcover books tied with yellow-and-white string, placed on a white wooden surface next to a clear seashell. A glass bottle and a cream fabric bag are blurred in the background.
Four decorative hardcover books tied together with yellow-and-white twine, standing upright on a light surface. The spines read &
A styled tabletop scene with a stack of vintage costume-themed books tied with yellow string, a white seashell on top, a translucent blue glass bottle with dried leaves, and a cream envelope bundle wrapped in twine against a light wall.