2018

In 2018 I made some stuff. Turns out I quite like doing this. Lesson learned; things that made you happy during your childhood (in this case making loads of random sculptures / animals for no reason) are likely to still make you happy as an “adult”.

Break from trading

I realised today that I haven’t updated this blog for just under two years. Woops!

As of March this year I’ve taken a break from trading. I’ll still experiment with stuff, so you might find some of my work for sale in the future, but I’ve no idea what form that’s going to take at the moment! Currently I feel privileged to have a stable income allowing me the freedom to think about making work that I enjoy making, rather than what I think will sell.

Anyway, here are some random bits of stuff that have happened in the last two years.

Community drawing board at Cardigan Triangle Day 2015

More triangle day

Textile work from 2014

 

Hopefully more updates soon.

New Dog Commissions

I’ve had a small flurry of requests for custom sausage dog draught excluders in the last month – I guess that’s what happens when people get a bit chilly and start searching for things to keep their house a bit warmer. Also, Christmas is next month; erk!

Logos in print

It’s  always nice to see something you’ve designed in print!

Last year I designed a logo for Leeds Permaculture Network, and recently they’ve used it to create some really nice bookmarks:

I created the logo by scanning in a sketch and using OpenSource graphics software Gimp and InkScape to create a vector image.

I also did a little logo design recently for Lauren’s knitting pattern and button etsy shop, so that she could transfer it into a rubber stamp:

www.etsy.com/shop/magictea

It’s made me want to design my own rubber stamp, but I think I need a bit of a re-brand first!

Embroidery / henna

 

Hi there,

I’ve been experimenting with hand felted felt and embroidery this week – I’ve used embroidery threads to reproduce a henna or mehndi design. Not totally sure about the colours of everything, but will continue to experiment…

Vintage Tweed Sausage!

My latest sausage dog, made from vintage tweed fabric! I think this is my favourite of the dogs I’ve made so far . I haven’t used thick tweed before and it’s lovely to work with, so I’m going to keep my eye out for some more.

New fish brooches coming soon…

At the moment I’m working on a new set of fish brooches made of old ties and scraps of shiny fabric, with buttons for eyes.

They’re fun to make and I’m enjoying using loads of tiny scraps of nice fabric that I wasn’t sure what to do with.

I also have  little sale on at the moment – check it out here.

Remember that jumper you shrunk in the wash? Well…

It’s always gutting when this happens… but you could make it into coasters!

I had some horrible card Ikea party coasters, and simply covered these with two layers of jumper or fleece, and used embroidery thread to blanket stitch round the edges.

Slunglow Christmas Fayre – 7th December

The good people of Slunglow have got in touch regarding their amazing Christmas Fayre, this year taking place on the 7th December at Holbeck Underground Ballroom. Expect amazing veggi curry, hog roast, mulled wines, carols, story telling and an exciting selection of stalls. Their Christmas Fayre is my favourite of all the fairs I’ve been to in Leeds – it’s always slightly bonkers! I’m hoping to have a stall selling the rest of my stock of sausage dogs and cats.

 

Hope to see you there!

Why I up-cycle fabrics…

About three or four years ago I made the decision to avoid buying band new or none-organic clothes and fabric for my textile items  where I could possibly help it. I try to get all my clothes from clothes swaps, charity shops, vintage stores, and ebay. I buy my fabric from the same and scrap stores/the offcuts section in haberdashery shops, and have taken up an evening course in pattern drafting so that eventually I may be able to turn waste fabrics into clothes, thus saving them from landfill. The most challenging items to source are suitable waterproof footwear and sports wear (for example I unfortunately bought a new swimming costume last week as it is as of yet pretty difficult to find an organic costume for less than about £70, which sadly I can’t afford at the moment) and items like bras/underwear, but I hope that I will be able (and be able to afford!) to either make these items myself or invest in products from companies that have examined their environmental footprint and are making efforts to reduce it.

The reasons for this decision become pretty clear when you take a look at some of the statistics associated with fabric waste and pollution during garment production/after care which are illustrated in this piece from http://urbantimes.co – (visit the site to grab the code and share further!)

I note that the cost to the environment through shipping fabrics across the world, and the social injustice associated with unethical/unsafe factories haven’t been touched on within this list, so there are plenty of other reasons to consider buying second hand.

I would welcome any further ideas from readers of ways they have been able to save fabric or avoid buying new, and would love to hear of any more sustainable designers that you would recommend, especially those that specialise in shoes and sportswear!