Sunday 29 March 2009

today...


the designers market place yesterday was a great day out...for spending every penny i earned on other peoples stuff! saying that i now have a vintage antony & alison handbag and also came away with a little silk scarf, some nicola parkin cards (fabulous) and some great nude magazines! a few less jewellery pieces, french man badges and cards of my own...it was a very sociable day with lots of lovely comments...thanks!
today i intend to relax but that shall include preparing for tomorrow...my last day as an aa2a artist and so much left to do
x

Friday 27 March 2009

tomorrow...

...i shall be at the Designers Marketplace at Northumbria University Students Union with a few select items for your perusal...
see you there!

Monday 23 March 2009

another 6 hours...














... i have spent on this dress... a grand total so far of approximately 24...and more than that to go, i have not even finished the machine embroidery then it's the hand embroidery, i am liking it more but not yet enough...wish me luck!

Sunday 22 March 2009

blues

i am working on the 'dress'...seem to be getting nowhere fast...i am sure it shall not be ready, it requires many many hours of embroidery... i am tempted to leave it until last, get all my other pieces finished off and framed/mounted so i can spend whatever time is remaining on this 'large' project...the chanel haute couture team can do it, i should be able to!

Tuesday 17 March 2009

large project




the baby christening gown... well, it's large for me! i have very few days left on the AA2A scheme (2) and with the possibility of an exhibition looming i decided i'd better get going with something a little bigger than A4... i had prepared the dress weeks ago by dip dyeing and printing large soft turquoisey spots through a blank screen with manutex. it was ok but the actual amount of fabric in there put me off slightly and i wasn't sure where it was going. 3 weeks ago i digitally printed some images from my sketchbook and specifically for my dress, so yesterday i appliqued and i have started to embroider into it which you will see only upon close inspection...
reasons for dress: -

  • focal point for exhibition
  • had it for ages and wanted to use it
  • fit with whole collection
  • experimenting with stronger colour and 'busyness'
  • had title of piece, ' each of these, my three babies' from a song by sinead o'connor (will be referenced!)
stages of design/production: -
  • soaked dress in tea in stages to produce watermarks
  • dip dyed in antique gold procien
  • manutex screen printed spots using 2/3 colours
  • steamed to fix
  • washed to remove stiffness (and some of the tea stain!)
  • embroidered words on bodice
  • appliqued digital prints around hem
  • machine embroidery, then to continue...
  • hand embroidery
  • iron
  • add butterflies to symbolise letting go and setting free (in this case your children from poverty and certain starvation)
  • hang
  • voila

Saturday 14 March 2009

2 out of 5






















it was really difficult to photograph my white cards...

list




















today...
  • parcel up and post my book for exhibition
  • photograph card collection and jewellery for my website
  • organise all printed fabrics and put pink post-its with instructions to develop
  • complete at least one 'foundling' piece - 'white butterfly soul'
  • stitch purses (3)
  • relax

journey

i am enjoying my journey to work lately...
...through the chemical works, past the bird sanctuary and the landfills, a sideways glance at the seals sloppily basking at the river mouth, past the ghost ships, nuclear power station and the amusement arcades...along the sea front...ships on the horizon...

Friday 6 March 2009

to myself...

am wondering if anyone actually reads any of my blogs, i can't imagine it so it seems a little pointless ...so i shall consider this my 'work' diary from now on... today i have finished another piece, after 3 weeks of working on it a little every day...it is part of my foundling collection, i was pleased with the design when it was a flat rectangle of fabric, now it is a bag and i am not so sure ...maybe it is only because i have looked at it so long in its previous form, i am sure i shall get used to it eventually and it needed to be a bag...conceptually...
i would like to put my new work on my website as it is completed piece by piece but shall do the proper thing and present it as a whole collection after exhibition (or maybe shortly before!)

Monday 2 March 2009

printing...

today i have actually enjoyed screen printing, there must be something wrong with me...i even did 2 colours...on one sample!...however my acid red did bleed... have got quite a few great samples to embroider into... little birds...