My Creative Space - Doily stitching

I'm playing along with Kirsty's Creative Space meme this week. You can see some more spaces or join in yourself over at Kootoyoo.

A lovely little parcel arrived from Korea at the beginning of the week... a fabulous doily stamp from the Etsy Store, Lemontree 77. So, I was playing around stamping this and stamping that... and then, I started stamping fabric to see how it would imprint on that. It was rather yummy, but realising the ink pad ink would not stay there, I decided to embroider over the pattern. There are lots of mistakes where the ink was blurred and I had no idea what I was doing, but I think overall it's turned out okay. Of course, being one of those folk who don't know when to stop and leave well alone, I then proceeded to fill in some of the spaces with metallic thread. Sensing the imminent threat of total overkill, though, I stopped so it was just a little distraction on the whole effect. I soaked the fabric in wool wash to ease out the ink and (hopefully) not drain the colour from the thread... and this is the result. Happy Creative Space day everyone!

Inspiration: Lisa Hochstein

If there are three things I absolutely adore, it's fabric, paper and fine stitchery... so, no surprises that the exquisite collage work of Lisa Hochstein has me utterly enthralled. Gathering her pieces from the throw-away world around us, Hochstein's keen eye composes her collages in such a way that there is no dominate force. Each of the mediums she employs works with the other to form pieces where a soft balance or co-existence melds seamlessly within the whole. A fine art painter over her twenty year career, Hochstein began incorporating textiles into her assemblage work about nine years ago. I must confess, it is her stitchery that really makes me swoon... and I'm rather impatient to go and play with the ideas that this inspiring artist has engendered :) You can find more of Lisa Hochstein's work on her website. I found her via the fabulously informative Textile Blog.

Shoulds and coulds...

I should be doing a million jobs and fulfilling a million promises... but instead I made this today :) I think I had a belated Spring moment! It was another geometric shape I was playing with and suddenly I found myself cutting out little flowers in very un-me colours and sewing them onto my geometrics. I must say I'm actually liking it. Stay tuned for more frippery... ;)

Inspiration: Tree love

I love trees... all kinds of trees. Wherever I go I see trees that I just have to take photos of... they just bring me so much joy. No surprises then that these interior photos via remodelista caught my attention and had me dreamily positioning myself in the spaces. I think the birch one is my favourite :) What's your favourite tree?

My Creative Space - Another brooch

I'm playing along with Kirsty's My Creative Space meme again this week. Pop over to Kootoyoo's to see other spaces and to join in yourself.

This week, another embroidered brooch... I'm playing around with different designs. This one came out of the screen printed fabric I designed some months ago now. It's fascinating how totally different it looks once embroidered, don't you think? That's it really - short and sweet this week! Have a very happy Creative Space day :)

Yah! Mieke Willems Webshop!

I am very excited!!! (can you tell?!) Mieke Willems has opened a webshop!! I'm sure you already know and love the wonderful Mieke and Veronik as much as I do, but just in case their fabulous world is new to you... visit their blog here and fall in love... and then visit their new webshop here and be totally smitten :)

p.s. if you're also in love with the gorgeous Renilde from At-Swim-Two-Birds then you'll be pleased to hear that her divine embroidery pieces are for sale on the Mieke Willems webshop too! :)

Inspiration: Liesl Hazelton

I received an email the other day from the lovely Carmel of Feed the Dog fame, telling me about a fabulous find... the winner of the Design NSW's Travelling Scholarship, Liesl Hazelton. Have you seen this incredible work yet? It is just so inspiring and innovative. All of her pieces are crafted reusing and recycling cabling and wires from e-waste sites / computer graveyards. It was while studying in Germany that Hazelton came upon the idea to fashion her first piece, the cable couch, just in time for the Milan Furniture Fair earlier this year. From Germany, she moved to Amsterdam and began making jewellery, experimenting with the cables and wires to form finely moulded brooches and rings. Hazelton is back in Australia now planning her next inspirational travels to Korea with her prize winnings. She has a gallery representing her work in Antwerp. You can read about Liesl Hazelton and her work here. Also, there's a fabulous Design Federation interview with her here.

Thanks Carmel for the tip off! (If you haven't already seen Carmel's fabulous art works, you really should have a peek at her site and shop!)

The Design NSW: Travelling Scholarship is presented by the Powerhouse Museum and Arts NSW in partnership with the British Council.

My Place and Yours - On the Shelf

I'm playing along with a new meme at Meet Me at Mike's - My Place and Yours. It seems memes are all I'm doing lately, but I thought this looked fun. Maybe it's the sticky beak in me - I love looking at how people put their places together... This week's topic is On the Shelf. Shelves mean books books and more books to me. This one has all my favourite design and craft reference books just above my desk. Join in here.

My Creative Space - Collage Swap

I'm playing along with My Creative Space. Pop over to Kirsty's at Kootoyoo if you'd like to see some more or play yourself.

Lots of projects in the making this week, including this one... A month or so ago now, the lovely Jen from Visible/Invisible suggested we do a collage swap to be completed by the end of October. Well, the deadline is looming and I've been playing around with ideas. Anyway, this is what I have so far. I did a sketch and then scanned it into the computer and printed it on the thicker art paper. I then did (what felt like) a million perforation holes, sewed some, left others. The most challenging sewing so far has been hand sewing the muslin panels on the right side (slippery buggers!) I really love, and want to somehow include, this fabulous quote which Jen has on her intro... I have so many contradictions it's little wonder I am often undone by them. So, that's just thrown in there at the moment but it will definitely need some tweaking. Happy Creative Space day to everyone!

Interview

The lovely Rebecca has posted an interview with me today.

You can find her beautiful blog at

Edward + Lilly

Fashion Forward: Sveta Dresher

I'm joining in with Clair's (Obstinant Pursuit) and Katherine's (Paper Pocket) new meme for Mondays this week, Fashion Forward. Click here if you'd like to play along :)

I love the relaxed comfortable look of these linen beauties from Brooklyn designer Pip Squeak Chapeau. They produce a limited collection each season which is entirely hand made, and they even have a gorgeous children's selection as well. Being Northern Hemisphere people, they have of course just released their Autumn/Winter collection, which features some super cute knitted beanies. I've been following their blog for a while now - it has the best name (always makes me smile anyway)... Sveta Dresher. If I lived in those colder climates, I'd be a sveta dresher too! ;)

Flower girls

I've just listed the Fleur sisters on my shop. You can see their common ancestry, but I think the elder Ms Fleur has a certain refined finesse, while her younger sibling is a bit more flirty and fun. Go say hello... they'll be very polite :)

Sunday Stash: Foreign Notes

Bower bird is a term I'm very familiar with... I have mini collections of all kinds of things that fascinate me. Are you the same? I just see these things and instantly imagine a million ways that they could be applied to art works or incorporated into jewellery... So, I came across a market stall whilst in London with thousands of pieces of foreign currency in little plastic sleeves and, of course, I was in love! :) I can see a million applications again, but they also intrigue me as entities within themselves... what they say about how a nation perceives itself, or how it wants to be perceived, and also the exquisite detail in the engravings (I still see the metal plate in my mind!). What do you think? Intriguing, yes? :)