Friday, 31 January 2014
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
gathering and listening
...recent days gatherings of inspiration...
...listening to...
...click on the images to take you to places new...
Wednesday, 22 January 2014
'til I come marching home....
...looking back through files and found this linen booklet I made for a photoshoot for Oxfam in London a couple of years ago...I wonder where it is now.....I keep meaning to make a few more for the shop.
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
heavenly haberdashery
...so much prettiness decorating the shelves of The Linen Garden - and above is a card wrap of a Parisienne ribbon from my hand made collection off to its new home in the States...
Monday, 20 January 2014
sheer bloomin' floral happiness
...you get to know and learn, after a few years of practice, how long a task will take you...but crikes have I had a long 48 hours......And that means something coming from a girl who thinks 24 hours just isn't enough time in the day.
DAY 1.
Sunday. I set up my make shift photo board and sat, patiently, on a very grey day waiting for the late morning light to wave hello through the studio window. The light in my work room is particularly wonderful between the hours of 10 and 1 at this time of year. But the room became darker as the skies became more grey. Dark northern skies may I add. At busy times like this I need the weather to work with me, when I really need a blue sky and a bright day I like to think the weather will perform just for me. I almost, stupidly, just expect it to be there. I don't have fancy photography lights. I like natural light. I have deadlines. I am impatient. I want to be able to cross tasks off my list. I never learn. Was I annoyed with the grey or was I more disgruntled that I had to work a Sunday (especially when I am supposed to be my own boss).
After messing around with test shots and trying to do clever things in Photoshop with pretty bad 'dark day' results, I was about to give up, when the skies must have been that annoyed with my tuts and curses that they decided to part the clouds and let a little 'light flood in'.......
Happiness. Sheer bloomin' floral happiness.
DAY 2
Monday. I have spent the best part of the day (since 5am) sorting and tweeking and labeling photographs ready to place on my Etsy shop. 11am. I sat at my computer with hands poised, like a mad pianist, ready to keyboard my way through the day rather smoothly. Technicalities. Every time I started to list a product the internet would cease and flip me back to a starting point. So I unplugged wires, reconnected wires, juggled wires trying to look as if I knew what I was doing. What has been going on today?? According to the land of twitter a fair few of us have had 'issues' - very small ladders and great big gigantic snakes have been my board game to the working day. And would you know it - three hours later it rectified itself just like that. Not too sure which is more annoying. But I don't know how I did it - but I got there. Half of the products made, photographed and listed and the other half lay on my making table awaiting attention and love and I will start the whole process again.
Next time I will look ahead at the forecast and book myself in advance for a beautiful sunny day and I am going to start listing products when the whole nation is asleep. Life is so much simpler when you are sat at a table with your fabric and snippets and your sewing box.
All products are listed on my Etsy shop 'The Vintage Drawer' if you care for a meander around the shelves.
Sunday, 19 January 2014
the making table
...at certain times of the studio diary, the making table looks wonderfully alive and productive, and brings an amazing sense of achievement to that particular day... as the final stages of a product being completed has taken weeks to reach. We sometimes forget when pricing a product about the preparation time we labour over. The research, the planning, the making of templates, cutting out, backing, dyeing, drying, stitching, sorting, sourcing.....
This last week has started to show the results of many hours patiently sat cutting flowers, embroidering and hand sewing - I often wonder how many miles of stitching I have sewn since I first picked up a needle and thread...miles and miles and miles.
My Etsy shop has appeared rather empty over the last month or so and I am now rather excited to be finishing the last details before they are photographed, listed and then wrapped away in buttermilk tissue while awaiting their new home. It may be very grey outside but it is certainly rather chirpy here in the studio.....is your making table cluttered-creative-chaos or organised rows and neatly stacked layers...? xx
You can find lots of lovely vintage and antique supplies for your makings over at my haberdashery shop
The Linen Garden
Sunday, 12 January 2014
a sunday sigh
...just that one image that conjures all sorts of responses....just to absorb it's beauty, to inspire you to paint, to re-discover and research...this painting by Fortuny's father made me stop in my tracks this week....
...a little Sunday reading for you here...
Painted by Fortuny's father, Mariano Fortuny Y Marsal (1835 - 1874)
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
The Linen Garden - January Fourteen
One of my comforts is that embedded within my studio is my own little haberdashery shop 'The Linen Garden'... not only do I sell to a fabulous collection of other designers, makers and crafters out there but it is also an indulgence for me too. I can browse around the shelves and boxes at times when I need that little 'something' extra....even at two o'clock in the morning...
I have been collecting (hoarding) more stock and I have just neatly folded and arranged its prettiness on the shelves today. So here is a little glimpse of the treasures you will currently find over at the store....but remember it is all vintage and antique finds or one-off makings made here in the studio and so it tends to vanish into another makers 'hoarding box' rather quickly......
(If you click on the images - it will take you down the path to that particular shop shelf)
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
armoire - wish list #one
"I have a secret armoire......a scrapbook of images that make up my imaginary closet.....I have an unlimited budget, unlimited wardrobe space, and my body is always the perfect size to suit the piece I am courting.."
'my armoire this week'
Click on each image to take you to its home of origin....