Satisfaction

It is a lengthy process to produce one meter of printed fabric in my shed. It starts with the creation of artwork which may (or may not) be suitable for printing. After the artwork has been transferred to a screen, printing begins. Finally, prints are cured and then there is the process of making an item with each piece of fabric. The entire process can take weeks or months - depending on how far behind I am on household chores!

All of this I enjoy.

However, there is nothing quite like sharing the work I have completed with someone who sees in it something beautiful. And then when given an opportunity to share my experience and feelings around its creation, I am totally satisfied!

To those visitors and customers who stopped by my stall on Sunday, thank you for your support and giving me the opportunity to share with you what I so love to do.

 

 

New Items

On Sunday the 19th of April I will be at Eltham Craft Market. Despite cold and rain being forecast for the day, I will be there at 7am to set up! Whoohoo!!

Spent a bit of time today on a new display for Sunday and I'm liking the "less is more" approach.

As a Mother's Day special offer all items over $20, will be discounted by 50% and if you spend $50 or more you'll receive a free gift.

New items for this month's stall include key rings, cards and fabric remnants.

 

It was still dark when we packed the car on sunday morning and headed out to Eltham Market.We arrived at our allocated stand just after seven o'clock. Setting up was pretty straight forward.
Lucky for me, I had pro's on either side of me and picked up a few useful tips for the next market.

Firstly, I will half the amount of stuff to take to the market and perhaps focus on only two or three products instead of a wide range.

The day turned out beautifully and quite a few people browsed through my products.

Can't wait for the next one on April 19th.!

School Fete

Saturday, 22nd of March, I had my first stall at our local school fete!

In the three weeks leading up to the fete, there was a lot of printing, cutting and sewing going on at home. It was very exciting to have a goal/deadline and someone to share coffee and ideas with as we worked. Katrin, I had so much fun - thank you!!
And while we were chatting away, it was my darling husband who took care of school drop-off/pickup, reading, lunches and generally being the amazing supportive and encouraging human he always is. I LOVE YOU!!!

Having my textile designs 'out there', was an important step - scary, but important. And it could not have happened amongst a nicer community than the friends and family of Eltham North Primary school.

Thank you to those friends who supported the stall with their purchases and words of encouragement. 

Katrin and I holding the fort...

Fast Forward

I have wanted to design and print textiles for some time and I guess it started in 2006 - until then, I had been a digital artist for most of my professional life.

After living in Singapore for nearly two years, my husband and I decided to move back to South Africa for the birth of our son. We rented a house in Cape Agulhas with the most beautiful view of the ocean. And there, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, I painted fabric and created a play mat and decorations for our newborn baby!
I had all the time in the world...between feeds and naps...and was inspired by the beautiful surroundings...

Fast forward seven years.

We now live in a leafy suburb outside Melbourne, Australia.
Over time I have acquired silkscreens and various other tools (and skills) with which I adorn textiles.

Time is more scarce now...or maybe it just seems that way. So, the going is s..l..o..w...

As with my paintings and illustrations, my fascination with chairs continues...and they have found their way onto the textiles!!

A new addition to my art themes is the Boab tree from the north western parts of Australia. The inspiration for this came when our family went on a road trip around Australia in 2011. The landscapes in The Kimberley region were breathtaking. Each Boab seemed to have its own distinct personality.
Below are some of the cushions I made using the chair and Boab designs.
 

 

Buttons

Bags

 Boab printed on Hession (Aqua).
Carry bag.

Limpid shells printed on
cotton (sand).
Sling bag.

Diaries

DaisyDots Diary. Blank diary
covered in printed calico and cotton. Pocket incl.

Textile Trials

Boab printed on cotton and embellished with plain stitching -
cushion

Plain stitching on daisydots print. Printed on white
cotton.

Handcrafted embellishments

Some repeat patterns I have experimented with.