Conscious Design when Crafting

Here's the problem I have encountered. I love to craft, I love sewing and making things. BUT, my taste does not lend itself to filling my house with loads of fabrics and I don't like a look that is 'homemade'. So how does a person indulge their love of crafting while still making things that will fit into a contemporary aesthetic?
Some things to consider:
- Choose a base color and/or fabric that will add cohesion. For me it was natural colored linen. It is beautifully neutral and I have not found a color that doesn't work well with it. The linen looks clean and minimalist and blends well. Consider some other fabrics: ecru muslin, indigo dyed cotton, white cotton, burlap. When you have chosen, stick to that choice.

While the maple leaf blocks in this quilt are made from quite old-fashioned floral designs, the white cotton gives it a contemporary twist. This quilt could be put in many a modern home and it wouldn't fight with the established decor.

- Complement the base color and/or fabric with carefully added patterns and colors. Not only does this result in a less loud and homemade look, it is very economical. You don't have to go crazy buying yards of gorgeous prints. A fat quarter will go a long way. In fact scour thrift stores for cool fabrics that you can use from old clothes, then use it sparingly to add emphasis.

With these book covers, I added just a few squares of patterned fabric for emphasis. These fabrics came from all over the place, one is an old bed sheet.

- Don't be afraid of blank space. This is common advice in graphic design. You don't have to fill every blank piece of fabric with applique, embroidery and patchwork designs. Sometimes a trim of squares in patterned fabric is all you need or a button or two. Less is more because it doesn't get lost in an assault of busy-ness.

The white background really enhances the origami crane.

- Play with texture. Using different textures is very fashionable right now and is a fun way to incorporate different crafting techniques. Pair chunk knit with a cotton panel in a pillow. Mix different fabrics, but remember go easy.

The two materials here are burlap and cotton. There is no intricate design, the interest comes from the contrasting textures.

- Stick with basic designs if you want to play with colors, sewing techniques etc. Tote bag designs are everywhere these days. They're popular because the designs are simple and therefore easy to execute, but the simplicity gives you a blank canvas on which to experiment with patterns or embellishments. I see a lot of patchwork blocks that are beautifully intricate but I don't enjoy the look because so many different patterns and colors have been used. The more intricate the project the more conscious you need to be of not going crazy with materials.

This messenger back was extremely easy to do and a very simple design which meant I could be bold with fabric. Both fabrics are from old bed sheets.

New Adventures in Free Motion

Sometimes the practice is a pleasing surprise. Free motion embroidery or quilting is NOT supposed to look like this, but still - interesting!

For more on free motion sewing go to this really amazing website: The Free Motion Quilting Project. She has all you will ever need.

New Blog

My new blog about my new fabrics and clothes, the aim of the blog is to promote these things using pictures and minimal write ups. The fabric in this picture is my 'London Calling' design and am using it to make a very cool skirt. Again I had the fabric made with Spoonflower - my new best friend.

Decorated Water Bottles

Be environmentally friendly with these great bottles, my white one on the left was well-used in Zambia and as a result got a little bashed around so a bought a new one at World Market. They sell them in a lots of places in the States, but online I discovered Earthlust who specialise in fresh designs on water bottles in various sizes. Everything from dragonflies to chandeliers are emblazoned on these painfully cool necessities. I love their yellow 13 oz bottle with budgies. Recommended.

kangaroo

kangaroo
Originally uploaded by liz_watkin

I made this kangaroo by special request for a dear friend who collects them. I am really pleased with how it turned out. It's been some time since I made any cross stitch, and this has reminded me of how much fun it is!

Craft Business Journal II – Like minds, research and plans

Lusaka is quite a small place really. When you meet certain people six degrees of separation seems an entirely plausible theory. After building my social network here I have found another ex-pat who is a sewing enthusiast and has made quite a good business from her creations.
After a few texts, I finally met her today and was really inspired by her work.

In a place like Lusaka where materials are difficult to find, it is invaluable to find someone who can give you essential info on anything from haberdasheries to shipping resources from abroad. My new acquaintance also gave me some advice on what sells here and when to sell certain things. Many foreign workers (of which Lusaka has a ton!) go home in the summer months, though here it’s the cold season, this is the perfect time to sell crafts inspired by local themes as they want to take them home as gifts and souvenirs.

I now have some solid tasks ahead of me; I need to think of some new designs but also some that are African inspired for May and June. I also have a sewing machine on loan for a week so I better get some stock together!

New Good Links

Despite not having the internet at home, I have managed to steal a little time to surf and find some new design sites. These are fun and lovely to look at.
http://www.mintdesignblog.com/
http://pitchdesignunion.com/
http://www.okaygreat.com/?cat=1938
http://www.illustrationfriday.com/

Quilting Plans

Even though I lived here before, I have seen so much in the time since we moved to Lusaka in September. I can’t pretend it has been easy, and coming back has made me realise I could never make Africa my home, but I also want to use my experience creatively. I have been mulling over ideas for a while now, but have come up with an idea in particular which I think might be the best. I want to try and document my time here with a series of quilts. In the past quilts were sometimes used as kind of pictorial journals but mainly in one quilt, with each block depicting an important even. I would like to try and make a number of quilts using different methods – appliqué, patchwork, embroidery, crazy patchwork.

It’s a big venture and I am always coming up with crazy and over-ambitious ideas, but I am going try this one out. Stay tuned for more.

Intelligent Patterning

With so many amazing different patterns and colours of chitenge it is very tempting to go crazy and use as many as possible in a new place like ours. We have so many windows that need curtains and opportunities for upholstering. We have been very careful though, because we don't want an over the top colour scheme. Here we put together the 3 fabrics we are sticking to for the décor of the living space. We think they match nicely and are not too over the top – the yellow print is bright and funky with the 60s style flowers, but it is complimented nicely by the pale aquamarine and gold one. We fell in love with the retro pattern on the black chitenge but have had to use it very carefully – our floors and furniture is quite dark and the print could have looked quite heavy. Instead, I cut the pattern out and used it on ecru curtain fabric so that the design is showcased and not lost against the dark wood of the floor. We have continued to use the ecru fabric as borders to maintain a uniform design.

Chitenge Therapy

Moving back to Zambia has been a big transition, even though we lived here before. However I am so happy to be able to buy chitenges again. I went to the local market and got a few 'samples' so we could decide on how to decorate our new place. The colours and patterns are so vibrant and different (you can find chitenges with floral patterns, geometric, pictures I have seen some with mobile phones and razor blades on them!). They could be a little overwhelming, so we are using them quite selectively and matching them with a pale cream to tone it down a little.

Beginnings

Here are a few snapshots of our new living area. I love the wood floor and stairway. As you can see, we have a door that opens onto a communal garden, but we also have a little raised bed of our own where I want to start a small herb garden.
We are here quite temporarily so we don't have huge plans for the house itself, but we do want to make a nice living area. We recently got the first season of Mad Men on DVD and love the 1950s style offices with the dark colours, clean lines and the artsy prints and we are using that as our inspiration. As you can see the floor is an excellent start.
It's a lovely big space and I am not a fan of clutter, I am considering a scatter cushion area in the future though, with a mat. Anyway, we'll see.

I also want to make some quilt tops. You can get batting here but it isn't cheap. I am wondering whether to make patchwork covers for blankets in the cold season - a little like a duvet cover.

My First Cross Stitch Commission

From little acorns! The friend I mentioned with the new Etsy shop Crashboxdesign has commissioned me to make her a cross stitch picture of a kangaroo. We chose this design which is from the Australian road sign. She wants it done in reverse like the fawn and squirrel I did before. So I printed out the sign directly onto graph paper to save the job of tracing it and because it has been enlarged it pixellated itself quite conveniently. As you can see, the design is very fluid so I will need to incorporate half-cross stitches to keep the curves.

A great little project for Zambia. One of many I hope. Pictures are a bit fuzzy because I used the web cam - I have packed my camera!

New Cross Stitches

Finally moved and have most of my sewing bits around me again. I managed to knock out the first of my coaster designs, it was really fun to do. I plan to make 3 more add to the set.

Biding My Time

We're in the middle of moving out of our flat, it's been a lovely place to live, but things have changed. My fiancee has finished his course and I have left my job. So begins a slow but sure packing process. Last week much of our stuff went back with my 'rents, including all my sewing stuff, or most of it anyway. This means I'm left twiddling my thumbs and avoiding putting the zip into the clutch bag I made for my wedding.

To occupy me, I have been making cards for my Etsy shop, which I am very happy with, including some for Christmas. On Saturday afternoon however, I decided to sit and do some designing for my new range of cross stitch magnets, keyrings and coasters.

I have had a go at PC Stitch, but still prefer to map out my initial ideas on graph paper. Can't wait to get my sewing bits together and get started.

Simple Cross Stitch From Scratch

Feeling particularly inspired last night, I decided to have a go at designing my own cross stitch pattern. I have tried doing this online, but wanted to try it by hand.
First I decided to use a simple design increasing the possibility of success .I chose a silhouette design of a fawn from a stock image found online. I enlarged it with ‘Paint’ which unintentionally resulted in it looking pixellated, this proved quite useful.
Next I traced the design as it was onto graph paper. I squared off all the lines, if a line went through 2/3 of a square, it became a full square.

The fabric I used was 22 count aida which meant the squares for the cross stitch were quite

small. As a result, the squared design looked less ‘blocky’ but also produced in a very small design!
I wanted the silhouette to be white but had no coloured fabric, this gave me a chance to practive Asissi or reverse cross stitch, quite fitting considering the subject!
I am really happy with the result, it was so easy considering I am very poor at drawing!
The whole project took a few hours.

More Mulling

Some more ideas on banners and logos for Phyllis B. Of course I have to finish some stuff to try and sell eventually! I have always tried to run before I could walk though.

A Room of One's Own

We originally decided to rent a 2 bedroomed flat so that we could have visitors and also use the second bedroom as a study for my fiancee. However, it seems my fiancee prefers not to use the somewhat pokey spareroom we have and it has gradually become a storage area for the various flotsam and jetsam of living.

Well, not any longer. After looking in despair at the mess our living room has got into, with scraps of cotton and thread re-upholstering the lovely cream carpet, I decided to take action.

These photos show my new workspace complete with table (with enough space for the sewing machine and cutting mat), storage area for fabric and a makeshift book shelf on the window sill - I have no idea what I will do when it gets warmer and we need to open the window!

At the moment, my fabric is in a variety of bags and boxes which serve their purpose, but don't look very stylish. I have been looking longingly at Jessice Jones's wonderful storage bins made from her fabulous materials. Perhaps I will spoil myself next month... Check them out at her shop at Etsy

On the window are a couple of my favourite craft books including DIY Bride (I'm getting married in August) and Folk Cross Stitch (great for making last minute gifts).

The folders are form my inspiration scraps, projects I print off the net and other bits and bobs. They are the only concession to aesthetics I have managed so far, as they are a lovely soft pink and duck egg blue colour, and I think they might create the key notes for any other additions I decide add.

The photos also remind how tidy the room looked, I know it won't last long!

An Idea and a Logo

I have been mulling over whether to try and sell some of the things I have been making, and with innovations such as Etsy and Artfire, it seems all the more possible. I know that this is something many people try to do and that the current economic climate is not really conducive to new businesses. But you never know until you try. I am not ready to give up the day job ( besides I love teaching), but I am fascinated by the prospect of being creative and using my craft more intensely.

IF I were to go into business, this would perhaps be my logo. Phyllis Becket was my grandmother, a creative and vibrant woman. She crocheted, played the piano and violin, wrote poetry and sang like an opera singer. It is her dynamism I hope to channel, and it is her name I would wish to honour.

The font is call addloops.

Everyday Design

First 2 pictures: The view from my living room window this morning when I woke up. Reminded me of the tide going out on a beach in the evening.

Last picture: New little addition to our home - a much needed magazine/newspaper box. I'm all about the leaves!

African Fabric Memories

I have mentioned before my love of Zambian chitenges, and I plan to add a few more pictures of women wearing these in the future. A strange coincidence then, to receive a package in the mail from an old friend from Zambia, containing 4 new chitenges. The patterns are above, I love the last one in particular.

It is amazing, the variety of colours and designs that go into designing these vibrant pieces of fabric, from mobile phone and razor blade prints, to op artesque patterns. And I am touched that my friend sent me such a thoughtful gift, all the way from Zambia