My creative space and my 'model'

I've just finished an apron. Double sided, made from some of the luscious Paul Smith cotton I picked up at the craft fair last weekend. I wanted to photograph it quickly to show you it, hot off the press for creative space - The HusWife offered to model it and the very second he got it on, he started swooshing about like a lady (he reckons like "a beautiful butterfly"). I would argue that his second pose is somewhat cheekier than any lady my mother would approve of, and certainly no butterfly would offer up her derriere in such a fashion. What is he like?



Mmmm those baggy, knackered combat trousers really help to set off the delicate nature of the fabric don't you think? (Looking quite trim there fella, a bit of holding in perchance?)



And here is the (sensible) detail shot.



Other brilliant, varied and interesting creative spaces over at Kotooyoo

Stitch & Craft show in Olympia by Twisted Threads

Me + The Magnificent Mum + a free Friday + wads of cash + Stitch & Craft show = one helluva bulging stash! I have never in my life heard such a racket, 100s of women of a certain age chit chatting and rummaging around 100s of stalls, all being lovely and helpful and polite. I didn't know what to expect, it being my first craft show, and yes, there were plenty of embroidered kittens on offer; but there were also excellent fabric stalls and clever, interesting people making mad crafts.



I bought all the things I've wanted to try out for a while - weird bent safety pins for quilting, basting spray, freezer paper as well as some Paul Smith shirting to make some aprons and some other fabrics that were just too gorgeous to ignore.

Mum bought a load of Georgio Armani silk (oooh, get her) and these mad knitting needles by Ingrid Wagner to show her knitting class next week. Ingrid uses waste selvages from industrial weaving to knit rugs on these huge needles - they look lovely, and Mum is going to have a go.
(Picture below from Ingrid's flickr stream)

My creative space is busy busy!

It's funny how it goes. Sometimes the creative well is so dry it hurts, and then all of a sudden there's so much you want to do it's hard to know where to start. I'm juggling multiple projects, some personal, some for others. This little lot are tests for products for a friend - playing around with linen and mixing it with other textures to see what happens. Loving the pleats and ruffles, not so sure about the ribbon (but love the idea of putting velvet with linen = yum) and think the white cotton and linen has potential.



 Other creative spaces here at the ever fabulous Kootoyoo

A kindle prototype

My mate @spaceboy asked me for a cover for her kindle. I needed to make a pattern for one anyway. Thus, after 2 pattern adjustments, we are done. She's happy, I'm happy, we're all happy. (The patchwork on the first one rocked, but the pattern was rubbish, so, once more I learn the harsh lesson to MAKE THE FIRST ONE IN RUBBISH MATERIAL WILL YOU WOMAN)

I suspect I will always get over excited when I've drafted a pattern, imagining that surely, just this once,  it is perfect first time and rush to make it up in something gorgeous. They never are perfect. I will never learn.

Working with unsung super heroes

I work with a lovely designer called Tom. Tom slaved away like a little trooper on Friday, when I wasn't in the office, on a project that has proved to be a little, er, challenging. And so, in order to declare to all that he is a super hero of the highest order, I whipped up a cape for him.



It was waiting for him on his desk this morning. He loves it, has been wearing it all day and it suits him rather well.

Hurrah for the unsung superheroes!

Zing! Zang! Zingity zang! Exclamation mark! Kerpow!

You've just got to love this whole colour block thing. I am verging on obsession.

My creative space = my creative headache

Right then. The man quilt. Did a bit of a test. Can't work out if it's working out or not. Is it a bit hippy? This is supposed to be really quite manly, so maybe the random pieces aren't doing it? And as for sewing the silk velvet - have you ever known a fabric to misbehave quite so badly? I resorted to holding the seam together with masking tape and sewing through that. What do I do?! So, please, my loves! If you can find it in your hearts, help is required:

1) Can this hold its head up as a man quilt for a very metrosexual man? If not, what approach should I take? Loving the fabrics (and they cost a small fortune) but this has to ROCK.

2) How on god's earth am I supposed to integrate silk velvet into this without it looking so, well, amateur? I love the way it looks all mooshed up (technical term) but lets face it, it's not going to be seen like that very often...





Hopefully, others are having less of a headache in their creative spaces at Kootoyoo