inspiration

Still life screenprints by Elizabeth Blackadder. As promised.

images via glasgow print studio

a denim tova

TA-DA!

I am proud to announce my denim version of the tova shirt!

I know in my last post that I said I followed all the instructions, but that's not exactly true. I ignored the very first instruction, which is to choose a suitable fabric. I have been longing to buy a denim shirt for ages now, so when my tova pattern arrived in the post, I thought, 'Hey! I don't have to buy one. Heck, I can MAKE one!'

(Cue: KT Tunstall track and montage of me weaving through the city streets, in shops holding denim fabrics up to the light, struggling to the cash desk with five rolls of fabrics and then walking home with shopping bags swinging at my side. Cut back to blog.)

So, with some lovely-but-unsuitable denim washed and pressed, I cut my pattern (I made a size small) and started sewing. I ran into a couple of problems because the fabric was heavier than recommended. Firstly, topstitching was a nightmare and I had to abandon it after my wonky work on the bodice. Secondly, my pleat gathering is uneven and a bit bulky. Lastly, I took some fabric off the hem because it was creating too much volume.

Apart from these minor mistakes, I am really pleased with my work and how it fits. I am especially proud of the sleeves. Fitting sleeves is just the weirdest thing to do, but then it all seems to work out fine! The denim is totally sturdy and I'm digging the workwear look it has. I have worn it ALOT, even in ill-advised 'double-denim' combos, which is surely a testament to how much I love wearing it.

Next, the gingham...!

sewing tova

I thought I'd share some action shots of my sewing. Aren't they exciting?

I took a few days over the winter holiday to make a denim version of the wiksten tova shirt. Phew, it was tough. My dressmaking skills are probably 'advanced beginner' , so I had to really focus with this pattern. Plus, I was loaded with the cold which meant I was even fuzzier. I took it very slowly and carefully followed the instructions (excellent instructions, might I add). I only had to rip one seam out and overall I was pretty happy when I was sewing it, in part because I listened to Adam and Joe's Christmas podcast, but mostly because I understood what I was supposed to do and took time to make sure I did it right. Ah, sweet contentment.

a collection a day book

I love it when two of your favourite things come together to make one mind-blowingly amazing thing. Like chocolate-covered Oreos. Or chocolate-covered cranberries.

Ok, so maybe these are not great examples, but a collaboration that definitely is a great example is the coming-together of Uppercase publishing house and Lisa Congdon's A Collection A Day project. I followed Lisa's daily record of objects that she has collected and beautifully photographed for her blog with sheer delight. I am immensely happy about collecting things and it was a joy to see careful arrangements of matchboxes, luggage tags, vintage thread and clothes pegs.

Sadly, the project is now over but - fear not! Uppercase has saved the day! They are going to publish a book of the entire project, in chronological order with added typography and a collector's tin. WOO-HOO!

It will be published this spring, but you can pre-order it here, now.

images via uppercase

hannah waldron prints

I have just discovered the work of Hannah Waldron, a London-based printmaker, and I am most approving. She has made prints for all sorts of cool people, such as the V&A, Paul Smith and The Poundshop (which I want to visit soooo badly).

I like that she finds her inspiration in the geometric shapes of everyday objects like rooftops and windows. She shares a lot of her work and thought-process on her totally brilliant blog, (which I have been reading all day instead of working...) and sells some of her prints on her own webshop.

The bottom two prints are from her blog and they remind me of still lifes by Elizabeth Blackadder, which I love and will post about later. Promise.

I am torn between the open edition of windows and the cosmic-looking print she did for Art is Proof Press. Guys, what should I do?

images via hannah waldron and art is proof press

happy new year!

I know I'm a bit late with this but...

'BOOM! Happy New Year, world!'

'Fireworks over Ryogoku Bridge' by Ando Hiroshige