busy old week

 lots of activity at bp headquarters this week...

:: a rush on baby boy cards, altho sadly none for george alexander louis...

:: redesigning triangle mania image in an attempt to have it repeatable...that means larger fabric panels...that means excitement!

:: back to putting the advent calendar kits on a screen...apparently some people think it's time to start thinking about christmas...ugghhh...

:: however i am rather pleased with the 2013 update...a resting rudolph on xmas day!

:: a project half done...printed and all ready to sew...what will it be?

:: and even time spent on the glimma quilt...fmq'ed to an inch of its life and being bound as we speak...

:: i love weeks like this...constructive and fun and still 2 days left to get more ticked off...

smug? moi? no, just happy x

triangular sweethearts...

 it's that time again...

the Saltaire Makers Fair. 

 i love exhibiting at the Saltaire Makers Fair as it is full of lots of wonderful talented makers and it has a reputation for the visitors expecting quality handmade work.

as normal i haven't got myself particularly well prepared for the event so am trying desperately hard now to rectify that and make plenty of my usual favourites as well as having a few fresh new lines to show.

a few weeks ago i printed my first stencilled heart tea towel in orange and finally today managed to print some more in a couple of other colours.

this will be their inaugural outing so it will be lovely to see how they are received. to date i have printed them up in the tangerine, a sunshine yellow and then a greeny-turquoise. the greeny-turquoise was today's happy accident. i had printed the yellow first and went over the screen with my regular turquoise and hey presto a lovely seafoam colour. i love it! i've been trying but failed to mix this colour for ages. don't you just love happy accidents?

i think i will stick with these 3 colours...

unless of course there's a colour that you think i must print it in...all suggestions on a postcard pleas...or simply left as a comment.

and of course i couldn't just leave the design as tea towels...

there are t-shirts for your little sweetheart too!

if you live in the vicinity and are looking for something great to do this forthcoming Bank Holiday then please do come visit. the Makers Fair is part of the Saltaire Arts Trail so there will be lots to see and do. it would be well worth a special visit even if you live a bit further afield.

...and if you aren't able to be there then you can always pick up one of my new tea towels in my Etsy shop. (t-shirts will be available there v soon)

printing...an update...

a very quick printing session this morning to give my new colours a try out and to get it out of my system.

I would only have been thinking about them all day if I hadn't...

you know me...you know I would.

some adjustments need making...

the one I am most pleased with, surprisingly as it isn't a colour I normally use, is the lilac. it is really soft but has enough personality to not be over powering.

 the green is okay. I would like it a tad lighter and more of a yellowy green.

as for the yellow, it is a lot brighter than I was aiming for. I must remember than colours always come out brighter on the fabric. much more white needed in the mix in this one.

it is all a big trial and error exercise.

although there is really no error as I can always make use of the fabrics...

and...

my tester sheet is looking pretty in the process.

 UPDATING an update:

just thought i would do a little show and tell of my playing around with these new shades in my repertoire...

dumpling pouches seemed a quick and easy and fun way to try them out...

what do you reckon?

(fantastic dumpling pouch pattern courtesy of Michelle Patterns)

new kits...

I find it's always good to produce new items this close to Christmas. 

You know, when you are so rushed off your feet and can hardly breathe.

It's just perfect timing to spend all hours getting it into a ready selling state and neglect what really needs doing.

Hence I have just produced  these kits...

I spent most of yesterday photographing and writing up the instructions for them and they are now winging their way to various stockists to sell as Christmas extras.

They come with everything needed to make one pouch and full instructions to make as many more as you like! Perfect for making lots of presents this Christmas!

For now they are available in my Etsy shop...and in time I will let you know which stockists are selling them.

Now back to the To Do List...

I've only just recovered from catching up from the summer holidays. 

Actually I will rephrase that...

I am still recovering from catching up from the summer holidays.

And now it's Half Term...for 2 weeks...what's that all about?!

Apparently it's about seeing quite how far I can stretch before I snap. 

Let's hope it's sometime after all the preparation and execution of the looming Christmas fairs!

Speaking of looming fairs, I will be at the following and would really love to see you...

Selvedge Winter Fair - Sat Nov 10

We Make London Spitalfields Market - Sun Nov 11

Country Living Fair Harrogate - Thurs 29 Nov - Sun 2 Dec

after the screens comes the printing...

 So yesterday was all about preparing the screens with the designs and today was all about the printing and sewing....

and for those that follow me all over the internet will already have had a look at these...

not to mention my happiness with how they've turned out.

 I have been carrying both these adaptations of the originals around in my head for some time and it is always quite scary seeing if what is in your head translates as you imagine. Do you know what I mean?

On this occasion they have surpassed my expectations and I feel quite in awe of how they have turned out. 

I printed the Euros first and was quite blown away with how they looked and had to sew a pouch up immediately just to check that it was as good as I'd hoped!

Then came the Giant Triangles and quite frankly I can't put into words how I feel about this!

I really hope you are as enthusiastic about them as I am. Please tell me you are and it's not just me getting carried away from the paint fumes...

and if you are you can find the start of them listed in my shop...more to be added in due course, but do give me a shout if you don't see the colour you were hoping for...

and thank you for allow me to indulge my enthusiasm for them...not very modest of me really.

my creative space...

I'm off to the studio this morning to get a couple of designs put onto screens.

Both of them are a new take on old designs and I am really excited to see how they are going to come out.

I'm planning on enlarging my triangle design to make it bigger and even bolder for printing larger projects like cushions. We shall see...

I am also spinning my euro sites design around and around to do an all over print for some boysy pouches and wash bags. Again, we shall see...

I am also doing a third secret design...but I can't tell you about that right now...

So what is happening in your creative space at the moment? Pop along and see what others are up to and join in!

 Why is it so easy to get distracted?

Or is it just me?

I have got on really well in The List stakes this week and so sub-consciously I must have told myself I could have a bit of a play today.

Not that I had anywhere near ticked everything off, you understand...and had only just ticked off all the Must Do's ...

(I cheated a little...moved some off...shhhh) 

 Anywaaaaaays...I had worked really hard this week and definitely deserved a little play with fabrics. 

I was cutting up my fabric for the Addicted to Text - UK Charm Swap (organised by the lovely Charlotte...more on that another day) really enjoying the therapeutic nature of it, when I had the random thought of making my own charm packs. Never one to let an idea pass without trying it out, I set to cut...

I think they look rather pretty...what do you reckon? 

And as I am not so superficial to know that looks aren't everything, they are pretty darn useful too...

Go check them out and if you want to make me feel less guilty about playing today when I should have been working, humour me and treat yourself to a set (particularly if you have you 10% off...)...then I'll feel like really it was useful work.

bribery time...

I would really appreciate your opinion...

I'll make it worth your while...

well you read the heading...Bribery Time.

As you know I have been working on my screen printing range for this Autumn/Winter and have developed the 2 colour-ways - Utility above and Frozen Berries below and within that Triangle Mania and Scruffy Daisy.

I have 3 big fairs coming up and so need a lot of stock and obviously I want the right stock for my customers as all the fairs will be a "see it and buy it now" kinda affair, rather than the ordering kinda scenario.

So the question is, what would you choose? If you could pick any 3 items that you are drawn to, either for yourself or thinking ahead as Christmas gifts what digs it for you? Is there a particular pattern? A certain colour? A favourite pouch? I really would greatly appreciate your thoughts on this, my little in house market research buddies.

 So what's in it for you, I hear you ask? Obviously I know you aren't that kind of person and you are happy to just help out I hear you cry, but everyone is entitled to a little reward and I insist.

So, two things. 

The first is if you leave me a comment with your thoughts I'll email you a code for 10% off your next order (so be sure to link to an email address).

Secondly I'll enter you into a draw to win a little selection of your suggestions. Ah, sneaky huh? Now you have to think about what you like, not just be random, because one of you is going to be lumbered with the said pieces.

Seriously though, I really appreciate the time you take in helping me with this.

Thank you! x

Giveaway open until Sunday evening (oh and talking of which, there's still time to enter my fab giveaway from M is for Make...go check it out if you haven't already entered.)

So that was the summer...

 Ok, I know it isn't over quite yet, but in terms of all the work I can do before September it is, which means all those things that had to get done in preparation for the silly season and haven't, actually now won't.

Which means....aaagggghhhhhh!

I was panicking before the kids broke up and apparently that was well justified as I got so little done. I would like to say I just about kept my head above water, but that would be a gross exaggeration...just about avoided drowning more like.

Despite not getting as far with Autumn/Winter prep as I would have liked, it is looking like with sheer hard work, grit and determination it will. (Do you like the air of positivity there?)

I have decided on the 2 autumn winter colour-ways I am working towards - Utility on the top right and Still Unnamed (let's call it Ice for now) on the left. Lists have been made, deadlines put onto the calendar. Crikey, I am so ahead of the game, it's frightening. (see what I'm doing with this positivity thing?)

So can I go away at the weekend and not have any sleepless nights or panics because everything is so in control? As we would say in Yorkshire...

Can I 'ecky thump!

P.S. After various suggestions Still Unnamed (thank you everyone who sent me alternative names - and still thinking that is a rather cool name - think it may have to be the name of my first fabric line...) will henceforth be known as Frozen Berries - thank you Charlottte - genius!

Familiar colours...

It was back to the more familiar colours of yellow and grey today, with a little random orange and brown thrown in.

 Printing my triangle design in white on various coloured Konas had been on the To Do list for some time and was needed to be pushed up the pecking order with autumn/winter thoughts in mind.

 I love how the coloured fabrics have taken the white ink, altho when you compare the 2 ways below (white ink on coloured fabric or coloured ink on white fabric) I am not totally sure you can tell the difference with this design, can you?

What I think it does give me is the flexibility of colour. Paint colours are much more limiting than the huge array of choice of Kona solids, so printing in white ink does allow me to get the perfect colour. I mean who wants Tomato when you can get Tangerine? Seriously, who?

Being the impatient soul that I am I had to see if things would be any different when I made it up into products and again, I'm not totally convinced they are.

Along with the vast choice of colours with Kona, the other advantage of printing with white ink is I can print in lots of colours at once without having to wait for a screen to dry first. This has to be a big plus. 

So unless you have a huge problem with this set up, I think I will be printing with white ink for the foreseeable future.

I have an unhealthy obsession with orange at the moment.

It all started when I received these fabrics (more on that to come very soon) and then the need for a binding fabric to bind the quilt I am making with them.

I couldn't find what I was after so I decided to print it. Easy, huh?

While I have been working on that quilt, all I can think about is orange, orange and more orange.

Consequently I have been trying out my designs in orange...

...and I absolutely love them.

I guess it is no surprise I can be so easily swayed, as at one time I couldn't look yellow in the eye and we all know where that has got me.

I'm pretty sure this love affair will be around for some time yet and having printed all 3 now 2 I'm now undecided which to use on the binding... scruffy daisy or tiger stripes...what do you reckon?

And if you have your own orange crush going on at the moment I've put together these 3 fabrics as a nice sunshiny summery set in the shop...it's right here.

 It's always a good Saturday when you can get a bit of sewing time in as well as hanging out with the family.

I'd had this cushion commission for a new baby that I was supposed to have had done all week but it didn't quite happen.

I bribed Ruby with choosing some of my fabric and having a play on my machine while I was working on it so I didn't feel quite as guilty working on the weekend.

I've done a fair few of these cushions but this one is a little different. 

It's made entirely from my own fabrics.

I feel I've come a long way in a relatively short time being able to use just my own designs in my work.

I'm going to have to rethink things a little for the boys' version however as looking at this made me realise that most of my designs are definitely geared towards being more suitable for girls.

The Kite Strings would work well, but a couple more neutral designs are needed I think. Perhaps miniaturising my Euro Wonders and using that would be good.

Another new little detail is putting my screen printed name as a label on the back. 

At the moment I have just printed these as a selvedge strip on my fabric pieces but I'm definitely going to print up a whole load of them.

So a fun Saturday was had by all...well by Ruby and me anyway ;-)

I am utterly in love with the light at this time of year.

Opening the front door and seeing the hazy spring sunshine after long dark winter days makes me very happy.

I think it is this spring haze that was responsible for my latest printing.

Some of that pale pinky glow must have worked its way into my sub-conscience and when ordering new paints this week, pale pink appeared on the order form.

Who'd have thought?

So here we have Framed Flower and Triangle Mania in Pale Pink.

They say everything I've been feeling this week seeing this sunshine.

If you're feeling all hazy and pinky glowy go right here to grab yourself some...