Flowers

I've finally started some samples and I'm very excited about them!

I'd had this idea for a Carnation for ages and couldn't wait to try it, it's silk (of course) and the first one was just folded with the raw edge hand sewn to the fabric so it wont fray. I thought this looked too much like a Rose and tried to make it more Carnation-y by using bondaweb on the back to stop it fraying and so I could get twice the amount of fabric as I didn't have to fold it. I think this one works better as it looks like it has petals where I cut the fabric (I daren't on the first one cos I thought it'd fray everywhere and look rubbish)

This one was just a simple daisy but I love how the reverse applique turned out! I quite liked the idea of the hand embroidered one and it can turn out really well - I've done it before but smaller and with 2 colours and I think it works better that way. I still kinda like it, it looks like a dandelion clock..



Bags and Butterflies

That kinda sounds like the sequel to Bedknobs and Broomsticks...

Yesterday was sketchbook work, lots and lots of pages like this:

And today has been quite productive too, I managed to get 3 bag designs designed and coloured this afternoon if you'd like to see:

(front then back)

Then, when I was painting them, I decided that the butterflies needed to be done in silk and they'd be sad if I didn't use silk so I ran to College and back so the butterflies would be happy and spent the rest of the evening making them. I love them, I've been bouncing around so excited about them. Want to see?

They look so much more beautiful in real life, the top 2 are just guttering and silk paints painted normally but the bottom left is orange and yellow dripped onto the silk and the bottom right is yellow paint with table salt sprinkled on.
SO cant wait to start making my bag! Any preferences on my designs or things you'd want me to include? (This doesn't count as cheating, it's market research)

Bags

As this part of the project is an embellished bag today we made some prototypes! I was rather over excited about mine as they actually worked and it gave me a bit of a break from drawing flowers - there are quite a few in my sketchbook so I'll put one or two of the best ones up here for you to see.

First we made a tote bag, complete with lining and handles...

 Then we made a drawstring bag, complete with ribbon...

These were just to get us used to making bags, ours can be different shapes and sizes but with this same basic style. Think I'm going to do a tote bag but then I get all confused with how much I could do to it, I spent about half an hour thinking about lining it - I could do it in silk with some painted bits on to look like flowers, or just a plain coloured silk, but what if it rips, maybe I should use a cotton... and so on and so forth all night :)

Paris

Bonjour, bonjour mes petits!

Je suis revenu du beau Paris ce matin et c’était fantastique!

We were very tourist-y, saw La Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame (but no Quasimodo), L'arc de Triomphe, Montmartre and Amélie's cafe - I need to see my french teachers and tell them about it! 

We were also student-y and went to The Louvre, The Museum of Decorative Arts and Indigo trade show where our college was selling work and *drumroll* one of my pieces sold! (this one...)

C'est incroyable! Je ne pourrais pas croire mes oreilles!

(Croissants for everyone who didn't have to use a translation website for my french)

Paris prelude...

Ok, I've decided Feb is even more awesome than I thought - Just found out today that 2 of my embroideries are going to the Indigo Trade Show in Paris!

These are the 2 they chose to take which suprised me a little - if I'd had to pick any I'd have chosen my silk leaf prints but now I get to keep them for myself :)

So je suis très excited for Paris now - it's only a few days away, wooh! :) Got to start practicing ma français 

Feb

I know it's only the 5th but I've decided I like February.

Partly because we get to start our new project which sounds fab and cos I got to look for sketchbooks and see all the really nice paper (but then I was sad cos I couldn't afford it) and partly cos I get to see my dance show, and actually be in it a little bit! Partly (a big part) cos I get to go to Paris for Indigo and partly cos it snowed yesterday and it even made Halifax look pretty...

The only way I could be more excited about this month was if my toes didn't want to fall off whenever I went outside :)