long time no post

Oh dear, it has been a little too long between posts for my liking!

These are some new textured tops I finally finished last week.

They will be over at the

Olive Grove this week!

looking forward to sailing through the Blogsphere and feasting my eyes upon all the lovely things everyone has made

mim x

My Creative space

My creative space today is all about the Acacia pants, lots of them! I am about to do a fair bit of ironing (sigh) to get them ready to take into Olive Grove in time for the weekend. Excuse the blurry dodgy photo, it appears that a certian 3yr old had been smearing his fingertips on my camera lens... :/

mim x

Print , sketch and memory lane

When travelling overseas I usually make a point of taking a little sketch book with me, some watercolour pencils and not much else in the way of art supplies.

Sometimes it is nice to have a break from the sewing machine, the cutting and the 'production line'.

Last year when I was in Cornwall, I was so inspired by the beauty of the place, I did many many sketches in the little black book.

After returning to Australian shores it was really nice to be able to look back over my sketch book at all the little drawings, each one took me right back to where I was at the time I sketched it.

Photos are wonderful for reminiscing about a place, a time , but I have always found that a little sketch does more...... for me, it is a more personal, more vivid memory with a drawing.

Until this print it had been a long long time since using a paper, hand cut stencil for screen printing.

Photographic screen printing has been my preferred method for quite some time now.. So it was so lovely, so simple and very satisfying to draw, hand cut and hand print 'Penryn' onto these skirts.

Penryn is where we spent most of our time in Cornwall

mim x

happy new year

What a year! Its been a very very long time between posts for me indeed.

Last year was big, news from afar of the saddest kind, and all other manner of big emotional upheavals. The ol' blog has been left on the bottom of the ladder, until now....

A big trip to the Uk was wonderful , sad , and amazing.

Here are a few little snaps of beautiful Cornwall...

I plan on being around the old blogsphere a little more this year as I am about to get stuck back into work and will have lots of new things to share :)

My Creative Space

This is my new little friend kookaburra, I found the image in an old 1950's boys annual, exposed onto a screen and have been printing him on anything and everything I can find! These are some new bags for the shop, fully adjustable so Mr kooka can be a handbag or satchel, across body bag. What have you been creating?

mim x

my creative space

My creative space has been all about putting the finishing touches onto this wedding skirt. Its for a lovely lady who is getting married at CERES in march.

When I was initially approached to make this I was completely freaking out at the prospect of making someones wedding outfit! As I am sure I have mentioned before, I am definitely not a professional dressmaker! Anyhow, this lovely lass had seen one of my nuno felted scarves and wanted a skirt and Cami made in a similar style, for her big day.

It's now almost finished, Yay!

Its made from hand dyed tissue silk onto which I have then felted on merino wool and silk loom waste.

The netting on the yoke is silk also.

There is lots of exposed over lock for texture.

Clarice, my mannequin is looking a little battered after being dragged around the markets over summer.

She needs some attention :)

Japanese

This piece I am adding the the monthly design challenge thanks to the lovely Jay.

I have been a wee bit cheeky and cheated a little.

I have been working on this piece for some time.

okay, a LONG time ;)

It was a commission ( my first ever!)

for a friends office.

It has taken *eep* almost two years. goodness where does time go?

I have spent many hours on it, but have also done a lot of procrastinating.

Not like me at all! ;)

I did not begin to imagine when I started the logistical nightmare it would be getting something this large onto the sewing machine ( it measures approx 3.5 x 2.5 metres)

The backing fabric was white and I dyed it a grey colour with some tye dye to create the moon in top left corner.

The tree and mountains were appliquéd on ( with the help of vast amounts of vliesofix!)

The cherry blossom flowers are all made from new and vintage kimono fabrics, then I have gone over them with free machine embroidery.

The screen print of the white japanese style logo was the finishing touch.

I have really enjoyed making this hanging but I dare say I possibly wont make anything of this size again!

mim x