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

Friendship and printing

This year I am determined to make more artwork for my walls. I would also like to work towards having a large enough body of work to have an exhibition sometime in the near future.

I do love my 'job' of making womens clothes, accessories etc.

But really my heart lies in textile art, paint, print and stitch.

I do get to be expressive and creative with the designs on the clothing, but I am aching to paint on canvas, get back to my machine embroidery and play around with mixed media again.

These are some old canvases a friend gave me and I have been experimenting with layering screen printed images and washes of colour.

There was already colour on these when I received them so it was nice not to start with a white canvas.

I also like that the finished piece contains the work of two artists, two friends :)

happy new year :)

Happy new year, it has been a bit too long between posts for me !

Here are my two monkeys messing about.

We have had a lovley xmas and new year.

We have had visitors from the UK here for two weeks which was lovely as we had many outings around Melbourne.

Also over Christmas I was fortunate to be a birthing partner to a close friend, a very special experience, I even got to cut the cord :)

hope everyone has had a lovley break and I am looking forward to a year full of arty goodness :)

mim x

my creative space/shameless shop promotion

My creative space was the shop today. Lots of tidying and cleaning! 

 Not very productive as far as sewing goes as we are all getting ready for our xmas bash tommorow night.

It has been a busy month for me with markets at Eltham ans also the lovely Sprout market In Thornbury.

Some images below of some of the work of the clever artists at olive grove.

We  would love to see you all for a glass of champers and chat tommorrow night down at at the shop.

We are giving away two x $50 gift vouchers and lots of other goodies.

Members of the shop include labels Polly pratt, Debfellover, starashan, Pieces of you, ubulala, Roze elizabeth, Finki, Troika and me!! MiM Hope to see you all there! mimx x 

My creative Space

My studio is rather chaotic with piles and piles of 'to do' items :/

So, I decided to move out to the kitchen! The Kitchen table has been my creative space this afternoon.

What been happening there? Lots and lots of screen printing.

Firstly my new 'feathers' print onto a pair of denim shorts for a very special little person, a birthday present for my beautiful little son who is turning two today.

The white opaque ink really does not like the hot weather! I have to print very quickly so that the ink doesn't dry in the screen and block it.

The red print is my new leaf design which I have been printing onto womens tops and dresses.

I love the combination of dark denim and red print, especially once a bit of red stitch has been added...

mim x

Found

What a joy is op shopping! Look at these treasures I came across. All in the one oppy and all for a grand total of $3.50! Two vintage 'sally-Ann' girls make your own apron kits complete with trim and instructions.

A make your own 'Sunday Bag' with cute little felt dog appliqué.

And the most glorious of all- A vintage 'Educational Toy' embroidery set that had never been opened, resplendent with coloured embroidery threads, instructions, beads etc.

Sometimes I get an op shop 'feeling', like I know there is something delicious treasure just waiting for me to go and rescue it.

Todays Haul was so great! my little Ruby loves the apron Kit.

as for the Sunday bag, well, thats all mine ;)

I'm still here ;)

Yup, thats me, looking rather silly and Hilarious at an 80's party earlier in the year.

I am still here , but have been crazily pumping out clothes for Christmas, a la production line style.

so, I have been exhausted!

Time to get back to blogging and have some fun now.

This morning I took a long time making MYSELF a top for summer.

Show and tell next week of all the stuff I have been making x x x

mim is back :)

We arrived back in Melbourne almost two weeks ago after having a brilliant time in the UK and Thailand.

Unfortunately we got some kind of horrid bug on the plane on the way back, so have been hideously sick and out of action for quite some time... Boring!

here are a few photos of the beautiful town where we stayed called Penryn in Cornwall.

I have returned inspired and full of new ideas :)

I am determinmed to start using up my rather enormous stash of scraps of vintage fabrics.

These are the new style of spring /summer tops I am making, stretch fabric with a panel of vintage patchwork, they are all one offs, lots of fun!

looking forward to seeing what everyone hasd been making! x x