Weekends of Weaving

Over the last couple of weekends, Mum and I have let our creativity run wild and joined the Introduction to Weaving workshop at The Handweavers Studio in north London.

From the off, we were let loose on the looms, trying all sorts of patterns with cotton, silks, wools and paper on both table and floor looms. Huck lace, waffles, twill, point threading; you name it, we tried it. Over the four days of the course we also learnt how to prepare a loom from scratch, giving us all the skills we need as beginners to go away and start this hobby at home. Above are pictures of the samples that I, Mum and the other weavers created.

It has been a wonderful workshop to be part of, meeting fellow crafters from all backgrounds who were there to learn a new skill. The course is fantastic and Dawn was a great teacher, whose enthusiasm for weaving really rubbed off on all of us. Unlike knitting, which I love, weaving has quite expensive set ups costs, with the loom itself and the other equipment that's required, so I am going to have a think if this is something I want to get into. 

My ambition is to be able to weave scarves and blankets, so a larger loom is what I will look to get one day. In the meantime I'm going to keep collecting (p)inspiration of the endless possibilities of what you can create with this wonderful way of producing textiles.

Paper Icicles

In December, Helen, Lucy and I went to a paper cutting workshop as part of the Paper at the Cutting Edge exhibition that we had visited the previous month at the Manchester Art Gallery. The workshop was run by Andy Singleton and we created icicle-like forms, using the scalpel like a pen cutting and scoring shapes in the white card. I planned to make a garland of icicles as Christmas decorations but maybe next year!

Design Love Fest

Ooh! I have just stumbled upon (not via the site!) Design Love Fest, a brilliant craft blog. The photography is fab and this craft project to make a camera strap is something I want to give a go! A very colourful place, I'll definitely be following!

Image from Design Love Fest

In Pictures

Quinoa, chicken and veg . Sandbar workspace . Card collage . Monoprinting . Double chocolate cupcakes . Family lunch . Flowers in a book . Sunday morning in London . My workspace

Make Stuff

Yesterday I did some printing. I've really enjoyed this semester because, even though we're still looking at buildings, it's less about architecture as such and more about typology. I've made models, created collage, sketched, scribbled. It's all been about research through design, trial and error and experimenting with representation. The printing has got me into a 'making' frame of mind and these crochet pieces have got me wanted to get my hooks and needles out!

Image from fine little day

Found You

A couple of years ago I came across Frankie magazine, and loved reading it's articles and blogs online but was so disappointed that they no longer exported it to the UK from Aus. I actually let out a gasp when I saw it one the shelves in Magma this afternoon! Without thinking I bought it and though I haven't sat down and read it yet, I will and will enjoy it! Finally!

Image from Frankie

Soft House

Cosy architecture. Buildings you can hug. These are Pillows by Poppy and I wish I could turn up to studio having created something like this and be taken seriously. I wish!

Images from Pillows by Poppy via rockstar diaries

Funky Fez

For our studio study trip, last week we flew to Fez in Morocco. We've been studying the courtyard house typology and went to see it first hand. Fez has a dense urban fabric: it's like a labyrinth and many times we got lost, had no idea which direction we were going in and had to dive out of the way of the donkeys and carts flying down the narrow streets. Being in the medina is like stepping back in time - the historic architecture, being car free, the markets for shopping and the crafts people working on the street. It's the latter that intrigued me the most. There are silk weavers using the street as their workshop, men banging copper into shape in the square. 

Seeing Fez was an intriguing cultural experience, whether I could live there myself is doubtful - being back in the hustle and bustle of London was oddly calming!

Smashing Quilts

Mrs Welch, my cousin's lovely wife, has started making some amazing quilts! She's now branching into hot water bottle covers and I am a massive fan. Check it all out at Smashing Quilts!

Image from Smashing Quilts

How Retro

I've joined the real world... and got me an iPhone! Gone are the days of the camera-less brick (having said that, this phone is certainly bigger!) Here are some snaps from my Hipstamatic, including my newly completed cushion covers!

Woman's Day

Today I found a bag of the embroidery that my great-grandmother did; some aren't finished (maybe I'll complete them one day), others could be framed. Alongside was a copy of Woman's Day from February 1960 - what a trip back in time! The women were just so glamourous and the articles so hilarious:

Miss Ann Carrick says... "What should I do about hats? My boy-friend likes me to wear a hat, and I agree with him that I look better-dressed with one than without. But, perhaps it's because I'm a teen-ager, most of the styles I try on seem to be years too old for me, and I can't ALWAYS wear a beret, even though I know they suit me."

What dilemmas there were for young girls in the Sixties! Still trying to impress the boy-friend!

Colour Wheel

I've crocheted eight squares out of a possible 225 that I'd like to make a good sized blanket. I'd need to do... it's going to take me longer than planned, but hey I can bust out my hook on the train. The other day I misplaced said hook so proceeded to untangle my wool collection, and here we have the colour coded result!

Crochet Squares

It's the crochet hook that I've grabbed. Current project - granny blanket!

Crafty Gentlemen

I read so many women craft blogs that I was happy to have stumbled across Grain & Gram - a gentleman's journal about making... furniture, prints, clothing, music. I especially love the images of the wood workers, it reminds me of when I was getting to grips with the workshop to make my chair last spring. Plus it get's me wanting to make something new...

Images from Grain&Gram