Charmingly simple! Inspiration from Italy. I took these photos in Prato Italy.
My good old faithful peg bag finally fell apart! rather than make another one I made a peg Apron, a little bit of nostalgia!, (see 1st image) I love it, no more chasing the peg bag around the washing line! One day while happily pegging out the washing, a thought came into my little head…. This apron would be great for when I do craft events…. stash my phone, business cards and cash, much prettier than the bum bag! I now sell these Aprons to crafters, vintage lovers and home makers…. I,m now on the look out for some fab vintage inspired fabric to add to my collection! my aprons can be purchased from Claire Mantell Can make to order, just drop by my page and leave a pm.
Alternative Fashion Week Day 4 London UK
The Alternative Fashion week pulls in a diverse crowd and is open to all to come and view the spectacle for free. The models are all volunteers and the designers pay nothing to show their creations.
The show takes over Spitafields for 6 days and brings with it 80 emerging designers from the UK and and other parts of the world. This a chance for the designers to let loose their creative imaginations to create collections that range from the height of sophistication to the extreme of outrages, covering just about everything the creative spectrum of fashion could possibly offer. The models enter into this creative frenzy with their own unique style and are as diverse as the collections they parade on the cat walk. The band, The Mannequins added to the atmosphere providing fitting music for each show. This is truly an amazing open event where everyone is welcome to view the shows without the normal snobbery that is associated with fashion events.
Presenting Adrienne Ford’s new capsule collection, launched at the Alternative Fashion week Adrienne is an extremely imaginative and creative knitwear and accessory designer who’s talent crosses over many disciplines. Her love of knit and crochet and her desire to experiment with unusual materials informed this unique collection of garments and accessories made from hair extensions, using traditional crochet and plaiting techniques to create designs fitting for the cat walk and also very wearable. Adrienne’s talents are extremely diverse, if you want more info on her work click on the link which will take you to her website.
Alternative fashion Week at Spitafields Traders Market, London UK, Day 4
Behind the scene it was crazy and exciting. Not even the torrential rain and the thunder storm could dampen the high spirits of designers, makeup and hair artists. The models were amazing, cold but still in managed to get into the spirit of the event.
Adrienne Ford is the designer I was working with, her designs are just amazing.
Karla Powell did the fantastic make up for Adrienne
I have been busy designing & making a book cover for a wedding planner book. I wanted it to be unique, pretty and tactile. I raided my stash of fabrics and ribbons, looking for special pieces which have memory…. I cut up the selected pieces into very small pieces then laid them onto water soluble stabilser, added layers and layers of machine stitch to blend everything together. I hope you find this post helpful? I will be posting the putting together of the book including binding technique…. in the next couple of days! PS. click on images for info…
Alice kettle is a well known textile artist that uses machine stitch in her work.
Another source for in inspiration: the 62 group “
About the 62 Group
History
In 1962, the belief that co-operative effort can be more effective than individual enterprise united several young embroidery graduates in a common enterprise – they formed the 62 Group of Embroiderers to be a pressure group and a support system for its members. They knew that their work deserved wider recognition and that for this, it needed to be seen in prestigious venues with appropriate publicity and critical attention.
Felt I have made for book covers. I just love the process of making felt, you can let your creativity run wild. I mostly use merino wool fibres because it felts well, I like to add silk fibres to give it lustre. There are many good online tutorials for felt making, here are a couple to get you going. Happy felting!
