O Christmas tree

Last year, inspired by lots of felted, sequined tree decorations (with extortionate price tags) I saw in lots of shops I decided to make my own. Here they are, a fraction of the price of bought ones and with added sentimental value.

I love the idea, when I am old, of having a Christmas tree full of handmade decorations made over the years. So I decided each year to make a new collection and embroider the date on the back. This year I was inspired by the Scandinavian designs that are appearing everywhere.

Although I think in future I might have to just make one decoration each year, either that or eventually I will have to have a ginormous tree to fit all the decorations!

...and the Christmas frenzy descends!

I'm not going to lie, I lovelovelove Christmas! Or rather, I love Christmas preparation, the anticipation of it. The run up to Christmas is for me about baking spiced Christmas cookies and curling up on cold dark evenings watching old Christmas movies or listening to Bing Crosby, and wrapping presents. There is just something so cosy and wonderful about this time of year; the gathering of friends and family, eating too much of the kinds of foods you can't normally justify and overwhelming perfusion of happiness. Anyone who doesn't enjoy a bit of Christmas is clearly taking life too seriously in my
opinion!

This is just one of the Christmas card designs I have been creating for this year. I don't know if it's just me but every year I have grand intentions of creating beautiful hand-made cards for everyone, only to make one, possibly two and then run out of time and have to buy the rest. So this year I decided to be realistic and create my cards digitally so I could draw a few designs and print off as many as I need. Result! Not sure why I never thought of this before really.

The wonders of technology

My laptop decided that Wednesday evening, the night before a tutorial, was the ideal time to contract a virus that wiped absolutely everything off of it. Luckily I didn't loose too much work, just a couple of simple designs I'd done that day. And most importantly, I'd backed up my dissertation earlier that day. I feel physically sick when I consider the idea of having my dissertation lost. But luckily I had the forethought to back it up. This isn't the first time I've had a sudden urge to back up important work just a few hours before a technological crisis. So I urge everyone, if you ever have a nagging feeling to back up something important. Do it. Don't leave it til later!

So the long and short of it is, I've spent the last couple of days computer free and it has struck me just how much I rely on it. For music, television, watching films, work. If I added up the amount of hours in the day I spent sat at my laptop I'd likely be horrified. So I've used this time as an opportunity to spend some time doing more constructive things.

 I spent a lovely evening yesterday hand sewing some Christmas tree decorations, something I've been meaning to do for ages and this morning I dragged my sewing machine out from the bottom of my wardrobe (I don't even remember the last time I used it) and not only fixed the zip on a dress that broke a good month ago at least but also started sewing a Christmas present that again, I've been meaning to start for weeks.

 It just goes to show, I'm convinced I'd be much more constructive were it not for my laptop and I've vowed, once a month to spend at least a weekend completely without even switching my computer on to allow myself a chance to get on with all kinds if things I've been meaning to. Don't get me wrong, I love technology and the Internet is a wonderful invention, but it isn't half distracting!

Raspberry, White Chocolate & Amaretto muffins

I baked some muffins to take to a friend who had been feeling unwell this week, I find cake makes everything better. I adapted the recipe from this book which I've had for years but for some reason have never made anything from.

I have to say, they were delicious. The white chocolate and the Amaretto were my own addition, the only thing better than cake is a cake/alcohol combo in my opinion. Anyway it's spurred me on to try some more recipes from this book, I'm especially intrigued to try something from the savoury section, it's never occurred to me to bake a savoury muffin, it seems an odd idea but I will withold my verdict until I've tried it out. Watch this space...

Finished! phew

Sketchbook filled, evaluation written, final designs printed. Everything ready for my first third year hand-in tomorrow. And in surprisingly good time. Being normally one of those who leaves everything to the last minute, I made a promise to myself that for my final year I would pull my finger out, keep on top of work and, six weeks in, it appears to still be working.

 

 (Some close up shots of my final pieces)

Throughout school, and then college and then first and second year at uni I was always the one who 'could have tried harder' I did ok, but if I had made that little bit of extra effort I could have done better than ok. So I decided that now was the time to put my foot down. After all the time and money put into my degree I refuse to look back on it and think that I could have done more. I don't want to get my grade back in June and regret not having stretched myself just a tiny bit more. So, I'm giving it my best this year and if I scrape by with a grade lower than I would like it will be because that is the very best I can do, not because of lack of effort!

Digital drawing

I've only been using photoshop and illustrator for the past year or so and am definately still learning. I think I need to allow myself to play around with it a little more, I love how easily you can take a small drawing like here, I have scanned in my kitchen utensil embroidery design, and play around with it, changing colours and layouts. it's a wonderful tool, particularly for someone like me for who drawing is regretably more of a chore than it should be.

I intend to print this out, frame it and one day hopefully hang it in the beautiful red and blue kitchen I've always dreamed of.

Back to school

For all the grand plans of stitching, embroidering and bag making I had upon my return to cardiff I failed to factor in one important detail; the astronomical workload expected at third year degree level.

Not that I should be at all surprised, any course where the entirety of the marks are earned in the final year is bound to be full on. But I think a summer of relaxing, leisurely afternoons spent reading in the sunshine and entirely suiting myself made me forget a little of how real life actually is.

So for now, my personal projects must be set aside and every waking hour is filled with drawing, designing, project briefs and deadlines. It just serves to remind me how lucky I am to be doing a degree in something I am so passionate about so that despite the pressures and the long hours of working, I can truly say that I enjoy what I do.

Conceptual patchwork

Whilst having a clear-out of the bottom of my wardrobe I came across this patchwork I made for a Uni project last year. 

This was during the few confused weeks where I thought I might be more of a textile artist rather than a designer. But with this one project I realised just how very wrong I was. I thought my patchwork was beautiful and was very happy with it, but was marked down for it not being conceptual enough.

'Shallow' was the word bandied about by a lecturer when I argued that I didn't want to make a grand statement about the state of society or for my work to be a metaphor for something else. Is it wrong to want to make things that are simply beautiful? Or rather, I like to make things that are practical, useful and beautiful. I've never considered myself to be a shallow person, not really I just don't want to make something that I consider ugly, under the guise of conceptual art. I have respect for those that do, and perhaps conceptual doesn't always have to equal ugly but at the end of the day I think it's just not for me.

And after all, I completely stand by the idea that there's nothing wrong with creating things that are simply going to make people happy.

Clutch bag

I absolutely love a clutch bag, so chic and elegant and absolutely not just for the evening as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps not the most practical of handbags but then I'm not really the sort of girl to lug her entire life around with her; phone, keys, money, lipbalm and I'm good to go. so I really have no idea why it hasn't occurred to me before to make my own. So here is my first ever attempt.

I am super pleased with it; cute little pleats, handy interior pocket and a bit of bling. But now I'm hooked, I think I might have to make one in every colour. I'm all over the place with ideas for fabrics and embellishments.

I'm thinking now of ideas for larger clutch bags, maybe A4 sized so I can put sketchbooks and other uni bits and bobs in it, in cord or velvet, with an unexpected lining fabric, leopard print maybe?or floral? I can't decide, I can't keep up with my own ideas but it is so good to be feeling so enthusiastic about a project again, it's been a while since I've been this keen and I love it!

Autumn handbag

I've had this beautiful vintage tweed fabric stashed away for a while, it was one of those times when I was a little hesitant to cut it because it was so precious. But I am definitely one of those people who believes it's a pity to have beautiful things and not use them so I had to bite the bullet.

And I am so glad I did, I love my new handbag! I'd never made a bag like this before but I'd seen a style that I liked and with a fair bit of improvisation I successfully managed to recreate it.

I wanted something smart for Autumn, but not too serious and I loved the idea of juxtaposing the very traditional tweed with a more playful lining, and this floral cotton (which was originally meant for a summer dress) was the perfect accompaniment and will brighten up a grey autumn or winter day.

I made the handles quite long, so that they'll fit over the shoulder of a thick winter coat and added a vitally important pocket for my phone so I'm not scrambling around for it the bottom of of my bag whenever it rings.