It’s been so lovely to meet so many people at markets recently, and to hear such lovely feedback about my lamp shades.
Some of my lamp shades at Made It.
I don’t have the ability to put them up for ordering online yet – I’m still working through the logistics of packaging and sending them. In the meantime, if you’re after one of the lamps you’ve seen at a market – or a custom order for a lamp shade in a different size – you can pop me an message using the contact form you’ll find here.
If you’re in Wellington, you’ll also find a good range of my lamp shades at Made It, at 103 Victoria Street. If you want to pop in to chat about your lamp shade needs, you’ll usually find me there on a Monday or a Thursday.
Harakeke (NZ Flax) on the path to the Petrified Forest in the Catlins
As much as I curse them as they try to slap my face as I’m cycling along the waterfront on my way to Wellington, I think that harakeke in bloom are a thing of great beauty. In fact, I might even be a little bit obsessed with drawing them – if you ever come across a page of my doodles, you will almost certainly find a few of them.
I also love the statuesque forms of cabbage trees (ti kouka) striding across the landscape. Even in utero I had an obvious affinity with them – my mother’s waters broke while she was at an art gallery looking at a painting of a cabbage tree!
So, when I did a introduction to screen printing class last year at Wellington Makerspace, and needed an image at short notice, it’s little surprise that this is what I came up with.
Oops, I only have a tiny camera phone picture of it!
One of my current business objectives is around starting to create my own fabric designs. Now, this is definitely a bit of a stretch goal for me, for although once upon a time I was going to be a primary school teacher specialising in art education, somehow over the last 20 years I’ve drawn less and less. I guess this is going to force me to draw more! I also have a bit of upskilling to do in terms of my digital image manipulation, so I can begin designing fabrics for digital printing as well. But in the meantime, I’m looking forward to rekindling my teenage love of printmaking.
All this brings me to the first fabric of the week for 2014 – my own design, Ti Kouka me Harakeke, screen printed onto calico or upcycled heavy white drill, in chocolate brown or dark green. Products you can have made from this are:
Simple calico tote, Height: 40cm, Width: 35 cm – $25
Market bag, white cotton drill, reinforced flat bottom, Height: 35 cm Width: 33 cm Depth: 10cm – $40
Small piped cushion, calico, with vintage button closure on back, Height: 35 cm, Width: 35 cm – $60
Lampshade, calico, design printed multiple times around circumference, Diameter: 30cm, Height: 27 – $90
I’m sorry I’m a day late this week: we had a night out with friends yesterday, that turned into a very late night after a little incident with a parking building that changed its night time access…
I’m going simple this week. I’ve always loved this print in pink and orange diamonds, with a sweet floral detail. For some reason it reminds me of old-fashioned wallpaper, and at the same time Roald Dahl books. I think it is somewhat reminiscent of the Quentin Blake illustrations.
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I’ve had this fabric for a while, and I have made some notebooks and wallets from it in the past. I have just enough left of it for a lampshade, and maybe if I’m parsimonious with my cutting a coin purse too.
I know that’s not a lot, but I came down with a virus a fortnight ago that really knocked me around. I don’t think I’ve ever taken as much Ventolin before as I had to this time (plus I was on other meds too). I ended up having to cancel two fairs last weekend as I was just too ill to leave the house. I also didn’t get much sewing done in that time, so I’ve got a bit to catch up on from the last two fabrics of the week as well.
PS It was really lovely to log in and see that so many of you had checked in since yesterday. Thank you!
Just a quick post to show you what I’ve been working on over the last few days.
New! Lampshades!
When my mother was visiting in May we took a class in Lampshade making together at Made Marion. Since then I’ve been perfecting my technique, and I am now offering lampshade for sale. The selection above will be heading in to my shop, Made It later this week (but if you want one of them, get in contact with me soon – the pink foxes is definitely a one off, and I have limited qualities of the other fabrics).
The great news with these is that I’ve confirmed the lampshade making supplies I’m using are NZ made too – and yes, I am building them from scratch, so I can also offer a custom-made service to your dimensions.
I’ve set up a gallery with more detailed shots of each of the lampshades, in case you want a closer look.
