Rosy Lady

A little update

I knew it was time to blog again when I got an email from a friend who said she was fed-up with seeing berries every time she looked on my blog for an update.  I'm sorry that my posts have been so few and far in between.  The days just don't seem to be long enough anymore.

I've had nearly two months off work after the doctor signed me off to rest (pregnancy related) and I have to say it has done me really good.  

 So yes, I have put my feet up a lot.  On the other hand, my poor hubby has had to try and keep up with my eating habits which seem to change on a daily basis.  The list of food that I can't stomach is getting rather long.  I think he is most disappointed that I can't eat his bolognese anymore and don't even mention spicy food to me!  But, he is trying very hard.

  We are also in the process of buying a house so, I have the pleasure of dealing with estate agents, builders, solicitors etc.  The house is a big Victoria house, but it is a fixer-upper.  We are really excited at the prospect of putting our own stamp on the place and, I will have a lovely big studio *big grin*.

In my last post, I set myself some deadlines to finish my textile designs and although I've totally missed the deadlines, it has really spurred me on and I have been making really good progress.  Although I can't show you what I've done so far, I can tell you where my inspiration is coming from.

If you've read my blog for a while, you may recall our trip to Keukenhof in Holland.  So, I've decided to use that as my inspiration :)  It is kinda strange to be so focussed on Spring when everything around me is turning towards Autumn (Fall) but, I am loving the whole process.

 

Hope you're having a really good weekend.

xx

Berries and textile design

I finally feel like doing something more than sitting around or sleeping so, I've come to my studio this afternoon to be a bit more productive.  I like to have a fruit snack in the afternoon and the colours of these berries just spoke to me so, of course I had to stop and grab my camera before I could enjoy them :)

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that my dream remains to be a textile designer.  While I got a little distracted for a little while, I am keen to crack on with that.  I've decided to stop overcomplicating the matter by feeling like I have to know Illustrator inside out before I could design anything so, I'm going to get back to basics.  I have had my ideas sketched out (roughly) for some time now.  I plan to draw them out on A3 paper and paint them to see how they work and then I will figure out how to redraw and colour them in Illustrator/Photoshop. That sounds less overwhelming to me.  I have been signed off work for another 3 weeks so, I might as well use this time to get my act together, right?  

So, here's the plan:  I will give myself five days to draw and paint my ideas, two weeks to create my designs in Illustrator and another week to finalize my portfolio.  Please feel free to support, nag and remind me about this.  I think I need to put it out there and have some deadlines if I'm ever going to get it done.

Wish me luck!

xx

 

African quilt

I've been meaning to blog about this quilt that I bought when I was in South Africa in December last year at a local farmer's market.  

I was instantly drawn to the lovely red African patterned fabric and the squares that were embroidered (and signed) by different ladies.

The quilt was made at the Tsitsikamma Eersterivier Embroidery Project in the Cape Province of South Africa.  The aim of this project is to improve the standard of living and the upliftment of the local community.  The project provides opportunities for people to use their skills and better their lives.

Tsitsikamma means abundance of water.  The aim of this project is to let the local population (mainly farm workers, part time domestic workers and many unemployed people) experience some of this abundance in their personal and family lives.

I love the childlike simplicity of these embroidered images.

      

I've been wanting to make a quilt myself and I will probably start with something small, but for now, I need to collect more fabric to give it a nice mixed pattern feel.

xx

My Custom Kicks

I bought these Converse trainers/sneakers/tekkies about two years ago with the intention to paint on them but, never got round to them and eventually forgot about it.  That was until I got the book Small Stash Sewing by Melissa Averinos from the yummygoods blog.  In the book, Melissa showed a pattern to make shoelaces from fabric and I just had to give it a go.  I wrote a bit more about Melissa and her book here when I recently met her in London.

I did not plan the painting as I just wanted to paint freely and see what happens.  I am pretty happy with the result even if it is a very colourful and hippie-like.  If you know me by now, in my world, colour is good.

Once I've finished the hand painting on the one shoe, I had to replicate it on the other.  Once the shoes were done, I made the shoelaces according to Melissa's instructions which were very clear and it turned out to be a quick and easily little project.

 

xx  

 

London Love

We went to London on Saturday.  Hubby started a six week course and I went to see some of shops that I've been wanting to visit for ages.  

I went to Liberty of London first and was not disappointed.  I walked into the scarf section on the ground floor and it was like an explosion of colour and interesting print and pattern.

I would've loved to buy a Liberty scarf but, prices seemed to start at £150 each.

       There were four floors of goodness to explore, here are some of the other bits that stood out to me:

 

Next up was Anthropologie.

     

Some of the shop displays also caught my eye:

     

The above photo is not very clear but, the shop window was filled with vintage singer sewing machines.  A subtle hint to the handmade movement?  I remember sewing on one of these in primary school.  The school had several of these and only one 'modern' Bernina where we had to take it in turns.  I remember staying behind after school in the art and sewing class, making my own clothes with the help of an amazing art teacher.  She was such an inspiration to me.  On Saturday, me and my mum would go fabric shopping, carrying bags and bags of fabric back in the house like two naughty children.  We would sew away every spare minute and usually on a Saturday, the sewing machines interfered with the TV reception when my Dad wanted to watch rugby.  We would have to wait for TV adverts to quickly sew a piece and then wait for the next advert break.  Beautiful memories that I treasure.

 

I enjoyed all the design inspiration but, the ABSOLUTE highlight of my day in London was that I got to meet the lovely Melissa Averinos from the yummygoods blog.  I got excited when I heard she was coming to London and sent her an email to enquire if she was going to do any book signings for her new book.  Melissa did not have any planned but, offered to meet me anyway!  I was beyond excited and quickly ordered her book so that I could also have it signed.

Melissa was so sweet.  We chatted about London, her super cute book Small Stash Sewing and fabric design.  I have followed Melissa's blog for at least 3 years.  She is such an open, honest person that I felt like I was meeting a friend although, I was a stranger to her, she didn't make me feel that way.  I felt so inspired (and a little star struck) after meeting her :)

I can highly recommend Melissa's book.  The projects are so creative and there is something for every taste.  I am keen to make the shoelaces next as I've been wanting to customize my Converse trainers.  There are great projects for the home, gift ideas and sewing projects for children, for example a cape for a budding little superhero.

I was so glad that I took a small gift for Melissa because totally unexpected, she gave me some of her fabric (Sugar Snap), post cards and a sweet unicorn notebook.

    

This was definitely my kind of day :)

xx

Shopping in San Francisco

We had plenty of time to peruse the shops in San Francisco.  I loved catching the cable car to go to Union Square and all the shops.

 

We had some lunch at the Cheesecake factory at the top of Macy's and on a different occasion, we also shared one of their cheesecakes which was amazing.  I have never seen so many varieties of cheesecake before.

My favourite shop however, was Britex, a three or four story fabric store!  Hubby took some photos and I was so distracted, I did not even notice. 

 
 

However, my favourite find was in a thrift store near Ghiradelli's.  Two vintage pieces by textile designer Vera Neumann.

And, my favourite:  

Well, that's it (in a nutshell).  Thank you so much for giving me the space to share our dream holiday with you and for sharing in our happiness.

We both feel so optimistic about the future, which is something that we have not been able to feel in such a long time and we therefore can't take it for granted.  We felt as though this vacation symbolized a new beginning for us, we have put all the cancer worries behind us and we are so grateful for each and every day.

xx  

Inspiration

When you think and dream in terms of patterns, colours, pictures and illustrations, your eye will catch inspiration anywhere.  I remember as a child intently looking at the print on my Mum's vintage sugar and flour tins.  I would study each little flower, how it is so delicately drawn and how the colours are so vibrant and yet, in parts so subtle to make such a pleasing print.  Mum, if I haven't asked yet, can I please have these tins if you ever get bored with them??

Of course they are not kept outside, this is just for the purpose of the photo :-)

Some of my family are keen collectors of retro and vintage tins, for example with old soap or tea adverts on them.  I have never caught that bug but I can appreciate the designs on some of them. The next tin caught my eye at my brothers' house.  I like the delicate floral detailing that goes around the picture. 

 

I was also quite chuffed when I found this little pill box in a local secondhand shop.  I would love to use it for a few spare pins but the lid is not very secure so I may just use it for a few buttons or something.

And this is the picture on the lid:

Hope you have a lovely weekend.  It is me and Illustrator today.  I have narrowed my ideas down for my first fabric line, now to get the ideas onto paper or into the computer.

xx  

Midnight lace

I have completed another design for the betafashion union competition.  I enjoy these competitions as they open so many different design opportunities and it allows you to think creatively and try new things.  

 

With this design, I started with a photo of a rose and lace which I have then reworked in photoshop. Betafashion then offer the opportunity for people to vote or comment on the design and the winning designs will be used in future fashion collections.

xx

African textile designs

I was more aware of and focussed on textile designs and illustrations in South Africa, during my recent holiday to visit family.  Here are a few of the photos that I have taken:

 

The following were T-shirt designs from Truworths.  I just loved the African illustrative style to them.

xx                         

Feeling the fear and designing anyway

I have entered the tigerprint competition for a contemporary handbag notebook with this simple, yet elegant design:

The design was all completed in Photoshop but I have finally given in and bought Adobe Illustrator so, we are officially on 'beans on toast' until the next pay day.  I am quite excited as I now feel like I have all the tools that I need to complete my portfolio so, I will be spending a lot of time to learn Illustrator and to get these designs out of my head and onto the computer.  

I have also been reading the book 'Feel the fear and do it anyway', which is a self-help book recommended by my Hubby and so far, I am really enjoying it.  Whenever something really stands out to me, I have been writing it in big letters on coloured paper, which is stuck all over my studio. Something that has really made sense to me is "People who refuse to take risks live with a feeling of dread that is far more severe than what they would feel if they took the risks necessary to make them less helpless - only they don't know it!"  If you have followed my blog for a little while you will know how my day job has emotionally affected me and filled me with dread and fear.  It sounds easy to say 'just quit' but it is not that easy when the job pays quite well.  I have come to realize that this was the only thing holding me to a job that I hate and that this was not the life I wanted.  I know that I am a very resourceful, hard-working person who can make a success of most things.  I don't say this to sound arrogant but to say that I believe if you have enough passion and self-belief that you can do anything you set your mind to.  If I can make a success of a job that I hate, surely I could make a success of something that I absolutely love?!  

I have set myself specific, measurable and achievable goals with deadlines to ensure that I learn Illustrator, finish my portfolio and start my freelance career, which will involve giving up my day job.  I don't just want to talk about it anymore, it is time to take some action so, please excuse me if I make myself scarce but I will continue to pop in with progress or to think things through.  

xx