woodland queen

My heart is just bursting with BEAUTY!! It's so rewarding to emerge from my sewing room, hand the garments to others and witness visual poetry take place...

Click on the photos for a closer look.

Thank you Ishna Jacobs for your genius behind the camera and Noa Parker for your stunning presence.

photo shoot day!

There was still lots of stitching going on last night, just in time to be ready for a photo shoot with talented Ishna Jacobs behind the camera and beautiful Noa in front.

The real photos will emerge later this week. (Some can be viewed here and here.)

 Spot the photographer!

Isel Park in Stoke, Nelson put on a riot of blossoms for us to wade in under the spring sun... Ease and flow, a special day with two lovely ladies. Thank you Ishna and Noa!!

coming together, falling in place

Oh so sweet when things just move ahead with ease and loose ends start coming together. It's about time, as there's only a month until showtime...

Here's a little test layout.

I'm covering the hessian bodice with silk organza that I dyed with Black Doris plums and iron. Another greener shade of the same plums on the same organza will become a little bustle skirt. A length of burnt silk velvet already runs on the seams on the bodice, but will also tie the bustle... The skirt needs a hessian petticoat, but I've run out of hessian and so has Spotlight. Still have some smaller shops to visit that should carry it.

And now it's time to leave my computer and carry on with the assembly...

making progress with Beginnings

It's been quiet on the blog for a bit as I've gone all shy about showing process photos... The silk dress still needs hemming and I'm dreaming of some embroidery to go on it too. It might get another dress to layer with, unless I decide it displays better when it remains a bit translucent.

The hessian top was abandoned for a while but has been picked up again... I'd like to complete it and pair it with a big skirt. 

The peat felt skirt needs a top half.

I'm still thinking about making another dress, especially as I have some nice pink dye waiting to be used. Meg gave me some pineapple sage cuttings and Jo shared her results for inspiration. I admire the delicious colour on my kitchen windowsill.

A month and a bit to go to exhibition start... I need to work pretty smartly if I fancy to achieve all this on top of regular life with work and kids. Big breath...

Kultaturve

I had quite a grand moment cutting a big piece of peat felt I've had for over a decade. The Finnish company that made it, Kultaturve, is sadly no more. They developed a way to use the rotted fibres of the cotton grass (Eriophorum vaginatum) that grows on top of the sphagnum moss. After nearly a thousand years buried under the earth, in the peaty bog, the plant becomes a fibre with exceptional properties for textiles and clothing. It is warmer than wool, exceptionally light, breathable and antistatic.

Mind you my felt is so thick that lightweight is not one of it's attributes. Or perhaps the sheep's wool blend makes it heavy.

The thick earthy felt belongs perfectly in my current project, where I work under the theme "beginnings". The material itself is very primal and connects me quite literally to my home country. I'll construct at least a couple of garments out of it, a skirt to start with.

PSst! Now you can view the outfit here.