Of Late

Many, many knitted swatches for a fun project I have been documenting here...

Winter, oh winter.  I love winter, but it seriously has the habit of sucking me dry of enthusiasm and burning me out!  I think its somewhat normal to feel a little weary approaching the half way point of your final year of uni.  Similar to the feeling of running cross country.  It is exhausting, but you are nearly at the finish line where much hydration exists.  Analogies.

I have to write a reflective blog for a subject uni and will say that it has really made me look at what a design blog actually is.  In a recent entry, I admitted to this blog being a bit of a 'brag book' where I would post pretty pictures of my most favoured work and write somewhat shallow insights/my day.  Is this a negative thing? For people that do it well and create an enchanting world of design beauty on their blogs, no.  They are a means to my hours of internet joy.  On the other hand, I do it quite badly and think I have made a recipe for tedium.  But really, what else can you do on a 'design blog'? Is it about posting things you make that just aren't right? eg; a geometric pattern which for some reason has a very obvious swastika shape in the negative space…  Maybe not a good option.  Until I figure it out, I'll keep attempting to post pretty pictures. 

I started back at school this week.  Four new briefs and plenty of research to do.  This is never a problem for me with the amount of amazing people and projects that I get to look at and write about.  At the moment, I'm looking at 'the digital craftsperson' and just had to share some of my findings.

1.  Chloe McCormick's warped tapestries (image courtesy of i-d online)
McCormick's structures are made with traditional tapestry techniques using 3D thermoplastic moulds.  The prototypes have possibilities for furniture, jewellery and numerous other forms.

2. SUGRU! Seriously, if you haven't already, please look at how crazy this putty is.  Their website explains everything and will make you want to attach it to everything. 

3. Piet Hein Eek's scrap wood wallpaper (images courtesy of designboom.com)
I first saw Hein Eek's mastering of scrap wood materials in Vogue Living a few months back and fell in love with the colours and texture.  How excited I am to see he has now made digitally printed wallpaper:

I can safely say I am feeling excited and inspired.  Asides from getting back into typing and photoshopping this week, I have been planning what to put in the veggie garden next.  I just got off the phone from my Nan who has an incredible garden and really knows her stuff, so I got some solid suggestions from her way!  Some gardening stallholders at the Sydney Road festival gave Laz and I some parsley seed today.  Here's hoping that winter gardening will be as successful as the rampant summer tomato crop.

Holiday snaps taking me back to last week of super relaxation and nature.  Even though I'm from Tasmania, which I think has the most beautiful, secluded beaches (especially on the Tasman Peninsula), Wilsons Promontory was an undeniably incredible beach adventure.           

 

                       

I was quite sad that I wasn't able to spend longer there.  At least I know it's a place I would like to visit again.  Exiting this area, and entering phone reception once again, I got a peek of the first photos of Full Drop Collective's latest project, a zine compiled of patterns entitled 'Shape and Staple'.  I think everyone did an incredible job and the results are quite striking. Have a look for yourself in these photos I pinched from the Full Drop Collective Site, courtesy of Sophie Curtain.

 

Pendant Party

A personal project I've been plodding along with slowly has come to fruition this week.  It is an 'end result', but the materials and techniques have been so enjoyable to use that I think its just the beginning.   I get to experiment a lot with tactile mediums, and it was great to extend this to wax, leather, clay, shoelaces and bronze. 

I wanted to make a million things and had so many ideas, but my budget restricted this.  I was so torn on a recent visit to a Melbourne leather superstore (Lefflers) about not being able to buy all the colours I desired (all of them) !  Overall, the restricted budget  is probably a positive thing, as I tend to get overly excited and idea-crazy when I'm doing something new, sending my spending through the roof.

Knotting, braiding, twisting and manipulation of  yarns and brightly coloured kangaroo leather translated into wax  became the basis of the pendant I got cast into bronze.

So many tomatoes.  They won't stop growing!

Pink girly happiness

So many of the blooms in my neighborhood are this colour at the moment. Maybe because of the heat... Or the rain.... Or the bees...

These photos are taken just above the gate to my house. I love wandering around the block looking at peoples gardens. There's some really great ones around Brunswick west. My favorite make their ways onto the nature strips and seem to conceal and protect the house they belong to.

Harvest Textiles Christmas market

Work today was boring, boring, BORING! Yet I am excited, excited, EXCITED for Harvest Textiles Christmas market on tomorrow.  My class mates and I have been producing some very special products for the occasion including screen printed wrapping paper and a Full Drop Co. limited edition riso calendar which was included the thousands gift guide this week.   The calendar features textile design inspired illustrations from the clever Full Drop Co. gang, including a little something by myself.  I can't wait to browse the goodness supplied by other stall holders and do some not-too-last-minute Christmas shopping!

Fruits of labour

Laz and I planted some very small tomato and zuchinni seedlings a few months ago.  The plants are raging now, especially the tomatoes!  I spent some time yesterday looking up tomato relish/sauce/soup recipes as there appears to be quite a bumper crop in our little backyard.  I love cooking, but have never ventured into 'preserve' territory...

ideas people

I have been spending more time drawing and jotting down ideas lately.  It's great to have a little creative energy back after being so burnt out after the uni year was over.   Being on the look-out to clever ideas around me, I stumbled across Mimi Pong's 'shapes of things to come' pouches:

The internet is a great thing.  Especially if you like looking at pretty pictures of beautiful design creations.  I have been finding lately that accessability and awareness of thousands of talented artists/designers/textile peoples with successful careers can also be bit of an intimidating.  This is certainly my current feeling as I'm approaching my final year of uni.  Soon it will be over and there is always the possibility of being in the internet and publicity hustling game too...  This blog has been very helpful in getting me to put my work out onto the net, and therefore, into public.  Recommended it for all shy, easily embarrassed folks such as myself!