Friday 30 January 2009

Working 9 - 5: A Bird and a Teapot

Above: this bird and its companion the teapot below, will appear in Seed stores from next week, as hand stitched appliques on t-shirts. Sitting here under a ceiling fan, in searing 40+ heat, it seems odd to extol the virtues of a vector bird wrapped in a scarf and a steaming pot of tea, but I will try. The bird was invented just after I came back from Scandinavia: he is a sort of "Marimekko" puffin. (Well, not really, because I might get into trouble for associating that holy word beginning with 'M' with my own work, but Marimekko is pretty brilliant, simple and so vividly Scandi, that I can't help but see it as the apex of all that is great about design there, and I did want my puffin to be stylishly dressed.)

This is my original concept for the teapot. On the t-shirt it will appear without the cup (and that 'stitched' trail of steam that is making me feel even hotter just looking at it), on some differently coloured backgrounds. As we sit wilting in Melbourne, the stores are filling with winter clothes. How did the fashion industry get to be so silly?!

2 comments:

hopeful~ for happy said...

I saw them in the store today! Even cuter in patchwork.

Sandra Eterovic said...

Thanks very much, Hopeful for Happy! I agree that they look much more interesting when they show the textures of the various fabrics and are all prettily stitched. The work that the seamstresses do is amazing. I hope that they get some enjoyment out of it and are paid reasonably well. I think I am dreaming...