My studio in Beci Orpin's new book

Happy New Year!

It was a lovely (and slightly surreal) experience to have Mrs Beci Orpin visit my studio last year and take some snaps for her latest book, which features ten creative studios in Melbourne alongside Beci's craft projects.  I have been a fan of Beci Orpin's work FOREVER.  Yes, FOREVER.  I am happy to gloat that I spotted her work in her RMIT Textile Design graduate show sometime in the mid to late 90s, and wanted to buy some of her printed silk fabric but was too poor -- or too shy -- to go through with it.  Since then I have admired from afar the various guises of her happy, clever and beautiful work, from the Princess Tina fashion label to graphics for Beatbox Kitchen.  Photos of my studio above by Beci Orpin, taken mid 2014.  Below: signature Beci Orpin goodness: just some of the beautiful craft projects in the book.  (I really want to find the time to make a mask or three!!!)

Make and Do by Beci Orpin, published by Hardie Grant, Melbourne, 2014.

This week

Above: work in progress. (Very blue-ish photo I have just realised, sorry).

Above: an assortment of original illustrations on wood (gardening and Japanese food related) is now in the shop.

Above: a very sweet little book from the Ukraine which I received in the mail.

Above: view from the couch.  (Yes!  I DID get to lie on the couch for a short while!)

Above: the back garden after the rain.

Above: the zippered purses were such a hit at Markit, that I decided to make some more.  These are also in the shop.  Happy Sunday!

This week: Hut 13 and Gardening Australia

Hello!  This week I painted more table tennis racquets, including this one, which received a surprising number of likes on Instagram.

 Above and below: details of a painting I am working on for the Hut 13 show next month.

Above: I still enjoy looking at this childhood book, The Knowhow Book of Puppets (by Violet Philpott and Mary Jane McNeil, published by Rigby Osborne in 1975) mainly because I love these simple little heads.  The little girl's is actually a pink sponge.

This month's illustration for Gardening Australia magazine was so simple that I almost felt guilty charging for it.  Almost: times like these make up for those months when the work seems to take forever.

Around the place this week (and some rewind)

A little textile-y section of my hallway, photographed during its five daily minutes of brightness.  (Actually the quilt on the left was only there as it was drying over the heater.)

I wish I owned this outfit.  I wish it was warm enough in Melbourne to wear it.  (I am actually wearing mittens while I write.)  Carina magazine, 1981.

My ceramic would-be Apple Man lost an arm this week.  I wish I cared.  Why do I keep breaking things and not caring?  I never used to be like this!

More loveliness from an early 80s Burda magazine.

 I made a giant Lady Village Head for my Craft Victoria window!!  (Almost a metre wide.) I think she's pretty funny.  Tick!  I love making lists, and I love crossing things off them even more....

Another item for the Craft window....Mikey Relaxing.  I am embroidering Mikey in a relaxed fashion, on account of still having a somewhat dodgy back.  Lots of hairs on his legs to go, though.  And the all important hand down his pants.  Dying to embroider that!!

Rewind.........to May 2013.  Props for the television 'drama' Winners and Losers: somewhat kitsch lampshades painted with Hawaiian motifs.  I really enjoyed doing these, channelling my days in the early 2000s when I designed a LOT of surf wear for Target and Myer.  I was lucky enough to be able to choose a lampshade to keep when I was visiting my friends at the set today.  Thanks so much Ineke, you made my day.  So thoughtful!

Signs of winter...?

The  weather has been extremely mild in Melbourne.  It's hard to believe that today is the first day of winter.  This week I had the great pleasure of being a guest at an art class at a boys' school.  I helped two classes of year eights get going on their wooden footballers (my work in progress above).  I can't wait to see and share their footballers when they're done.

 I brought in examples of my own work to show the boys.  Unfortunately, I pretty much wrecked my Neighbourhood Watch, above.  I don't care as much as I imagined I would.  Perhaps because it is technically salvageable, but mostly because I must have moved on from Wayne.

This is my example of a finished footballer, which I used as a demonstration for the two classes.  Interestingly, a substantial number of boys chose to depict favourite soccer and rugby players.  One or two decided to show their school team's colours instead.

 Other signs of winter: sunset at the studio.  Haven't had to put the heater on yet.  Crazy.

 The heater is on at home, although that hasn't stopped mould from growing above.

Last but not least: a page from the brilliant Fritz Kahn, a gift from Lil Nick!

ALSO -- thank you so much to everyone who said hi or even bought something from me at Markit last Sunday.  I had a fantastic day, even though I was ridiculously tired by the end of it.  I regret that I didn't get to see the rest of the stands.

Around the place this week or so

 Peeping toes after a long walk home from Lygon Street.

 A doll with fur for hair for Mina's birthday.  Based on a 1970s pattern.

A page from Antonio's Girls -- a fantastic compendium of the work of the genius fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez.  My brother had this book on loan for something like 20 years, so it's nice to appreciate it afresh.

 Tasmanian devil postcard and numbered lady watching TV -- most likely gasping at some recent speech of Tony Abbott's.

 A small collection of food packaging etc. at the studio.

 Getting ready for Markit at Fed Square Melbourne on May 25 -- my first ever!!!

A dark morning in the front room.

Yes, my spectacles era has dawned.

Around the place this week....

 Above: a woozy pile of sailors and their friend the salami lady waiting in a corner of the kitchen.

Above: in another room: a wall of posters, magazine tears, internet print outs, postcards, mask, a painting, tiny doll and stickers over the (now forlorn) computer desk.

Above: knitting in progress.  Almost finished!

 Above: contemplating important matters in the studio yesterday, while waiting for paint to dry.
(Image from More Things to Make, Ladybird Books, London, 1973.)

Above: more work in progress.  I like making things hard for myself.  Oh why buy striped or checked fabric when you can make tiny tiny checks and stripes yourself using embroidery thread?
 -- AAAAAGGGHHHHH is the answer to that question.

Above: an oldie but a goodie (if I may be so immodest).  Proudly moving south to the home of a rather talented lady and her little family soon.  Hooray!!!

Happy Weekend to you.

Textiles from the V&A

A combination of being unwell, work-working and working on things I can't show here have kept me away from my blog.  I'm back as I just had to share these beautiful images from World Dress: Fashion in Detail which highlights aspects of the V&A's costume collection.  Above: cotton/ wool jacket with applied shells, Burma, late nineteenth century.

 Above: Tibetan wool/ silk outer jacket, late nineteenth century.

 Above: woman's cotton shirt with applied seeds, Burma, mid nineteenth century.

 Above: an early twentieth century blouse from India.

 Above: men's leather cloak from Hungary, embroidered with silk, second half of nineteenth century.

Above: man's hooded jacket made from wool, from Algeria, late nineteenth century.

This is a tiny selection from a book that is an absolute must if you are drawn to textiles, especially details like these.