Making Connections: Colour and Cloth meets William Morris

This weekend I am exhibiting and selling my soft furnishing line at The Modern Home Show, Malone House, Belfast.  It is stunningly located beside the both tranquil and busy Lagan towpath.  I love doing the shows as it is great to meet customers face to face and share a passion for textiles, interiors and talent.

 

 

This blog tells the story of when I conversed with a customer at 'The Alternative Stitch Fest' back in September 2014, discovered we were way out related and landed myself an event at talking about my textile work. It really is a small world and this blog has many links and connections.

The group was the W.E.A.V.E.R group based in Larne, and the location was Drumalis House, Larne. It is a Decorative Arts and Crafts dream and hosts original wallpaper by my favourite textile artist, William Morris.  I was lucky enough to get a guided tour with one of the Sisters back in January.

Drumalis House Larne, combining the old with the new architecture.

I distinctly remember my big sister having a William Morris print on a beanbag in the 1990's.  It was only a few years ago that I really began to appreciate the genius, originality and integrity of his work. He is regarded as the greatest designer of the Arts and Crafts movement.  He revived many of the traditional arts and favoured natural dyes to synthetics.

Mr William Morris himself.  He famously said 'Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful'.

Back in the early 80's, I wrote my textile project on natural dyeing.  The folder and experiments I made back then continues to serve me today and I love its rawness of being hand written in ink pen with water marks made during a colour experiment! Back then I hadn't discovered William Morris and his ethos, one which today, I very much subscribe to and appreciate.

Cover page with slightly askew handwriting

 

My textile folder from 1990. I had the best textile teacher, Mrs Mc Cann.

Me with Kylemore Abbey, Cliften, Connemara Ireland blending in with nature.

This is a pure wool jumper I knit on my Brother 950i knitting machine.  Every colour is dyed using a natural dye.  The back is also completely different. Over 20 years later, this jumper and its colours still looks like this, although I have changed.  Natures yarns and its colour palette never dates.

This booklet was produced over 20 years ago and shows where my colour inspiration comes from for my textile work.

I spoke with enthusiasm about my work to date, my influence from my creative parents and sisters. The talk was very well received by the group of women, each of whom had a creative passion. The sharing of stories is the what I enjoy most about these events. The following images are from my house tour. Each room, corridor, nook and cranny has been designed and no detail not considered.  The images do not do the house justice. Thankfully Drumalis is open for visiting, but check their website for full details.

 

 This stained glass window was designed by my foundation art tutor in Belfast Art College Mr Neil Shawcross.

 

Close up of the cushions made by William Morris printed fabrics and Sanderson printed fabrics.

Although many of the designs are over 100 years old, they are as modern classics and have never dated.

Plenty of cushions to choose from.

Design detailing on the cushions ready for market.

 

The lady I met at the Stitch Fest is mother in law to my second cousin who now lives in Washington.  My housemate Deirdre from Chicago, who I lived with in Belfast in 2012 would go to Drumalis and work with the Sisters.  Her dad is originally from Larne and he played in the house gardens as a young boy.  These are all links that have come to the fore in the last year.  That is how textiles, crafts and landscapes can be woven together into the lives of individuals, all with a story to tell.  That drives my passion for creating with both colour and cloth.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog which in itself has so many stories to tell.  The creative journey never ends, that's why I love every moment of it.

Happy Creating

Till next time when I shall be writing from the Southern Hemisphere,

 

 

 

 

 

Crafting colourful Game of Thrones car seats out of left over fabrics

Hello!

Before I start writing this, I must say hello and welcome to all my new followers in Russia! I am delighted that I have readers in Russia and you are now my no. 1 readership country, overtaking the USA and UK.

I have been so busy creating, altering, reworking, reinventing and DIY-ing that I now is the time to share what I have been up to.

In February, my favourite car my 1995 Honda Civic said farewell to the roads and she had to be replaced.  A gold Nissan was bought.  She takes me from A-B, but is pretty drab inside.  I have lots of fabric scraps and I thought I would brighten up the upholstery.

A very grey and boring interior.  It was making me gloomy!

 

 

Season 5 Game of Thrones has just been aired and did you know its made in Belfast?! I am lucky enough to have been involved in Seasons 1-4 making costumes.  I took a break for Season 4 as it was my 40th birthday and wanted to try other adventures. I have gathered up a scraps of costume cuttings which we are allowed to get after each season is completed and I decided to use these to make my car more plush and colourful.

 

  

Lots of rich velvets and brocades.  Can you spot any of your favourite characters costume fabrics?

  

 

About 80 of the fabrics are GOT and the other 20 % are plush fabrics I have in my fabric stash.  The bright pink fabric is 100% Irish linen and dates back to the 1970's.

 

It took hours to sew!!

  

I backed it in 100% wool bedcover and the blue side panels are silk.  No skipping corners here with the quality of fabrics! I like my natural cloths and natural means long lasting and quality.

 
Quilting through the layers of cloth and backing fabric.  A rich patchwork of textures and patterns.

 

My drivers seat has now been renamed my throne!

 

I made the covers loose so they are not permanent and if I choose to change their purpose it is easy to do so.  Perhaps this might end up as I bed patchwork quilt in the future.

 

 

But for now, it brightens up otherwise very grey car upholstery.  Come on car designers, give us more colourful options!

 

 The quilting makes for a more comfortable seat, colour and comfort!

 

Till next time, enjoy the new Season of Game of Thrones and all the hard work that is put into to making it such a visual feast.  I'm taking my car on a road trip of the Mourne Mountains in County Down to visit many of the locations where the series is shot.  For all my blog readers who haven't yet visited Ireland, our own island is a patchwork of wonderful textures, patterns and shades of green, browns and golds.  Come visit!

Till next time,

 

 

 

On Air: The Great Interior Design Challenge

By the time you read this the show will have aired and our fantastic winner of our heat will have been revealed....

But just in case you haven't had the chance to watch it just yet, I am saying nothing!!  The link to the show is at the bottom of this blog so you have no excuse. 

 

In this post I would like to share my journey on the GIDC.  It was amazing and perhaps will open the doors to many more adventures.

 

Once I received my brief, I started researching what my clients wanted.  Highlighting key words that they had asked for 'light airy, family friendly', amongst lots of others.  Preferred colours were also mentioned by the clients so I designed around that.  We also had to up cycle a hat stand and my clients had asked for a wallmounted TV unit to hide their flats screen.

 

I started my 3-dimensional mood board on my floor, walking past it, adding to, and taking away.  Until I was ready to spray mount it finally onto mounting board. 

 

The living room floor becomes a 3-D mood board.  Magazine tear outs, tiles, fruit bowls, fabrics, ceramics.

My mood board showing one side of the room.

 

Mood board, not completed, for the fireplace wall.

 

 

My ideas for the up cycle.  A feature light fitting was in my brief so I decided to make a feature chandelier from the hat stand.  The centre pole I used as one of my curtain poles.

Working sketch to show how I planned to construct the light fitting.

 

Working sketch for TV unit. With fold back concertina doors on piano hinges.

 

My house was in a complete state of renovation.  The living room was the only one that was plastered.

Some furniture pieces that I could use in the design.

My work space.  Thankfully it was a very hot week in Welwyn Garden City.

Lots of colour and cloth.

Drying room at night and workspace during the day.

Finished room fireplace view.

Finished room, feature wall view.  This is how it should have looked, but didn't, as I forgot to add the orange cushions back into the room! I need to let it go...

Feature cushion in my clients favourite textile designers print.  Made from a tea towel into a cushion.

Wooden mantle and bright yellow flower freshly picked from the garden.

The workings of the TV unit and gold hinges coming through.

Finally I get to put my feet up for 5 minutes. 

I extended my visit to London and got to hang with my best friend Heather, my cousin Lynne and my sister Pauline,  my niece and nephew and brother in law.  The week was 4 days of work, and 4 days of play!
 

 On air! 

My camera woman Zoe made me feel at ease in front of a camera.  It was great learning about her side of the job.  I think I look as though I have beaded pigtails here!

Inspirational colour and texture details in my living room.  Old button cards with subtle chalky colours.  Stripy pebbles and stones from Achill Island on the West Coast of Ireland.  Wooden pencils and ceramics.

 

On the show I was dyeing fabrics with Camomile tea from Belfast's own tea company Suki Tea.  The colour achieved was the softer yellow shades on the sofa cushions. 

 

It was a very sunny June day when we filmed in Belfast.  I love the light hitting all the textures in my room.  I definitely feel very much at home in this room.

Bushmills Whiskey from the North Coast, hand rolled leather roses, candlelight, and an old wardrobe door with gorgeous bevelled oval mirror rests on top of the mantel.  These are a few of my favourite things.

At work in my sewing room which used to be my spare bedroom.  Dad made the shelf above the mirror and added the big light for me.  Here I am making a wedding dress for my friend Claire. 

 

Click Click here to see the show in full! Available for 29 days from the 6th November.   

 

 

Home Grown Talent from Belfast

 

Award winning Suki Tea.  Business brewed in Belfast.
 

Here is the dress on the big day!  I loved the happiness of the yellow and it influenced my room in the show.  Claire is a very creative gal and her business is called Tee and Toast full of bright colours.  She also sells in sunny Australia! 
Image by Jay Doherty photography.

St Georges Market, Belfast. 2014 Winner of the UK Best Indoor Market. Open Fri, Sat and Sunday. Where you will find Tee and Toast and Suki Tea among many other creative. I used to also have a stand here on a Saturday selling my creations.

Image by Jude Malone Creative.

Natural dyed silk scarves with printed silk edging detail.  And the N.I potato sack that I made into a cushion, this was seen on the show..

 

A lovely thank you card signed by Tom, Daniel and Sophie. 

 

 

A wonderful experience, Thank you!!

 

Best of Irish luck to my fellow competitors Rich and to Luke for their futures ahead!

Follow Rich on TWITTER @HolsterandCycle

Follow Luke on TWITTER @LukeArthurWells

 

Christine x