Monthly Design Challenge: Turning Japanese

This previously uploaded very tiny. Hopefully the problem is fixed now.

City in a Suitcase

I followed a link to Mr X Stitch today and found his post about textile artist Yin Xiuzhen, who makes works such as the one below.


It's Melbourne. In a suitcase. Made from discarded clothing of Melburnites.

I currently work on the 42nd floor of the navy blue building.

Visit Mr X Stitch and check out the desert city - can anyone identify it?

Dear Sirs

I write to advise you of a range of covered journals from the morning parlour of one Mrs Beckinsale.



Mrs Beckinsale has crafted these journals in appreciation of Marvellous Melbourne and the prosperity overseen by our ruling monarch HRH Queen Victoria.









These covered journals contain 120 sheets of unlined art paper, suited to your Victorian lifestyle.









Readers with an interest in these journals may address their remarks to Mrs Beckinsale, care of this publication.

I remain &tc...

1. Blue journal features Federal Coffee Palace, corner Collins and King Sts, circa 1888 Photographer unknown

2. Green journal features Collins St, circa 1876 - 1894 J.W. Lindt

3. Brocade and satin journal features Melbourne Skyline, circa 1876 - 1894 J.W. Lindt & Mrs Beckinsale

4. Maroon journal features Grand Pacific Hotel, Lorne, circa 1876 - 1894 J.W. Lindt & Mrs Beckinsale

WIPs

Finally my replacement computer arrived! Again I have Photoshop access (and with a mouse rather than a trackpad)! After eight days of thumb-twiddling I have been able to print my first Marvellous Melbourne images and thanks to Little Jack's super-long nap today (it's just gone three hours) I've assembled the shells of my first batch of Marvellous Melbourne covered journals.




The are the four 'designs' I plan to work with, but I hope to make no two the same. I didn't buy huge quantities of fabrics in order to help myself stick with that plan. After spending 2009 in frequent fits of hysterics because I could no longer buy exactly the same shade of tan/green/yellow for my W Class Cushions I'm relishing the prospect of working with whatever fabrics come my way.

I have done a lot of research into the fabrics and decor which was popular in the late Victorian era. While the Regency era at the start of the 1800s was characterised by light delicacy in dress and home, the Victorian period was about heavy clutter. This era saw the invention of new dyes which created colours never before produced along with new methods of printing fabric. The Victorians revelled in the range of options open to them and combined colours and prints with little care for subtlety or harmony. Collecting was all the rage and a stylish drawing room was one where a wide variety of curios were displayed on every surface. My Marvellous Melbourne covered journals use patterns and colours common to the Victorian drawing room.

Many of the photos I am using in this project are by German-born photographer J.W. Lindt. These photos were taken around Melbourne between 1876 and 1894. Some of my covered journals will have altered photos, some will reproduce Marvellous Melbourne more faithfully. And yes, I've even researched Australian copyright limitations on old photographs.

Speaking of old, my ninety-year-old Poppa is Glen Eira's Citizen of the Year. A true Marvellous Melburnite!

Fabric Fail

I feel like it's an age since I created anything. I was going full steam with researching Victorian textile design and aesthetics in preparation for my Marvellous Melbourne books when my laptop broke, taking my research with it. Since then I've managed to find all my reference websites again (and some even better ones!) but I've started working in the city in the afternoons. No time for fabric shopping for me.


Acanthus by William Morris
This morning I woke up and thought surely, surely there must be a way to make a return bus trip to Rathdowne Remnants, trader of Warwick furnishing fabric remnants, and still leave for work at 12pm. I checked Rathdowne's website to see if they opened at regular or gentleman's hours and was delighted to find they open at 8am on weekdays. Imagine! At 8am any day I could be giving Jack his breakfast still in pyjamas, or fabric shopping. This may revolutionise my daily routine!

I made it there by 9:30 and had a lot of fun in the upholstery section and Warwick remnant bins. I bought half a metre of eight different fabrics at an average of under $5 a piece - bargain! I was about to leave when I glimpsed some dark red silk dupion in the dress section, not quite what I needed but with sik dupion costing around $20 a metre I could afford a bit. I had it cut and was asked for $17. What?! If I had asked I would have discovered this high-quality, not quite the right colour silk dupion was $34 a metre, almost twice what the stuff at Spotlight or Lincraft costs. I sadly handed over $17 which could have bought me almost two metres of the fabrics I actually wanted and caught the bus home in a state of despondency.

I find it hard to shake off the sadness of paying far too much for something I didn't really want. Perhaps I'd better go roll around in my pile of new, wanted fabrics and see if that lifts my mood. Or go to work and replace the money I wasted.

Florence by John Henry Dearle

Interruptions

Need to go fabric shopping. But first I need to do more historial research using the links trapped in my dead laptop.

Need to print more Marvellous Melbourne pictures. But first I need to manipulate them on Photoshop which is trapped in my dead laptop.

Still trying to get over the enforced November/December habit of being productive all the time. But as I hit this contradictory enforced period of waiting and idleness, in the back of my mind is the knowledge that I'm going back to the office on Monday for the first time in 17 months. It's only three afternoons a week and only for a month at this point, but it's still a rude interruption to the unbroken freedom to create and research I've been enjoying for over a year.

I hope I can concentrate. I am completely out of practice at doing one thing uninterrupted for four hours straight. Maybe it will be refreshing. And if not, at least it's work that allows my mind to wander and explore creative pathways while my eyes and fingers and doing what they're being paid for.

An obstacle

I was struck a terrible blow yesterday when my laptop died. I managed to resuscitate it long enough to retrieve my business records, the designs I'm working on and my Marvellous Melbourne images (damn, forgot to get my web browser bookmarks!) but it needs to be replaced.

To that effect, this wonderful machine is on its way in two to five working days:


It's second-hand (I've never owned a new computer) and was 30% off with a free RAM and hard drive upgrade, so I guess I should stop feeling so guilty about the dent in the household savings account/business money tin/my birthday present credit. It'll be wonderful to use Photoshop with a mouse rather than a trackpad. I'll also have to go opshopping for a piece of furniture to put it on and figure out where to put it.

If you're wondering, I'm not jumping on the Apple bandwagon. If I remember correctly we got our first home Mac in 1990 which means I've been a dedicated Apple user for a whopping 20 years. I even considered retraining as an Apple technician at one point (and would be a lot richer today if I had!).

Until my new machine gets here (I'll have to name it either Ziggy or Spider, as its predecessors were Space Oddity and Hunky Dory) I'll have only limited access to blogs and the like, so please don't be offended if I don't comment on your latest post. I wish I could!

Last Christmas You Gave Me Your Craft...

For Christmas I requested and was given a lovely bunch of cash to spend on craft supplies for myself, rather than the 'business expenses' I rack up the rest of the year. Part went on my dress and top, a smidgen went on acquiring Gracia + Louise's current art zine, and I'm possibly going to throw everything that remains at Volcano Arts. I've just found out the business is named after the town they're based in - Volcano, California. As they write on their contact page, isn't that the coolest address?


Braided Spine Journal Kit
I found Volcano Arts through Google while exploring bookbinding supplies. Even if I hadn't discovered a spontaneous interest in bookbinding this site would be enough to convert me. It's like they peeked into my imagination and reproduced it in handy kit form.


Distressed Leather Journal Kit
Everything I want to learn is here - exposed spine journals, sewn through the spine journals (and you know I'm just copying these terms from their website), leather-bound journals and even metal-bound journals!


Metal and Leather Journal Kit
Most of the kits I want to try are rated three out of five for difficulty so I'll have to get a simpler one to start with. I'll still order them all at once, given what postage costs from the US and what the lovely lovely exchange rate is at the moment.


A beautiful sample from Volcano Arts' Idea Center
I also need to buy every single tool as I don't recognise a single object on the list - it's very humbling to look into a new craft and realise you have no idea how it works. For example, I need something called a 'bone folder'. What the?! It sounds like something out of a slasher flick. And I definitely need an alphanumberic punch set so I can stamp my name on leather. Or street signs.


Another from the Idea Center
I think this new craft might require significantly more than my leftover Christmas money. Just as well my birthday's coming up soon.

Marvellous Melbourne: prototype 1

A prototype for my first Marvellous Melbourne item, made from some fabric I had lying around.




I had some fun adding some Steampunk elements into my Marvellous Melbourne source image.


I didn't have any hammer-in snap closures so the flap is held down with a pin!




This reminds me of the That's Melbourne logo.

I'm going to have so much fun with these. If you can't tell, it's a fabric covered A5 art journal.

How many books can a bookchuck chuck

On the spur of a whim I'm contemplating learning book binding. It would be a valuable skill in my craft exploration of Marvellous Melbourne. I have to confess I'm a bit shy of learning or practicing a craft with a high materials cost, but following December's markets is probably the only time of year I can afford such a thing!

It's just as well I live in Melbourne - there's so many courses available!

CAE Simple Book Binding one day course
RMIT Book Binding and Restoration short courses at beginner and intermediate level
OrtBindery Melbourne School of Bookbindery ongoing course
Rambunctious Press Book Binding two day course

I think I'd enjoy the OrtBindery ongoing course. It seems like a similar course structure to how I studied patternmaking with Dragana Edwards. At Dragana's school students pay for four weeks at a time and keep turning up for as long as they like. It also means you can take a block of time off (or several if you need to) and recommence classes when you are able, or have discovered something new you want to learn.

Of course any course (ha) I do will be influenced on where it is, when it is and if I can afford it. And if I change my mind and decide to learn pottery, goldsmithing or welding instead.

Photo by OrtBindery

Finding Direction

During December I spent thirty hours a day constructing thousands of cushions sat for months behind my market stall, dreaming of quizzically fantastic things I've never made before. I think that's why you find so many crafting-for-sales people enter January with plans for brand new projects and themes: we're all heartily sick of whatever it is we sell.

So I had all these ideas involving costumey fashion and pattern drafting and couldn't wait for January to arrive. From Boxing Day through to New Years Day I had seven days of sewing only for myself and indulged in a new dress, top and bag. When I'd crossed all those off my list it was Time! To Start! New projects!

And I slumped.

Was I really creative enough for these ideas I had? Were there already a dozen people on Etsy doing them better than I could dream up? Would they sell?

That last question is a curse of those who craft-for-sales. Even before one invests time in sketching new concepts one's mind turns to target markets, selling venues (markets, online, wholesale) and profit margins. And some ideas get sadly set aside.

Margaret of Konstant Kaos wrote a wonderful post about originality in craft, with links to a lot of other writing on the subject. For me, it's not worth starting on a project unless I'm certain I've got a unique interpretation, be it of cushions, fabric postcards or book jackets. When I've got a picture in my head of a new product idea I head to Etsy to see who else is doing it and how. And if the 'market' is already flooded and there's a few people doing it with so much more natural sense of aesthetics than I have then I don't think it's worth my time competing. Sure, none of those people are doing the markets I'm doing but I need to know in my head that I'm among the best of makers of that item in that price bracket.

The other day I was talking to some creative friends about an idea I had which is already being done by a few people locally, although in a different way to how I would interpret it. Jay of Finki Handmade referred to our reluctance to tread on other people's territory in her craft challenge post this week (which I'm super-hyped about participating in). And my wonderfully supportive friends told me to push it further and make it in a way no-one else is (yet).


So I brainstormed and fed my ideas by browsing internet sites which feature the style (but not the objects) I want to work with. I hunted through eBay to see what supplies were available and downloaded inspirational photos. And now I know exactly what I'm going to make. It's unique and special and very me.

My theme for the second half of 2009 was The Golden Age of Travel, which I still want to experiment with in its own way. But my new theme, which I will return to when I'm searching for my unique point of view, is Marvellous Melbourne. The Melbourne of the 1880s when it was the second largest city in the British Empire and one of the richest in the world. My interpretation will be a little bit Neo-Victorian, a little bit Steampunk, and hopefully wholly unique.

I feel thoroughly recharged now that I know what it is I'm supposed to be doing. I also understand why the big design houses featured on Project Runway adopt themes and references which change each fashion season. My creative brain requires boundaries to work within and push against, semi-regular change and seasonal consistency.

Expect my Summer/Autumn 2010 theme to be abandoned in about six months.

Incidentally, I've just found a promotional article quoting Tim Gunn telling Project Runway contestants to "recalibrate your ambitions". That would be a good thing to schedule as a diary event every few months.

More on Made It!

I've said it before, one of the lovely things about using a smaller online seller is the greater chance of being featured. Today Made It included my damask-print W Class Cushion in their 'Homely Handmade Homewares' feature!

Thanks Made It, love you! x x x

Another ethical clothing pledger

In the good ole Guardian male fashion addict Patrick Barkham has resolved not to buy any new clothes in 2010. Local op shops are okay but specialist vintage clothing stores are restricted to twice-yearly treats.

Here's some counter-intuitive facts from his article:

This may all sound laughably trivial but buying no new clothes could account for more than half my 10% carbon cut during 2010. Calculating the precise carbon saving is not straightforward. Polyester is better than wool and cotton, for example, which have a big impact on greenhouse gases and consume other finite resources such as water in their production. One cotton shirt guzzles 3,000 litres of water in its manufacture.

According to Goodall's calculations, we buy around 20kg of new clothes every year on average. Each item made from natural fibres has a greenhouse gas footprint more than 20 times its weight. Not buying new clothes could stop me consuming 0.8 tonnes of CO2 in a year; I only need to cut 1.5 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions for a comfortable 10%+ off the UK annual average of 14 tonnes.

Flax and linen may be more sustainable that cotton, but polyester beats them both as far as water usage goes, and that's a huge concern in Australia. Barkham hasn't examined the varying effects on textile and garment workers of producing natural fibres versus polyester, but then he's only looking into individual carbon footprints. I guess we crafters will continue to ignore the niggling thought that we'd have a much smaller carbon footprint if we stopped buying fabric, or at least turned our back on cotton.

On the other hand, Finki has linked to crafter Amanda who's pledged to buy no new craft materials in 2010 and only create from their stash. Sounds like a perilous journey - I'll be following!

My Ethical Clothing Pledge

I've only just realised that the end of 2009 means the end of the only new years resolution I ever made an effort to stick with. I resolved that in 2009 I would buy no new clothes except one pair of jeans when my maternity jeans no longer fit. Clothing from the op shop or made by myself was fine.

I made this resolution due to a disgust with the disposable fashion culture reported by the UK's Guardian newspaper. People in developed nations already own far more clothing than they need, yet we keep producing more and more in sweat shops in developing nations and at home. If we all bought half as many items of clothing but paid twice as much for each of them, garment workers could be paid properly and we'd own high-quality clothing that would last much longer without having spent any more.

So how did I do?

Purchased Clothing

One pair jeans (Target) $40
One cardigan (Target) $50
One teeshirt (Gossypium at Oxfam UK) 'upcycled' by me approx $9.50
Total = $99.50
I slipped up a bit. However, I did manage to buy my clothes from shops which have signed the FairWear agreement or are otherwise ethically made without sweatshop labour from organic fabrics.

Homemade clothing

Black summer dress
Monet top
Snip dress
I can't be bothered tracking down fabric receipts even though two thirds of these projects were in the last week. I'll estimate a total of $85 including interfacing, dye, a new pattern, thread etc.

Op shop clothing

Amazing black jacket approx $15
Refashioned jumper from op shop and my own ten year old jumper $3
Linen blend Marks & Spencer skirt approx $8
Red stretchy top which I never wore because the fabric was weird $4
White lace-up top worn as a Hallowe'en costume approx $5
Red jersey Esprit top $3
Total = $38
I shouldn't have bought that red stretchy top. I knew I wouldn't like wearing it, but I was worried that I wouldn't find any other long-sleeved tops that fit me and I only had two at home in good condition. I feel bad about buying something just as a Hallowe'en costume too, but I'm sure I'll wear it again for future costume occasions. The other four items have been worn day in, day out.

Bought for me clothing

Black cords (Target) $10
Dinosaur Comics teeshirt (Topatoco) $20
Total = $30
This category is a grey area. These items were bought for me, but I chose them. The cords I saw in Target while shopping with Mum. I wasn't going to buy them due to my resolution, despite the fact that I only had one pair of jeans and a few pairs of tracky dacks that fit, and she took pity on me and bought them on my behalf. The teeshirt was a result of buying a shirt from Topataco for Hubby T's birthday and figuring I may as well save on postage and get Little Jack's Christmas present for me at the same time. In my defence, I've wanted this teeshirt for years and it cracks me up every time I see it.

Swapped clothing


Ah Now You Are Dangerous cardigan (Sneak Design) swapped for a W Class Cushion
Total = a few hours of my time
Another grey area, as I would happily have paid for it (with a niggle about breaking my resolution again). All Anika's clothing is sweatshop-free so it counts as an ethical acquisition.

Total spent = $222.50 or $252.50 if you include things bought for me

It seems like a lot for a year of not buying any new clothing, but on the other hand I got twelve new pieces for that amount at an average cost of $21.04 each, and apart from two op shop tops I'll continue wearing all these items for many years to come. I'm loyal to my clothes.

In the spirit of full disclosure, my resolution was made much easier by the fact I didn't work outside the home this year. If I were going out to work several days a week I would undoubtedly feel the need for more variety in my wardrobe.

To balance that out, this year I had a big weight and size change post-pregnancy and post-weaning and it would have been very easy to throw out everything that no longer fit me and buy new, more flattering styles. My resolution did save me a lot of money but it was also hard on my self-esteem continuing to wear the same old tracksuit pants and teeshirts I'd worn throughout late pregnancy and breastfeeding. I didn't have time to sew myself more clothes than I did due to the time demands of a baby/toddler and craft business, and even finding time and energy to walk to op shops (as I'm at home without a car during the day) was a struggle most months. I wish I'd made more time for myself.

One of the huge advantages of my resolution manifested itself during my overseas holiday. After ten months without browsing clothing racks I was able to walk right past the sweatshop-supplied trend paradises of H&M and Top Shop without even looking in the window, meaning I was able to spend hours more of my holiday with my family rather than shopping. I genuinely had almost no interest in seeing what was available after being out of the habit of clothes shopping for so long.

So will I make the same resolution for 2010? My holiday experience shows that I can do it. And contemplating walking into the nearest clothing shop and handing over my credit card feels so wrong after proving I do not need the latest fashions. One challenge is that in a few weeks I'll be working outside the home again for the first time since Little Jack was born, but at this point it's only a month-long contract so I think I can resist.

I believe that for me ethical clothing is no longer a resolution to be made from one year to the next - it's a pledge to live by. So I'm officially signing up for IsisMade's ethical clothing pledge.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
T H E _ E T H I C A L _ C L O T H I N G _ P L E D G E

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I pledge to only wear clothing that is one or more of the following:
1. Pre-loved
2. Handmade (preferably by me)
3. Reconstructed
4. Made with ethical / environmentally friendly materials
5. Made by a company with strong ethical policy & workers' rights

Can I talk you into joining me?

New Year, New Bag

A lovely way to start 2010.



And my first completed project for the year!






Antique brass hardware to team with the steampunk theme

London Icons printin black and charcoal not quite from the right era - the Tower Bridge image has the Gherkin in the background! I haven't closed the lining gap yet as I still need to sew in my woven label.

I have nothing but praise for Nicole Mallalieu's Mod Bag pattern. The instructions are very detailed and easy to follow, especially if you're used to commercial garment patterns. Even though this is an advanced level pattern the instructions could be followed by someone who's never used these techniques before.

I had a lot of fun making the bag. This is my first time making a bag and I loved that every time I turned a pages I was surprised by what came next and the techniques used. The topstitching detail and pressing methods guarantee a professional-looking finish. I can't believe I made this bag myself!

The other day I was feeling cheeky and made a comment on bag designer Nikki's blog about not being able to get the hardware I needed to finish my bag, as her shop is closed over the holidays. Nikki is so dedicated and generous that she invited me to drop by her studio that afternoon and browse for what I needed. Now that's service you won't get from just any pattern maker! She even gave me tips about the options I'd chosen for the bag and told me how to make a weight for the bag flap using an everyday object found in any purse (no, it's not a tampon). Thankyou Nikki, you made my holiday!

The only drag about finishing the bag while on holiday at my parents' house is that I don't know how to thread up Mum's computerised sewing machine and kept having to ask her to change the thread for me. As if spending New Years with your parents doesn't make you feel enough like a kid again...