Fabric of the Week – The Sewphist – New Zealand made homewares and accessories

Posted on 8 January, 201412 June, 2014 by Elisabeth

Fabric of the Week – Ti Kouka me Harakeke

As much as I curse them as they try to slap my face as I’m cycling along the waterfront on my way to Wellington, I think that harakeke in bloom are a thing of great beauty. In fact, I might even be a little bit obsessed with drawing them – if you ever come across a page of my doodles, you will almost certainly find a few of them.

I also love the statuesque forms of cabbage trees (ti kouka) striding across the landscape. Even in utero I had an obvious affinity with them – my mother’s waters broke while she was at an art gallery looking at a painting of a cabbage tree!

So, when I did a introduction to screen printing class last year at Wellington Makerspace, and needed an image at short notice, it’s little surprise that this is what I came up with.

One of my current business objectives is around starting to create my own fabric designs. Now, this is definitely a bit of a stretch goal for me, for although once upon a time I was going to be a primary school teacher specialising in art education, somehow over the last 20 years I’ve drawn less and less. I guess this is going to force me to draw more! I also have a bit of upskilling to do in terms of my digital image manipulation, so I can begin designing fabrics for digital printing as well. But in the meantime, I’m looking forward to rekindling my teenage love of printmaking.

All this brings me to the first fabric of the week for 2014 – my own design, Ti Kouka me Harakeke, screen printed onto calico or upcycled heavy white drill, in chocolate brown or dark green. Products you can have made from this are:

Simple calico tote, Height: 40cm, Width: 35 cm – $25
Market bag, white cotton drill, reinforced flat bottom, Height: 35 cm Width: 33 cm Depth: 10cm – $40
Small piped cushion, calico, with vintage button closure on back, Height: 35 cm, Width: 35 cm – $60
Lampshade, calico, design printed multiple times around circumference, Diameter: 30cm, Height: 27 – $90

Here’s what it looks like made up as a cushion.

Posted on 8 November, 20138 November, 2013 by Elisabeth

Fabric of the week – it’s back

Hello!

I’ve been busy catching up on all sorts of things, and I’ve been meaning to post all week, but here I am, just managing to get to it at the end of the week.

I’ve got a few markets coming up over the coming weeks, and seeing as it’s Christmas and all next month, I thought it would be nice to make a few toys. So this week I’ll be cracking out the polar fleece.

It's a pile of polar fleece! — It’s a pile of polar fleece!

Ok, so it doesn’t look to fancy like that, but remember these guys: Continue reading Fabric of the week – it’s back

Posted on 5 October, 2013 by Elisabeth

A little hiatus

Hello folks.

I’ve decided that as I’m still trying to get caught up on my making from the last fabrics of the weeks, I’m going to take a little hiatus this week. I think it’s better that I do that, than try to push myself madly and end up getting run down again.

In the meantime, here’s something else I’ve worked on recently…

It’s WoW season at the moment – a big event in the Wellington cultural calendar. Entries are received from all over the world for the extravaganza, and many tourists from around New Zealand, Australia and further abroad too. The retail sector in Wellington has a bit of fun with these type of events, and many stores will have fantastically decorated windows as part of the festivities. We do this sort of thing for major movie premieres too.

This year it was my turn to do the WoW window at Made it. I’ve had an idea floating around in my head for a year or so for this, so it was pretty satisfying to turn it into reality.

Detail view of the bodice on our WoW window dress. It is black, and features external boning made from umbrella ribs. — Dress for the weather

Wellington has a bit of a reputation for being a windy city (you can say that either way – wind speeds of 100+km/hr aren’t that uncommon, plus all the hills make our streets rather sinuous). You can always spot the newcomers on a rainy day – they’re the ones trying to wrestle with an umbrella. My record for having one turn itself inside out and collapse was half a block. (I did take it back because I figured that was ridiculous!)

City bustle

I liked the idea of doing a representation of that in a wearable garment. This dress incorporates the ribs both in the external bodice boning and in the bustle, which is shaped like a collapsing umbrella (literally – I cut the fabric using an umbrella as the pattern).

Front view of the dress — Umbrella ribs form the boning – with a nod to architectural styling from the 1920s

The underside of the bustle, showing the umbrella ribs supporting it. — The bustle is also supported by umbrella ribs. I’ve certainly seen many umbrellas that resemble this after a typical Wellington gust.

I had lots of fun making this. It probably took about a day of work all up, and there was lots of problem solving along the way, especially in attaching the ribs so that they would wrap around the bodice and support the bustle. I had to temporarily wire them in place while I made the overskirt and stitched it in place.

When I was buying the materials, I chanced across some spools of vintage sequins, so they spill over the umbrella like raindrops (totally on-brand raindrops, as they match our brand colours for the shop).

Full length view of the dress. — This is what it looks like from the front.

Have you had a chance to check out some of the other windows around Wellington? If so, which is your favourite? I think my favourite is the dress made from broken sunglasses at Sunglass Style (number 22 on the map, and just around the corner from us). And if you got to go to WoW, what did you think of it? I’ve never made it yet – I really must get myself organised next year!

Posted on 28 September, 201328 September, 2013 by Elisabeth

Fabric of the Week: Sweet Diamonds

I’m sorry I’m a day late this week: we had a night out with friends yesterday, that turned into a very late night after a little incident with a parking building that changed its night time access…

I’m going simple this week. I’ve always loved this print in pink and orange diamonds, with a sweet floral detail. For some reason it reminds me of old-fashioned wallpaper, and at the same time Roald Dahl books. I think it is somewhat reminiscent of the Quentin Blake illustrations.

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I’ve had this fabric for a while, and I have made some notebooks and wallets from it in the past. I have just enough left of it for a lampshade, and maybe if I’m parsimonious with my cutting a coin purse too.

I know that’s not a lot, but I came down with a virus a fortnight ago that really knocked me around. I don’t think I’ve ever taken as much Ventolin before as I had to this time (plus I was on other meds too). I ended up having to cancel two fairs last weekend as I was just too ill to leave the house. I also didn’t get much sewing done in that time, so I’ve got a bit to catch up on from the last two fabrics of the week as well.

PS It was really lovely to log in and see that so many of you had checked in since yesterday. Thank you!

Posted on 20 September, 2013 by Elisabeth

Fabric of the Week: Plaid about you!

Ok, so I don’t know what this fabric is really called, but it’s been a firm favourite anytime I’ve made anything from it.

Next week, I’ll be cutting from this charming fabric.

Well, obviously I won't be cutting into the satchel, but I do have more fabric and am itching to cut into that. — Well, obviously I won’t be cutting into the satchel, but I do have more fabric and am itching to cut into that.

Here’s a couple of other ideas of what I can make from it…

Money (or card, if that's how you roll) pouch — Money (or card, if that’s how you roll) pouch.

Paper journals. Proving themselves useful for note taking since almost forever.

What would you like to see me make from this?

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As I’ve been sick all this week, I haven’t had a chance to set up that online shop yet that will let you order in advance with a bit of a lovely discount. However, as always, you can send me a message using my contact form to let me know what you’d like. Make sure you do so by Monday lunchtime though, so that I’ve got you on my pre-order list for cutting out.

Posted on 13 September, 201313 September, 2013 by Elisabeth

Fabric of the Week: Spade Damask

Hello! This is a little exciting – it’s time for my first Fabric of the Week announcement.

This week I’ll be working with a fabric I picked up on a Wellington Sewing Bloggers fabric buying roadie – after High Tea in Palmerston North we headed to the massive Arthur Toye store there, and this caught my eye.

The fabric is Spade Damask from the Ginseng range by Joel Dewsberry. It’s a cotton sateen, perfect for home décor such as lampshades and cushions. It will also make lovely tote bags and coin purses. I’ve got around two metres of this fabric, and I’ll be cutting into it on Monday. If you’d like to order something for yourself from this fabric, let me know by Monday lunchtime and I’ll give you a discounted price. I don’t have my new online shop set up yet, but you can let me know what you want by sending me a message.

While you think about what you’d like, here’s a picture of a lampshade I made from this a few weeks ago, and currently available at Made it.

12" Lampshade — 12″ Lampshade – $90, available at Made it