Archive for Crafting
My new Kate Davies owl jumper (in progress)
New Year, new blog post? Well, after a smidge of blog fatigue, I thought I’d slink back into the blogosphere and hedge my bets for a few months.
I do often wonder whether owls and pears are really worth getting stressed about (no; OK, sometimes), especially after I started reading my (amazing) sister’s (amazing) blog.
However, in the interest of maintaining my reputation for focusing on the frivolous things in life, while my sister (the gorgeous lady above) gets on with the serious stuff, here’s a blog post all about my new jumper.
Yuhuh. A jumper. It IS cold at the moment.
So some of you may remember a blog post way back when, all about a pattern for an owl jumper by Kate Davies.
Photo © Kate Davies
Well it’s in the process of being knitted for me right now (thanks aunty Gilly). I’m feeling pretty lucky tbh and I can’t wait to wear it: the project has been a long time in the making, right from sourcing the special wool and needles from my local knitting emporium (if any of you live in Surrey and like knitting, you NEED to visit The Knit Club), to finding the mini dolly button eyes (mother of pearl, if you’re interested).
Here’s what it looked like the week before last:
Then it grew a bit:
I’m getting very excited about seeing the finished product. But I think I might need a new skirt to go with it (hope my mum is not reading this, I can just see her eyes rolling). Does anyone have any suggestions about what would look good? I’m thinking pencil.
Before I forget, has anyone knitted these Tanya Antonova owl wrist warmers from the Christmas 2012 edition of Mollie Makes? They’d match pretty well methinks, and if I manage to learn anything from my forthcoming knitting class chez The Knit Club, I might just give them a whirl.
Anyway, I’ll keep you posted with any hot-off-the-press owl jumper-related news.
And a big thanks must go to Gail for a mahoosive kick up the behind: this blog post most probably wouldn’t have appeared otherwise. Which would have been a shame, because then I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to mention her lushalicious blog Bake, Make, Rake.
Owls by Little Blue Elephant
There are days when I long for something a little more whimsical, more light-hearted, more comforting than terrible twosome tantrums and online bank statements. This is when owl cushions such as these come into their own.
Little Blue Elephant is the brainchild of Nina Mistry-Rhoades and as the company name might suggest, has a more dominant line in four-legged elephantine friends. However, Nina’s owls are equally covetable: as she explains in her own words: “my elephants are very graphic and simple and the owl shapes are the same, very stylised.”
This back-to-basic line of design is just what I need amidst the maelstrom of colour and pattern that seems to adorn most owl-related items in the shops at the moment. Nina instead focuses on ”textile design, from florals to repeat patterns. But my work really leans towards a childrens palette of geometric patterns and bold colours.
I like the simplicity.”
Nina is inspired by “modern fabric designers and colours. I love Cloud9 fabrics, Lecien dots and little ditsy floral designs. In fact I like most things that are bright and colourful.” Yet the patterns and colourways featured in the owls illustrated here reflect her interest in current design, and also hint at a deep appreciation of more retro/vintage combinations of fabrics and motifs.
I was not surprised to learn that Nina honed her creative skills studying textile design at university before pursuing a career at a leading UK card company. However, her frustration with briefing designers rather than getting stuck into the actual work herself, followed by the arrival of children, meant that it was evening classes in dressmaking that finally unlocked her artistic confidence.
Quite frankly, I know I can harp on about owl eyes, but anyone who can make the most of an owl’s derriere in such a stylish manner deserves much applause and acclaim. And here’s hoping that Nina’s plans to design her own “nursery range, from bedding to wallpapers and not forgetting, cuddly toys” comes to fruition quickly and successfully.
I’ll keep you posted with any Little Blue Elephant updates here and on Twitter. But in the meantime, you can seek out Nina’s creations via her Folksy shop here, and her Facebook page here. And don’t forget to check out her latest designs on Flickr, follow her on Twitter or read her blog for more background information on how she sources her materials and where she draws her inspiration from.
Roddy & Ginger owls
This blog post is for my good friend Lila, who always tells it as it is, and is one of the greatest owl aficionados out there. It’s been a while since the last blog post, but in the hope that owls (and pears) are still of interest, may I introduce you to Roddy & Ginger – purveyors of some of the finest owl goods this side of the Atlantic.
Virginia Armstrong is the freelance graphic artist and textile designer behind these beauteous owl items, and her stylishly retro website, blog and Etsy shop are testament to the charming allure of her vintage design ethic.
Her bags and individual prints, not to mention various home ware items and accessories, are hand printed on linen and cotton, using water-based dyes. The result is a return to retro owlishness of the seventies, with a modern twist – the daffodil/mustard owl illustrated above is a bestseller, and would look just as good on an Ercol couch as a good old (new) JL sofa.
Veronica explained to me how she “created the double owl motif about five years ago as a design for a little boys’ t-shirt and then used it as my logo because it just seemed to suit the name. Since then owls have become really popular – as you know! The roddy the owl cushion [see above and below] I introduced just last year by popular demand, I was always being asked for an owl cushion, and it has proved very successful.”
The owl cushion also comes in a turquoise print (above), with the same very slightly faded effect and wondrous eyes framed on an elegant ecru linen background. And for those occasions when you need to take your owl out of the house, there’s a printed pencil case too. This would have made maths lessons just a tad more bearable…
And Lila, just to reassure you and any other non-UK residents, Roddy & Ginger are very happy to ship worldwide from their online shop, or etsy store - huzzah. Click here for details.
Keep your eyes peeled for any future owl designs from Roddy & Ginger (and the log pile wallpaper she has in the pipeline), but in the meantime, feast your eyes on Veronica’s perfect pomegranate linen cushion – same colourway; another distinctive design.
Sharon Blackman owls (and pears)
Take one owl, add a bit of vintage loveliness, throw in some retro fabrics, the odd bit of orange detail (it’s all about the eyes!), and a smidge of a button. The result? A Sharon Blackman owl.
Using recycled textiles, delicate buttons and clever applique techniques to create unique textiles and folkart pictures, Sharon is on to a winner. In a world of ever-increasing digitally reproduced owls, it’s exceedingly refreshing to appreciate a hand-finished beauty, such as this night owl…
… and not to mention this Liberty-esque version.
Sharon loves the softness of washed-out colours and simple embroidery stitches, which you can see in the fabrics she has chosen for every owl, and in her beautiful, intricate detailing. And because she only ever uses her own patterns, there is a pleasing simplicity of shape to each work of art.
Inspired by what she calls “everyday blessings – things around the home and garden such as flowers, food and family” as well as “seaside pictures and anything French”, Sharon has redefined the owl aesthetic in my books. I can imagine a series of these owls framed and hanging on the wall of a traditional French kitchen, and finding them equally at home in an urban contemporary setting.
To top it all off, there are pears too. And these are just divine: I am swooning with the perfect colours, pattern combo and cutaway section. I’m thinking wallpaper, blinds, cushion covers…
Check out Sharon’s blog here, her Etsy shop here, and/or follow her on Twitter (@SharonBlackman) to keep up-to-date with her latest creations.
Marimekko pear quilt
This quilt leaves me lost for words. I simply cannot imagine anything nicer to spread over a pram for an Autumn stroll, or tuck around your knees as you curl up with a good book and a steaming mug of green tea at the end of a long day. The spectacularly poised Marimekko print, the stitch-perfect quilting and equally delectable backing simply could not fail to lift your spirits.
You can see in the sun-dappled photo above that smckey has mastered the art of marrying a traditional craft with twentieth century Scandinavian design, the ultimate in attention to detail and twenty-first century beauty too. You can visit her Etsy shop here for even more examples of quilting heaven (I love Confetti Parade) or take a peek at her blog for an insight into quilting, crafts, and the meaning of life. Phew, finally someone’s come up with an answer to that conundrum.
Getting back to the pear print (which is stipple quilted in green and white on one hundred per cent cotton fabric), you might be interested to know a bit more about the backing fabric – it is “willow orchard” by Alexander Henry. And for more patterns from this particular designer studio, check out a recent (ish) Print & Pattern post here.
The quilt itself is 54″ x 32″, you can machine wash and dry it, it’s utterly unique, it can be posted to your door, and … what else? Well, don’t get me started on how I’d love to redecorate my quasi-study with this quilt hanging on the brick wall above a retro desk and an Eames chair in matching green or contrasting mustard (the one below is from John Lewis).
Owl Plushies from Lori Nichols + Night Owl Paper Goods
Cripes, this plushie owl is unbelievably covetable. It was made as a one-of-a-kind piece of art for Night Owl Paper Goods (@nightowlpaper) from washed, pre-loved woollen jumpers, and upcycled wood and letterpress odds and sods from the NOPG workshop. What a fantastic way to prepare for Halloween, and use up leftovers in a crafty kind-of-a-way at the same time.
Lori Nichols has handmade many of these owls, and yet each one is unique. She’ll even custom make them for you from extra special jumpers of your own. Who doesn’t have a stash of slightly moth-nibbled but still beautiful sweaters in the wings? Time to hand them over in return for soft, squashy owls.
As you may have noticed, I have a real thing about owl eyes (I can be discerning when it comes to chocolate eclairs, washing powder and good owl eyes). So I was just stunned to discover that these peekers are made from acorns. Yes! Acorns! Look at them again – they are outrageously cute.
Lori has an Etsy shop of her own here, or you can buy the above two plushies (or very similar ones) from the Night Owl Paper Goods website here, which, incidentally, is a truly marvellous institution, combining handmade letterpress stationery and eco-chic “wooden goodies” with all manner of owlish delights. Good browsing for the forthcoming festive season, methinks….
Some thoughts on owls and knitting
The whole knitting frenzy has passed me by, and I am gutted: I really wish I could knit and pearl and increase or decrease without inexplicably large holes appearing and then mutating so that I have to throw the whole thing in a heap and put the kettle on. Perhaps if I had some of these lego owl stitch markers, things would be different? While catching up on the latest blog post from The Bothered Owl, I found the above beauties in their Folksy shop and set about researching a few owl-related knitting ideas.
For example, there are some wonderful knitters out there, creating true owl delights. Like Kate Davies. Her blog Needled combines a love of The Archers (woman after my own heart), knitting, writing and hill walking. I’m going to skip the hill walking bit for now, and move straight on to these delicate and intrinsically beautiful knitted owl jumpers for babies and adults. I mean seriously, this is just too gorgeous:
Once you’ve finished reading Kate’s inpirational text, you can buy these patterns for yourself by scrolling about half way down the ‘Designs’ page of her blog (‘Owlet’ for babies aged six months to twelve years; ‘Owl’ for adults) and get knitting straight away. They’re only a couple of pounds each, so all you need is a PayPal account, some wool, stitch markers (for the purpose of this blog post) and the ability to knit. I shall be relying heavily on my aunty Gilly for the latter.
