Thursday 18 April 2013

Yet More Embroidered Jumpers!

Fairy princess embroidered jumper
Yet again I have to apologise for the title - it isn't "Yet More Embroidered Jumpers" - it's "Yet More Embroidered Jumper".  

I think it's becoming a bit of a thing!  I now have a little stock of jumpers waiting to be upcycled & embroidered with some strange & wonderful(?) phrase.  

The cycle begins like this, first scour the charity shops for suitable candidates (in jumper terms that is - I like to buy pure wool ones in nice colours - which generally, for me, means anything that isn't brown), then await inspiration in terms of a phrase (this can be immediate or very slow - write them down when you think of them - then you'll have some to choose from.)  Next, plan out how the phrasing will look - capitals, joined up writing, one line, several lines, any additional details etc., draft it out exactly as you want it to appear on the jumper and get going!

I have just completed a lovely pink sparkly one with "fairy princess" on.   .... And no, it wasn't for a littley, it's with a large pinch of irony for a teenager.  Don't know what everyone else thinks but it's certainly keeping us entertained.  Although the next one in the pipeline probably rates as an "in joke" so I'm not sure whether it'll ever see the light of day.  Watch this space ...


Quick comment on this jumper - I won't be using the sparkly pink thread again - it made it very hard to thread the needle and from time to time the thread itself, which is like a continuous chain stitch, just all came undone and had to be finished off quickly to stop it affecting what I'd already done.  

If you'd like to know how to do these jumpers in more detail leave a comment.  They're a fun way to spend a few hours and you can wear them afterwards.

You might like to take a look at my other embroidered jumper blogs:

http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/more-embroidered-jumpers.html

http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/happy-new-year-with-embroidered-jumpers.html

Sunday 14 April 2013

People & Places - New Range of Brooches & Rings Now Available on Folksy

Last year I went to Iceland - you may have seen my blog about it:
http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/icelandic-fish-leather.html 


People & Places Brooch & Vintage Map Pouch
It was a fabulous trip.  And with it's faults, volcanoes and plate boundaries (getting a bit more technical here!) it rekindled my love of geography.  That inspired me to get thinking about maps and then the people who inhabit those places and the things they do.  Inspiration for my new people & places range was born!





So - I have now finished planning & testing and have a new set of people & places brooches and rings - you won't find any two the same!  They had their first outing at the Selvedge Spring Fair in Chelsea where they excited alot of interest and there are now some available in my Folksy shop.
http://folksy.com/shops/SallyStone 


People & Places Brooch - Lady Shopping in Whitby


They involve a certain amount of recycling and upcycling as they use vintage maps and in the case of the brooches, bottle tops.  Each item comes in it's own vintage map pouch.  Usually the pouch relates to the same general area as the map included in the brooch or ring. 






Vintage Map Pouch for People & Places Brooch
 
Some of the maps needed patching as they were quite old and worn.  But this provided another possibility - adding a different geography to a place.  Suddenly an area of heath might appear in a forest - and I liked that idea.  So some of the map pouches are patched.









People & Places Ring




The rings have people in too - often seated - it gets very wearing standing up all the time - especially if you're chatting to a friend or reading the paper!





 

Pop over to Folksy and take a look!
http://folksy.com/shops/SallyStone

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Wool House - Somerset House


Yarn & Needles
After exhibiting at the Selvedge Spring Fair (or visiting for that matter) what better way to relax than to visit the Wool House - a transformation of the West Wing of Somerset House into a showcase for wool presented by the Campaign for Wool.  (Several Selvedgees were spotted there!)


Amy Sommerville's Mammoth Chair


Hooked, as I walked through the door, by the balls of yarn on the table, I had not yet seen the greater delights on view.  But feeling a little tired I relaxed in Amy Sommerville's Mammoth Chair & could have fallen asleep but for the polite but obvious queue to also try it out. 






Hats by Barbara Keal


The hats by Barbara Keal were quite something although I'm not sure I'd like to have bumped into their owners!







Hummingbird Wallhanging designed by Alexander McQueen

There was an impressive Hummingbird wallhanging designed by Alexander McQueen.




 

But one of my favourite pieces was Claudy Jongstra's Composition Blue & Composition Yellow (and the chairs were cool too and very comfy!)






Infinity by Zuzunaga



The runner lining the corridor was designed by Zuzunaga and was called Infinity and looked like a pixellated image - very effective!







 
Damson & Slate Moodboard
Damson & Slate Moodboard

There were some interesting moodboards put together by Damson & Slate

There were also 7 designer rooms. My three favourites were the Modern Room by Anne Kyyro-Quinn, the Nursery by Donna Wilson, & the Bedroom by Kit Kemp.


Curved Laine, 3D Acoustic Panel & Cushions by Anne Kyyro-Quinn

Donna Wilson Nursery

Pippa Caley Headboard in Kit Kemp Bedroom

For more info check out the websites:
http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/wool-house

http://www.campaignforwool.org/wool-house/