Life is all about paper at the mo......

The new brief.  I was given this image.

Extract a colour palette of 6 or 8 colours from given image. This is my final palette.

Look at spring/summer trends for 2014 on WGSN. Make a life size slip shift paper dress based on one or more of the S/S 2014 trends on WGSN and use your colour palette.

Inspiration design from WGSN. This image is called "Botanical Floral" by Illustrator Lyndsay Carr. This is the trend I have chosen as a starting point for my paper dress.

So I have been researching botanical images and Victorian botanical artist. I have attempted to sketche some of the images I have printed out, in my sketch book.   Trying to get a feel of the flowers that I am thinking of using in my final design.

Some of the botanical images have birds or insects in, which I really liked so I added a humming bird to my attempt at drawing some trailing fuchsia.

Lots of designs later and this is the one I am going to go with. You can't see from the image but the two large fuchsia flowers are cut out and stuck back onto the paper with 3D foam pads. All the flowers will be 3 dimensional on the life size dress. I have just over  a week to make the paper dress. I truly hope it is not raining or windy, the day I have to transport my paper dress to uni because that will not be good.

Paper paper everywhere.......

Recycled paper and tea leaves.

Papers hanging to dry on a kitchen cupboard.

More papers drying tide between the legs of the two tables in my sewing room

Three impatiently dried with the iron and cut to size finished pieces.

Today has been a very messy busy day making homemade paper for the new brief in uni. The brief is to make a minimum of 36 different handmade papers each one measuring A5.  Today I have used recycled photo copy paper, envelopes, two boiled bananas and a handful of boiled red onion skins. I sprinkled a couple of the plain recycled paper sheets with tea leaves and another with dried Rosemary herb. I managed to make about 25 sheets of paper that now hang all over the flat in an attempt to dry out. However, I was rather impatient and tried to dry a few of the papers by sandwiching them between sheets of paper and ironing them dry. This was not the greatest idea and I decided to let the rest dry naturally.  The dead line for this brief is the 28 November but it is a bit of a time consuming task so I must organise my self and set aside a good few hours every couple of days to enable me to complete the brief. The next batch of papers will be made from celery, pomegranate, and sweet potato.

Michaela's a little doll

Michaela effigy is finished, well almost, she is missing her boots and her scissor. Hopefully her scissors will be here tomorrow but her boots are not due to arrive till next week.  Michaela came today to do my hair and she thinks her effigy doll is boss. Here is a picture of Michaela's kit that she takes with her when doing peoples hair next to her little effigy kit. I am so glad she liked it and once it has been assessed at the end of the year I am sure it will take pride of place on her work station at home.

A postcard, an effigy and a rainbow.

Beautiful delicate fabric postcard from my friend Lin in France.

Effigy of my lovely daughter Michaela in her role as hair stylist. (notice the rollers in her hair)

A gorgeous rainbow over St James Church.

I received this amazing card from my friend Lin in France one day last week and I have been meaning to thank her.  However, time just raced by and I forgot until Lin asked me yesterday had I received her card, I felt really awful not thanking her as they are a special thing to receive.  Once again my apologises Lin. The truth is that lately there are never enough hours in the day for me as I have so much to do.  It can be quite overwhelming that there are occassion when I can't do anything because I mentaly shut down. The past few days I have been working on a new effigy for Uni this time round I chose to make one based on my lovely daughter Michaela. I concentrated on her job as a hair dresser.  Last night I burnt the midnight oil and finished her overall and hair. Notice the hair rollers, these are made from a straw I obtained from subway.  Today I will decide weather or not to draw on a face or leave it blank.  Before I could start the overall I had to nip to Abakahn for doll stuffing and on the way home the heavens opened and the rain bounced off the floor. Luckily I did avoid getting wet and as I sat in my sewing room stuffing Michaela doll, the sun came out and two rainbows appeared over St James church which is the view from my sewing room. As you can see I only managed to capture one the other was rather faint but I asure you there where two. :)

Family, uni and postcards..

My life has become hectic and the weeks are just racing by. A couple of weeks ago I was at Sefton Park to cheer on my Daughter and Grandson as they did the "Splash Dash" and raised £100 for Claires House. So very proud of them both.  I was keeping on top of my Uni homework and all was going well until I was knocked of my feet with a horrible cold and I am now playing catch up on everything.  I have had very little time left to sew but each week I send my neice Paige a poscard.  They are not always fabric homemade cards but this weeks one was, I made her this little owl.  I showed it to Colin who said it looks like ET and he has eaten Ready Brek? I didn't have a clue what he was talking about until he held the card up to the light and the yellow fabric becomes a transparent glow leaving the under body and the heart shape face of the owl making him look like ET who has had his Ready Brek.  I am sure some of you will remeber the advert for Ready Brek porridge.