My drawings definitely have a seventies feel at the moment, like this one of some kitchen scales and a tea caddy I drew this afternoon. The tea caddy is actually drawn from my Orla Kiely one so I guess I’m drawn to that style, no surprises really. The fabric on the pot is another Cloud 9 design called The Banks – Pumpkin by Michelle Engel Bencsko. I’m not usually keen on orange but this fabric is great for small areas and for giving it that seventies vibe.
I’m going to try and machine embroider all my kitchen drawings onto tea-towels when I get time, but for now I’m happy working on ideas, makes a change from screen-printing and making lampshades!
I’m working on some pictures at the moment but still really like my retro teapot and cup and now it’s been featured on a blog called ‘Fresh on Folksy’! You can also find it in my Folksy shop of course, along with some other pieces.
My latest drawing is seventies inspired; I still remember our brown and orange floral sofa and matching curtains in our living room when I was growing up. The fabric is from Cloud 9’s Across The Pond collection designed by Michelle Engel Bencsko and is called Variegated Butterflies. Cloud 9 Fabrics say the collection is ‘a fab mix of art nouveau and 70’s mod all revolving around a gentle aquatic locale theme’. I think it goes well with the seventies coffee pot, it’s very me!
It’s nearly half term and, like most parents I’m looking forward to a break from the usual routine and a bit of a rest. The week before a school holiday is always a bit manic though, as if I won’t ever be able to do gilhoolie stuff again… (sounds like a nightmare to me!) But, don’t panic, I just realised I have lampshade courses or workshops over the next three weekends, phew!
The next two Sundays will be spent at Homemade London learning how to make a traditional style lampshade with Angela Constantinou from Cocoon Home. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and even the homework in between! It’s nearly a year since I learnt how to make my first drum lampshade and I’ve always wanted to know how the traditional ones are made – look out for updates on here, as long as my efforts are good enough, got to have pom poms for sure.
Then, on the 25th February I’m running my own lampshade workshop in Maidenhead with Arts & Laughs. I’m looking forward to that too, in a different way, and am prepared with instructions and a list of equipment. It’ll be really nice to show people how it’s done and have a chat, eat cake and drink tea. Oh yes, and the workshop is being featured by FromBritainWithLove, which is ‘an online magazine and directory dedicated to showcasing Britain’s most talented designers, craftspeople, producers and retailers’. How exciting, no pressure then! I’ll let you know how it goes…
I started making cards for something to do when I wasn’t so busy with lampshades etc. but things have picked up over the last week with quite a few orders and another art gallery wanting lampshades and pictures for their shop – argghhh more screen-printing to do tomorrow – surely I’ll be more relaxed about it this time?! Anyway, here are a couple of cards I made this week for friends, again with the gilhoolie retro circles print behind the cut outs. I’m really enjoying making them and have lots of other ideas plus I think I’ll have a go at making a more complicated paper cut picture maybe, when I have time.
I love Heather Moore’s ‘Flowers’ paper cut illustration, a bit complicated for me though; knowing me I’d cut the wrong bit and it would all fall apart! Note to self, start with something simpler and be VERY careful…
Flowers paper cut illustration by Heather Moore – wow!
It’s nearly a year since I stopped working in an office and started a journey to re-discover my creative side (which had been lost a LONG time ago apart from my Interior Design courses).
I remember sitting at my desk over the last few months, day dreaming about being a Textile Designer and making my own lampshades. I was inspired by a lady called Helen Rawlinson when I came across her blog one day. There was a picture of Helen in her studio, screen-printing her wonderful, simple designs and I thought “I want to do that!” I also told everyone I wanted to do that and I’m not sure they believed me. They definitely didn’t think I’d actually have a go at doing it.
One year on and I’m not really a textile designer but guess what? Today I went to look at the statistics of my gilhoolie shop on etsy. It’s brilliant, you can see how many visits you’ve had to each of your items and, more excitingly, who ‘favourites’ an item or your shop. Well, someone has liked my gilhoolie windmill lampshade, which is great, but then I realised they had also liked one of Helen Rawlinson’s lampshades! That made it all worth while, I think I might have to come up with another print design to add to the gilhoolie butterfly, tulip and windmill, hmmm what next?…
Sometimes, when I look at all the amazing creative work people post on the Internet I feel a bit overwhelmed, but other times I am incredibly inspired. Okay, so this is just a tea-towel idea but any inspiration is good I think. This time I was inspired by Charlotte Macey and her lovely machine embroidered textiles. I already have a load of tea-towels I was supposed to screen-print (it didn’t work, bit of a sore point) so I decided to have a go at stitching one of my pictures on one (my retro teapot and cup). It was a bit nerve-wracking as I haven’t done a lot of machine embroidery but great to dust off the sewing machine and have a go. I have to say, the end result was better than I expected. It’s a good job no-one was watching me though, I’m sure my head follows the needle as I sew, does anyone else do that I wonder?! Oh yes, and joined-up writing was a bit tricky, but don’t tell anyone…
gilhoolie lampshades - butterfly, tulip and windmill
My hand screen-printed lampshades are all ready to go to The Bowery in Leeds next weekend, each carefully wrapped in cellophane, don’t they look pretty?! These ones are all 30cm diameter pendant lampshades but they can be made in different sizes and for table lamps (and different colours too if you like). You can also buy them in my new Etsy shop – come and have a look!
I’ve been working on card ideas over the last week and am hoping to have a bundle ready to sell at the next craft fair. From what I’ve seen they’re always a hit and I thought it would be a good way to use my textile designs printed onto paper (plus I like making them!) They’re drawn in ink and then I’ve cut out parts of the picture to show my fabric designs behind – see my retro circles in blue on the mini and house and my tulips in purple on the handbag. These were really tricky to photograph so sorry they’re not that clear; they look lovely in person, honest. At the moment they’re A6 size but I’m thinking I like these square so that may be the way to go for the next ones. The only problem is I keep giving them away and might not have any left by the time I do another craft fair – oops!
I’ve just booked a place on a traditional lampshade making course at Homemade London, and I’m very excited! My Mum gave me some money for my (big) birthday this year and I’ve been looking for something to spend it on. I love this Liberty Lampshade made by Angela from Cocoon Home who runs the course and I’m hoping it will be something gilhoolie can offer in the future, with pretty fabric and pom poms!
I don’t know about you but I’m forever buying cards – there’s always a birthday, birth, new house, new job, so… I thought I’d have a go at making my own. This week, a friend of mine had her first baby and it was another friend’s birthday yesterday. So, there I was making cards rather than looking round the shops for the ‘right’ one. It’s got to mean more if it’s hand-made, well that’s what I think anyway. I hope they think so too. It’s a shame the photos don’t do them justice; I thought photographing stationery would be a doddle compared to lampshades and beanbags!
The birthday card is made using remnants from my screen-printing this week plus some Lotta Jansdotter fabric for the vase. I LOVE her designs so you may see more of them cropping up on here. It’s a shame her shop is in Brooklyn or I’d be right there! LOTS.
gilhoolie baby girl card
The baby card is for a close friend who had a beautiful baby girl this week, what a cute name! I used some vintage-style floral fabric I found in my local sewing shop. I thought it went with the old fashioned pram.
Update – I actually wrote this post two days ago and couldn’t publish it until I’d delivered the cards yesterday and I now have 2 more friends with babies – better make some more!! (What is it they say about waiting for a bus and then 3 come along, what a special week, congratulations all!)
