Category: Creative Courses

Creative Courses · Sewing projects

Streetly stitch? Never heard of it!…

Julie Gardner2 Comments

Well, I hadn’t until ten days ago. It’s a stitch used a lot in making hand-stitched lampshades and now I have finished making my first one, I can (almost) streetly stitch like a pro! I attended the second day of the bespoke lampshade course at Homemade London on Sunday and I have only just recovered. Not because of sore fingers this time though. It was really good fun again, but also quite intense trying to finish the lampshades and not make any mistakes along the way, I was exhausted by the end of the day. Thank goodness our lovely tutor Angela, was brilliant and calm as well as extremely knowledgeable about sewing and lampshades.

I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and will treasure my handmade lampshade (must find a suitable base to go with it now). It felt like we learnt a skill that’s becoming lost in the mass production of everything and I hope I can carry it on. I already have another frame ready to make another one so that I don’t forget how it’s done, you can never have too many lampshades!  Hopefully I’ll get a bit quicker this time, these lampshades definitely can’t be made in a hurry!

My pom pom lampshade
My pom pom lampshade
Creative Courses · Sewing projects

It’s good to learn something new…

Julie GardnerLeave a comment

Homemade LondonI had the best day yesterday on the first part of the bespoke lampshade course at Homemade London. It is being run by Angela Constantinou from Cocoon Home who is lovely; a brilliant teacher who is passionate about sewing and making lampshades.

I really had no idea how traditional lampshades were made but after reading the rest of the instructions on my way home on the train it is starting to become clear! All I can say is it can’t be done in a hurry, involves a lot of pins (and I mean a lot!) and can make your fingers sore but the end result is beautiful. I’m sure my fingers will get used to it, I definitely intend to make more in the near future. It’s funny because I always liked the simplicity of drum lampshades but I am being drawn towards the more old fashioned hand-stitched ones. I think it’s a lot to do with the skill and time that goes into making them but it’s also their pretty shape and pom pom trim that I’m hoping to learn how to attach next week!

Homemade London is lovely too, I’d recommend it to anyone wanting to learn a new skill, from bag-making and lingerie to signature scent creation, upholstery and chandelier making. We had a great time, the class was nice and small, everyone was very friendly and keen to learn. Angela even brought in homemade chocolate cookies and lunch was scrummy, as were the cream cakes in the afternoon – we did do a lot of making and didn’t just sit and eat all day, honest! Can’t wait for the second installment next Sunday…

Creative Courses

Three weekends of lampshades…

Julie GardnerLeave a comment
Lovely traditional lampshades
Lovely traditional lampshades

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…

Creative Courses

Lampshades with pom poms – thanks Mum!

Julie Gardner2 Comments

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!

Creative Courses

Ooh la lampshade!

Julie GardnerLeave a comment
Lampshade
My lampshade

I made a lampshade on a course at The Make Lounge last night. It was fun and I was really pleased with the result  but as usual I struggled to find a fabric I really liked so I’m even more keen to start designing and printing my own. I’d definitely recommend the Make Lounge even though it’s a bit of a trek (10 minutes walk from Highbury and Islington tube in North London). The shop is lovely too with lots of inspirational books if you like crafty things that is. Must buy a lottery ticket so that I can set up something similar round here…. in my dreams….

Creative Courses · Interior Design

Design for a Museum Cafe – the 1950s are very in you know!

Julie GardnerLeave a comment

At last, I finished my Interior Design project this week – a design for a museum cafe. The brief was to choose a furniture designer and a location for the museum and then design an interior incorporating their designs. I chose a married couple, Robin and Lucienne Day, who worked independently in different mediums from the 1950s. Robin was a furniture designer most famous for his polypropylene chairs (one of the first pieces of furniture to fully use the mass-manufacturing opportunities of injection moulding…) You probably sat on one at school and they are still produced today.

Robin Day's Polypropylene Chair
Robin Day's Polypropylene Chair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucienne Day designed fabrics for Heals and John Lewis, her most famous being one called Calyx which I used on the feature wall of my cafe design.

Calyx fabric
Calyx fabric by Lucienne Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple of boards I produced:

1. Perspective painting of the feature wall with comfortable seating by Robin Day

Museum cafe perspective
Museum cafe perspective

2. Sample board showing sofas, flooring and fabrics

Museum cafe sample board
Museum cafe sample board

While I was working on this design 1950s furniture and fabrics have become very popular. I’d love a Charles and Ray Eames chair for example, better get saving!

(available in various colours from John Lewis)

Charles and Ray Eames chair
Charles and Ray Eames chair

 

Creative Courses

Bespoke lampshade course at the Make Lounge

Julie Gardner2 Comments

I have booked an evening course at the Make Lounge in north London so that I can learn how to make my own lampshades. Really looking forward to this, it looks like a really cool place where you can learn lots of crafts from soap making to embroidery to quilting and cupcake decorating. Making magazine featured The Make Lounge in its inaugural issue, calling it a ‘haven for creative people and a craft trail blazer’. (November/December 2010). Someone really should set up a place like this in Berks/Bucks, if I won the lottery I would!

I’m really interested in making lampshades out of my own printed fabric designs so I’ll post how this goes with photos, watch this space!

Lampshade 

Make Lounge shop
The Make Lounge Shop