Today I made my biggest lampshade so far, for an order through Folksy. It was made using Heather Bailey fabric Hello Roses which I’ve used before to make small lampshades. This was quite a challenge due to the size. I won’t bore you too much but it involved two seams, matching the pattern and trying to center the roses on the lampshade (now I know why we study maths at school!) Now it’s complete and looking lovely I’m pretty pleased, shame it’s a bit too early for a glass of celebratory wine!
It’ll be off in the post later today to Philippa in Sussex…
Yesterday was a bit of an admin day for me as it was the first day back at school and a chance to get my head round things again. Now I can start to work through my gilhoolie to do list (there’s lots on it after a week off!) Today I have been busy getting ready for my first lampshade workshop on Saturday – instructions – check, equipment – check, lampshade kits – check. Looking forward to it, I might even make some cakes to take along; it was so nice when our tutor brought homemade cookies to the lampshade workshop at Homemade London, nothing like the personal touch!
I have also been finishing off some drawings for an art gallery in Romford, Essex. These are all now on my Folksy and Etsy shops and I’m going to stock some for future events. Sorry about the light reflecting on the cellophane but I just neatly packaged them all and didn’t want to get them out again to take the photos.
Oh yes, and while I’m here I thought I’d put this personalised house portrait on my blog. It was commissioned by a lady called Gemma in Birmingham, as a present to her fiancee for their ten year anniversary – ahhh, this was really special to do. It’s the first one I’ve drawn from someone else’ photos and came out really well.
If the weather cheers up this week I’m going to take some photos of wedding venues near here and do some drawings, oh and there’s a building down my road I MUST draw… So lots to do, I really should get ready for the events I’ve got coming up though. I think tomorrow I will be mostly machine embroidering a pile of tea-towels!
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!
I have finally set up my gilhoolie shop on folksy! HOORAY!
You’ll find a few gilhoolie things on there so far but I’m still working on adding some more including my bags, bunting and the rest of my lampshades. So please come back in a week or so and have another look (don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll put another update on here anyway to remind you!)
Just thought I should put a quick update on gilhoolie as I haven’t blogged for ages, I’m still here! The last couple of weeks have been spent doing lots of screen-printing (some prints more successful than others, arghhh) as well as lots of behind the scenes preparation for getting started on selling things. I’m hoping to have a stall at a shopping evening at school next month so I’ve been concentrating on that by putting together some marketing materials and thinking about how to display everything. I also want to start selling on-line on folksy before then, so I’ve been writing a biography to set up a gilhoolie shop. So you see I have been quite busy really!
I’ve made some lampshades from my own designs (shown below) but also just ordered some pretty fabric to make some more. I’ve decided to not just make things exclusively from my own hand-printed fabric but instead to experiment with any other fabric that catches my eye. I’ve also ordered more denim fabric for making beanbags and bags. The designs will be made to order with a choice of fabrics for bag linings, beanbag pockets, pouffes and accessories (buttons and bows on bags). I’m really looking forward to receiving the fabric I’ve ordered as I’ve missed sewing and I’m getting impatient to start selling soon!
I’ll let you know as soon as my folksy shop is set up, watch this space…
