Where has the week gone?…

March 8, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

I was thinking in the shower this morning (as you do) and asked myself, “what have I made this week?” It’s Thursday already and, unlike most weeks I haven’t made anything at all. But I have been busy in other ways, honest.

I started the week by posting my details on the lovely on-line magazinefrombritainwithlove’s directory, oh yes and the course notes from my first lampshade workshop were published, very excited about all that.

What else? Well, after the success of the first one, we have booked a date for the next workshop with Arts and Laughs (12th May, in Maidenhead, Berkshire), looking forward to it already.

I’ve been busy listing my machine-embroidered tea-towels on etsy and sold two of them to a friend and my ‘nice cup of tea’ cards seem to be popular too so I’m thinking about getting some printed.

So you see, not much making going on this week. But, I have just finished screen-printing my windmill pattern in turquoise for a lampshade order and I now I’m going to make a ‘nice cup of tea’ card and possibly start on my first wedding picture commission, phew! I’m pretty good at multi-tasking and it’s a good job I like being busy!

So it’s Thursday and have I met my objectives yet this week? Well, I’ve certainly met some of them but I really wanted to start making another hand-stitched empire lampshade, ah well, there’s always tomorrow, (where has the week gone to?!…)

Screen-printing gilhoolie windmill — See, I have done something!

Textile Design

One year on…

January 30, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

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?…

Deep breath…yes, I’m screenprinting!

January 9, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

Screenprinted gilhoolie patterns for lampshades — Screen-printed gilhoolie patterns for lampshades

I’ve had a very productive morning, printing strips of fabric to make into lampshades. These are for a gallery in Leeds called The Bowery who asked me to supply them with some of my handmade lampshades. I’m really excited about this opportunity to see some of my lampshades and gilhoolie patterns in a gallery. I decided to go for a deep pink for the tulips, a dusky purple for the butterflies and a bright turquoise for the windmills. The only problem is I never seem to be able to screen-print without holding my breath in case I mess up! I’m sure there must be some breathing techniques I should practice… All done now, just the lampshades themselves to make. And breathe….

Interior Design · Sewing projects · Soft Furnishings

A quick update…

September 20, 2011February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

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…

Busy, busy!

Interior Design · Soft Furnishings

A new toy…

August 23, 2011February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

Well, writing a business plan is going okay but I’m taking a break from Excel spreadsheets (reminds me too much of my old job!) to play with a new toy – a proper camera!

Thank you Neil and Angela for putting us up in your lovely new house last week and for giving me your old Canon digital camera. I really, really appreciate it and will try to repay you by sending interior design ideas for all those big rooms whenever I see any!

I’ve taken a few pictures of my tulip lampshade to see if I can make it look any better. Yes, I’ve got lots to learn; I’m not sure I’ve got the hang of focusing on the right part of the picture (not a good start!) I really should read the instructions beforehand but I wanted to have a play. Come on, they’ve got to look better than the old ones, surely?! I also need to practice setting up shots to make things look more professional but I’m sure when I have several lampshades set up in different designs and colours they’ll look ten times better.

I bought a frame today to display a sample of of my first printed tulip fabric so that I can look back and remember where it all started:

And here’s a gilhoolie label close up, can you see it now?! Oh yeh, and here’s my lampshade of course. Now I’m off to finish working out costings for lampshades, tea-towels and beanbags, oh and to read that camera manual…or maybe just play a bit more first… P.S. Did anyone spot the difference in the header on my blog?

Interior Design · Soft Furnishings

It’s oh so quiet…

August 10, 2011February 8, 2025 Julie Gardner2 Comments

Quiet in terms of posting on here but not so still as the boys are on summer holidays for six and a half weeks! However, I have moved on a lot since school broke up – I collected my A4 screens, practiced printing fabric and even made a lampshade with it today – yippee!! I’ve been so excited I haven’t been sleeping well, but hopefully I can sleep soundly tonight now that I have a gilhoolie tulip lampshade sitting pretty in our front room.

Here’s what I did (I’m making an effort to give you more detail this time as I can’t blog as much right now and people have been asking what it all involves).

I changed the old gilhoolie tulip design as I decided it was too complicated and I wanted something a lot less fussy. I’m still planning to print with the butterfly and windmill designs but this is actually my favourite so far.

Here are the three silk screens I’m going to use to print with and the tulip fabric on my printing table (worked brilliantly, thank you James!) This is for our living room so I chose a coral colour to contrast with the duck egg blue walls (it was all looking a bit too blue and grey for my liking). I just need to find some small matching accessories to complete the scheme. Although I originally wanted to go for pastel shades I think the tulip and windmill patterns are more suited to bolder colours as the lines in the designs are quite fine. Lots to learn but the only way to come up with final designs I’m happy with is to experiment.

gilhoolie tulip lampshade 1 — gilhoolie tulip lampshade!

Then I used a strip of the fabric and a lampshade making kit and wham boom! (Bjork again) you have a gilhoolie tulip lampshade! That bit was easy really and the end result looks very professional so if you want to make your own lampshades give it a go.

I’m hoping to start printing and making lampshades, tea-towels and beanbags with screen-printed pockets from September for a shopping evening at school so my next task is to put together a business plan, how hard can it be?! Arrghh!

Artwork

gilhoolie first prints

July 18, 2011February 8, 2025 Julie Gardner1 Comment

Even though my workshop isn’t set up yet I decided to have a go at printing last week (I say workshop, it’s just our utility room really, maybe one day I’ll have a workshop in the garden that I can potter in all day – it’s good to have a dream!) It was all a bit make-shift and experimental but at least I’ve had my first attempt now. I’m a bit restricted on colours with my starter set of inks but I plan to order more soon so that I can mix my own (once again I’m trying to be patient, not very good at that!)

I definitely need to practice before I can put them onto a lampshade but it’s a start and these ones might look nice as a pocket on a beanbag perhaps? Feedback from friends is that the windmill design is the most popular so I may just stick to that in the beginning; I’m learning it’s best to take small steps at this stage but it’s easy to get carried away.

Nearly there, I just need to get a bigger piece of worktop so that I can do more than one print at a time…

gilhoolie first prints 2 — gilhoolie first prints (at last!)

Artwork

Decisions, decisions…

June 27, 2011February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

I only have three silk screens, so I need to decide which three of my designs to start printing onto fabric. It’s not easy! To help me make a decision, I’ve been using CorelDraw to add my designs to some pictures of lampshades and my Moroccan pouffe. It helps me to visualise how they will look and how to scale the pattern repeat.

I think I’m going to go for these three: gilhoolie butterfly, tulip and windmill…. but don’t hold me to it; I keep changing my mind!

I might start by making a lampshade for our new front room (I know I said I’d start with tea-towels but hey, I’m multi-tasking!)

Decorating is ongoing but nearly there; just shelves to build and wallpaper to put up. Watch out for the photographs soon!

Interior Design · Soft Furnishings

First gilhoolie designs

May 23, 2011February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

I’m really keen to make lampshades out of my designs but decided to start more simply by printing tea-towels. I spent a day last week on the computer drawing up the designs that have sat in my sketchbook for the last few months and ended up with quite a few basic repeat patterns I’m happy with.

Here are a couple of images of my favourite tea-towel designs. Luckily, I can buy them already made and will just need to sew on the gilhoolie logo. This is the blue colourway but they will also be printed in a dusky pink and powder green. Hopefully they’ll go with most kitchen designs and look as good printed on fabric as they do on a computer screen!

Creative Courses

Screenprinting at London Printworks Trust – one step closer…

March 1, 2011February 8, 2025 Julie Gardner3 Comments

I attended a 5 day screen printing course last week at the London Printworks Trust in Brixton (an experience in itself, including Electric Avenue!) We were taught by Dawn Dupree who is a textile artist exhibiting in the UK and Internationally (http://www.dawndupree.com).

I learnt various techniques I’d never heard of including foils and flocking but my favourite was just straight forward screenprinting onto fabric or paper. I finished the week by printing one of my geometric designs in different bright colours on cotton fabric and made them into tea-towels on my sewing machine yesterday. Not brilliant but it’s a start and one step closer to making my own fabric. I just have to find a workshop I can use or set one up at home now!

Screenprinted tea-towels — My screenprinted tea-towels