Paluma Prints

I love stumbling across new artists and products that I think are unique. I came across Paluma Print, a business based in Queensland. Still a young one, her blog documents her journey into small business and her life.

Her prints are mainly botanicals, and I love what she has done with them. Tea Towels, placemats and then she has made a range of bags out of them as well

Visit her blog and take a look at here lovely homewares!

Prints Charming

Doing a bit of a search to see how many Australian hand screen printed textile designers are out there, and I came across Prints Charming.

Ohh! some very nice bold prints (I love bold) that I would love to quilt with! They also have some lovely quilting kits which include material, batting and instructions.

Check out their blog and check out their web site and shop! nice stuff!

Flower Press Screen Printing

I love to support local designers, one that I stumbled across was Flowerpress.

She does a lovely Ric Rac inspired design that would just look fabulous in your next quilt. She has an etsy store with some lovely prints in it as well! I am waiting until she re-stocks in the new year before I place my order ...

Her blog is pretty interesting as well .. check her out!

Local textile designers

I love working with textiles that have been designed and printed in Australia, or even Melbourne. If you haven't checked out Ink and Spindle in North Melbourne, then head over to their web site and see all the lucious prints that they have. Mattt Bags, uses a lot of their fabrics ... if you are in the general area of Fitzroy, his studio is located on Gertrude Street.

But last week, I ordered and received these two lovely prints through the mail. They are not earmarked for anything special through my etsy shop or a market stall, they are for me! So they go into the chest of draws in my sewing room that has "special fabric just for Margaret" in it.

The first one is by Spin Spin, a lovely typography print. I saw her prints at the Sisters Market recently, and then eventually ordered online via her etsy store. She has an interesting blog to follow documenting her crafty adventures.

The second print is a print of an Eyechart by Shannon Lamden aka Aunty Cookie. I keep on missing opportunities to hear Shannon speak. I love her range of fabrics and avidly follow her blog. She makes the most beautiful craft panels. My first exposure to her fabric was when I made Trudi's knitting bag. I bought the length from Patchwork on Central.

Not sure what I will do with the eyechart, I might make a pillow or I am thinking it might become a good diary or journal sash, which of course wasn't what it was intended for. But I like to think differently....

Thea and Sami

I received a package with free fabric from Thea and Sami! Very excited! *shhh* I actually received it a few weeks back, but I am only now blogging about it! Tsk, Tsk!

Thea and Sami, are based in Brisbane and hand screen print their own range of delicious fabrics.

So what should I make? There is enough green fabric for me to do something special for Tori with it, perhaps with some matching hand embroidery.

As for the fishes, I might just have to make a few of them with magnets for our fridge. I can imagine a range of magnet softies .... seaweed ... fishies.... star fish!

Although the fishies did come with instructions, I have never been the sort of person that would be a good pattern tester. I cut out the bits and then work out how they go together!

Thea and Sami have got quite a few fabrics on my wish list ...

I love this fabric with the margarite daisy on it. Printed on black linen, I can see this becoming a lovely handbag or pillow.

This fretwork pattern is lovely as well. Comes in red and green and would make an interesting contrasting fabric for a quilt.

Check out their blog, they have some interesting links and news about where they sell their fabric packs.

My Gocco!

Finally got around to uploading my screen printed tops to etsy ... you know what they say, people can't buy my products if they don't know they are there. Rather than upload according to sizes, I did a general "this is the top" upload and ask people to conversation me to check on sizes.

I am quite proud of how they look, I have only done one in each size to see how they go. I still have some blank tops that I wanted to screen print for Made n Thornbury, but I am still deciding on the designs. I want to do a dinosaur one and a girly girl one. I still like the idea of doing them gender neutral, although most people assume that I have had a boy due to all the black in my work.

As for the base garment, I decided to go with the American Apparel brushed cotton tops. Tori had been given one after she was born and she grew out of it before she wore it out. I went for the high quality rather than the cheapness, which is why they are $30 each. Which I still think is an OK price for something that is lovingly hand screen printed ....

I used the borrowed Gocco machine (thanks Jane!) to do these. When I first spoke to the guys at Deans Art, they recommended using Permaset as the screen printing ink. But subsequent experimentation revealed that Derivan Screen Ink seemed to work better with the stencils. I buy the ink from Deans art in Brunswick as the Fitzroy store doesn't seem to have that type of ink.

Friday Finds: Screen Printed Goodness

I have an interesting collection of Friday Finds, rather than objects, rather shops that are doing some fabulous things with Screen Printing. I am currently lusting after the skills and equipment to do some funky things, but until then I will lust after what others are doing!

So here it goes ... my Top Etsy 5 for this week ...

1. Fabric Insects by Droptine. These are just gorgeous. The shop also does some nice Screen Printed Totes as well.
2. Toybreaker does the most elegant screen printed silk ties. In particular the Topographical Tie is my favourite.
3. Woodland screen printed fabric panel by ofpaperandthread.
4. Bold and Noble have the most exquisite hand pulled designs on paper. I love this numbers piece and I can imagine it on the wall of Tori's bedroom wall. The robot alphabet is gorgeous as well.
5. MichelleBrusegaard has the most gorgeous red Poppies tea towels that would look great in my kitchen ... should I?
   

Passion for Fabric

I have a passion for fabric. I get excited by the texture, the colours and the way that it hangs in my hand. I love taking an idea from concept through to product with the aid of beautiful fabrics.

via Ink Productions

For a while I have been secretly lusting after the opportunity to do some screen printing. I have played around with a Gocco, but it is nothing compared to what other talented ladies.

On Saturday Beky and I went off to take a peak at the Ink & Spindle studio in Kensington. What can I say, it took my breath away. The large workbench, the screens, the designs. I would love to have the opportunity to print my own fabric by hand. There is something very primal about printing the fabric and then using it.

Another Aussie fabric producer is Thea & Sami. Thea recently sent me a lovely email to say that she was reading my blog and she had signed up as a follower. I spent *ages* on her site taking a look at all the lovely fabrics that she has screen printed. I look foward to purchasing some via her store.

via Thea & Sami

I know that the CAE in Melbourne do some screen printing workshops and also the Olive Grove on Sydney Road. Do you know of any other place that does workshops?

Worn Wild Adventures

I almost feel back to normal after a week of kaos!

Firstly, my brother moved back in with us for a few days before heading off to Japan, secondly I had the Worn Wild Alternative Market to prepare for and thirdly *drumroll* a crown on one of my molars fell off half an hour before I actually started the market. So I braved 5 hours of a market on whatever pain killers I could find ... What a week! In between all of that, teaching, report writing and of course Tori!

So some piccies from the event ... it was a worthwhile exercise and I have so many posts to make on all the lovely stuff that was there!

A bit of a no-brainer, my stand with my hand made sign that I made while doing the Northcote Night Market last year with the lovely Angelica from Jellibat. My "stand" was a 70cm x 70cm table situated "just" outside under an awning. As the day got darker and wetter I slowly inched inside. I warned the people next to me that if it started to rain, I would be dragging the table inside. I didn't want to deal with damp stock.

Some new pouches and coin purses for people to buy.


I used my embroidery machine to make these large pouches out of velveteen with purple embroidered bats on them! Have to make more for my etsy shop! The skull and wings design pencil case got snapped up rather quickly!

I also had my first Gocco screen printing adventures there as well! My first t-shirt and I made some pouches/clutches big enough for money, keys mobile and other bits. Nice wristlet and some groovy lining. I think I had them priced a bit too high ... lots of interest, not much nibbles!

My task for the next week is to update my store and ship out a few orders that are nearly finished. If only my jaw would stop aching!