This was the result of a 2 hour graffiti workshop I completed at the Upfest Gallery on North Street. It was so much fun! Using a calligraphy cap and paints which were supplied by the gallery we had a play in the sunshine on the walls of the galleries own outside space. Highly recommended! Please visit The Upfest Gallery Website here for details and info on other upcoming events.
Last week saw the return of London Design Festival with exhibitions, talks and events dotted all over the city. I was spoiled for choice as to which design shows to go to. With just one day to take it all in, I started with ‘Tent London’ at the Old Truman Brewery, visited ‘Design Junction’ then finished at the V&A.
The shows were fantastic. There were some absolutely mesmerising pieces. Alongside clever furniture and product designs sat intriguing textiles. Being a textiles graduate myself, I couldn’t help making a beeline to the intricate prints, soft chunky textures and innovative fabric based products on display.
I listened to a talk on the use of colour/future colour trend analysis at Tent and also chatted to many of the designers about their inspirations, processes and use of materials. Here are some stand-out pieces, stalls and designers. More detail on particular designers to follow.
Over the summer months I have been helping local company Cameron Balloons. This is one of their busiest seasons and orders flood in from all over the world for hot air balloons, large scale promotional items and even a white orb-like roof for an outdoor opera venue. I have been using industrial sewing machines, seam guides and reading complex specifications and have also been checking my sewing work for quality (as we are making aircraft, stitch work has to be spot on so that the product is aerodynamically safe and sound). I have really enjoyed this time, I learnt a great deal and also worked with a great team. Thanks guys! Below is the first balloon I worked on. I sewed the red artwork on to the white balloon pieces and then sewed the gores (vertical strips made up of individually sized rectangular pieces) together. Also included are photos of some other stitch work which I was involved with including an internal shot of a promotional piece.
A little while ago I was invited to take part in the ‘Out of Print’ fashion show at Bookbarn International. The challenge was to create on outfit constructed mainly from recycled books and along with 10 other design teams I exhibited the work at a catwalk show at Bookbarn international.
I spent months designing and crafting my outfit and was so happy to find out that I had won the competition! Me and my talented model Charlie have been treated to a fancy lunch at Ston Easton Park as our prize. Another highlight of the evening was meeting Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones star) who was a celebrity judge on the night. The outfit included book page panelled A-line skirt with chunky woven fabric and paper bodice. The book bag and fascination was also made by me in navy, gold and paper colours.
When popping back in to collect my entry yesterday (they were asked to be retained for an exhibition) the Bookbarn staff were lovely and mentioned that they had had quite a lot of interest in my Book Bag. Someone even asked for just a hollowed out book to put their keepsakes in! I really enjoyed creating these and am happy to make more so feel free to get in touch with any ideas/commissions. I do love a new challenge!
Thanks
Shelley Ward @ Beautiful Plumage
Hi everyone! Hope you’re having a great summer so far, feel so lucky with all this beautiful sunshine :). As well as working as a full time seamstress making aircraft (yes you read that right – more on that later!) I have been keeping busy by whipping up a few little bits and pieces to sell. Below are my latest creations which I have been selling on ebay and in local stores. Perfect for summer, these eyemasks are really useful when camping, catching some zzzzz’s at festivals or just relaxing at home. I’m still developing other styles, including some in thick gold taffeta silk (soooo luxurious!). Would love your comments on which sort of styles you like best….so far the monochrome dotty one is proving most popular.
Recently I was asked to present some manufactured garments as a sort of portfolio to show my use of fabric, pattern design, pattern cutting, etc. It wasn’t until I started putting this little collection together that I realised just how many pieces had been created! Most of these items were plucked straight from my current wardrobe as I wear them on a regular basis. There is quite a mixture of fabrics, styles and garment types with a theme of fun colour, yet relaxed comfort running through.
Stripy slouchy casual jersey tee. I wear this item quite frequently as its really comfy and the colours are great for spring/summer. It looks good with denim shorts or tucked in to a high waisted skirt.
Another stripy jersey tee, this one has a deconstructionist feel as I kept the overlocking at the edge rather than tucked in to a seam. Other deconstruction style garment features include having zips and stitching on the outside, taking apart and restructuring garments and playing with finishing techniques.
Burgundy and charcoal viscose blend jumper. I’ve received lots of compliments when wearing this. People like the burgundy/wine coloured extra wide ribbing and the longer length of the jumper and sleeves. The ornate pattern of the knitted fabric is lovely too.
Stripy and knit dress. This was made as part of a challenge to modernise a garment created from a vintage pattern. I was also lucky enough to have the help of fashion blogger, stylist and photographer: ShipShape when creating a portfolio image of this piece.
Floral print, cinched in waist t-shirt dress. I saw this vintage fabric and the way it draped and knew that with the right shaping techniques it would make a fantastic dress. I used 5 stitch lengths of shirring elastic around the waist to fit the fabric to a size 10 body shape.
Cotton version of the above t-shirt dress. I sold quite a few of these at a recent vintage market, the fabric and garment was really popular. I made a small range of sizes: 8, 10 and 12.
Summer cotton gathered dress. This was another vintage fabric piece created from a pattern. The gathering works really well aesthetically and the cotton fabric is really light and comfortable to wear.
You can see more handmade items throughout the blog e.g ‘Vintage Fair Stock Update’ below shows some handmade blouses and crop tops. I’m always adding to my practical portfolio and I love creating items that can be easily worn, fit well, are comfortable and long lasting quality. Keep checking the blog for new sewing updates…
Just a quick snapshot documenting the progress of the bridesmaid dress I’m working on. After dress design, fabric selection and 2 fittings its shaping up pretty nicely and my client is really happy with how it’s looking. It is perfectly tailored to her specific sizing and I can’t wait for her to see the finished artefact! The fabric is a lightweight knit fabric with a 2 way stretch. The royal purple colour has been requested by the bride. The dress is still only at the preliminary stages of production and requires careful finishing and pressing to achieve the final, refined look. More photos to follow as the garment progresses! Next step: 3/4 length sleeves…
I bought this book from the Brick Lane Tatty Devine store a few weekends ago on a trip to London. It’s packed full of cool ideas for DIY jewellery projects, including one of my favourites, the bow tie necklace (pictured below). The book is punctuated with Tatty Devine’s personalised hints and tips to help with the practical side of things. The book is really nicely presented and easy to follow with a clear breakdown of all the tools you may need at the start. Unusually – there is also a list of recommended suppliers at the back of the book. This surprised me as good suppliers are usually hard to find and companies often keep their cards close to their chests where business is concerned! Some of the projects shown are not my cup of tea but I definitely learned a lot from this book. An inspirational 8/10!
Very proud of our first (almost) year of blogging! Check out our stats, courtesy of wordpress.com..
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner can carry about 250 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,800 times in 2012. If it were a Dreamliner, it would take about 7 trips to carry that many people.
A friend recommended this event which takes place tonight at the central Attic bar in Bristol.
”Step aboard and be taken back in time to our 1940’s Blitz Party! With a dress code of Allied Forces and civilian wartime attire, either bring your own or be transformed by our tailors and barbers.” – fmbristol
Put on by Rolling Stage & VP Productions, this event sounds like great fun! Wiggle in to a pencil skirt or some military threads and get yourself down there for a free 1940’s hair restyle and live jazz and swing music!
Beautiful Plumage. 