Greetings Card Collection (part 1)

Last week I received a private commission to produce a selection of greetings cards suitable for any occasion and my studio has subsequently been a hive of card making activity. The images shown here are a preview of the first cards in the collection. They have all been produced using printed images of details taken from embroidered and appliquéd artworks from my portfolio. The images have been layered up with handmade/coloured and textured base papers and have had button and jewel detail added where appropriate.
The next group of designs for this card collection will be contemporary florals. I shall post some images of this group once they are ready.

Appliquéd Shopping Bags

Having been a fan of refusing plastic bags and using my own cotton alternative for a long time I am really pleased that this practice is now becoming the norm. There are many calico shopping bags currently available from supermarkets, city councils and as fashion items from high street stores.

The appliqué vegetable motifs above are to be used on my own limited edition collection of calico shopping bags. I think I shall add some embroidered text and perhaps a splash of colour with bound seams. I shall post the finished items for you soon.

Just a Little Holiday

I am currently taking a little holiday so no design post today - sorry. I shall be back with more designs for you next week.

Cx

Tartan Floral Appliqué Design

In keeping with the current trend for tartan I have created my new floral artwork using a muted grey/duck-egg tartan fabric and co-ordinating geometric prints on a cream ground. The overall effect is contemporary yet soft, making the design suitable for interior textiles such as bed linen.
The stitch detail is a mixture of freehand machine embroidery and hand-embroidery. The result is fresh and crisp whilst still maintaining a soft and organic feel with the muted colour palette and floral motifs.

Framed Children's Artworks - Part 2

This is the second installment in my series of posts showing my framed artworks for children. This design uses nice soft pastel colours and has the hand embroidered text 'Sweet Fairy Dreams'. There is a narrow patchwork border and fine ribbon detail top and bottom for added surface interest. Metallic fabric has been used for the wand and star and bead and sequin detail has been added to the wings. I think this picture would make a lovely addition to any little girl's room.

Framed Children's Artworks - Part 1

Today I am posting images of a pair of framed artworks I have created for a girl's room using Rainbow Fairies motifs. The appliqué fabrics are all polyester satin giving a really nice bright sheen to this design. The rainbow has been embellished with decorative machine embroidery in co-ordinating colours to create subtle surface texture. The raindrops are tiny beads and have the added sparkle of a tiny sequin behind.

New Bag Designs

This week I have been working on some new bag designs. The pair of lilac bags have been created around the Tea Time theme and were made very much with my super tea drinking friends in mind - you know who you are!

The Apple and Daisy bag has a real summertime picnic feel to it and is a nice fresh contrast to the grey weather outside today.

All the bags I make are individual and crafted with care using fabrics that are precious to me for various reasons. They are all fully lined and have nice sturdy handles. The bags shown here would make great reusable shoppers and the lilac Tea Time bags are large enough to be work or book bags.

Floral Appliqué Design

I am taking a little break from repeat pattern designs this week and working on some more floral appliqué designs. The details above have been taken from a larger artwork combining scattered floral appliqué motifs with ribbon and ric-rac stripes. The overall effect is contemporary and crisp with a handmade touch.
This design would work well as either bedlinen or kitchen textiles such as table runners and napkins.