Thursday, 5 December 2013

KIBO Halloween!



So here is my slightly delayed blog post, on designing Kibo Production's halloween party!


The main idea to the event was that a zombie apocolypse had taken over the world, and our party venue was a haven of safety, out of the way of the zombies. I decided that road signs would be good ways of signposting areas of the venue. A prop make was required! Many cardboard cut out letters later...


The given a lick of paint...


Before the finishing touches.







Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Stitchwort


Recently I've been getting more acquainted with my sewing machine again.  There was a time at school when I was never far away from it, definitely for never more than a day, when I was manufacturing recycled t-shirts for independent shops around Britain. Since finishing university, I've had a little more free time, and I've been able to get crafting again, as well as working as a seamstress at The History Bunker in Leeds. All in all, more sewing is good news! Especially in the run up to Christmas... I may manage a blog post of handmade Christmas presents too in the new year, if I manage to make all of the presents I'm planning to!


But anyway, as I'm having a little reminisce this evening, I thought I'd share with you the t-shirts I made a few years ago...

Each one of my t-shirts tells a story. Well to me, and my family  at least. The fabrics that I use to reverse applique on have all been collected up over generations. My great grandmother had a collection of small scraps of material, leftover from dressmaking that she would roll up tightly, and secure with a pin. It is this same collection, now greatly added to by the women in my family that I use on my t-shirts. Each patterned fabric has with it, a corresponding dress, or blouse, made for a specific event. With just a glance at the print, memories are evoked of days, maybe three, or fifty three years ago.