pictures from the studio 2

Still in my gently-does-it frame of mind, I thought I would share with you some of the pictures the brilliant photographer Stewart Girvan  took last Friday afternoon of the studio and it's contents. 

I was in need of some new studio photographs and profile pictures, so I called in Stewart to solve the problem. Here is only a taster of what he shot, but I'm absolutely delighted with the results and can't wait to share more in the coming weeks. 

I love this close up shot of some sewing in action, the attention detail and focus on the stitching is great. 

This picture has become my new profile on facebook. I like the fact that i'm busy concentrating on my work and not trying to smile at the camera!

I love the angle at which this shot is taken, the edge of the table almost looks like a water line and my sewing machine looks like it's just floating on the surface. It reminds me of the analogy of a duck, calm and still on the surface but paddling like mad underneath!  

Happy stitching

Cat x

pictures from the studio

It's been a while since I've shared anything so I thought I would ease myself gently back into the swing of things with a few photos of the studio from the month so far. All have a nice bright and colourful feel to them, roll on Spring! 

Easter cards

On the table

Pencil Pot

being more artful

Now here's the thing, display as inspiration.

It may come across as procrastination, but i'm sure arranging your sewing equipment, tools of the trade, threads, needles, pins and scissors and especially fabrics in an aesthetically pleasing manner can be defined as productive. I do alot of this, my fabrics are arranged by colour and pattern. To all scorning friends or spouses, better or worse halves, the time spent organising your stash of crafting parafinalia should only ever be seen as useful. How else are you to find that delighted reel of raspberry thread if it's not placed seductively next to the lime green spool of silk. Or the exquisitely made fabric pinking shears if they do not sit well in the old wooden  tray that you rescued from the antique shop last week giving it new life and a new purpose?


In reality our lives are less like Country Living interiors and more like crazy turbulent happenings, with friends, family, children and partners all taking their bit. If we have time to do anything that helps us feel creative, if it's only appreciating other's artfully arranged equipment even better, I feel better just breathing in the bunch of blooming threads above. If we can do just a little bit of tidying each day ourselves then we feel as if we've made real progress!

In my reality things looks like this:

 
I definately could do better here in the display as inspiration stakes. I hope this little plastic tray of threads tells you that i'm busy doing other things, hopefully other creative things, than to arrange them nicely. Either way i'm inspired by the colours and their potential, one day i'll pick them up to use, but for now it's time to log back into Pinterest and breathe deeply in other folks artful arrangements!

Happy Stitching
Cat x

oh heck!

My next challenge is a double commission. The client lives here in the UK but is from Australia and wants a pair of textile illustrations as a Christmas gift. The first picture is of the Syndey Opera House, it's partner picture is of a subject much closer to home and is of St. Ives in Cornwall (almost down the road from me).

The opera house is going to be the tricky one, all those gorgeous folded sail-like roof tops, it's going to be a real challenge but one i'm looking forward to tackling, but keep your fingers anyway!
I'm going to make the outline drawing tomorrow and make the pattern up so I start the piecing on Saturday.
I'll definately keep you posted on how it progresses.

Happy Stitching

Cat x

open studios

A few photographs from the open studios this week. For once it's looking very clean and tidy.

just the card

My creative endeavour this week which i'm sharing with all those amazing folk at kootoyoo, has been involved in the making of my next range of occasion cards for the fantastic card company Art Press, who are truely eccentric about art! I've been designing for them for the last year and it has been a really wonderful experince and I feel very lucky to work with them.

Busy Baby Days (c) Rowe 2010

I feel like i've climbed another mountain today and i've actually added the beautiful Occasion cards that i've designed to my website.

Tiny Pitta Patta (c) C. Rowe 2010

I've designed and am in the middle of making the next range right now, but felt so excited about the one's that have already been published I wanted to share the moment!
I promise to post more photographs of my current work, but you know how it is when your camera is in another place in the house to you, you've a freah mug of coffee to hand and your chair is really too comfy to leave!

my creative space

Having a back up plan .... my creative space as pictured above, is this week void of my sewing machine, which is being serviced, nothing unusual i'm glad to say. It wasn't making funny noises or missing stitches, it's just gone in for an annual service to keep it healthy, running smoothly and all things ship shape and tickety boo.


But it has meant that i've got to use my trusty older Bernina. This is where it lives in my studio full time I don't pack it away, it's always out, just in case. It has it's own spot light, thread box and tool kit.


Here is a close up of the little shelves I use for all it's bits and pieces, it could do with a lick of paint. Perhaps that'll be next week's project. Don't you just love kilner jars! These ones here have my precious collection of prized pearl buttons in them.



This is the space where my usual Bernina sits, gazing out across the table top of fabrics to it's older counterpart in the distance.


I couldn't resist putting up a few pics of the bright cotton reels and fabrics in the studio. They all look so yummy together, I could actually just sit and tidy them up all day, arranging them into different classifications.... dark to light, spots, stripes, florals, geometric, vintage, new..... the options are endless. Rows of potential projects!


For more wonderful creative spaces and inspiration go over to kootoyoo. A truely wonderful place where crafty folk meet each week to share their latest projects and inspiration.

Happy stitching.

Cat x

from the sketchbook

This week i've been keeping it small. Time just seems to fly past and i'm always trying to find ways to capture the moments, minutes and ideas that might just make the basis for a great piece of work.

It's also been ages since I posted any of my sketchbok pages and thought it would be nice to share some today.


The pages are taken from my pocket sized notebook (3 1/2 inches x 5 1/2 inches) an old molskine diary that I chopped up once it became out-of-date. Bound a selection of new pages of my favorite watercolour paper (300gms rough) and re-housed them in the old covers of the molskine diary.
I found this way of recycling and reusing notebooks to be a really satisfactory way of guaranteeing the perfect sketchbook. They feel and sit perfectly in my hands and fit like a dream into their own pocket inside my handbag.

I always label my notebooks and sketchbooks clearly, I would hate to loose one. So each one has my name, address and number in the front. I always date them too, I love knowing when I strted one and when I finish it. They sometimes live with me for so long, they become best friends and witnesses to everything, some of it will inevitably end up in their pages.


Lists, i'm forever writing them! I find they help make sense of everything that i've got to do and i'm able to prioritise work and ideas.


Oh! The wonderful Japanese MT tape, an incredible range of multi coloured and decorated masking tape. Looking at the little rolls together in their box just makes me happy! I think if you just google that, a list of suppliers in your country should appear. It took me ages to find a UK supplier and I know there are several now.


Doodles: a very important part my sketchbooks, I'm forever just jotting down ideas and pictures, they don't have to be wonderful or beautiful, just help me to remember what tickled my fancy or caught my eye!

If you have any questions or suggestions to help capture those moments then please feel free to email or post below.

Happy Sketching,

Cat x

from the studio

So this week I can happily announce that the little jars are full!



Each jar contains all the fabric someone needs to make each deisgn. Each comes with the pattern, full instructions, pattern pieces and stitch guide as well as enough fusible webbing. They really are a labour of love.



My next task is to upload them onto the website with nice descriptions and great photographs. So in preparation i've been playing around with my camera and some of the made-up jars and have taken some fun shots. I'm just trying to be a little bit more creative with my photography as well as creating informative pictures I want them to tell a story, entice you to look closer at their contents.


I felt a little like David Bailey positioning them in my windowsill, i'm sure I got a handfull of funny looks from my neighbours but I choose that window as it is well lit, flat (it helps, Cornish Cottages are known for their lack of straight walls) and painted white, the perfect neutral space in which to take photos.



I really am passionate about these little fellas, they are such a great way to help kick start your creative impulses. Just a quiet nudge in the right direction, learning a new skill and encouraging your artistic endeavours too. It's a win win situation!

All of the designs are available as Patterns only if you decide you've got enough fabric at home already, I know i've got enough to insulate a loft! All of the above can be found on my website textile illustration.

my creative space

Creative space at Kootoyoo,

I thought i'd join in this week and post what i've been up to and share my space with creative folk around the globe.



My life has been full of spure-of-the-minute moments today. Random meetings in the middle of the supermarket, family and friends, little ones and cake (everywhere) and strangest tasting tea (I'm sure it was meant to be earl grey!). But isn't that what life is, the best laid plans of mice and men?




'My creative space' therefore looks entirely different to how I'd imagined it would look when I came to share it with you. This is the nuts and bolts of my studio, tiny pieces of fabric, out of control and trying to be tamed!

This weeks mission has been to make up more Applique kits of my textile illustrations, these kits are fantastic as starter projects or as a helpful nudge in a creative direction. Packaged in simple kilner jars they really are scrumptious things, and look more like jars containing sweeties than pieces of fabric.... well who can resist sweeties!


So I should be further on with them than I am, but hey, I've had a great day and enjoyed lots of wonderful company and i'm still smiling!

Happy Stitching!

left handed life 2

Sweetpeas from the garden 10.7.10
Agapanthus 10.7.10

More drawings using my left hand, mostly flowers again i'm afraid but they are so bright and cheerful and seem so forgiving! I've tried drawing things with harder lines and edges but they all appear as if they've been drawn on a boat in a force 8 gale!

left handed life

Two weeks ago yesterday I broke my right (drawing hand) wrist and have been in a cast since. After the shock of not being able to use my right hand to do any of the things i'd usually do, having taken for granted these things for 29 years, i've been learning to use my under-used left side (I have most definately been right sided dominant).

It has been the most unusual and frustrating experience, marks, lines, shading that I would have normally expected to or were used to making using my right hand I couldn't reproduce with my left. I have had to go back to nursery school and learn to write and draw all over again.

Until I can cut up fabric again with a pair of scissors ( I could go out and buy a left-handed pair) i'm just sticking to practicing and playing with pen and ink.

The images above are my first attempts at drawing and colouring with my left hand... it's been akward, annoying and very frustrating but some how rewarding in the end as I hope through the process of using my left side more, to become a more even and balanced creative person.