Posted by Juliet on Mar 29, 2012 in
Designer/Makers,
The daily blog,
What's on Designing Women post-war British Textiles at the Fashion and Textile Museum 16 March – 16 June 2012.
On entering the Exhibition space at the Fashion and Textile museum for the current exhibition, ‘Designing women post-war British Textiles’ one feels transported back to 1951 and the Festival of Britain .
Just to give a little historic perspective to this exhibition, Britain suffered devastating physical and emotional damage during world war ll. When the war ended the people needed rejuvenation and hope for the future. Although the Festival of Britain was six years after the end of the war , the country was still suffering from rationing, shortages of material goods and the shock of trying to rebuild a broken country. 
Heralded as ‘a tonic for the nation’, the Festival of Britain, similar to the Great Exhibition’ a hundred years previously, celebrated the past and present achievements of the British people in arts, science and industry. Part of that celebration showcased the work of designers such as Lucienne and Robin Day.
Lucienne Day’s work is perhaps the best known of the designers currently on show. In fact it is so much of its time and so often used as inspiration for today’s designers that it feels contemporary and similar to much that was on show at this years Design Centre show at Chelsea Harbour. 
Day’s strength as a textile designer stem from her sophisticated colour choices, stylized references to nature and abstract forms and intriguing patterns inspired by modern painters. Many of the shapes owe more than a nodding acquaintance to those used by artist Alexander Calder in his mobiles.
Another of the designers whose work is displayed is Jacqueline Groag, who had emigrated to Britain after the war. She originally trained with the Weiner Werkstatte in Vienna. Groag’s work was focused on high quality design that was both functionally and aesthetically harmonious. Much of her work was based on collage and drawing. She produced both furnishing textiles and dress fabrics.
Marian Mahler was a native of Austria and studied there before emigrating to England in 1937. she worked as a textile designer and an illustrator and worked for the fabric manufacturers David Whitehead Ltd. Most of Mahler’s work was produced on rayon or cotton and was very popular with the young sophisticated customer. Her designs have a beautiful graphic quality to them.
The other three less well known designers in the show are Paule Vezelay , Mary white and Mary Warren
Opening hours and booking
Please note that the museum is now closed to the public until Friday 16 March
Exhibition Dates: 16 March – 16 June 2012.
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11am – 6pm.
Last Admissions 5.15pm.
Closed Sunday and Monday.
Ticket Price: £7 / £5 for eligible concessions.
Includes entry to FTM displays ‘The Printed Square – Vintage Handkerchiefs’, ‘Portraits: Women Designers’ and ‘Creating a Printed Textile with Sanderson’
Posted by Juliet on Mar 25, 2012 in
Books,
The daily blog NOMAD Bringing your Travels home by Sibella Court published by Murdoch books at £25.00
Murdoch, surprisingly? an Australian publishing company are currently going through a renaissance. The books they publish, are to my mind, some of the most beautiful and covet-able around. Nomad is no exception. Written by stylist and author Sibella Court, she has collected together her thought, images and treasures to inspire the, often drooling, reader. These are the fruits of her travels, with her photographer brother Chris, to Syria, Mexico. Italy, India and Japan.
The inspiration comes from a variety of items door knobs, signposts, roadside shrines and humble tools.
Sibella’s approach is not about recreating or lifting a look but rather about rearranging and recycling to make interior spaces that reflect your own experiences and personality. 
The country living Fair is still on and so here are a few more exibitors to tempt you.
As the country living fair is still on today and tomorrow I thought that I would let you know about some of the other interesting products showing. If you can’t get there yourself I have supplied the web sites so that you may contact the makers directly. A new and much needed company is The Glam Camping Co.
Glam tent
As more and more of us are hit by the recession, and the Uk is becoming warmer, camping has never been more popular. The Glam Camping company cater to the needs of those who want some of the outdoor life but with an element of thoughtful design. Just because you are camping doesn’t mean that you no longer care how things look and function. From lovely sleeping bags to the most stylish red and white stripped tent and collapsible buckets and jug and now a very nice trestle table. This is a one stop camping shop.
trestle table
www.theglamcampingcompany.com
Anna Victoria is a talented textile designer who has just launched a range of tea towels and mugs at The Country Living Fair, called ‘Cornish Kitsch’ The work is inspired by local seascapes, indigenous nautical colours and is a passionate tribute to Cornish Country Life. The tea towels are 100% cotton and locally sourced and produced in Cornwall.
Anna Victoria Designs
Fish Flock tea towels are £9.95 each and mugs £10 each To buy directly visit www.anna-victoria.co.uk
Barnickle Furniture is the brain child of Lucy Schmidt. With a degree in Scenic art from the Central School of Speech and Drama she decided to set up a company recycling old furniture. She chose to use cable reels and filing cabinets that are usually just thrown into skips. With this being the year of the Diamond Jubilee and with London hosting the Olympics, Lucy has chosen to reflect all things British in her work from London buses to union Jacks old fashioned telephone boxes and iconic British products.
union jack cable drums
www.barnickle.co.uk
The country living Fair is still on until tomorrow
Saturday 24th: 9.30am to 6.00pm
Sunday 25th: 10.00am to 3.00pm
Posted by Juliet on Mar 23, 2012 in
Makeovers,
Recycling,
The daily blog Some bow ties made from unconventional materials
Sorry this is such a rip off but I found them on the wonderful site of Design-dautore.com and thought they should be shared with a wider audience.
Plectrums
Pills
old film
Corks
Lego
From food cartons
Posted by Juliet on Mar 21, 2012 in
Designer/Makers,
The daily blog,
What's on A few examples of crafts from The Country Living Fair open from today until Sunday 25th March at The Business Design Centre, Islington
The country living Fair is in full swing at the Business Design Centre, Islington from today Wednesday 21 until Sunday 25 March 2012
Thursday 22nd: 10.00am to 6.00pm
Friday 23rd: 9.30am to 6.00pm
Saturday 24th: 9.30am to 6.00pm
Sunday 25th: 10.00am to 3.00pm
There are lots of goodies to enthuse about for anyone with an eye for crafts, making and design.
If you, like myself are a follower of ‘Not on the High Street’ you will probably already be familiar with the work of Posh Totty Designs which I understand is the most popular jewelry on the site. Most of the pieces are made of silver or gold and they are often personalized with a piece of map or an inscription or initial. She has a special section of her own web site just dedicated to weddings with gifts for grooms, best man, fathers mothers et al.
www.poshtottydesigns.com
A newcomer and exquisite maker is Michelle Draycott, a graphics person by profession, decided she fancied doing some three dimensional work and turned some Harris Tweed into a Hare and then later made a Greyhound and the business has taken off.
www.harris-hare.co.uk 
Caroline Hely Hutchinson’s work is to ceramics what the current catwalk trend of mixing pattern and colour is to fashion. She designs handpainted porcelain and glass. One of her most charming, and perhaps, kitsch designs is cow shaped butter dishes painted in a plethora of pattern and colours.
www.CHH-DESIGN.COM
Posted by Juliet on Mar 19, 2012 in
Books,
The daily blog Adventures in Needlework- stitching with a passion by Jessica Aldred and Emily Peacock published by GMC publications at £14.99
LEAN ON ME
We seem to be back to Hearts again. It was the flaming heart, with the two blue birds, image on the front of this book that made me want to review it. The book is divided into four sections each exploring a different kind of needlework. The first chapter and for me the best by a long way is the one on canvas work. The projects in this chapter are striking,original a little more edgy with more than a hint of fairground lettering about them. The first project in the book “Lean on me’ is a cushion cover. It has fairground imagery and is a really great design,only marginally spoiled by the photograph being badly styled, with a couple of rather suspect shaggy cushions in shot.
The other project I like is another cushion this time with the word Passion set against a heart with orange and yellow flames coming out of it. The book is clearly laid out with step by step photographs and charts. Published by GMC books at £14.99 it represents good value for your money.
Posted by Juliet on Mar 14, 2012 in
Recycling,
What's on Information about my first workshops at the Fashion and Textile Museum let me know if any of you would like to attend.
Saturday, 11am-1.30pm or 2.30-5pm
Teddy in a night shirt
Join craft author and designer Juliet Bawden for a workshop on up-cycling shirts based on her book. During this workshop you will be shown examples from Juliet’s latest book plus brand new projects that she has completed since finishing the book.
You will have a chance to make a small garment (teddy bear-sized nightshirt) to take home with you. The project in the work shop is for an absolute beginner. It helps if you can thread a needle!
Price: £20
Excluding materials – participants need to bring along their own shirt to up-cycle.
Price includes 50% voucher off ‘The Shirt off his Back’ book in Shop@FTM
Juliet Bawden studied Textile Design at Camberwell School of Art before going on to design and manufacture baby products, maternity wear and high fashion. She later turned to writing and has authored over 60 craft, style and children’s practical books published. The Shirt off his Back came about after the recent bank crisis and the idle thought: ‘What will happen to all of those beautiful shirts’?
Posted by Juliet on Mar 8, 2012 in
The daily blog Juliet Bawden rambles on her blog about Hearts, crafts and a cat called Macaverty
Vintage sailors pin cushion
I have been getting carried away with hearts and have been collecting them on pintrest. My good friend Barbara Boxhall made a collection of photographic hearts one for each month of the year.
November
Double cherry blossom heart April
Macaverty
Today whilst doing a spring clean I happened upon an old embroidery, of my cat Macaverty . So I framed him and shot him on my lap top. That sounds so wrong! Like something from an old fashioned detective thriller.
Posted by Juliet on Mar 5, 2012 in
Books,
The daily blog Juliet Bawden’s first book for the ipad Hearts
The book cover
Hearts Celebrates the rich symbolism of this timeless motif with practical and inspirational projects for you to make. The wonderful photographs are by Debbie Patterson.
Tags: Hearts
Posted by Juliet on Feb 28, 2012 in
Books,
The daily blog Style Me vintage Clothes
A Guide to Sourcing and Creating Retro Looks
By Naomi Thompon is published this month by Pavilion at £9.99
Style Me Vintage Clothes
A Guide to Sourcing and Creating Retro Looks
If you have ever wanted to introduce Vintage into your wardrobe but felt unsure where to start this is the book for you. For the novice Vintage shopper, it is difficult to know which pieces to invest in, and which pieces to avoid. Style me vintage clothes takes you by the hand and gently guides you through the do’s and don’t’s of retro shopping, teaching you which details indicate quality, the silhouettes and shapes that reveal which era the piece is from, the importance of shape wear, labels to look for and how to look after your collection.
Underpinnings
Covering four main sections – Getting started, The Looks, Helpful Extras and a list of recommended reading and stockists. There are examples from the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, discussing all the crucial points you need to keep in mind when buying vintage. There is a mending section and some example photographs of underwear and swimwear.
Care and Repair
The author Naomi Thompson is a stylist and personal shopper specializing in vintage fashion. She runs a website www.vintagesecret.com
