New Dress and New Photographer

A familiar dress but this time in a small purple/black floral Liberty print. The contrast of the reverse side of the fabric on the collar is also used on the underside of the belt and extra detail is added on the edges of the collar and belt by using the black frayed selvedge. The skirt can be gathered up or left down.

And many thanks to The Little Whisperer for styling and taking these wonderful photos.

Textile Graduates - DJCAD 2013

A beautifully innovative range of era inspired Scottish knitwear designed for the UK market: Winston embodies the desire to embrace and appreciate classic design whilst remaining current and appropriate to the modern fashion industry.  Katy Birchall

Designer Amy Buchanan is a lover of mixing and matching patterns and she has strived to create a range of energetic, colourful printed textiles that work well together to create a playful feel. - Amy Buchanan

By using reclaimed material I will create a contemporary collection of wall coverings for the interior market. Up cycling has become a new trend, especially in relation to interior design, so I wanted to use reclaimed wood for my project and give it a new lease of life by combining it with a range of techniques to add pattern and colour to the wood. - Abigail Crowther

 ‘Upcycling’ is one of the most environmentally friendly ways of production as it reduces textile waste and saves the water and energy used for the manufacture of raw materials. I reprinted soft, natural fabrics sourced from charity shops to give them a second life as materials for one-off fashion pieces. - Alexandra Hornyik

University of Dundee
Duncan of Jordanstones College of Art and Design
Degree Shows 2013
18-26 May

It's Friday...

The temptation was there: to grab my big beautiful woven shopping basket, my wide brim straw hat and throw on my open toe sandals. But after slipping into this simple black cheesecloth dress for the photograph, I realised it didn't need anything...other than a beautiful piece of jewellery!

Unique and elegant, this necklace is the stunning work of The Jewelry Story who this weekend and next open their atelier doors as part of Kunst in Opsterland.

It's been a while...

but I am still working and yesterday I spent an enjoyable morning drinking coffee and chatting with my friend and her daughter while my batch of cheesecloth 'tests' dried. Washed twice at 40 degrees and then tumble dryed on a high heat for 20 minutes, I am quite happy with the results of this one.

The cheesecloth has wrinkled and shrunk quite well creating a much thicker, heavier fabric than the lightweight, gauze-like that I started with. I used the selvedge of the fabric for the front opening to create a little detail. The buttons are little wooden beads.

More to come as I experiment using the fabric cut across the grain which I think would create an interesting texture if mixed with linen. I also have lots of lovely shades to play with as well.

Thank you Stephanie for the use of your dryer, cups of coffee and fun chat about life, what to cook for dinner and looking at your new collection, website and beautiful model. She is gorgeous!

'New British'

Just as Margaret Howell did with her 2013 calendar, Vivienne Westwood has also been recognising and celebrating British Made. In collaboration with 100%design, Westwood's 'New British' has been installed in her Milan flagship shop prior to its exhibition in Earls Court, London later this year.

photo via 

With a focus on 'the revival of British small-scale high quality furniture and lighting production', the 'New British' exhibition showcases a range of products and designers 'whose emphasis is on 'craft techniques and sustainability.' 

A few of the studios featured:

Channels
Three Wise Men

Plant & Moss
Odd Couples Bench

Decode
Wire Light

Another Country
Pitcher

More photos of the actual shop installation at confessions of a design geek.

Bookmarking!

I like to cook because I like to eat good food so I like to read cookbooks. However, the spillage from my kitchen shelves onto my kitchen floor means that until I get rid off some of my less drooled over books, I probably shouldn't be buying anymore. So, it is fortuitous that my new cookbook obsessions are also award winning blogs, serving up a constantly changing menu of delicious recipes, beautiful photography, lots of stories and chat, all clutter free.

'Since all good recipes often come with a story' David, Luise and Elsa's Green Kitchen Stories shares their thoughts and pursuits in creating simple, healthy vegetarian offerings.

We believe that one of the most important thing in a diet is variety. That is why our recipes sometimes are raw and other times cooked, sometimes they call for buckwheat and other times for oat. Eating is about feeling good, not following rules!

 And Smitten Kitchen is where Deb Perelman shares the recipes she cooks in her tiny New York kitchen.

Perelman was working as an IT journalist in 2003 when she decided to start her first blog, Smitten, where she shared stories about her life in New York – a lot of them about the bad dates she went on. Gradually, as Perelman’s interest in cooking grew, she began to blog about ‘exceptional recipes worth your time’. In 2006 it became Smitten Kitchen, two years later she left her job to work on it full-time; now most of the recipes are her own. - The Telegraph

...Like all good bloggers, it would seem, there are times when you need to have a change of look, change of focus or reinvent yourself all together. So, if  The Little Whisperer's  (previously known as Little Whisperer) first post is anything to go by (and a promise to share her baking recipes), this new blog may be worth bookmarking too!

Ps. No more carefully hidden chocolate treats under sandwiches for this young lady!

Anita Hirlekar

Another graduate of London's Central St Martin's, Icelandic designer Anita Hirlekar is fascinated by the traditional technique of nuno felting.

 I used hand felting technique in conjunction with print to achieve different textures. I also wanted to use the felting technique in the construction of the garment so there are no seams in the entire collection, all of the dresses are handfelted together. Along with playing artistically with the textile, I wanted the dresses to have volume and be asymmetrical so that every angle is different from each other. - Thisispaper

Inspired by paint splashing techniques, Anita's draped works of art are stunning.