Summer fun on a Sunday

 On Sunday I was asked to run a fan decorating workshop at the Geffrye Museum's 'Swing into Summer Family Fun Day'. It was an action packed day set in the grounds of the museum on probably the only green grass in London (since everything else looks like hay at the moment!)

This was the most popular design!

 The concept was to take inspiration from retro wallpaper and textile patterns.

Each participant started with a plain fan which is the best craft item I've come across in ages. They are sold in packs of 12 from Baker Ross and create a lot of cool air, as well as being sooooooooooooo versatile, the possibilities for what to do with them are endless and they are appealing to all age groups! (Plus they are only 40p each! Bargain!)

Fan workshop

This was my set up, in just two sessions over 70 children decorated a fan!! As well as the patterned paper there was felt tip pens to draw with, foam stickers, sequins, feathers, card and gems to add bling.

'Swing into summer'

And while I was busy  making sure the sparkles were topped up, around the Geffrye lawns at the front of the museum was a host of activities including a spoken word workshop, origami, willow sculpturing, stories, herb potting and games. Over 670 people joined in the fun.

Dancing outdoors

And of course with the title for the day being 'swing into summer' there was a live 1950s soundtrack from the Ronnie Scott Rejects and dance lessons from the London Swing Dance Society. As one of my colleagues said to me, it was so great so see all ages dancing with each other.

What would you put inside?

My favourite activity though was the starting off of the Geffrye time capsule to be buried this year and dug up in 100 years time!! The contents will be provided be young people 13-24 (so sadly I was too old to add anything!). It's really heavy and the warning sign below says you can't touch it without gloves!

....maybe I should thinking about making my own one?

10p earrings in less than 10 minutes

Kit box

You will need: Two earring findings, two head pins (the long metal sticks), round nosed pliers, wire cutters (not shown!) and a selection of beads.

Introducing the trusty headpins

Head pins are long metal sticks with a circular bottom, which acts like a knot so that your beads don't fall off the end. They easily get bent because they are so thin, start by smoothing or straightening them out as much as possible by easing the round nosed pliers up and down each one. Otherwise you may end up with wonky earrings!

Make them as long as you want!

Now for the fun bit, thread any combination of beads onto the headpin and repeat on two pins so you have an identical pair. Make them as long or as short as you like, just leave 1cm free at the top - you may need to trim the pin using wire cutters according to the length you want.

Get bending!

 This is the most tricky bit but it just takes getting used to, after you've done it once, you will have mastered it! Using the pliers, bend the 1cm end around to create a loop. Hook the earring finding onto the end of the loop and then close the loop by pressing it inwards together with the pliers.

Voila!

That's it, all done - your new earrings are ready to wear!!
They take less than 10 mins to make (the only slow bit is making sure your loops are rounded evenly but as it's wire it can be bent and unbent as many times as you wish so just keep practising!)

Cost 10p per set......the beads probably don't come to more than 2p, depending on what you use (I used seed beads and faux pearls bought in bulk), the headpins cost 2p each, findings 2p each.
All materials purchased from www.creativebeadcraft.co.uk.

With a crafty project this quick, easy and cheap, you can make a new pair for every hour of the day!

Pakistan's finest fashion label arrives in London

O'nitaa is an exclusive Asian designer fashion store

Last Friday I attended the European launch of Pakistani fashion label Sana Safinaz. Housed exclusively in O'nitaa, near Baker Street, the Spring/Summer collection consists of delicate floaty feminine dresses and designer Sana, one half of the design duo was in store to explain why it's taken them 20 years to launch in the continent and to introduce the stunning garments.

Designer Sana launched the label's first European collection

 Sana and Safinaz are sisters in law and are the biggest household name in Pakistani fashion, setting the trends for the whole country (according to Sana even the UK is 5 years behind their visions.) Their company exists of 450 staff and everything is done inhouse including, designing, dyeing, printing and embroidery. Although their clothes are aimed primarily at Asian women, they cross over to the Western market with ease using thin silks, chiffons, crepe and organze; there is a very English charm about their use of floral patchwork fabrics teamed with pastel colours and lace detailing.

Patchwork and floaty dresses are a signature look

Consisting mainly of dresses, long tops and kaftans, they would fit into a summer wardrobe with ease and the floaty shapes are flattering for all figures. They've conquered their home country and the Middle East so why did they take so long to reach our shores?

Detailed centre panels 

Sana explained it's because they wanted to build up their lines and reputation before they launched rather than coming here as just another label. They chose to be stocked in O'Nitaa first as it's the only designer fashion department store, with garments that compliment theirs. In Pakistan when they launch their new collections, roads are cordoned off and security lined up (think back to the Primark flagship in Bond Street opening with customers getting crushed)...in London, things were more subtle but with designs that are so pretty and appealing it won't be long before they make their impression on these shores. Price wise pieces range from £200-£400 which may sound steep but when you see the clothes in person, they are so stunning - they look as though they are worth so much more. I really recommend popping in and seeing them for yourself, they are gorgeous! As is the whole shop!

The Great Apron Swap 2010

 

The brainchild of New Zealand based crafter Sarah 'Red' Gingham, The Great Apron Swap 2010 was inspired by this book which shows you how to sew lovely aprons (I discovered it in the Borders closing down sale as so was pleased to see it getting some recognition.)
A few months ago she challenged bloggers from all over the world to make an apron and swap it with someone else. In total 81 ladies took part (she doesn't mention the men so I'm guessing there were no male entrants!)


The partner I was allocated was Jenny author of crafty blog Oh Joh and who lives in Australia. 


I was super excited when the parcel arrived, it's so fun knowing you've got a new item to own that's all yours: 

After ripping open the envelope I was greeted by a lovely note on a cute Russian Doll postcard and then came the apron.....

Wow, it's so pink, so me!! The motifs are based on an aboriginal design,  the ties are adjustable so it can be worn by anyone. All in all it's fantastic quality and absolutely gorgeous. I am going to wear it for years to come : )

I'm not sure what she thinks of mine yet, something went wrong in the making. It's a Bollywood Apron made of sari offcuts and trims but it shrunk in the sewing process and became child size - luckily she has girls who will hopefully appreciate it!!


Such a brilliant idea, I especially love how the response was international.
Thanks Sarah for a superb blogger project, loved being part of it! 

Elmer would be proud!

For those of you who haven't been able to visit London to see the Elephant Parade I've posted some pictures of the finale exhibition to give you an idea of how awe inspiring it has been. 


Over the last few weeks, London was home to over 250 brightly coloured elephant sculptures. The reason? To raise money for the Asian Elephant. Organised by Elephant Family a  charity who  raise funds and awareness about the endangered animal, the herd has been brightening up street corners, shops and landmarks all over the city. 


Now in it's final weekend,  the elephants have been regrouped at Chelsea Hospital where public can come along and inspect just how amazing they are before they are finally auctioned off. 
  

This pearly elephant is one of my favourites, I love how it changes colour dependent on where the light shines on it.

Originally the elephants started off dotted around London landmarks. This one was painted by my illustrator friend Nilesh Mistry and I spotted it in Leiceister Square when I was on my way to a Bollywood premiere recently.

Seeing over 200 elephants lined up in a field was a remarkable sight.

Some of the elephants were painted by famous people (including HRH Princess of Kent and jewellery designer Andrew Logan) and others by artists. This one was designed by Indian fashion designer Manish Arora. 


Each elephant was totally unique and made and inspired by all sorts of materials...

 ... mosaiced with 1p coins

... covered in grass

 ...patterned in 'elephant dogtooth'

...in disguise as other animals 

 ...crafty themed, I've zoomed in on some patchwork details

 ... covered in words

...rows of psychadelic elephants

 ...and of course their bums were just as impressive

...this one was amazing...

Again it's an elephant is disguise but the likeness to a London taxi is so uncanny, on the way home whenever I saw a taxi I thought I was looking at an elephant!

There were also few elephants that couldn't be placed outside as they were so delicate, so were exhibited inside buildings. One was covered completely in Swarovski crystals and with such 'bling factor' it's hopefully going to be sold for lots of money : )

Having this colourful and charismatic herd of elephants dotted around the city has made going out and about so much more fun. It's shame some of them can't be permanent installations but then again I'm sure they will all go to lovely homes. 

The good news is that if you've seen an elephant you like and you can't afford to one (tickets to the auction cost £75 so bidding is going to be in the thousands!) you can buy miniature ornamental versions instead; they're about 15cm high. The bad news is that it says delivery takes 2 weeks to 4 months...so you never know when it will turn up -not a good present but a brilliant surprise for someone! 

Highlights from Dundee

Faith, Alex and Me in middle!

Eek! Time has flown by this month and I have not had a chance to blog properly so I have a whole back log of posts to put up about all the craftastic stuff I've been up to! Three weeks ago I was in Dundee here is what happened:

Wow! Meeting one idol is one thing but to meet two at once is quite remarkable! On Thursday I was over the moon to hook up with Alex, one of the amazing women behind art/performance/girl band/fashion/creatives Chicks on Speed AND the inspiring Faith Levene, the genius behind indie craft documentary and book 'Handmade Nation' - both who were in the UK to attend the Prototype Symposium in Dundee, Scotland

Bringing together academics/artists/crafters/scientists/cultural critics/students/authors/architects the two day event explored new meaning of prototyping and the role that crafts plays in it. I was there as a blogger, reporting live on the action as it happened. My posts can be seen on the Craft Research blog.

Chicks on Speed Restropective

One of the reasons Alex who currently resides in Spain was down in Dundee was because there's a brilliant Chicks On Speed restrospective showing at Dundee Contemporary Art. Showing off their videos, fashion, posters, crafts, banners, zines...there's an inspiring selection of artefacts and it's a huge space too. A must visit if you are near there - it's free too!

The Guitar Stiletto

This is one of the girl's most recent projects, a stiletto show that doubles up as a guitar. Alex detailed the mega story of how this shoe became made - it was fascinating but sadly got turned down by Lady GaGa's stylist twice so won't be going as mainstream yet.

Only trouble is, how to I transport it home?

 Downstairs at the exhibition was all sorts of other interactive crafty activities. My favourite part was an interactive styling exhibit where there was a blank mannequin and lots of fabrics hung up. The idea was to dress the mannequin however you liked by draping materials to make an outfit, there was also the option to video yourself while doing it.

See I did weave again!

And finally I had a go on a huge loom and did my first bit of proper weaving (not the card bookmark I made a few weeks ago!) on a giant loom. The piece being worked on was huge so the shuttle had to travel really far each time and I didn't enjoy it, it was far more complicated than the loom I used. But also it was good to be doing something that I felt I understood the principles off.

I had a really fabulous and craft tastic time blogging from the symposium, meeting some fabulous inspiring people and getting to know Dundee. Soooo pleased I went : )

Future Craft Prototype Sympsium

I'm in Dundee. After braving a 9 hour rickety train ride on an overnight train from London  I arrived here at 6am to report on an innovative event about 'Future Crafts' held at the University of Dundee. I'm blogging live from the event at www.craftresearch.blogspot.com and will be doing so for next two days so keep following my progress there and I'll do a personal write up after!