Developing a collection

I was inspired by a piece of vintage fabric that I had, to make some cushions with co-ordinating coasters - I wanted to make more of a collection and I liked the idea of using fabric as well as yarn.

I used ric-rac to give more of a vintage fifties look. 


Here are the co-ordinating coasters. All items are for sale in my Folksy shop.

 

Acoustic panels

I have been making some sample panels so that I have a portable range to show interested clients. it was always my intention to pursue the idea of acoustic panels made from 100% wool which has amazing sound-absorbing qualities. I have made the samples in black/white/ grey so that the colour does not distract and the the structure is more prominent.

Exhibitions

The Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate was amazing. It was good to meet up with the other finalists again, and as we were nearly all staying in Harrogate for the four days we were able to socialise and get to know each other. The visitors were friendly and enthusiastic about our work and I sold masses of coasters and jewellery!

I added four close-up photographs of my work to my space and I was pleased with the result (2 shown below)

After the excitement of Harrogate, I quickly had to get on and make some work for the 'Shop within the show' at the Society of Designer Craftsmen annual exhibition. I was very impressed with the location and quality of the Mall Galleries where the exhibition is held.

I made co-ordinated table runners, table mats and coasters and I sold several items.

The work in the main part of the exhibition was stunning and I felt very proud to be part of the organisation.

November

I've been to The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, exhibiting as a finalist in the Knitted Textile Awards. My entry is shown above. Sadly I didn't win the £1000 first prize, but I did get an Innovation Award form the Crafts Council which I was very pleased about. I had a great time and met a lot of interesting like-minded people. It was a huge boost to my confidence and I am looking forward to the end of November when the show moves to Harrogate for 4 days.

Here are some of the other finalists, just before before the show opened.

Coasters, snowflakes...

Coasters

I have been designing and making coasters. The felted knitting has to be sliced quite thinly in order for the coaster to be stable enough to stand a glass or mug on, but because they are made from 100% wool they are still heat-proof and can be washed at 30 degrees if need be.

I have made sets that go together but don't match exactly - like leaves, flowers and snowflakes - similar but not the same.

The next image is of my knitting machine where I have knitted a pocket and stuffed it with wool tops (red) but not yet sealed the pocket up.

Autumn already

Well the formal part of my learning is over and now I'm free to make my own choices about what I design and make.

I made some contacts at New Designers and sold some work to Anthropologie. I was also assessed by the Society of Designer Craftsmen and am now a Licentiate which means that I can get some mentoring, sell items through their exhibition and hopefully get accepted as a full member in a couple of years. I am very proud (unlike Groucho Marx) to be a member of a society that had William Morris as a founder member!

Here are the NUCA (Norwich University College of the Arts) exhibitors at New Designers.

The Degree Show at NUCA  was a successful if manic event, and I sold quite a lot of work. My rug was in the window of the Gallery space, see below.

I have been shortlisted for the Knitted Textile Awards and as a result will be exhibiting at The Knitting and Stitching Shows at Alexandra Palace (where I spent many happy days playing and dog walking when I was a child) and Harrogate. It was really hard to find any accommodation in Harrogate that wasn't booked up but I am sorted now.

I have exhibited at a couple of local events and made some new smaller items for these, shown below.

Assessment is over...

And I'm happy with my degree classification (2:1). Graduation takes place this week, followed very quickly by a trip to London for the NUCA exhibition at New Designers 2011. I have used brighter colours for the work I am taking to New Designers. I have also been making jewellery with my 'left-overs' and this seems to be quite popular so I will continue with this - designing from scratch as well as using what I have.