Find designer labels mixed in with branded jeans in a clothing exchange setting… yes thats right, swap your unwanted pieces for new ones. You can even pick up a pair of 501s to customise… what could be more fashion creative!
Bang Bang Clothing Exchange
Berwich Street (near Tyler’s Court)
London
T: 0207 494 2042
by: Sara Millis
This book is ideal for beginners as it covers the rudimentary techniques for a wide range of disciplines within feltmaking. With very clear directions and wonderful pictures we are able to follow step by step the instructions for each simple, but beautifully designed project.
Ellen Kharade has a clever twist up her sleeve though and that is the one thing that struck me about this book. Apart from championing the versatility of modern feltmaking, Ellen has given us a selection of projects that not only work on an individual basis but can also work together to form bigger pieces. This clever thinking should capture the heart of any crafter who may have limited time on their hands, or someone who works in short bursts of creativity making this book truly accessible to all.
Overall this is a truly fun book and will sit with pride on my bookshelf.
Title: Quick & Clever Felting
By Ellen Kharade
Publisher: David & Charles
ISBN 13-9780715327166
ISBN 10-071532716X
Price: £12.99
Reviewed by Sara Millis of Sara’s Texture Crafts.
There are so many things to see and do in London, but where do you go if you are into arts and crafts? Well, in my new feature ‘A Day out in London’ I will be helping to point you in the right direction. Today’s feature is: the South Bank, east side southbanklondon.com. Some say the South Bank is a ‘boulevard’ of historical romance and culture.
I will start by giving you a map for the first part of the journey.
Get yourself to Waterloo Bridge and you are looking to be situated on the Southeast bank, you will see signs for the National Theatre in front of you. Feeling confident where you are, start to walk and enjoy your surroundings. Firstly you will come across a skater and graffiti rink for teenagers on your right… stop for a while and check out these crazy folk practising a mixture of skate, bike and free-jumping techniques. This is a great spot if you are into urban photography. If you’d rather not hold your breath that long take a closer look at some of the graffiti before you go, there is some great street art there.
Moving on you will come to a book market on your left, called ‘the South Bank Book Market’ no less. Take your time and browse the second-hand books for sale, while there are many more novels and reference books, there are also a few craft books to inspire your next project. You will find the prices usually written in pencil on the first page, behind each cover.
As you leave the book market you will notice on your right London’s National Theatre. It’s always worth checking out what’s on as you pass, maybe you can book something for later in the evening? If that’s not your thing, don’t stroll past… they do some great food for lunches, or light suppers!
The Oxo Tower is next on your right, after the street performers on the green… Now here is where arts and crafts really start to take over your walk. Check out the three floors of this tower block… you don’t want to miss anything!
The Oxo Tower Wharf houses a number of design shops. There are 32 designer-makers studios including fabulous contemporary ceramics, glass, lighting, furniture, fashion, jewellery and home accessories.
Shops normally open 11am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday If you are making a special trip to visit a particular designer we recommend that you ring before hand.
These are some of my favourites:
There also a fantastic milliner there too!
Next up is Gabriel’s Wharf. You will find this on your right and this is a real hidden treat… go in… go on, don’t be shy! Enjoy several indie designers, photographers, jewellers, ceramists and woodcrafters. This is real eye candy for any DIYer and has a real buzz about it during the spring and summer months!
If you can drag yourself away from Gabriel’s Wharf (and if you have any budget left!), why not grab your self an ice-cream and stroll along the river front watching the river boats sailing past, until you find the Founder’s Arms Pub. This is probably a nice place to stop for some refreshments, en-route to London’s Tate Modern.
The Tate Modern is one of London’s newer national museums and hosts a large number of contemporary art pieces from 1900 to present day. Admission is free, but you are always welcome to add a few coins to the donation box on the way in, or out… oh and did I mention they have the most fantastic book shop! Great for art reference, you should be able to find research material for any number of contemporary art styles and periods, including graphics, fashion and much more.
What is the crack in the floor of the Tate modern? That’s art my dear! Unfortunately it’s recently been filled in to make way for a new art installation, but it was quite a controversial piece while it was being undertaken as part of ‘The Unilever Series’. This installation was commissioned in 2007 by the museum from Colombian artist/sculptor Doris Salcedo and since has been a major interactive piece among their collections. Here’s a link for more information.
The final destinations on my walk along the South Bank are steeped in English literary history and are a must see for any fan of Shakespeare. The Globe (shakespeares-globe.org) …
Founded by the pioneering American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, Shakespeare’s Globe is a unique international resource dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare’s work, and the playhouse for which he wrote, through the connected means of education and performance.
Together, the Globe Theatre Company, Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition and Globe Education seek to further the experience and international understanding of Shakespeare in performance. (Ref. shakespeares-globe.org/information/abouttheglobe)
Why not take a tour around the theatre or stop and see a show… Once you have finished, you can pop across the court yard to The Swan and spoil yourself with some romantic dinning before the trip home.
If you feel like taking a longer walk and encompassing extra hidden away features from the South Bank, or would prefer to split your adventure across two days then here’s a recommended sight seeing walk I found just for you.
by: Sara Millis
Come and visit me, for craft news, my on-line magazine (blog), events & shopping at Sara’s Texture Crafts
sarastexturecrafts
Kim Thitichai
I came across The Textile Directory about 2 years ago now, when I was starting my own business and have always thought it to be a wonderful resource site for DIYer’s in the UK and even those abroad. I interviewed Sara Drinkwater, Editor of The Textile Directory on-line to help fill us in on what the directory is all about.
Sara Millis: What is The Textile Directory and how did you get started?
Sara Drinkwater: The Textile Directory is an interactive textile community for everybody with an interest in textile art, craft, fashion and interiors. The website includes a fully searchable directory of textile artists, suppliers, exhibition organisers, courses and a range of other textile-related companies; latest book reviews; local, national and international events; a bookstore and much more. The directory was originally set up in 2002 by Sue Richardson and for 6 years was published in book form. Sue was hoping to set up a company offering fabulous weekend breaks with well-known textile artists in luxury country house hotels. While doing her research for the business plan for Creative Escapes, Sue started to look for resources such as suppliers interested in sponsoring the weekends, artists to teach on the courses, colleges at which textile students might be interested in the opportunity, etc. It was in the early days of the internet and there appeared to be no printed resources of any kind. So, having spoken to various textile people that she knew, Sue decided to put one together. The first Textile Directory was published in October 2001 and consisted of 60 pages. It was initially focused on providing people with information about educational opportunities, so most of the suppliers listed were people offering courses or evening classes. It was sold for £5 at the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, London and was a huge success. As soon as it came out people started sending us information about contacts we’d missed and it grew from there. In 2002 the book was more than double the size of the first one and in 2003 we launched the website. As more and more people wanted to be included we realised that soon it would become like the telephone directory! We also learned from a major customer survey we did that the web version was more useful and easy to search than a book could ever be. So we decided to put all our efforts and resources into developing The Textile Directory online and since that time the running of the directory has been my responsibility.
Sue Allen
Sara Millis: What are the key features of your resource site?
Sara Drinkwater: The searchable directory is the key feature of the site, where people can find the contact details for the people they are looking for, whether this be to commission an artist to do a piece of work or to buy supplies for their latest project. We also have lots of other features on the website including book reviews, diary dates and our book shop, which sells hundreds of specialist textile titles. We also have a range of options for artists to showcase their work, which is proving very successful. We are incorporating new features into the site all the time, with our latest development being project pages that will hopefully go live in the next couple of months. Our plan is to feature a different project for our visitors each month so that they can try out new skills. We have also very recently launched an open competition, where people are invited to design a textile or fashion piece based on the theme of magic. We have a fantastic prize of £1000 to spend on Pfaff products for the overall winner and will also be holding an exhibition of the 30 best entries in the early part of next year, so everyone here is really excited by that.
Sara Millis: Yes, I noticed that you have just launched a bookstore… Can you tell me a bit more about that?
Sara Drinkwater: As well as publishing The Textile Directory for 6 years we also help other authors to publish their own books through our publishing company Word4Word. Many of the titles we publish are textile related and we decided that the website gave us a fantastic opportunity to sell our authors books. The next logical step was to invite other textile publishers and independent authors to list their books too. Everyone we invited chose to join us and we have now developed one of the biggest stores for buying specialist publications on the internet. We launched in November and now have more than 700 titles, with more being added every day.
Susan Cutts
Sara Millis: What is next for the Textile Directory?
Sara Drinkwater: Going forward we would love to see The Textile Directory really embrace the new social networking culture of the internet, which has massive potential. The textile world has a fantastic community and our vision is to make the website a central place for artists, hobbyists, suppliers, teachers, gallery owners and anyone with an interest in this fascinating art form to meet and support each other as they move their careers and businesses forward.
The Textile Directory can be found on-line at www.thetextiledirectory.com
by: Sara Millis
Stumbling across a new artist is always exciting and when I found Laura Sollis’ work at the Knitting and Stitch Show I new I just had to share my find with you…
Sara: Please tell me a bit about you and your background?
Laura: On graduating university last year I was selected as one of the finalist for the ‘Knitted Textile Student Award 2007′ where I was able to exhibit as part of the ‘Graduate Showcase’ at the Knitting and Stitching shows around the country. Since then (at the age of 21) I have set up ‘Random Button’. ‘Random Button’ came from a demand from friends and family to put my degree to good use and make them all kinds of textile pieces like handbags, purses and clothing. The name comes from the fact that I like to add embellishment to whatever I’m creating and most of the time my pieces feature quite a lot of buttons. Ever since I can remember I have had a love of buttons, I’ve continued to collect them and now I have a huge collection sitting waiting to be attached!
On the website I have an online store where people can purchase my unique pieces and I also take commissions and create bespoke pieces. So feel free to drop me a line at www.randombutton.co.uk!
Sara: How did you get into arts and crafts?
Laura: From childhood I have always been interested in being creative especially when it came to fashion and textiles. I was taught how to knit at a young age by my mother after spending countless hours watching her and my grandmother create. I still to this day have my first attempt to knit still attached to the needle and I’m glad to say that I’ve certainly improved since then! For years I used to churn out the classic knitted scarves and when the collection of scarves became overloaded I thought it was about time I used my creativity to create something a bit different.
Sara: Did you train at college?
Laura: I went to college and took an AVCE Art and Design course in Oxford and then went on to do a BA (Honours) Textiles and Surface design course at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College where I specialised in Knitted Textiles.
Sara: Where do you find your inspiration?
Laura: My main inspiration comes from looking at vintage fashions and fabrics. I try to find inspiration wherever and whenever I can so I always keep a pen and paper with me to note down any ideas that come along - my bag is full of scraps of fabric and samples of yarn that I’ve collected along the way. Like many other designers I also find inspiration from looking through countless magazines and books. Recently my work has been inspired by Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ story especially the tea party theme where I have incorporated cutlery and crockery into knit to produce both couture fashion pieces and installations.
Sara: Ooooh that sounds wonderful… I will have to take a peek at your store once we’ve finished chatting!
Sara: Tell me a bit more about your latest collection of works.
Laura: My latest collection of pieces includes a range of unique hand knitted handbags and purses. These pieces rely on texture to form the detail on the outside contrasting with the patterned inside. Throughout most of my work I have used my vintage influence and mixed it with a quirky modern touch. With these useable pieces and my work in general I want to try to help hand techniques like knitting and crochet to get away from the stereotype everybody has of the craft.
You can find Laura’s wonderful work at www.randombutton.co.uk
by: Sara Millis
Annie Sherburne is a talented textile artist, with a deep passion for eco-friendly and fair-trade textile supplies, processes and techniques.
Annie has run her own business since the early 1980’s and was a founding member of the International Felt Makers Association, and a pioneer of feltmaking. Annie’s felt work has included felt hats examples of which are in the V&A and the Musee Des Modes in the Louvre in Paris.
For the last 10 years Annie has been incorporating environmentally friendly materials into her design work and has won prestigious awards for these designs and pieces. These include The ‘Soft Cobbles’ Rug (felted rare breed and organic wool) which won the textile category of the Peugeot design awards in 2001 and went on to reach the finals of the Elle deco first international design awards, and the classic design awards at the V&A.
More recently, Annie has designed new rugs using a combination of yarns, which represent the best environmentally friendly selection of yarns currently available. These include the landscapes, Moon in a boat series, which have been designed specifically for city loft-style rooms with multi functions, which use extra long pile techniques developed initially for Hussein Chalayan. Of these pieces, ‘White Horse’ has again reached the final of the Homes and Gardens Classic design Awards at the V&A.
Annie’s client portfolio also includes buttons, jewellery, fashion accessories and hats, designed and made for Jean Muir for 18 years.
Other examples of her work may be found in the Whitworth art gallery textile collection, the British Crafts Council collection, Kunstindustrimuseum in Trondheim Norway, The British Council jewellery collection, Lotus software HQ, HM Home office, and many other public, commercial and private collections internationally.
Annie is now completing post-graduate research at Kingston University into environmental textiles from a designer’s perspective, and is developing recycled yarns, which will be available for sale from her shop.
Annie Sherburne
1:10 Oxo Tower Wharf
Bargehouse Street
London
SE1 9PH
(Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 11.30am to 4.45pm)
To find out more please visit Annie’s website at http://www.anniesherburne.co.uk
Sara Millis
Sara’s Texture Crafts
Come and visit me, for craft news, my on-line magazine (blog), events & shopping at Sara’s Texture Crafts
sarastexturecrafts
Kleins
I’ve been shopping at Kleins for years… they have always been my safe bet for sewing and trimming supplies, if I need something I just pop along to the shop and browse through the many products they carry in stock. So what can you find here? Well amongst the candy store of braids and ribbons, you can also find an array of buttons, buckles and zippers in many styles and finishes, different sorts of closures and corsetry materials, eyelets and tools, dyes and glues, bag/purse frames and handles, needles, threads and other sewing equipment.
5 Noel Street
London
W1F 8GD
(Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm)
You can also find the shop on-line at www.kleins.co.uk
Sara Millis
Sara’s Texture Crafts
Come and visit me, for craft news, my on-line magazine (blog), events & shopping at Sara’s Texture Crafts
sarastexturecrafts
Wild Women, Stitched Art Brooches By Sarah Lawrence
I always look for smaller projects to slot between my bigger art pieces, so when I saw this book, it’s colourful cover really caught my eye. Sarah Lawrence takes us step by step through 20 wonderful brooch projects that make use of a lot of the items we may already have in our art boxes. Each project is purely inspirational, introducing new and fun techniques to make these ‘wild women’ and to take them to the next level. Much more than that this book has many transferable ideas … I can see some fantastic possibilities from card-toppers, to artist trading cards and even jewellery.
This book is great for beginners and occasional projects for those more advanced. What a wonderful addition to a crafter’s library!
Reviewed by Sara Millis of Sara’s Texture Crafts
Wild Women, Stitched Art Brooches By Sarah Lawrence
Publisher: Search Press
ISBN 13-9781844483020
Price: £4.99
Purchase from The Textile Directory at: http://www.thetextiledirectoryb
DIY with Sara Millis
Sara is a new blogger at DIY City Mag Blog who is now a part of our Editorial Board. She has some great posts that you will get to see soon. Sara is a Fashion and Textile Designer based in London.
DIY with Sara
Sara’s Texture Crafts
Come and visit me, for craft news, my on-line magazine (blog), events & shopping at Sara’s Texture Crafts
sarastexturecrafts
Annie Sherburne - London based eco supplies shop
In today’s society eco-friendly products are becoming more and more important in our daily lives. So it s not unexpected that artists and crafters have started searching for eco-friendly and fair trade supplies to make their products with. Annie Sherburne is a textile artist who has had the foresight to start providing for us…
Sara: Why are fair trade and eco friendly products so important to you?
Annie: Because the system of production for textiles is polluting, and the way that people are treated in countries without our high levels of protectionism is unacceptable. Abuse of human rights to get things made cheaply, or with little care for the local environment can be changed by using the capitalist system, if enough people chose to buy products that do not exploit people or the environment. I decided a long time ago, that all I could do was whatever I can personally do, the problem is too big otherwise. Research was a way of finding out the truth behind the issues.
Annie’s shop is a wondrous collage of colour and texture, which pulls you in to explore from the outset. Among her own fabulous rug designs (which are eco friendly, of course), Annie sells jewellery made from vintage components and handbags made by her partner. She also stocks a range of eco-friendly yarn, natural dyes in powder form, some mordents, knitting needles and crochet hooks and some gorgeous buttons too. And if you are looking for home products you can also find neem bathroom cleaners and other laundry materials (because laundry is 85% of the impact which textiles make on the environment.)
Sara: Apart from stocking eco friendly and fair trade products and supplies in your shop, how else do you try to get your eco-message across?
Annie: Lili, another Masters graduate has produced a great game that will help people understand the issues by actually designing various products. I currently stock this in my shop. It is useful a useful tool for teaching teenagers and undergraduates too. I also sell eco design books, and materials and am always happy to debate with visitors.
This shop is a great starting point for artists and crafters wishing to make the move into environmentally conscious work. This is where I found out about an event called Eco Design Fair, based here in the UK. Run by Louise Kamara, Eco Design Fair have also produced ‘the sustainable directory’, which is also useful for people wishing to buy completed works.
Annie Sherburne
1:10 Oxo Tower Wharf
Bargehouse Street
London
SE1 9PH
(Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 11.30am to 4.45pm)
You can also find her shop on-line at anniesherburne.co.uk
Sara Millis
Sara’s Texture Crafts
Come and visit me, for craft news, my on-line magazine (blog), events & shopping at Sara’s Texture Crafts
sarastexturecrafts
Beginner’s Guide to Silk Ribbon Embroidery
By Ann Cox
This is a great introductory book to silk ribbon embroidery. Covering essential tools and materials, Ann Cox takes us through easy to follow stitch techniques and shows us a myriad of individual plants, flowers and other objects we can create from them. Each stitch is fully explained and illustrated with step by step pictures, so even a true beginner can recreate (although some with a little practise!) any of the stitches with ease. The reader is also shown how to plan, create and mount larger artworks and there is a range of six equally stunning projects to follow.
This was a new craft for me and so I was thrilled at how simple this book made those first tentative steps into silk ribbon embroidery and also at just how many ideas I came away with. I would certainly recommend the ‘Beginner’s Guide to Silk Ribbon Embroidery’ to fellow embroiderers and textile artists.
ISBN 10-0855328355
ISBN 13-9780855328351
Price: £6.99
Purchase from The Textile Directory.
Reviewed by Sara Millis of Sara’s Texture Crafts.
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DIY with Sara Millis
Sara is a new blogger at DIY City Mag Blog who is now a part of our Editorial Board. She has some great posts that you will get to see soon. Sara is a Fashion and Textile Designer based in London.
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