a special first birthday party

Guess what?? Ink & Spindle is turning 1!!! It feels like we've been printing for a gazillion times longer than that which goes to show just what a full on, action packed year it's been.

So we're having a birthday party, and we'd love for you to join us! Details below :)

paper n stitch!

Oh I'm a bit belated in posting about this but last week Kirin Notebook was blog of the week on Paper n Stitch!!



What a lovely looking post - makes my stuff look so pretty and colourful! Thanks so much Brittni!

open studio tomorrow! (again)

I just went to write the above title and Blogger auto-filled it for me. Because in typically slack fashion this is not the first time I've come to tell you that our Ink & Spindle open studio is TOMORROW!!

Details below:


Awesome poster donated YET AGAIN by the very talented Sixto from Too Yeah Media.

For the first time ever we'll actually be doing a demo print run so if you would like to see how the magic happens this is your chance!

And then you can go on to your Grand Final BBQ's etc etc and get plastered.

Hope to see you there!

xx

simple, tactile & natural

I love love love thinking of better ways to do things. And the best thing about running a small business like Ink & Spindle is that we can basically change and improve things at the drop of a hat. And we do!

Our old packaging for cut fabric pieces has been bothering me for some time now (bio-degradable cello + header card) so I came up with a much simpler and more natural approach. Love it, if I do say so myself.



I can just see these standing up in little rows ordered by colour, like we do our fat quarters. Yay!

A little Orange anyone?

Hellooooo! I've been a little quiet of late but thankfully Teegs has written two nice big blog posts about all the galavanting we've done over the weekend. Including morning tea with Tonia Todman, haha!! Read all about it over here!!

But in other exciting news, we have a new print! I finally found time to put my Chalk design onto screen, and given there was a massive orangey gap in our fabric spectrum I decided to print it in a lovely Burnt Orange on Cream organic cotton/hemp. Looks lovely:


Chalk in Burnt Orange - available sooon!


The printing of Chalk in Burnt Orange - available sooon!

Will definitely put it up in the shop as soon as it's heat set. I'm also looking forward to printing it in white on red soon when some special new organic fabric arrives in a month or so. So excited about that.

My first ever armchair

Melbournians - wasn't yesterday The Best Weather Day Ever?? We're only two weeks into Spring and hardly get weather as perfect as that all Summer long.

I spent the day out and about with friends Karin and Maz, visiting galleries and second hand shops around Fitzroy. Always very inspiring. Maz warned me that it's hard to go into the Lost and Found market and not come out with anything. And sure enough:


1960's armchair to recover, plus Peg Bear by One Red Robin & Quilt-that-I-hope-to-finish-soon

It took about two seconds thought to buy this one after seeing the reasonable-ish pricetag. My first thought was to reupholster it in some of my fabric but have since decided that something neutral actually works well and then I can put whatever cute & colourful things I want on it.

I'm thinking something similarly grey, woolly & tweedy but not so textured & carpet-y as it currently is. Any idea where I should look for something like that??

trainscroll

I've always, always, always loved old signage, especially transport related. I keep seeing vintage train/tram/bus scrolls in antiques shops but can never afford them.

Then during a recent visit to Sedonia I noticed they were selling repro ones. And thought maybe I could make my own one. And maybe it could have a cute twist, since it's obviously not original anyway...

two slightly different options

Still a work in progress, but feedback always welcome! I'll print it nice and big on canvas to hang on my wall...

Ooooooh, pretty

It's that same old drill - I spend so much time printing and admin-ing that I rarely get a chance to actually make stuff with my fabric. Come on sewing machine!

So of course I still jump at the chance to blog about stuff that people have made with my fabric (especially if they actually choose to show me and their photos are pretty). Like these beautiful products made by Jodi Bagley who just sent me a lovely email!


Acacia Clutch by Jodi Bagley


Acacia Tote Bag by Jodi Bagley


Acacia Belt by Jodi Bagley

I really love the way her design and fabric choices really compliment the print! Like many of us Jodi has just started out small but her products are getting some great feedback at markets so I think she'll go far.

Thanks Jodi!

to accompany a good book...

Making lace - the bookmark

Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on the sewing machine! I decided to go with the Janome based on the volume of positive feedback, and also because it's within budget. I'm so excited about getting this machine but have to wait a few weeks till my birthday ('twill be a family birthday/christmas present, awwwh).

I'm so keen to do some sewing with my weekends and have made a mental list of projects. But in the meantime I'm settling with lace. I'm still in two minds about lace. I find it hard to get motivated to go to class but once I'm there I have a great time and once I have a project started it is SOOO addictive. I also find it's great for ambidexterity, curiously enough.

Teegs and I have each started making a lace bookmark and I finished mine today. Here's some progress shots and the finished result (and yes I do spend a lot of time on my couch - it's welcome sit-down time after days at work standing whilst printing, mixing inks, washing up, packing orders etc etc etc).


The lace design is based on a dot pattern with pin holes. And lots of bobbins.


You 'cross' and 'twist' pairs of bobbins in particular combinations to make the various patterns in the of lace - kind of like weaving?


Finished bookmark!


...being put to good use!

If anyone local is interested in classes email me and I can give you the details! Classes are held at the Ashburton Community Centre.

knitted

Beanie for a wall - Footscray

Look at this little gem of renegade knitted awesomeness that I drove past on my way to pick up Pete from work.


Beanie for a wall - Footscray

It's fitted to the top of a pillar in a red brick wall surrounding a tunnel. And evidently by a bulldogs fan judging by the colours and location. Which doesn't detract from it's awesomeness too much.

I drove past it, braked suddenly, did a double take and reversed back up the hill to take another look. I've seen heaps of this sort of stuff around the internet but it was so good to see it near my own hood.

Go you, whoever you are!

ooooh, is that a shop update?

I admit it's been far too long since I've last done a proper shop update, and even longer since I've actually had something NEW to put up in the shop!

But here you go, finally some of the new colourways that we printed for the Sydney Stitches show! They took a week to follow us home on the back of a truck and arrive in the middle of a paddock in Tullamarine (AKA Freight-land), but finally they're home!

Thanks to Bec our lovely intern (more on that soon!) for taking the photos for me :)


Rooftops in Olive on Organic Cotton/Hemp


Birch in Gold on Organic Cotton/Hemp


Ginkgo in Snow & Olive on Natural Cotton/Linen (mmmmmm I love this!!)


Rooftops in Charcoal on Natural Cotton/Linen


Acacia in Deep Red on Natural Cotton/Linen

I hope you like them :)

xx

Goodbye Winter, hello Spring!

Happy Spring! To celebrate I decided to decorate the lounge/meeting area at Ink & Spindle with some native flowers. There's a lovely little corner flower shop around Kensington that specialises in natives so I asked the owner to put together this bunch for us - lovely.



If only I had a garden and could grow my own...