On my board

After working on a bunch of designs for a local sportswear apparel collection (that means lots of drawings in Illustrator), I drew these sweater/cardigan/pullover and pinned them on my board. My white leatherette board had been empty for months, except for a "Yo no canto tonteras" decal. It means something like -I don't sing silly things- and it has been like my motto since I read this phrase from Violeta Parra's last interview.

About how a tea set inspired this

There's a new felt project in progress.

I had been thinking for days of a new design for felting but I wasn't completely satisfied with what I had until I realised I was trying to approach something similar to a tea set I had as a child. I was relieved to finally visualise what I had been after and started sketching what I thought were the original motifs of the tea set, just as I remembered them. Of course I couldn't resist and had to dive into old dusty boxes until I found it. It was so nice to see again those little pieces. My drawings weren't exactly as the original design but I felt they had something in common.

In a couple of days I'll post a full view of this new motif. It's made in winter white wool felt on a cinnamon pink base (see colour sample in uppermost image).

Tartan maker

I found the most incredible and amusing textile tool with no weaving required: the Tartan Maker. Actually it's intended for generating tartan patterns for web backgrounds but it's so fun that I couldn't resist playing around for a good while, changing colours, orientation, and even yarn size. Also Tartan Maker has a sister site for creating striped patterns: Stripe Generator. It's equally fun!

Thrift shawls

These are my latest finds from a recent trip to a thrift store here in Santiago (en calle Bandera, para los que conocen). Beautiful "in the style of folk East European" 100% wool shawls, but I'm afraid they are not original, just "inspired by" pieces. It's difficult to say whether they are vintage, or should I say retro? Since reading the article Old Hat (Is vintage fashion looking dated?) in Selvedge issue number 21 I'm very conscious when it comes to putting a date on such items. It says the term "retro" should be applied to anything from to the last 25 years or between 1975 and the beginning of 21st century while "vintage" is between 1920 and 1975. Anything earlier is classified as "antique". Well, let's assume these shawls are just retro.

The black shawl was slightly felted, probably when washed, hence its floral print looks quite blurry and leaked. But for me, it just adds to the charm of it. I don't think the red shawl looks as dazzling as it is live (yes, is it any possible to be brighter than this?). The four of them have frayed borders and are constantly loosing threads, this is not supposed to be happening, isn't it?

Wool forever

My coat finally arrived! A couple of weeks ago I ordered a knitted coat from kelgwo and now it's here! Kelgwo is a small textile company based in the island of Chiloé, Chile, producing beautiful knitted and woven woolens (clothing and home decor). The coat, though very thick and heavy, is surprisingly fitted and flattering. I love the contrast of the textured knit with the bold and geometric coat style. Kelgwo website is packed with the most lovely images from their collection surrounded by the stunning landscape of Chiloé. A must-see!

L’amour est un poisson rebelle

Que nul ne peut apprivoiser.

My latest drawings had to do with fish. Further sketching and fish turned into a mermaid who fell in love with a diver down in Mare Balticum. A complex relationship. Is she going up to live with him? Or is he coming down?

A perfect print for a canvas shopping tote.

About crafts

I always try to write about how I get inspired and about the intimate dialogue established between the crafter and the materials. A couple of days ago I came across this paper on Crafts and Technology by Dr. Katie Bunnell, Reader in Design Research, Falmouth College of Art, UK, where she presents an interesting definition of craft supported by the psychological notion of flow (the reason why knitting or any other craft activity is so relaxing and fulfilling).

"For this paper I would like to define craft as an essentially human and humanising process. To craft something involves human interaction with technology whether it’s a pen, hammer, or computer software and hardware. In the experience of a maker it involves a high level of autonomous control over a holistic process of designing through making. Crafting something, involves what Mihály Csíkszentmihályi calls ‘flow’ activity, an activity that engages an individual to the extent that they lose track of time and have a strong sense of fulfilment and achievement through this process of engagement. Csíkszentmihályi claims that it is ‘flow’ that enables people to be happy, fulfilled and successful in their lives, as opposed to material gain or even ‘intelligence’. Craft is then both process and product. And as professional makers both processes and their products are embedded in a continuous internal dialogue between maker and technology while being both consciously and subconsciously influenced by the external forces of the cultures of craft, design and beyond. Craft also exists as flow activity on a human level in the generation of objects and social systems that are understood to be beyond the realms of professional craft practice and belong in the territory of ‘amateurism’ or folk art."

If you are interested in reading this paper I found on the World Crafts Council International website (which to my pleasure I discovered its international President is a former college teacher of mine), you can download it here.

I think we are all trying to understand the current craft movement and how it will evolve. I'm particularly interested in people developing their creative side and see how many of them are making a living out of their crafts. Isn't like a dream come true to be your own boss and to have a job that ensures being in that flow mood for a good part of your working day? Is it possible to lose the joyful feeling of crafting if you turn it into your official job?

I can't believe it's been almost two years since I started making these felt balls. I've never decided what to do with them. A necklace, a pillow sham, a bag. For now, they will stay in that box.

Siboney

As we are heading for the autumn/winter season, I'm getting prepared for it creating new designs for facing the cold temperatures in our poorly heated buildings. In fact, we lack that northern hemisphere culture of central heating, double windows and well-insulated living spaces. Though we seldom have freezing temperatures during winter, it's cold enough to make you shiver everyday as you try to warm your house only with an electric or kerosene heater. Of course there are places and houses that have central heating but that's not the most common and it's way too expensive. I even remember once talking to some Swedish diplomatic women and hearing them say that they have felt colder here in Chile than in Sweden. It's not just a thing of temperature, it's a matter of how good you prepare for the cold weather.

So, until the day I can make a bodysuit out of an electric blanket and plug it in every corner of the house, the old and dear hot-water bottle comes in handy for the season. And now that evenings are getting colder it's especially pleasant to work with wool and felt.

This new two-directional floral pattern was felted on wool while the back cover was knitted (row 1: *knit 2 st, purl 1 st* / row 2: *purl 2 st, knit 1 st*) and then felted by washing it in hot water and tumble dry afterwards. The back opening is trimmed with cotton bias binding, hang loop made of felted knitted braid and cotton bias piping for contour trim. Why so many finishing details? Because of the felted pattern. It was so complex and time-consuming that it deserved an equally detailed work. When designing this pattern I thoroughly considered felt qualities so I tried to stick to wide strokes in order to avoid losing detail when felting the motif. Note to self: don't use strokes less than 3 mm wide. I'm calling this new pattern Siboney, just as this song I listened to infinitely while felting.

The beautiful camisole with a crocheted top was made by my mother as a gift and she was kind enough to unwrap the package just for the shooting. Gracias.

Garden Plan

The illustration just above these lines (found while looking through some old books) inspired me to create this new pattern. It's about a garden plan/diagram showing some convenient layout for planting trees and others. I thought I'd end up with a striped pattern, something similar to the original illustration, but as I started I got increasingly amused arranging my own vegetables and trees so the outcome is more packed. And there are some words in Spanish for my favourite fruits and vegetables (apple tree, pear tree, carrot, beetroot, lettuce) and favourite garden flower (hollyhock). Manzano, peral, zanahoria, betarraga, lechuga, malva.

What about the colourways? From above [Eggplant + Ether Blue] and [Cinnamon Pink + Eggplant]. Are these going to be printed? Don't know yet.

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I wanted to thank MStetson Design and the SCOOP for their nice posts on my work. It's so encouraging! Thanks!

I heart PG

I'm always making felt samples just for trying new tools or materials. Most of them are made on small pieces of wool but today's was more complex than usual so I decided to make a shot along with other things I heart.

Pincushion

I have this dream of having and using a pincushion for many many years until it becomes so worn that it will acquire a new beauty, just as my mother's which is at least 20 years old. Hers is a mouse-shaped pincushion made of black floral-printed corduroy that right now looks more like new navy and the flowers are barely visible.

So after making the Diamonds pillow I thought felted wool would work great for a pincushion. I took the motif from a pattern I created some time ago I hope to be printing by the metre soon!

While looking for a translation of the stuffing material I used here -huaipe- I found out that the name is apparently a Chilean adaptation from the English word wipe, as both sound very similar. Huaipe is a wad of loose threads and other textile waste used instead of rags for automotive and industrial wiping and cleaning. In this case it worked so good because it's thicker than the regular fiberfill and gives the pincushion a firm body and tight grip for the pins. Besides huaipe looks and feels like made of cotton (subject to confirmation). I wouldn't recommend it for stuffing things made with fine fabrics as it may end up looking bumped.

Diamonds pillow

Wool felt / 50 x 30 cm / cotton back cover

Diamonds

After a long while here I am taking up again my felt projects. In fact, I started another one months ago but haven't posted about it because it needs further sewing (it turned out to be quite a difficult pattern to sew).

This one also needs to be sewn yet into a 50 x 30 cm pillow. I still have to pick a fabric for the back cover, probably something black to contrast with the winter white felted wool of the front. I'll post a complete shot of the pillow once it's finished.

Donation

Two tea-towels are on their way to Crafters for Critters, an online shop focused on independent design that donates sales proceeds to animal rescue groups.

Potholders!

Finally the Biscuits potholders are ready. They are machine quilted and have a hand pocket for easier grip. The hanger is made of cotton twill tape.