Seems like ages since I wrote a post! the weeks are flying by. Being a textile artist I seem to have quite a few projects on the go. Between minding my 4 yr old grandson, minding the garden and the usual daily jobs around the house there are lots of days when little else gets done. However, there are also super productive creative days when new ideas and long term shelved ideas come to fruition. I am super excited about a new fascinator base which is a really elegant shape for the face. Simple colours with silk fabrics, flocks and taffetas. These will then be decorated by Emma for our Wildly Created online store.
Many years ago I was inspired to create some jackets using a mixture of fabrics in plain and patterned, I have now made the first prototype for myself. A perfectly fitting jacket is an absolute dream to wear and so many of us are not able to find well fitted clothes in the shops. Therefore these jackets, apart from being one-offs, will be offered as a bespoke item using the clients basic measurements.
I have include a panel of hand stitched textile landscape art on the back of this first jacket. I have also made a matching hat to go with the jacket as a statement piece. This one is made with yellow ochres, olives, beiges, gold and magenta. The colours contrast perfectly with flashes of the magenta visible inside the pockets, cuffs, inside the collar and the hat lining.
No two jackets will be the same. The plan is to make several in a few sizes and colourways to show on the website. Clients can then pre-order a made to measure jacket in a chosen colourway. No idea if this is something people would love to buy! Either way the finished pieces will be available for sale.
The buttons will be mismatched, finding ones that come together on a finished piece is challenging! I will use self covering buttons too, you can see these ones are different and yet all work together, some are with beads for an extra unique touch.
When I can’t find suitable fabrics for a jacket idea, I hand paint silk. For example, I have a bluebell in the woods theme and most of the panels are hand painted first on silk. This one is going to be epic. A unique hand crafted piece!
I also have a pale blue and dark chocolate colourway. We have a fabric outlet store not far that stocks an ever changing range of roll ends and I source a lot of fabrics there. For this reason it is unlikely two jackets would be the same.
I also have a new silk and wool textile wall art piece on the go celebrating the abundant and unusually predominantly pink hawthorn blossom on the trees with a few foxgloves and elderflower trees. Lots of beading and stitching still to do on that. More on that next time.
Karima Rebecca Powell Artist 