Unusual fabrics; Fabric shop-Cloth House.

So as the beginning of the new school year starts and as I’m sure everybody knows; this is my final year of my degree. So I wanted to start looking into fabrics and what material I’m going to be using coming up to my final collection.

So in my quest for material-I went to a fabric shop based in London named the Cloth house.

 

Well….. I think I have fallen in love! Only thing is I will be very very poor! The Cloth house has two separate shops on the same road and stocks the most amazing fabric I have ever seen!

The Cloth House- loving the colour!

I was interested in metal and plastic based fabrics which were situated towards the front of the shop and there was everything! My main fabric I was after was fabric with a Metal thread-quite a rare and expensive fabric. I was so chuffed to see they had some in a nylon fabric and in a woollen fabric both with metal threads in them! Both the metal fabric mixes are £28 per metre-which although is not cheap-I didn’t think was too bad.

Wool and metal fabric.

 

Nylon and metal fabric.

Other fabrics I found where Coated nylon (which has a thin latex feel about it) Nylon bonded to latex; which was quite dense and smooth, Neoprene; which is quite thick and does not fray, Rubber which I thought was amazing! They had rubber fabric in every colour possible! And a Reflective fabric which I was told had glass particles in it, giving it a reflective shine-this was the most expensive fabric that I purchased at the price of £65 per metre! But I think it is something special.

Coated Nylon

Nylon bonded to Latex

Rubber!

Reflective fabric with glass particles.

 

There is a downstairs section which housed all the other fabrics; the wools, furs and jerseys all in different colours and mixes. I found it a really useful shop which I’m sure if anybody with an interest in fabric visited, you would fell like a child in a candy shop as I did!

They have so many different fabrics and I would recommend them to anyone. So if you’re bored walking round London-head to Piccadilly!

CLOTH HOUSE

98 Berwick Street

Soho

London

W1F 0SJ

Sonya Todd at The Minories Art Gallery in Colchester

Today I was lucky enough to go to an opening of a new exhibition showing at The Minories Art Gallery in Colchester by a fashion illustrator Sonya Todd.

 

Sonya Todds fashion illustrations.

 

Sonya was an suffolk based illustrator who had worked freelance for the TV Times and has had work showing for companies such as C&A and in The Avengers publishing’s with Joanna Lumley. Most of her artwork is from the early 1960’s into the 1970’s, drawing models and figurines that had been published in papers and magazines.

Sonya Todd

The exhibition opens tomorrow Saturday 13^th of October until the 17^th of November and is free to visit. Today fashion students-such as me, had the chance to visit first and meet Sonya to have a little tutorial with her and her illustrating skills. I had previously seen Sonya in a trip the institute did to visit her studio so it was nice to see her again and see her do some quick sketches in front of you.

Today; Sonya in The Minories Art Gallery.

 

 

 

I really enjoyed the afternoon, seeing Sonya and hearing how she draws. Her points were; to start with the head and then draw the line of the body to the floor and then position the shoulders. I found the point of her listening to music while drawing interesting as she explains it makes you move and gives you more freedom when sketching-especially reggae!  She also talked about that detail isn’t the most important thing but to achieve the moment of the clothes is and feet aren’t that important when drawing but hips are!

 

Quick sketches.

 

I found her quite an extrovert and a very interesting person. I do wonder what it must have been like being a fashion illustrator during the 60’s and how exciting of an era it must have been to be in the fashion industry.

 

 

 

All in all I found the tutorial with Sonya really motivating and after being interested in fashion illustration myself, it’s inspired me to draw more and try to take it up on a daily bases. I hope this will help to evolve my skills and hopefully come in handy with my portfolio at the end of this year. As soon as I draw some I’ll pop my drawings up on here to show everyone J

Handmade Fabric Heart

As I work part time in a high street retail shop; Peacocks (which I love!) my manager is leaving us this week and becoming an area manager for another company. She’s worked with me and my colleges for about a year and has been a really supportive manager.

I felt I wanted to give her a little present as a thank you and good luck gift but being that funds are tight (to say the least) I wondered if I could make her something.

So….. being that a couple of months ago, I made a fabric stuffed heart for a friend-it wasn’t the greatest but not bad for a first attempted I suppose, I thought I would try something along the same line. And it went really well!!

Using fabric I got in and around the house: calico, thin cotton sheeting and red cotton twill, I then-unusually for me-taking my time; embroidered it!  With yellow and clear beads and hand stitched in red, white and yellow cotton thread. I also used leather and burnt “Good Luck” into it and then stitched it onto the heart as well as a leather hoop for hanging the heart.

For someone who doesn’t have much patience for hand sewing bits or embroidery, I do feel quite proud of this piece and have proven to myself I can do little things like this if I try.

My little fabric heart!

Colours from Nature

I’m usually not one to care about the seasons-and defiantly not the cold!

But I’ve made a decision to enjoy the changing seasons and what it creates along the way, using my arty-farty side to take inspiration from Mother Nature herself.

So as I was out taking the dog out for a walk where I live-in sunny Clacton! I noticed a bush that I walked past with the most amazing red leaves-I even doubted if I was looking at it right, going over to the plant to touch it. By the way the leaves had started to change colour only on the top section of the bush, it appeared as if to have be folded over or that the red was growing down the bush changing the leaves as it goes towards the floor.

Comparing that I have never took a picture of a bush just for the sake of it-I think it was quite eye catching. I am however a little disappointed with when I returned to take a picture that the camera couldn’t  quite pick up the amazing red and it appears as if a pinkie red on the photos.

 

 

 

 

 

After noticing that first burst of colour, I decided to take a couple of more pictures of leaves and trees. I don’t think people realize or contemplate enough of where autumn colours or the autumn feel and smells originate back to nature and the changing seasons.

I really liked the colours around these trees-I thought they really stood out against the green. Their quite soft pastels shades in lovley autumn reds and browns. Even the shapes of the flowers I like with the soft shading around the petals.

Liking the feel of Autumn :)

Violaceous Latex Alternative Competition

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law sent me a poster advertising a competition to design a Halloween costume for Violaceous Latex with the only rule that it has to be made in latex!!!

I love a bit of Alternative fashion and especially Halloween; so it’s a win win!

So I took a bit of time, trying to think of an unusual latex-y costume. After thinking about characters such as Bloody Mary, Bride of Frankenstein, The Corpse Bride… I decided I wanted to use white for a change being that everybody usually thinks of black, especially for Halloween. I couldn’t decide whether I liked the sound of a Mummy or a dead bride more-so I came up with my own interpretation of a Mummy Bride!

Made from white or grey latex, the costume is cut to wrap around the body and fastening with a side zip. It has one sleeve which is also wrap around and finishes with a flared bottom as does the bottom of the skirt-which I planned as a full volume bottom. Then both the sleeve and the bottom of the skirt would be either painted or using red latex-dipped in blood all the way around, growing upwards.

I think it was a good exercise for me and I enjoyed trying to think of something different. I’ve also learned that when I’m sending an illustration to use either a thinker pencil or use a pen!

Hope it does well in the competition and hope everyone likes it!

The Shirts of Eddie Jordan

I have made an executive decision to make a blog post and it could be the first; dedicated to The Shirts of Eddie Jordan.

I’ve grown up watching Formula 1 on every other Sunday with my Dad and now if it’s on, I do flick over and watch it-keep me in the loop of who’s driving what.

Well it only came to my attention this weekend passed, that even though during most race’s Eddie Jordan’s shirt usually comes up in conversation-I have never fully appreciated his shirts until now.     I think it takes a brave man to wear all the prints and colours that Mr E.J wears and I think he pulls them off well. I realised half the attraction to flicking over to the F1 now, is to see what shirt E.J. will be wear!

Loving the polka dot.

Of course, not only his shirts, I genuinely like his whole attitude and charisma that he brings to the show; not being scared or intimidated by anyone and pushing through to get what the public want to know.

If anybody doesn’t know who Eddie Jordan is he was a racing driver during the seventies, he raced for Formula Ford, Formula Atlantic and Formula Two. In the 1980’s he founded his first team Eddie Jordan Racing and then later on he founded Jordan Grand Prix in Formula 1. He helped a lot of new and up and coming drivers including Michael Schumacher who had he’s first season with Jordan Grand Prix until joining Benetton. It was in 2004 when Eddie Jordan finally sold Jordan Grand Prix and since then he has carried on being an icon in Formula 1 moving into presenting and co hosting with Jake Humphrey and  ex formula 1 racer David Coultard.

Now every other weekend I see him on the tele, commentating for Formula 1 and flauting another funky shirt and I think he's great-he carries the whole swarve thing off and is a bit of an ol' silver fox!

Guess which ones E.J?

 

I think you notice E.J.'s shirts more as he is usually standing with David and Jake, who seem to like their plain block coloured shirts.

I'm liking the black and white check, not only does it stand out and play with your eyes, but I also like the red buttons down the front-very couture!

I think this is one of my favorites-Purple with pinky print. It also looks as if its a sheen satin fabric-which just makes it cooler!

 

 

And just a little note: I’ve just found out that E.J suffers from alopecia and has done since a racing accident years ago and therefore he wears wigs. I’m quite surprised as he’s hair is amazing and suits him so well.

Congrats E.J for making it looks so cool!

London Fashion Week- Osman

I think I have fallen in love!  

As I’m researching London Fashion Week, there weren’t anyone’s collections (apart from Peter Pilotto!) that I really looked at and thought “that is amazingly beautiful!”

Until….. Osman!

 

If I’m honest it’s not a name I recognized or knew but I love the new spring summer 2013 collection. It started with bright bold colours such as fuchsia and blue and then within the collection transformed into more muted tones such as pastel pinks, black and white. The cut of the garments varied as well with dresses, three quarter trousers and shorts all being part of the collection. One of the main features was what seemed to be embroidery with designs including a star shape and a heart design.

 

I loved the angles with this collection; whether it is in the shoulders, the peplums or in the neck lines. There were the harsh elements of cut but then there were pieces that were teamed up with a beautiful soft fabric to introduce the softer side of the collection. Fabric wise-I’m not sure what was included n the collection although there was satin used in some of the skirts and a padded quilted fabric used with the embroidery design. I loved the leather or pleather that was included in some tops and the sheen fabrics.

On the whole, I think there is an element of power and toughness but with soft edges making this collection very elegant and sophisticated. It’s one of my favourites so far!