return to etsy

Sometime last year I decided to put my Etsy shop on hold as I could not commit to it with a part-time job and a toddler. Since Hesper is getting older and has started pre-school, I have been able to gradually create items that I'm happier with, with a view to re-opening it again one day. Although I only have a few bits so far, I decided to just get my Etsy shop up and running again.  I have the kids tops that I started screen printing with, plus a couple that I have appliqued, and I have just listed a couple of screen printed tea towels. I also have cushions and lamp shades that I have been working on - using screen printing, hand dye and organic fabrics, which I will list soon.... I finally feel like its starting to take shape!

cheat quilt

I made this quilt for Hesper before she was born. I did not (and still don't) know anything about 'proper' quilt making; I had lots of scraps of fabric and just had a stab at it. I think I cheated really since reading a little bit about quilt making and what an art it is. My method was to cut up lots of random patches of fabric, lay them out onto a big  sheet of fusible Vilene and iron them on, tucking the edges under. Once 'stuck down', I zig-zag stitched all the edges, added a layer of wadding and then a layer of backing fabric. 

It was meant originally as a mat I could throw on the floor for her to roll about on, but when we bought the cot bed, it was the perfect size. She uses it now as a snuggle blanket for cuddling up on the sofa with, not quite as vivid as pictured here. The cushions that I mentioned yesterday are covered with vintage tea-towels that I found in a charity shop, I also added an apple applique to the quilt purely by coincidence; but it all ties in together with her new doll that I made.

rainclouds and stars

I created these t-shirt designs recently, using garment blanks that I already had. For the appliques I used fabric from Hesper's old clothes - I have made her a couple of things from her old clothes before as some of the fabric is lovely and hardly worn. When I started screen printing last year, I envisaged combining my designs with appliques, text and hand painting.

These designs came about by just playing around with the fabric and seeing what colours and textures work together. The star on the pink top is painted by hand with fabric paint as I wanted a big, irregular, bold star and then appliqued the fabric letters on top. The cloud is made from sweatshirt fabric, sewn on back to front so that the fluffy reverse looks like a fluffy cloud...complete with sequin raindrops. I think the British summer has had some influence.