Back in the Tea Cosy making saddle!

 I've finally completed this tea cosy for an Opera singing friend who luckily loves pretty pink-ish things! I've had so much fun making this cosy, using blocks I cut for the second collection of home-wares I created for STORY online store, adding extra blocks and hand & freehand machine embroidered text that reads continuously "Home is where the heart is there's no place like Home".

These first two photos show the two largest sides and the following two images show the short ends...

I haven't stitched anything into the edges to add support, its just the thickness of all the fabrics and wool inter-lining that give structure when stitched right through. Its a very 'rustic' house shape and I love that its very personal and wonky...as if the inside furnishings of the house have turned themselves to the exterior of the house!


Nice detail of a pompom tassle....

Detail of hand embroidered text...

I love this photo, the shadow the cosy has made is really nice...

I think a tea cosy ought to have a 'body' and a personality to make it special. This is what I'm always hoping to achieve whenever I make a cosy. Its a way of endearing such an object to a person, especially if that person has no real love for things like tea cosies (This Opera singing friend has a passion for them too, so I have no concerns there!)-  in my attempt to make tea cosies part of a person's everyday life in a meaningful way, I invest a lot of humour, humility, grace, fortitude & warmth into each cosy I create...I hope they bring joy and long-lasting pleasure!

The STORY story continues....

This is the second tea cosy I've made for my wonderful friend Monique Germon's new online store called STORY, which is planned to launch in early January. Its part of a collection of two tea cosies and four cushions, made-to-order (there are a couple of each piece in stock already).
This image shows the inside of this cosy which I've lined with delicious hand printed Pippijoe of Melbourne hemp fabric, called 'Buds'.

 A few details....hand embroidered text on vintage linen mangle cloth....

 Duchess silk satin 'finial' and binding...

 The teapot is stitched and appliqued hemp denim...

 The 'front' of the cosy, which is a made-to-order piece.
If you'd like to know when STORY is online and live, please sign up for emailed notification on the STORY website.

The Teacosy* Revolution prepares to show itself in Melbourne

The exhibition at the start of December and hosted by Bundoora Homestead Art Centre is called HIGH TEA and this cosy is one of five I'm making for the show.

This tea cosy is called Teacosy* Number 31; Partido de te Sagrado del Madonna (Death & the Maiden) Cosy, and I've applied Aluminium Epoxy paint to a collection of vintage doylies and lace to recreate the silver effect from the Mexican Religeous Icon which is the inspiration for this piece.



A detail showing the fabric pens I used on white leather to draw images I don't have time to embroider...




I'll post more information about the exhibition in a few more weeks.

Far From The Maddening Crowd....& back in my studio!

Yes, that's right....Felix is now 9.5 weeks old and a super baby who sleeps for 3 hour stretches and is glorious when he's awake....so when he sleeps I work (I know I ought to sleep/rest too, though I prefer to make the most of studio time while I can).

This post features a recent commission for my very dear friend and fabulously talented Monique Germon, who is launching an online store of beautiful handmade treasures, at the start of November this year....and lucky me, she wants my work too!

Her new business is called STORY and showcases a more mature, pared back and elegant aesthetic which is going to be really exciting for me to work with, a real change! Here are images of the STORY Flagship Cosy I've just finished for Monique, from the finished cosy back to its beginnings as a pile of fabrics...oh, and a photo of Felix and I taken yesterday (you can see Felix concentrating on the computer screen as the laptop's camera took the photo!).



And a detail...


Other side & detail...



The work in progress...



Laying out the cosy sides...


Choosing the fabrics...


The inspiration/reference images...




And this is us, Tara & Felix...

A bit of Willow Pattern fun...

I'm working on a set of new tea cosies and doing a bit more research about the history of the Willow Pattern and story behind the legend.

I thought I'd share these two films with you, I especially LOVE the first one, the children's drawings animated are really great!

Rose-Mount Tea Cosy, for my partner Rainier's parents.

While I await the birth of my first child I'm doing whatever I feel like and taking a little break from some orders that are taking longer than I'd hoped to finish, to complete a few things that I started last year! In other words, I'm procrastinating a bit!!

This cosy I started last year for my partner Rainier's parents, who love green and have a wonderful garden and farm with some lovely bushland on it in Mole Creek, northern Tasmania. Their farm is called Rose-Mount which I've embroidered with the date of their house on one side...




And on the other side I've embroidered Rainier's parent's initials and some roses...




I'll post some pics of the cosy in the garden at Rose-Mount soon....I'm being induced tomorrow night so I won't be very talkative on this blog for a week or two after baby arrives, unless I'm blessed with some extraordinary quantity of energy and find myself still sewing tea cosies in between changing nappies, breast feeding and naps!?!

Thanks to everyone who checks out my blog and apologies that it hasn't been very interesting of late, I've been a bit preoccupied..... ;-)

Anatomy of a Tea Cosy commission, March, Stage 4

After finishing all my work for Tiger & Peacock in North Fitzroy (Melbourne) a week and a half ago, I'm finally back onto this tea cosy commission and luckily the lovely client is very understanding and patient!

Today I finished the birds on this side of the cosy, ironed and photographed it to post here. Now I'm chain stitching the Mercedes car on the other side of the cosy and hope to get it all finished by Monday evening.



One very voluptuous embroidered peony...


Its very exciting getting close to finishing this cosy, I cannot wait to see how it looks once its all together!

Anatomy of a Tea Cosy commission, March, Stage 2

Last evening as I was stitching away on the other side of the cosy I had the uneasy feeling that something wasn't quite right...



And then this morning when I checked the instructions and ideas from the client I found I'd put the wrong purple silk on the cosy, and also on the cushions, so this morning I've been unpicking the cushions and re-stitching the correct purple silk, and with the cosy I've added the darker purple silk over the top of the paler purple to get it right.



I love that with textiles, its possible to layer and hide areas and thus create rich layers of built-up texture and weight...

So now I'm about to start freehand machine embroidering the Peony flower, to then be hand embroidered to 'colour' it in, and I'll add the three blue wren silhouettes which are to represent the client's three children, which I think is such a lovely metaphor!

The next images will be of this embroidery and I'll start the Mercedes car on the Union Jack side tomorrow morning....I still have to confirm with the client what sort of imagery will be above the car, as this piece is for the client's wedding anniversary and the Union Jack side reflects aspects of her English husband's personality and passions.

Amazing Museum Tea cosy find....

Last Friday I spent a very productive day with curator Elizabeth Adkins at Franklin House in Launceston, in Northern Tasmania.

We are working on an exhibition/collaboration about Tasmanian Women's underwear between 1820 (European settlement/Occupation), and 1930. Franklin House is a National Trust property which happily has a fabulous small collection of antique clothing which we spend 4 hours inspecting and documenting for specific items.

Our current working title for the exhibition project is 'Intimacy' & Elizabeth will be curating the exhibition, drawing on the collections of Tasmania's small museums, and writing the exhibition essay....and I will be responding to the collections we inspect as well as the general historical background and traditions associated with Women's Underwear in Australia and in particular, Tasmania. So I will create a body of embroidered textile artworks which reflect all our research and field trips to inspect collections.

So far Elizabeth and I have been to see and document the lovely collections at the Smithton Museum in North-West Tasmania, and now Franklin House near Launceston. We have a huge schedule of more road trips and will start a new blog about this exhibition project to share the exciting results with everyone who is interested!

During our inspection at Franklin House we found this magnificent treasure....a truly Majestic Tea Cosy of exciting proportions....and so interestingly made to resemble Peacock plumage to some extent. I was so excited about finding it that I HAD to share these pics....!






Also another blog that I love and want to share with you is Toronto based Flock of Teacosy. Check out Michaelle's lovely felted wool cosies.....I'm hoping my sister in Toronto can get me one for my birthday in April?!

Blogerama- sharing the love!

I've been getting lots of publicity for my work recently and featured in the February issue of Australian House & Garden magazine, and now in the March issue of Notebook magazine, alongside some very inspirational women like the talented & glamorous owner of Melbourne store & blog Meet Me At Mike's, Pip Lincoln.

A friend also pointed out to me that I've been seen on some global blogs too:
Gypsy Village & Brabourn Farm, which is very glam!

Two of my Teacosy* Revolution Tea Cosies have also found new homes with friends in Tasmania: the very talented jeweller Anita Dineen has become the proud owner of Teacosy* Number 9, and origami whizzes Sam & Maya of Hideyo Designs have chosen Tea Time Teacosy*, which is great!

So this is just an update to let you know what's been happening lately!
And to finish this post I'd like to show you a really great packaging design on my favourite TICK TOCK brand Rooibos Tea (Aspalathus Linearis).

Think I'll put the kettle on.......

Bienvenue chez 2010!!

A slow & calm start to the year, which is very uncharacteristic of me and matches my slower pace of life now I'm pregnant. I'm learning to embrace the transformation process and not feel guilty that I don't want to work 28 hours straight on an embroidery anymore!!

A couple of exciting things have happened to start the year off and they are:

A five page feature on my work, my home and me in Australian House & Garden magazine (February issue out now), from page 54,

AND

A couple of my Summer collection cushions are featured on page 46 in Vogue Living Jan/Feb 2010, in an image of the wonderful Monique Germon's POP-UP CO-OP store project with Sarah King & Tamara Maynes, in Bowral, New South Wales. My 'Tea For Life' cosy is in the second image.



Images courtesy of Monique Germon at PUBLIC OFFICE.

On the tea cosy front I have several half-finished cosies which greet me every morning and are just asking to be finished....so I'm working away at some retail orders and once they're done and mailed off I can 'treat' myself to some tea cosy stitching!
Can't wait!! I do wish there were more hours in each day and that I could afford to employ people to sew for me as well...this WILL happen, maybe next year if I don't lose my mind being a mother ;-)(Do I sound slightly apprehensive?!)

News.......

I have some news....its quite BIG news for me too....
I found out a few weeks ago that I'm unexpectedly pregnant, which explains why I've had three months of feeling exhausted and sleeping all the time and nausea and particular cravings!!!
Its been a total shock, and yet I'm coming to terms with it all now and starting to feel excited about it now that the first three months are just over...

And anyway, I REALLY needed a huge break -after working for months and months every day & all day & usually most of the night too- an enforced break otherwise I was heading for a huge crash, emotional and physical, so I guess a pregnancy is the only thing that was going to stop me!

Out of my slower and calmer days I've managed to make a few things, not many, which is lovely really!
This tea cosy is inspired by one of my favourite French artists, Nathalie L'Ete book my parents brought back from Tokyo for me recently, called The A to Z of Nathalie L'Ete.

It will be on my Etsy store soon too.

Finally...I've made some new tea cosies to show off!

I finished these two coises yesterday and mailed them to my friend Monique Germon's new collaborative retail enterprise, POP-UP CO-OP which is open for one month in the town of Bowral, south of Sydney.

I've been wanting to try freehand machine embroidering in a more 'drawing-ly' manner, so I referenced a lovely Bennison linen printed Toile which has this Pagoda/pavilion building on it..and in my thread drawing on the tea cosy, I have stitched a sprouting tea plant in a pot, to symbolise the cycle of sustainable production, consumption and renewal which I always associate with tea drinking and gardening!





This is the other side of the cosy, where I embroidered the Chinese character for 'Tea' (courtesy of the internet....so please tell me if I've got it wrong?)


This cosy is a follow-on from all the Mexican Teaparty scarves I've been making. This cosy is a little more 'Spring-y' with the flowers on one side. I wanted the skull side to feel a little more Piratical and "You'll NEVER stop me drinking tea, nya ha haaaaaaaaaaa!!" ('til I die), etc etc....and I like my tea cosies to carry meaningful messages!