Hints of spring!

My wine gum bush buds fragrant at the very end of winter. When the August winds rush in to whip up sickness + hurry it on - a cleansing for spring!
I know the scent is rich + strong because it breaks through my congestion as I pass by, with a sweet lolly-like aroma.
Somehow this scent, and the August wind it is carried upon, whisper to me of spring. And so, together with an always-inquisitive 3yr old, we go searching for signs...not many yet in these particularly dry warm days, but if you look carefully they are there....

With these hints of spring, at WEAVE+WONDER, we've begun planning for our holiday workshops! Springtime fun will be awash with colour + creativity and so look out for our newsletter in the coming week advertising what+where we will be running our holiday classes!

Also these holidays, we have received such a positive response to our term-time fashion design series for the older age group, we hope to run another over a few days in the holidays, for those who were unable to make the term time series. We will keep you posted about dates + details!

Oh, and I almost forgot, the Oxford st festival on Sunday was magic for the foodies & ekka enthusiasts among us! There wasn't much purchasing of handmade goodies going on and so I'll advertise a few remaining pieces that haven't already been claimed in orders on the Facebook page later in the week.

A few finger knitters came to rest sun-weary bodies in the quiet cool bookshop and chat about weave+wonder classes & general creativity in the afternoon, a relaxing way to end a busy day teaming with people out enjoying the delicious sunshine!

making + sickness mash!

Oh my poor neglected blog, this last week has been a blur of family sickness + stresses and somehow I just couldn't find the words to write in the midst. So instead of summarizing, I will just begin this week with a few snapshots of the sweet, amid a bit of sour....

weekday weave

This week and last, I have filled the 'sickness-pauses' with pops of colour to brighten our days! I am working on 'Do it together art tote kits'. Beautifully designed using natural fabrics + leather, children will be able to customise their tote or clutch with fabric collage/stitching.
I am hoping they will be ready in time to have a few for sale at the Oxford Street Festival in a few weeks. WEAVE+WONDER will be having a FREE FINGERKNITTING TABLE at Riverbend during the day and I hope to have some items for sale as well!
The felt storage cubes I make will come in handy - updated with a pop of colour - to store our postcards and fingerknit supplies!
I am enjoying coming up with a small pop-up stall for the day!

fashion inspiration class II

What a wonderful taste of the world of fashion those that are attending Melanie's classes are receiving - there is a flurry of creativity in the inspiration-packed hour - worth running the class longer I think! It is so wonderful to provide an opportunity for students to glimpse a creative career like fashion design through the eyes of a wonderful teacher and designer! Here are some of Mel's words from this week...

The time flew by quickly on Tuesday as we explored Fashion Illustration – some students for the first time!
I was really impressed with how much gusto they attacked the task.

Drawing to some rather interesting fashion mannequins, we looked at proportion and shape and tried to sketch quickly.
It was hard to pry the erasers off those who like to get it perfect!

After a few attempts we picked our favourite and transferred it to watercolour paper to begin the final presentation.
Then it was a flurry of tracing and outlining, watercolours/oil pastels/black outlines and finally a signature on our finished work!

Don’t forget to bring both your folders back in next week when we look at Colour/Fabric and start designing our own range…

weekend wonder

[the last flower left...]

Sometimes the timing of things....if they have to happen, can be borne with more patience than, say, well...at most other times! I am talking of sickness, arriving in our household last week in a way that meant - stop! And with the fashion series over the line and running, I have had breathing space before the next lot of decisions need to be made. If I need to curl up on the couch with a 3yr old and read 'Courdory' over and over again I am able to exhale and roll with it!
In the spaces of these days, when sickness has threatened me also, I have slowed enough for creativity to meander and catch itself in a waiting lens...

:: favourate folage - spinning gum.

:: crochet alpaca bowls after their first felting...

:: with lots of wind + cold here this week, these doors are closed and I watch the wind in the tree's outside...

:: lines...

:: 'moments'

:: building bookshelves in the girls room

:: the children set up camp outside to enjoy the sunshine!

:: 'tumbled'

:: I find that when I create...it begets creating in my children - eldest making a birthday gift for a friend.

:: excusing the lack of tripod...our sweet 'toy' eco fireplace having its first run!

fashion inspiration series begins

Well it was a flurry of bookings at the last minute that carried us over the line and into the beginning of our wonderful afternoon inspiration series at Riverbend, focused on fashion design.
I can't say enough about the benefits of this short course for teenagers considering fashion as a career or perhaps just loving to draw + be inspired by the world of fashion! Mel brings a wealth of expertise and has filled out the course with loads of 'take-home' information for those who want to expand their knowledge further!
In her words, a short summary from Tuesday afternoon's class:

What a lovely group we had today as we explored Fashion Trends!
We talked about what inspires us and how this can infiltrate our designs.
We shared where we like to shop and what influences our purchases.
We discussed what and who makes Fashion Trends and how we can predict what will come into fashion.
Then we got down to creating a Mood Board (inspiration board) which we will use in the coming weeks to design to.
I was amazed that my suggested themes were quickly replaced by inspired creativity of their own!
Themes came forth such as :Vintage Ballet > Sunday > Gothic Glamour > Darkness into light > Sunset and Romance!
When asked, a few thought we would spend our time drawing sketches of fashion - it was wonderful to see these children pull back and begin to put a framework together on how to design - I sensed they were all proud of what they began to build!

I am looking forward to three more weeks of being inspired by these young designers!