It’s come that time again to introduce our newest featured artist of The Designer Project for the month of February! Introducing the wonderful Carly Westbye
Carly is a Canberra-based designer and founder/owner of FinBok Publishing. Her inspiration is drawn from nature, where some of her recent designs have captured some of the finer elements that are often missed on our tracks in nature. From her local nature reserves, to the coastline and mountains, places where she might be seen exploring natures contours, textures and colour palette.
Each of Carly’s stunning prints can be printed onto any of our fabrics, which means you can order custom designer fabric that’s tailored to you. Keep reading to find out more about Carly Westbye and her ‘Spring in Bloom’ Collection!
Whimsical Peach & Teal feature the Rose Quartz, Rosehip and the Zebra Finch. Both designs featuring a striking red and pink Rosehip flower and the sweetest Zebra Finch Birds. There is a choice between the soft and harmonious peach tones or the more deep and moody teal blue.
Whimsical Peach & Teal would work perfect for fashion projects such as kimonos, or silky evening wear and lingerie.
Singapore Butterfly features a subtle image of rose quarts illustrations hidden beneath an array of beautiful black and white butterflies. There is also a honeycomb pattern added to the design, giving in a delicate hint.
Singapore Butterfly would also suit fashion garments such as sarongs and shawls as well as scarves or a tote bag!
Ruby Blomst is a striking design that features bold red florals mixed with a swirl behind the soft delicate layers of the Rhododendron.
Ruby Blomst is a perfect print for activewear such as leggings!
Spring Summer Orchid (Blue, Night & Tan) features delicate orchid illustrations that come to life in three colourways. The subtle red tones in the Orchid pair well with each background, creating a new look with a unique flow across all three.
We think Spring Summer Orchid is perfect for skirts, dresses and blouses!
Iris is a beautiful design featuring the divine Iris flower. The purple colourway for this design brings a sense of warmth, joy, balance and spirituality. Think of the sweet scent on a sunny day at Floriade – Canberra’s Flower Festival!
Iris would is ideal for swimwear, dresses, blouses, or even a delicate scarf!
Koimaroo & Koimaroo Waters feature the Japanese Koi Fish, a reflection in time. The beautiful red fish pair perfectly with either the periwinkle colourway or the aqua colourway; both soft, subtle prints
Koimaroo Waters & Koimaroo are perfect for summer kaftans or sarongs, perhaps an outdoor cushion by the pool.
Flame Pea Flower is a funky retro design contains both illustrated drawings and digital illustrations of the Chorizema varium, or the Flame Pea, and sadly, this flower is listed as a threatened species (endangered) in Australia. This design embraces curves with a fun, vibrant colour for summer and is a sweet match for the Flame Pea print and Flame Pea Lines.
We think Flame Pea Flower would be amazing as a cool summer tote bag or zipper pouch! Maybe even a cute skirt or dress!
Flame Pea features the beautiful, bright Flame Pea flower. We are obsessed with this orange flower, which pairs perfectly with subtle floral motifs. This design embraces curves with a fun, vibrant colour for summer and is a sweet match for the Flame Pea Flower print and Flame Pea Lines
This amazing Flame Pea design would look great as some swimmers, activewear, or even lingerie!
Flame Pea Lines is a perfect match with the Flame Pea and Flame Pea Flower Designs. It features a digital illustration of the Flame Pea flower, coated in some wonderful stripes!
Flame Pea Lines is the perfect print for swimmers, kidswear, cushion covers, or even a beach towel!
All of our project ideas above are suggestions only as the sky’s truly the limit with Carly’s wonderful collection! Each of Carly’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop, so head on over to be inspired for your next DIY project!
It’s the season of romance after all, with Valentine’s day on the horizon, we know you’re itching to whip up a new outfit that will have you feeling spectacular.
Maybe you’ve met our romance fabric before; it’s a wonderfully soft lightweight fabric (100GSM) and made from 100% rayon fibres, (a fiber from regenerated cellulose, generally derived from wood pulp). You’ll love its smooth texture and fine satin weave; it’s a dream for fashion projects.
Rayon feels soft and smooth on the skin; it’s such a versatile fabric that can be made to mimic silk or cotton. It also has a bit of a natural sheen which is more noticeable in darker fabrics such as black and navy.
Rayon is also great for humid weather as it absorbs moisture, which keeps you dry, and is flowy and breathable – we truly need all the breeze that we can get with our hot Australian summers.
Keen to get romantic?
We’ve rounded up some inspiration for this dreamy, draping fabric that you can print on with your own art, photograph or graphic design. It’s ideal for dresses, blouses, scarves, summer tunics, sarongs, bandanas and pocket squares.
DIY: Zero-Waste Gathered Dress on Youtube or written instructions
Sara is a fabric shop owner and creator, with wonderful sew-along videos that feel so therapeutic! In this fabulous sew-along tutorial, Sara makes a zero-waste dress that is wonderful to wear and wonderful for our planet.
DIY: Sew your own spring scarf by Accents by Claudia on Youtube
Small silk scarves are a beautiful way to add a pop of color to any outfit, whether they are worn as neck scarves, adorned on bags or hats, or to hold up ones’ hair. This DIY video shows you how to make a beautiful scarf with or without a sewing machine! Recommended to make with a cup of tea.
DIY Summer Wrap Skirt (No-Sewing!)
This tutorial shows you how to make two different types of wrap skirts that are perfect for warmer weather, especially in our Romance fabric. Browse our designs that suit your personality or for your next tropical holiday.
Don’t forget!
How to wash the Romance fabric To care for digitally printed natural fabrics we recommend washing gently by hand in cold water with very gentle phosphate free detergent . Do not scrub or rub fabrics, as pigment becomes fragile when wet and this can cause premature fading.We also suggest a warm iron on the reverse side, line drying in the shade and not to soak, bleach or dry clean the fabric.
Can you put it in the dryer?
No, you should avoid putting rayon in the dryer and instead simply lay your garments out to air dry.
Will the Romance fabric shrink?
As a general rule, rayon tends to hold its shape pretty well but it will shrink if washed in warm water or put in the dryer so make sure that you follow the instructions above to keep your garments looking as good as new.
We can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with when using our Romance fabric!
Want to learn more about this beautiful fabric? Check out the link below to head on over to our blog post and read all about it!
After having a little splurge over the festive season, many of you may be starting to think about your new year resolutions. “New year, new me” – usually brings to mind goals such as hitting the gym, eating more healthy food or spending more time with loved ones. A time to embrace new positive actions in our lives. But what can be overlooked is the need to nurture our creative side – which in turn can make us humans more happy overall.
We have the thing just for you. It will not only kick that right-side of your brain into gear but will also provide you with some new ways to do your part to save the planet. Our goal at Digital Fabrics is to provide people with the ability to contribute to a sustainable future whilst embracing the creativity of the individual – and we have some some ideas to get you started.
Get ready for those feel-good endorphins to flow as we explore five awesome fabric projects to make in 2023. And, don’t worry if you’re new to the creative game – there are items for all levels of experience. Let’s go!
We’re not going to lie – we love dressing up our furry friends and we know many of you do too. So, why not kick off 2023 with these funky DIY cat bandanas. Our Digital Fabrics Designer shop is a great place to start for feline fashion inspiration and with a few basic supplies, you will be creating in no time.
Another project for any newbies out there are our homemade beeswax wraps. These funky items have no shortage of uses at home or in the office – especially when it comes to food storage. All you need are your custom fabrics, a pair of scissors, baking supplies and some beeswax – which you can easily find at your local hardware store.
Natural dyes are just so good for our environment as they not only reduce the use of toxic and harmful chemicals, but also provide a second use for scraps from foods such as avocados. You can store the skins and seeds in the freezer to stop them from rotting, providing you with the perfect natural dye for linen. Once you are done – you can then create these amazing linen pillow cases to freshen up a bedroom or two.
We absolutely adore this little number. An incredibly talented creator in Carly B designed this entirely of Digital Fabrics prints. With step-by-step instructions, you can literally create a dress in any style, meaning the possibilities are endless.
The one-shoulder revolution is here if the 2023 Spring/Summer London Fashion Week is anything to go buy, so why not join the party this new year with this DIY gathered one-shoulder top from The Essentials Club. You will be able to knock up this dreamy number with Maddy’s step-by-step guide on her easy to follow YouTube video.
Whether it’s a new years resolution to create a ‘me-made’ wardrobe or you want to let your creativity shine a bit more, we love to support you through 2023! Be sure to sign up to our newsletter for free monthly sewing ideas.
It’s been an absolute pleasure starting off this year’s series of The Designer Project with the ultra-talented designer Krystal-Anne Knafl and have adored sharing her funky and colourful textiles designs with you. Krystal has made a range of her designs available as print ready artwork in our Fabric Shop online, which can be printed onto any of our stock fabric base cloths. To provide some more insight into each of Krystal’s designs, the artist herself has put together a guest blog which details her process behind creating her designs as well as what inspired the prints in her collection.
Keep reading to find out more about Krystal-Anne Knafl and her surface designs!
‘Krystal-Anne Knafl’
Hi everyone, Krystal Knafl here from @missappledesigns. I am very excited to announce that some of my designs are now up for sale in the Digital Fabrics fabric shop! Exciting times for all of us, because you get to have some fun creating some amazing products and I get to enjoy hearing about the awesome things you make, which inspires me to design more. I’m looking forward to you all sharing some of the works you were inspired to create. When I was initially designing, I envisioned my designs on curtains, bedding, tea towels, pillows, dresses, skirts, maybe even some cheeky pencil cases and make up bags. There are some great ideas throughout the website and all over the great wide web.
‘Krystals Design Studio’
I thought it would be fun to share my inspiration and process behind my final designs including some photos of my main design space as well as stimulus images. The majority of my works are hand-drawn on my ipad pro using Adobe Fresco and an Apple pencil. I am a big fan of fun, funky and whimsy designs, but I do like to occasionally find balance through use of warm, more neutral tones.
I am a storyteller at heart and most of my works started from either an experience, feeling or observation. I have found that when an experience captures my imagination, I can put more heart into the final product.
‘Work in progress design’
Chickens With Hats was inspired by one of my lessons as a Secondary Teacher in 2021 when a student brought in a chicken that he had found on the way to school. This chicken became a big conversation point in the class which lead to me being inspired to explore what this chicken could look like with a hat on (much to the excitement of my students.) Sarah’s Orchard Garden was inspired by my friend Sarah’s growing orchard collection. I was obsessed with the colours and would get even more inspiration every time she added another one to her collection. Crazy Plant Lady was inspired by another friend of mine that developed a deep love/obsession with building a plant collection. She would share all these amazing photos of the plants like they were her own children. There were such beautiful design elements in the plants she shared which inspired me even more.
‘Work in progress design’
When designing, I’ll typically search for stimulus through images and particularly look at colours and lines that can work well together. From there, I’ll work towards creating motifs outlines and start experimenting with different colour palettes until I find one that works. Creating motifs can take anywhere from an hour to two weeks depending on how much work and experimenting I need to do.
I do have a ‘dedicated design space’ but I do love designing in spaces where I can relax and stretch my legs. Three of my favourite spaces to design are my couch while listening to music, my bed on a Saturday morning after a big week of work and on occasion down The Strand where I take in some sunshine and sea breeze.
Below are some images that inspired Sarah’s Orchard Garden some of the initial motifs I created before collaging them (Thank you, Sarah Risdale, for allowing me to use these beautiful images):
‘Orchard Motifs’
‘Orchard inspiration photos’
Below is an example of how Sarah’s Orchard Garden can be used. I found a super cute and easy baby doll dress no-pattern dress on Youtube and create this. It prints beautifully on fashion fabrics such as bamboo or fabric but would look incredible on some bedding fabrics. Get in touch with the team at Digital Fabrics about which fabric base would be suit your project.
‘Krystals Baby Dolly dress’
As a fan of fresh and delicious produce, I was inspired to create Summer Salad. A super cute and colourful design that brings out the natural fun and beauty of vegetables which would look amazing as a tote bag, tea towel or even some funky cushions! Or why not make a statement in the kitchen and create a fun apron. This print can also be ordered here in a wide variety of fabrics to meet your sewing needs.
Here’s a cute mock up of Summer Salad as a funky cushion to get you inspired:
‘Summer Salad Cushion Mockup’
I hope you enjoyed hearing about what inspires my designs, the process I undertake and some cool ways you can bring these all to life! You can view more of my designs in the fabric shop. The epic thing is you can choose a fabric base to suit your sewing needs, and the minimum purchase is only 1m! Don’t forget too that if you’re needing support to chose the right fabrics and get started, get in touch with the Digital Fabrics team and they will gladly help you out.
‘Krystal in her studio’
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and I hope I have inspired you to bring out some inner fun and creativity. Don’t forget to tag both @missappledesigns and Digital Fabrics in any projects you undertake with these designs!
If you want more fun and colour in your world, give me a follow on Instagram or Facebook.
Lots of love and inspiration,
Krystal Knafl
If you want to collaborate with us on The Designer Project and become part of this creative club, please apply! Send us an email with your portfolio and why you would like to be part of this initiative, and we will be in touch!
Miss Apple Designs is about sorting inspiration from everyday experiences and turning them into fun designs. From chickens in classrooms to people’s gardens, each piece is digitally hand-drawn and given its own colour story. Ultimately, these designs are made to be a part of your own fashion story and hopefully inspire your fun and creative side as well!
Sarah’s Orchard Garden is inspired by orchard pot plants resting in the Queensland sunlight. These bright purple hues with pops of white and yellow provide layers and dimension that keep the eye flowing.
Sarah’s Orchard Garden would be the perfect print for fashion garments and accessories such as shawls and scarves!
Chickens With Hats is a playful print that is balanced out by warm, earthy tones. The Chicken motifs add such a fun element to the design and hats add a subtle layer of ‘extra’ to these adorable chickens.
We think Chicken With Hats would look amazing on some funky mens fashion garments! Think board shorts or button up shirts
Crazy Plant Lady presents various plant leaf motifs in wonderful shades of green. The contrasting pinkish maroon background really helps the plants truly be the feature of this piece.
Crazy Plant Lady is such a great print for any homeware project! Bedding, blankets and throws or even cushions as well!
Summer Salad is inspired by the beauty and colours of Australian produce. This print features a range of vegetable motifs, each in varying sizes and colours which creates a fun and colourful design. We love the combination of realism and Krystal’s own twist to the illustrations.
We think Summer Salad would work perfectly for both home and fashion projects such as tote bags or aprons!
All of our project ideas above are suggestions only as the possibilities are endless with Krystal’s funky and fun collection! Each of Krystal’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop, so head on over to be inspired for your next DIY project!
It’s been so wonderful having the delightful designer Gouri Bashet, as our current feature artist of The Designer Project and have adored sharing her absolutely lovely textile designs. Gouri has put together a guest blog for you all, which shares a bit of background info on herself, some behind the scenes of her creative process and as well as what inspires her and this collection.
Keep on reading to find out more about Gouri Babshet and her creative style!
‘Gouri Babshet’
I’m a surface pattern designer and illustrator from India who is based in Melbourne, Australia with my husband and two kids. Being in Melbourne and surrounded by beautiful nature has become the source of my inspiration. My patterns and designs are known to be bright, cute yet delicate that are inspired from my love for nature and colours.
‘Delightful Roses – Olive Design’
I’m a former techie who is a creative soul since childhood. I am also a self-taught artist with an absolute love for drawing, crafting, scrapbooking and quilling…just to name a few! I like to think I have a keen eye for colours and just love to bring in bright, detailed and colourful aesthetics with a modern and feminine touch to all of my designs.
‘Work in Progress Design’
‘Morning Melodies Textile Collection’
Nature is my biggest inspiration. I take long walks in the nearby walking trails, creeks and wetlands and capture beautiful images of birds, animals and foliage that serve as a starting point for my design process. I put together a mood board with the images from my inspiration and color palettes that go with the current theme. Then I start by sketching loosely in procreate app on my iPad Pro which is such a versatile tool in art making.
‘Design Inspiration Moodboard’
‘Rough Bird Sketches’
These sketches are refined and transferred to Adobe illustrator to create vector motifs using colour palettes I create using adobe colour tool. The final motifs are tossed in a repeat pattern that can been transformed into beautiful fabric, home decor, stationery and other products.
‘Rough Bird and Floral Sketches’
‘Chirping Birds Design’
If you want to collaborate with us on The Designer Project and become part of this creative club, please apply! Send us an email with your portfolio and why you would like to be part of this initiative, and we will be in touch!
Recently, one of our wonderful team members Ella, took on the project of creating the most stunning party dress out of our newest natural fabric, Poppy!
Ella is our Studio & Production assistant here at Digital Fabrics and also works very closely with The Designer Project. Constantly seeing all of the amazing designs from our Aussie Designers, she decided to feature one of the prints for her dress. Ella has put together a blog post for you all, showcasing the behind the scenes of her latest project as well as her thought process and why she was inspired by The Designer Project.
Keep on reading to find out more!
When I first found out we would be stocking our new Poppy fabric, I knew I just had to make something from it. Organic Cotton Sateen…? Yes please!
I love to work on my own textile designs for my projects but this time, I decided to have a little scroll through our Fabric Shop online. Through working closely with The Designer Project designers, seeing all of their amazing collections in our Fabric Shop and knowing all the love that goes into them, I knew I wanted to order some prints to support our local artists for my next project.
Once I saw the design ‘Maggie May’ by Madeline Hawkins, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
‘Maggie May by Madeline Hawkins’
‘Maggie May digitally printed on Poppy organic cotton sateen fabric’
I then went on a hunt for the perfect dress pattern to match the vibes of the design. I came across DIY Daisy on Instagram and scrolled through her website and discovered her ‘Gathered Rectangle Dress’ tutorial.
I don’t tend to use patterns as I love to make up custom pieces that are perfected to my body shape, or just using clothes that I currently own and loved the shape and fit of to base my new garment on. For this project though, I wanted to find a pattern to work with so that none of this gorgeous custom fabric went to waste.
I love the shape and fit of Daisy’s dress, and how easy it was to put together! I ended up making a mini dress version to create a more ‘party dress’ vibe though. I ended up ordering 2 metres of Madeline’s print, but only need about 1 metre of fabric to create the dress (I’m a size 8/10 or S/M for reference)
Since I had another metre spare and a few off-cuts, I also used Daisy’s ‘Trapezoid Skirt’ tutorial to create another wonderful piece with the ‘Maggie May’ print and also a little bandana for my cat Luna (which she sadly did not want to wear for photos) !
‘Ella and her cat Luna’
Poppy was such a great fabric to work it, it was smooth and easy to sew and to gather as well! The print also turned out so beautifully on the fabric and the sateen sheen paired perfectly with the style of the design. It also happens to wash super well, even after a few washes it still looks lovely and bright!
‘Poppy fabric being sewn’
‘Poppy fabric washed and unwashed’
The dress feels so special to me, knowing I’ve helped support one of our Australian Designers.
Working at Digital Fabrics, I see so many wonderful prints come through our studio doors and am always wondering what amazing projects people are working on and what the fabric will be turned into. It’s always a pleasure working on my own projects using custom fabrics from my place of work. I feel very lucky being able to see the behind the scenes of it all as well as being able to create the finished piece.
It’s come that time again to introduce our newest feature artist in The Designer Project and we are so excited to announce that the amazing Gouri Babshet as our designer for the month of December!
We are so lucky to have Gouri’s ‘Morning Melodies’ collection available in our Fabric Shop. ‘Morning Melodies’ is inspired by the nearby creeks and wetlands that are home to beautiful chirping birds, ducks, butterflies and the air filled with fresh fragrance of the lovely meadows. This collection is made up of hand drawn detailed delicate motifs with lots of texture and calming colours with a hint of feminine and vintage vibes that are perfect for apparels, home decor and various fabric products and accessories.
Keep reading to find out more about Gouri Babshets beautiful designs!
Chirping birds is a lovely print full of little birds and stunning florals! This design has a and fresh calming colour palette of blues and pinks against a white background.
Chirping Birds would be the perfect print for kids projects such as baby swaddles and blankets and kids clothing too!
Delightful Roses – Navy features a print full of detailed hand drawn roses and butterfly motifs. We love this combo of soft pinks and dark blues with that pop of light blue!
We would love to see Delightful Roses – Navy on some lovely makeup bags and fashion accessories such as scarves and scrunchies!
Delightful Roses – Olive features a print full of detailed hand drawn roses and butterfly motifs. The peachy tones paired with the olive background and pops of navy blue pair perfectly together!
Delightful Roses – Olive would be great for fashion accessories such as tote bags and beach bags!
Morning Blooms consists of a variety of native Australian florals in a divine peach and blue colour palette. The scattered flow of the floral motifs make it such a versatile print.
We think Morning Blooms is great for both fashion and home projects, think blankets and dresses!
Ducks is the Lake is a gorgeous print featuring the sweetest little family of ducks swimming in a calmLake. The duck motifs are so adorable and look perfect with the blue ‘lake’ background.
Ducks in the Lake would be perfect for homewares such as baby blankets and cushions!
Geometric butterflies is a blender pattern with butterfly motifs and tiny blooms arranged in geometric fashion. We are loving the peachy tones of this print!
We think Geometric Butterflies is the perfect design for accessories such as zipper pouches and makeup bags!
All of our project ideas above are suggestions only as the sky’s truly the limit with Gouri’s wonderful collection! Each of Gouri’s designs can be found in our Fabric Shop, so head on over to be inspired for your next DIY project!
Whether you have been making your own garments for years, or are just starting out, there is nothing better than sitting back and admiring your finished works. Our brains get a kick out of engaging our artistic side, and getting creative helps release those feel-good endorphins. But, with any work of art there is always the clean-up part which can be a bit of a drag. And, if you’re anything like us you are probably wondering what you can re-use as opposed to throwing your custom fabrics straight into the bin. As proud supporters of the slow-fashion movement, we are big fans of limiting our carbon footprint in any way possible and fabric wastage is no different.
So instead of putting those fabric scraps into the bin, here is how you can re-use your fabrics to not only make some funky new creations, but also do your part to help break the wastage cycle.
Mesh Beach Bag
Summer is here and that means plenty of beach days, and this creation from Sew Simple Home not only looks great but also keeps that pesky sand where it belongs. All you need is your spare fabrics, some matching thread and mesh fabric which you can buy online or at stores like Spotlight. The mesh allows you to store your items and simultaneously acts as a sift for any sand or dirt.
Scrap Busting Shorts
We hate to harp on but summer really is the DIY designer’s dream when it comes to quick and easy clothing and accessories. These shorts are a great project made by our friend & creator, Carly B using her leftover Digital Fabric Scraps (scroll to the bottom to read how)! and are perfect company with the mesh beach bag to go over any bikini bottom or one-piece.
HalfSoyBean has a terrific YouTube channel and with some matching thread you will be on your way to busting out some brand new, sustainably-made bottoms for those warmer months.
Scrap Key-Fobs
Keys – we all have them and we all easily lose them. How many minutes have you wasted trying to find the house keys, that letterbox key or your spare car key? Those days are long gone with Lo and Behold Stitchery’s scrap key-fob.
You can wave goodbye to tacky key rings or uninspiring lanyards and those smaller fabric scraps with some basic sewing supplies, clips and a basic key ring. Be careful though, you may start getting requests from loved ones for one of their own, or better yet, they make a perfect present for that special someone who needs their keys permanently hung around their necks.
The beauty of this project is they have multiple uses outside of keeping warm in the colder months – where it be for nursing injuries, treating blocked pores or those time-of-the-month cramps. All you need for this little gem is your spare fabrics, matching thread and some long-grain rice and in no time you will have a funky little gift idea for the upcoming festive season.
And there you have it! Four quick and easy projects that utilise your spare fabrics, just in time for Christmas. Happy creating.
One of our wonderful Designer Project Designers, Sue Michael, had the amazing idea of putting together some Hankie designs as a fun DIY idea for our customers. She collaged a series of prints together where multiple squares would be prepared, with their seam allowances included, so that purchasers could have the designs printed onto a metre of some of our suitable stock fabrics (we recommend Cotton Poplin or Poppy) and be able to cut out, then sew, to make a set of home-made hankies!
This is such a fun and easy DIY project, making it perfect for even the most beginners at sewing! Sue has put together a blog post, talking about why she was inspired to create these hankie prints and what
hankies mean to her and her family. Keep reading to find out more.
‘Shell Trail Handkerchiefs’
‘Mammoth Skiing Handkerchiefs’
During my childhood, hankies were used in daily life in my home. A skinned knee could use a triangular hankie on the way home, faces were scrubbed with Mum’s saliva-moistened hankie when dirt on the cheeks was an unsightly problem, the children could be cooled with wet compresses at their necks and wrists, coins could be bundled into knotted hankies when on bicycle excursions, orange peel could be collected, and Mum had drops of perfume on hers that she kept, always at the ready, in her handbag. My first housekeeping skills were honed with a stack of hankies to iron each week…triangles or squares…it was my choice. There was sharing of hankies when tears fell, of course. Dad’s blowing of the nose sounded out like a foghorn during hay fever season. I can still remember its musical note.
‘Sue in her studio working on a hankie design’
A modest piece of cloth can be carried close to you and provide reminders of qualities such as back-up, usefulness, freedom, recovery and even healing. Images can be updated from traditional designs, less pretty and less in balance, perhaps, whilst concurrently directing curiosity, organising visual information, and promoting humanist qualities. My ancestors have left many treasures including a box that houses vintage hankies. Some are finely textured plaids, some have been hand-appliqued and embroidered. There is a bride’s silk hankie, hand-made and kept as a precious ‘gift handkerchief’. Many of these vintage hankies have very delicate edgings.
‘Vintage Hankies Box’‘Vintage Hankies’
Alongside the box of hankies, sits two vintage baskets of sewing notions, including old laces and trim borders. Not only could these present-day squares be cut from the large joined cloth lengths, they could have further embellishments at their edges, either with added trim, edging stitches, or applique.
A link to handkerchief edging hems from the Smocking Arts Guild of America on YouTube, shares techniques:
Most of the images for my handkerchief’s have been hand painted, collaged from paper, or printed with simple printmaking techniques without a press. I like to assert the ongoing art-making traditions that provide contrast to the perfect lines and smooth colour rendering of computer software’s image making. I also chooses a variety of themes and art methods, reflecting the diversity and choices within daily life. Whimsy and an urge to create new traditions are stylistic features.
‘Lace and Trimmings for Hankies’
‘Vintage Hankie’
With a hankie, I could rinse freshly picked plums at the backyard tap during my childhood. My Nana had placed an old hankie over the tap of her rainwater to collect the wrigglers. I attended children’s parties where precious, hand-made favours were wrapped in fresh hankies within new cups for each of the guests. This is much like the Japanese gift-wrapping tradition of furoshiki.
‘Lace and Trimmings collection basket’
Whatever the task of a hankie, it could be washed, ironed and stored for future use, in a universal cycle that has always been.
Check out our Fabric Shop now, to order some of Sue’s wonderful hankies!
Let’s Talk about Romance!
After having a little splurge over the festive season, many of you may be starting to think about your new year resolutions. “New year, new me” – usually brings to mind goals such as hitting the gym, eating more healthy food or spending more time with loved ones. A time to embrace new positive actions in our lives. But what can be overlooked is the need to nurture our creative side – which in turn can make us humans more happy overall.
‘Vintage Hankies’
