I’ve been working on a new artwork for some time. Here it is. I am not 100% happy with the colour scheme and will probably play around a bit more, but thought I may as well put it out there. It’s entitled “All Connected” What do you think?
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A few months ago a very good friend asked me for my opinion on some hand made height charts she was deciding between for her little lass. None of them were quite what she was after but she was hesitant to make her own. So I suggested I make them one as their Christmas present. We discussed themes and details and I set off on my creative merry way, thinking all things trees, birds, hand-stitched string, buttons and leaves. Here is the result (a month late mind you), a fabric height chart that they can take with them wherever they go and keep for nostalgic purposes for as long as they wish.
The result is a sweet combination of calico, fabric pens, salvaged buttons, original bird artwork via iron-on transfer, pretty backing fabric and wool. I began by adding all the detail to the front panel of calico. I choose the calico with the little specs in it and washed and ironed it to remove any residue. The original tree and bird were hand drawn in ink on paper and the bird was coloured digitally. I had a basic plan I suppose, enough to know I was going to be doing a few different ironing steps and the order in which I did them was likely to matter. So I began by hand-drawing the tree with fabric pens (fabric pens are happy to be ironed over). I then cut leaves from the backing fabric and attached them with iron-on hemming tape (also happy enough to be ironed over). Finally I printed out my birds and numbers onto transfer paper (in mirror image of course), cut then out with my longtime best friend “medical scalpel with blade # 11”, and ironed them on…making sure I did not double iron any of the tansfers by accident (iron-on transfers definitely don’t enjoy being re-ironed).
I hand stitched little lass’s name and the circling wool with, ah.. wool, and added the buttons. Then after a good iron (reverse side only) I machined sewed the front panel and backing fabric together, added a few hems, added a rod to hold the top straight, doubled up some wool for hanging and my “tallish keepsake” was finished.
Oh, and some custom made measurement tags attached with salvaged garment safety pins rounded off a ‘job well done’.
A little while back, on Feb the 1st this year to be exact, I told you about a charity auction I was involved in ~ Schaffas2. Screamdance, Adelaideans Sam Barratt & Chris Edser, hand-picked art-friends from all over the world to customize their own breed of schaffas – including Me – YAY!. We were each sent a similar blank shape and given free reign to add, subtract, paint or destroy these objects. This is my creation:
visit www.karinajean.com.au.
Selected Karina Jean items are now avaliable from www.madeit.com.au. Hooray! Made it is the Australian version of Etsy. It is a terrific place to find hand made goodies and to support local artists and makers. My StacksOnTheMill range will be the next items avaliable online.
What’s a Schaffas? We are each being sent a similar blank shape and given free reign to add, subtract, paint or destroy these objects. The schaffas are then auctioned off with proceeds going towards Oxfam’s Close the Gap campaign, which works towards closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous health.
Devotion Twine Necklace $200 AU.
Boab Kisses earrings pictured above. Sterling silver. AU$148. Necklace also available.
CHERISH Launch Thurs 12 NOV 6pm – 8pm. Over 75 new must see ranges! To be opened by David Clark, Editor Vogue Living. Cherish 2009 offers new ideas from a selection of Australia’s best emerging and established designers and makers. Showcasing a seductive selection of innovative goodies to truly Cherish this Christmas. (m)art & Gallery artisan – 381 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, Queensland
WHO AM I? I’ve always been a creative sort. At ten I was fashioning wind chimes from old cutlery, marbles & twine, while selling home-baked apple pies to neighbors to fund my crafty pursuits. We lived in country Victoria, Australia, on the windy south west coast and I was definitely a tom boy. I climbed trees like a squirrel, I paid homage to power tools and I understood an extra special drill bit was needed for making holes in those forks marked ’stainless steel’. My weekends were spent reassessing my choice of cubbyhouse tree and making mischief with my animal friends. These days I work my magic from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, with my surfer-boy fiancée, my baby boy Jonah and our dog called Cruz. My work is influenced by many things. I love the play between man and beast, the influence of pop culture on broader society and the warm fuzzy’s created by nostalgia. I blend all the things that bring me joy into objects and items for others to enjoy. |
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2010 is starting to look like an exciting year. Word is just in that I have been selected participate in Schaffas 2.
