Category Archives: SUCCESS HACKS

“I make my work from my personal life experiences.” From pantyhose to prison sheets, South African artist Turiya Magadlela masterfully transforms the fabric of daily life. Acts of twisting, stretching, layering and stitching lead to intricately layered, abstract designs pulled over wooden frames, left free hanging or filling entire rooms, leaving traces of performance that…

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do. My name is Caroline, a Swedish Londoner, and I work in the creative industries in two different roles: I teach on the costume courses at Wimbledon College of Art and I am one half of the startup Selkie Patterns, an online business where we make…

This is not the article I hoped to write this week. It comes with a heavy heart that it’s even a topic of discussion; nevertheless, we need to talk about how to support makers, small businesses, and local shops during this time of social distancing. Right now is not exactly a fun time to be…

“It’s that notion of gravity pulling on things, making things collapse, and that potential to collapse.” Multicoloured fabric is bundled into oversized pom-poms, stretched across posts or draped over concrete slabs in the wild, rugged world of Phyllida Barlow. Colossally huge and disarmingly bright, her sculptural installations transform the simple, everyday materials of concrete, plaster,…

I mentioned in my previous articles that fabric needs to be cleaned or ” scoured ” in order for it to take up the dye effectively. I also mentioned that after the fabric is scoured it needs to be mordanted, which will increase the light & wash fastness of the dyes. Once your fabric has…

“The work of art is a scream of freedom.” The astonishing, monumental ambition of husband and wife duo Christo and Jeanne Claude was limitless, covering vast swathes of land, sea and architecture. Merging textiles with land art, they transformed some of the world’s most famous sites, draping, wrapping and adorning them with specially engineered, vivid…

In my ten years of sewing, the most common question I have been asked by fellow seamstresses is, “Which tools do you use every day?” So today, I’m tackling that question with some reflection on those ten years and a little peek into my workspace. As a beginner, I remember feeling overwhelmed by the amount…

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.  I’m Gurusurya I work as a professional photographer and spend pretty much all my free time with friends or crafting or both. I have always felt a strong pull to create things with my hands. I love the magic in a thing that was created by hand…

“Elegance is the balance between proportion, emotion and surprise.” Valentino Garavani, known worldwide by his first name alone, had an immaculate, Italian touch, one which earned him widespread, international acclaim. Finding his voice in the 1960s, his old-school, Hollywood glamour was an antidote to the proliferation of androgynous, tomboyish styles that were rising around him,…

When working with natural dyes many dyes need an additional substance or mordant to help fix the dye to the fibre. Mordant comes from the french “mordre” to bite, a mordant will help the dye bite to the fabric or fibre. When people first start experimenting with plant dyes this step can often be overlooked…

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.  Ma Ma Osa is a handmade clothing brand that offers heirloom quality garments, made by a mother. We celebrate the cherished craft of sewing and seek to honor the art of slow fashion in all our practices as a brand.  Each one of our garments are…

“My job as a designer is to make a woman feel her very best.” Dominican designer Oscar de la Renta brought sleek, Spanish tailoring and European elegance to the United States in the mid-1960s, forever altering the country’s fashion landscape. Making his name in New York, he attracted high profile clients including politicians, models, actors,…

Hemming used to be one of my least favorite parts of sewing. The main structure of garments come together quite quickly. Then all the finishing details such as hemming and sewing buttons, etc. take just as long as it does to construct the whole thing! It can be highly frustrating. But recently my views on…

“My obsession is to make women beautiful. When you create with that in mind, things can’t go out of fashion.” Famously private and mysterious, Tunisian-born, Parisian designer Azzedine Alaia remains one of the fashion world’s most enigmatic figures, one who rebelled against the structures and conventions of the industry to follow his own path. Known…

When I first stated natural dyeing I found it daunting & somewhat intimidating. There was so much to learn and remember however over time I have come to see the simplicity in a process that first felt overwhelming. Just like anything when you break it up into small sizes it becomes much easier to grasp….