American fibre artist Lenore Tawney is world renowned for her ghostly, ephemeral weavings and tapestries, which emulated the ethereal forces of nature, such as water, translucency and light. From the 1960s onwards she was one of a generation of textile artists including Anni Albers and Sheila Hicks who dissolved the boundaries between textile design and…
Ghostly Weavings and Ethereal Threads: Lenore Tawney
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do. My name is Jessica and I’m 25 years old. I began sewing clothes in 2020 and sharing my makes on my Instagram account. What started as a hobby quickly and naturally turned into sewing custom made-to-order clothes! After a year of juggling my brand and my traditional…
When I first laid eyes on this fabric my heart beat faster. It’s rare to find large scale print fabrics. To see the scale of this print combined with this gorgeous floral, it was the fulfillment of my fabric daydream. Since sewing this dress, some evidence would suggest I’m not the only one taken with…
When Masha reached about working together with their new lightweight cotton line, I couldn’t say no. As anyone who has followed my journey knows, I live for natural fibers and am always on the look out for a fun print to incorporate into my wardrobe. As I was looking through the options, I found myself…
Tea towels are the small but mighty companions that so many of us take for granted, playing a role that is practical, utilitarian and aesthetic. For centuries these seemingly humble pieces of fabric have existed in our private day to day lives, evolving and adapting through the ages to suit our wants and needs. Their…
When working with natural dyes there are four different types of dye. Adjective dyes, these need the help of a mordant to fix the dye to the fibre. Substantive dyes, these have high levels of tannic acid which act as a natural mordant, fixing the dye without the addition of a mordant. Fugitive dyes, as…
The moment I saw the Sophie floral print fabric which is part of The Fabric Store’s new line of Faille cottons, my jaw dropped. The stunningly rich colours of the blooms against the black background reminded me of still-life floral paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. I completely swooned over this new line and all…
Shortly after taking on this project, my partner and I made a decision to give up our rent, take our 3 dogs and move across the province, from Cape Town to the Garden Route for three months. I started sewing this dress halfway between packing for the move. All of our stuff had to go…
MEDITERRANEAN BLUE is a dazzling, electrifyingly bright colour that conveys the soaring brilliance of summer. Artists through the generations have explored how this entrancing shade of turquoise blue can capture the light of the European coastline, encapsulating the azure blue of the ocean and the wide-open, cloudless skies overhead. We look at three pioneering French…
Great choice on making the Mariana Notched Collar Jacket! Here are steps with photos to make that notched collar shine. We also have a separate tutorial on how to make lining for this jacket if that was something you wanted to explore. This is the trickiest and most important part of this pattern. If this…
When I saw the new printed cottons on the FS website, I immediately wanted to try it. It was painfully hard to make a choice, by the way, since the array of fabric on offer are stunning but I eventually decided on the Faille Pablo Flowers in orange color. When I received this fabric, I…
If you know me or my sewing account at all, then you know I’m a solid supporter of a good button up. I actually found my holy grail of one in the Noa Shirt, one of Fabrics-Store’s many free patterns. I’m a long-time user of their pattern freebies; they were in fact all I used…
A master weaver of the 1950s to the early aughts, British textile designer and artist Peter Collingwood made highly skilled rugs, split-ply baskets, wall-hangings and installations with intricate and fascinatingly complex designs. With a muted, pared back colour scheme, he focussed his energy on producing exquisite geometric patterns resembling Celtic knots or Afghan rug patterns….
“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me…” Famous words from Taylor Swift and entirely accurate for me. If you follow me on social media, then you know that I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. My most current mistake? Choosing the wrong pattern for my fabric choice. In garment sewing, pattern makers help us…
This is not Greece but I’ll take all the Santorini vibes I can get. Smooth white buildings with vibrant blues and ocean waters surrounding you, how stunning is that combination? My sister and her husband are heading to Greece to celebrate 25 years of marriage. What a lovely accomplishment and definitely worth celebrating. During that…
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