After years of sewing off and on with a secondhand, beginner Janome, my husband surprised me with my Singer Heavy Duty machine for Christmas almost ten years ago, and it’s been a beloved and cherished member of our family ever since. It has the perfect blend of mechanical simplicity (which allows me to perform almost…
Sewing Machine Review: Singer Heavy Duty
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do. My name is Katie and I live outside of Portland, Oregon with my husband and our two young boys. I stay home with the kids, but as they’ve gotten older I’ve had more time to pursue creative interests. I sew, primarily quilts, but also do…
The tactile, shimmering silver of PEARL GREY made its way into the late work of American Pop and conceptual artist Ed Ruscha, forming the uneven patinas and tactile textures of old silver screen movies. For Ruscha, who has lived much of his adult life in Los Angeles, this luminescent shade of pale grey became a…
When it comes to looking and keeping cool, a linen jacket is an absolute must-have. Thanks to linen’s breathability and lightweight texture, a jacket made out of linen not only looks comfortable and laid-back but also provides the ultimate armor to see you through the warmer months. To wear linen confidently is to embrace all…
American fashion designer, textile, and performance artist Nick Cave has an uncanny ability to weave ordinary detritus, from sticks to stuffed-sock monkey dolls, crocheted doilies, repurposed sweaters, and dyed hair into the most fantastical, transformative costumes. The artist is best-known for his intricate, elaborate ‘Soundsuits’, which are designed to be both seen and heard, giving…
There are so many sewing machines on the market, options as well as opinions on each machine will always vary! Tastes may change according to personal sewing preferences and what type of items you are sewing. I encourage you to listen to the opinions that line up with your needs and the textiles you plan…
American-French Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt had an innate ability to capture the crisp, sparkling freshness of daylight, painted with a bright palette of cool, pastel shades like EUCALYPTUS. Women and children were always at the centre of her paintings, often painted with great tenderness, but her real subject was the shimmering light falling all around…
My first forays into natural dyeing began with the vibrant blue dye of indigo. Indigo is the name given to the dye that comes from plants (of which there are many species) containing the indican compound that produces an incredible blue dye. Used throughout Asia, South America & Africa, indigo has a rich and vibrant…
American artist Sheila Hicks creates whirlwinds of technicoloured thread, knotting, weaving, twisting and spinning dyed, natural yarns such as wool, linen and silk into richly tactile, all-consuming installations. Since the 1950s, Hicks has been producing woven sculptures of all shapes and sizes, pushing and pulling at the boundaries between art and textiles in order to…
Makes just over 500ml From April onwards, India becomes a mango-lover’s paradise, as Mumbai’s Crawford Market bustles with lorries laden with Kesar, Badami and Alphonso mangoes brought in from all corners of the subcontinent. Huge wicker baskets overflow with pale yellow orbs, carried into the large indoor market atop sellers’ heads. Inside the market, workers…
Icelandic textile designer and artist Ýr Jóhannsdóttir has recently been making waves in the realms of fashion and textiles for her whimsical, colourful and fabulously eccentric garments, all produced under the label Yrurari. Knitting is the backbone of her practice, but her response to the craft is far from traditional, ranging from upcycling old jumpers…
There are only a few days left until the end of winter, which means you can already officially prepare your wardrobe for spring. As a mom, I care about what my children will wear. I don’t like retail shopping, it’s hard to find something that I might really like, instead, I prefer to buy online,…
My Bernina Matic 910 and I have been creating for last seven years together. The range of materials she sews well is delightful. She is an excellent all-round machine. She can handle several layers of heavyweight denim and cotton canvas. She also handles lightweight fabrics and knits well. So far, she and I have made…
Eerie, enigmatic silence circulates through the art of Swiss Symbolist Arnold Bocklin, conveying brooding places hovering between the waking and dreaming worlds. Bocklin predominantly painted the rough and tumble of the wilderness with a hazy light, punctuated by vivid, inky passages of darkness in shades of blue and dark purple like SWEET GRAPE. This colour…
London based artist Daisy May Collingridge’s eccentric, intricately layered ‘squishy sculptures’ break down the boundaries between fashion, costume and art in the most playful and humorous ways. She works with soft jersey, hand-dyed into delicate flesh tones to mime the delicate, shifting hues of human skin. These are stitched together in layer upon layer…
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01 Apr 2026 @ 6:15 am by Emma Cartmel
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