Pioneering Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz was a true force of nature, whose daring, provocative sculptures pushed textiles and fibre art in bold and unexpected new directions. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s she worked exclusively with weaving, producing vast and all-encompassing sculptures, called Abakans (a nod towards her surname) that were 5 or 6 metres high,…
Living Structures and Fibres: Magdalena Abakanowicz
As many of you have been asking for advice on how to adjust our patterns for bustier ladies, we thought we’d kick off this new year with a tutorial on how to do a Full Bust Adjustment (FBA) and add a bust fitting dart to dartless patterns. If you’ve been following our blog, you might…
Throughout her long and varied career, American Abstract Expressionist and Colour Field painter Helen Frankenthaler often worked with pale, pastel pinks like CRYSTAL ROSE, letting them spill out across her paintings and prints in fluid, watery stains. With these cool, pale hues spread out across vast stretches of canvas, paper, wood or board she invoked…
There’s something really lovely about working with scraps, especially when they’re soft linen scraps. I love improv-sewing shapes together and whenever I do these kinds of projects, I tell myself to keep going and make more (curtains, pillowcases, shirts, dresses, skirts), but then I clean up my giant mess of thread and fabric pieces and…
Award-winning textile artist Ekta Kaul has a deep-rooted connection to her Indian heritage, which she brings to her London-based practice today. In her hands, India’s Kantha stitching is a deeply tactile means of telling stories, weaving together references to history, place and belonging with tightly bound, intricate passages of thread on indulgent fabrics such as…
This chutney is the main component of Patra Ni Macchi (featured above, look out for the recipe next month), but with some creativity, it’s easy to transform into a dip, a sandwich spread or a delicious accompaniment to a meal. When I was a kid, my mum used to give me this chutney sandwiched between…
American Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko spent his lifetime mastering the emotional impact of colour, playing with how varying intensities of hues, built up in layer upon layer with his distinctive feathered brushstrokes could infuse his paintings and prints with the depths of our raw, exposed feelings. Vivid shades of sunshine yellow like EMPIRE YELLOW…
Slowly I’ve started to spill out bits and pieces of my wedding and dress sewing journey on my social media – things like location (San Francisco!) and potential fabric choice (glittery sparkling tulle!). Our wedding takes place this coming May so I’ve been obsessing over all planning details and it seems like the to-do list…
Self-proclaimed “damage detective” Celia Pym has made darning into a lifelong artistic practice, one that reflects on the close, intimate relationship we form with the clothing in our lives. She has an uncanny ability to transform once tatty, moth-eaten sweaters, careworn socks and even silk costumes through a deliberate and visible act of nurturing repair…
One of the small luxuries of life is having me-made rustic linen tea towels draped about in your kitchen. One on the counter underneath drying cups and bowls, one hanging on the stove handle to lift the hot pan off the stovetop, one tucked into your waistband, serving as an apron while you bake. When…
St Ives painter Ben Nicholson captured the crisp, fresh and invigorating air of the Cornish landscape in vivid shades of blue like SKYLIGHT, along with pale greys, soft beiges, and the occasional flashes of bold primary hues. Though he shifted through various styles in a long and prolific career, ranging from expressive landscapes to geometric…
Follow along for all the steps to add lining to the Mariana Notched Collar Jacket pattern. Linings can be tricky to figure out, that’s partly what makes them so fun! Pattern Notes All seam allowances 3/8” (~1 cm) I changed a few minor style elements of the jacket — I moved the pocket placement, used…
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…
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…
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