I went away this weekend with a few friends to the Citrusdal mountains. On Saturday we went for a hike and here are some of the beautiful things I noticed along the way.
The below two pics are of a burnt protea. I love the geometric shapes that are clearer now that only the skeleton of the flower remains.
There are also beautiful shapes and patterns in the Protea bushes, bud and leaves.
There is beauty in the grass too. The shapes of the seeds are fascinating.
The colours in leaves are also brilliant. Look at the wonderful combination of red and green in the photo below. In fashion and design we steer clear of using red and green together but here, in nature, they work perfectly. I am always amazed.
Lastly, how can one miss the small triggers of happiness that lie so close to the ground. Hidden between dried twigs and grass this little yellow flower pocked out. A ray of sunshine amongst the dirt.
Every year Heimtextil trade show presents all the latest in textile design. It is often easy to distinguish the trends and to define in what movement direction the consumer is moving. However, this year (presenting Fall/Winter 08/09) there were over 2,800 exhibitors so to identify the trends was not as easy.
Here are a few of my favourite textiles (grouped into three trends I could fathom) from the show.
Nature: There is a move towards the more graphic art and nature drawings. It is the elements that are most important. Take for example, an ordinary tree trunk and fragment the colours inside into a formulated pattern (refer to the top right image). Gold is another big trend when mixed with rich red or royal purple (see the third image from the right on the top). Black and white is another movement (refer to the last image) you can see the influence of traditional hand-crocheting techniques in the flowers. My favourite in this collection must be the bugs and stem textile design (second image on the top). I do not know what the significance of the bugs having numbers in them is but the simplistic nature of the design and basic use of red and black appeals to me.
Clockwise from top right: Bruckert Creations; Plage SA; Quid Novi; Bruckert Creations; Stromma Sweden; Joaquin Reina; Prestigious Textiles; JAB Josef Anstoetz KG
Animals: I could not help but include these four textiles. The first one with the chicken and eggs I think is adorable and so fun. I can image this fabric as a cushion on a wooden bench outside a farmyard kitchen. Animals in textiles, as trend, can be either abstract and simplified or perfect and detailed like in the third textile of Squirrels and Deer. In this example I think it is important to focus on the theme more so than the design as a trend - the deers and squirrels are both cute and gentle creatures often used in fantasty stories. Fantasy and beauty are two big trends of the summer, more prevalent in fashion with the return of fairy dresses and the use of light airy fabrics. In the fourth textile below the deer is used again reinforcing this use of magic and symbolic power. The drawing of this textile is also very stylized and sketchy. This sketched quality has been around as a trend for some time now but I also do not think it is going away. I love it. I also think the unusual combination of elements in this design makes it special and even more interesting.
Clockwise from top right: Sprugel Hometex; Print Forum; Stromma Sweden; Rasch Textile GmbH
Combinations: Colour, colour and colour. Colours are in but it is the shade and hue that matters most! Look at the cushions by Mexx Bed and Bath (right) and you can get an idea of the colour combination and how prints are overlapped, combined and co-ordinated. Put spots with stripes or plains and suddenly it is not so overpowering, but once again, it is the colour combination that is most important. This chair by Globaltex Ltd has a purple, red, pink and lime green spot. It sounds a yuck colour combination but because the shades are right, it works wonderfully and looks delicious.
Most importantlly for Fall/Winter 08/09 is to have fun, combine your black and white sketch textiles with your brights (that are in the right shade) and create a house full of wonder!
I’ve been dieing to use my wonderful collection of fabrics for some interior products and have finally gotten down to it. Here is my latest creation and addition to the Wren Label : “Tie-me-up” Cushion Covers.
The outside fabric is a soft version of Shweshwe (i.e. unstarched). The patterns on these fabrics are wonderfully detailed and graphic and the basic use of white and midnight blue work so well together…. I am an absolute Shweshwe fan. To add some ‘zing’ to the cushions, the inner part (the part which hides the actual cushion) is in a bright or not-so-bright colour cotton. This really adds that little bit of sparkle to the cushion and takes it from being just sophisticated to fun as well.
Another great thing about these cushions is how wonderful they are to mix and match. The base fabric is always white and indigo/midnight blue, the pattern changes but the scale remains the same and the inside colour which peeks out, if you choose, can be different. I cannot decide if I want to put my collection outside on the patio or inside on the wooden bench….um…
If you would like one…or two…or three of these cushion covers, head over to my etsy shop to view the collection.
Sway is one of my favourite South African design brands. They design and produce simple garments in textiles that are hand-printed with unusual African graphic images in limited print runs.
The team consists of Ida, Petra and Antoinette du Plessis (below). As first year textile design students they started hand-printing their funky designs and today, almost 9 years later, they are still going strong producing fresh, innovative and delightful designs.
On Saturday - yes, this Saturday (11 May) - together Sway with 12 other fabulous local designers are hosting a mini market in Muizenberg with lots of pretty things to see and buy. I love markets, they are so interactive and fun. Unfortunately I’m away this weekend so I will miss it which is a real bummer but for everybody else who can make it…enjoy! 
There are quite a few South African’s on etsy and I think this is TERRIFIC!
Here are the few that I know about…
CandyDesign is a team of two sisters who create the most beautiful invitations, announcements, greeting cards, stationery, original prints and other pretty gifts. Colleen Roberts from DizzyDezign is also a textile designer by paper and in her shop she sells her designs printed and embroidered on teatowels, cushions, and pillowcases. Heather Moore from Skinnylaminx sells printed brilliantly designed and coloured teatowels, aprons and cushion covers. Freshly Found loves to find vintage or interesting items such as silk suits, pots and pans, baking sheets - you name it, Freshly Found has found it and given it a new and exciting life. Jesse Breytenbach has two etsy shops: Jezzeprints which sells prints of her drawings and comic art and Jezze’s Shop which sells her block-printed cotton tape, knitted and crochet brooches and gorgeous coin purses.
This weekend I tackled the ‘how much is that doggy in the suitcase’ project. I got an old suitcase from my grandmother. The back hinges were broken (so we turned the suitcase around), the lining had disintegrated and the top frame was barely held together.
Equipped with a tub of Genkem Contact Glue and a staple gun I tackled reupholstering the suitcase.
Jeremy’s mom (ie boyfriend’s mom) makes gorgeous sheepskin slippers and keeps all the scrap. For the inside pillow we punched and stitched these scraps together to make a sheepskin quilt.
When we were finished we placed two pillows inside the suitcase and covered them with the sheepskin quilt. The suitcase pet-bed was complete!
The dogs are not normally allowed inside but whenever there is lightning they cry at my door all night long if I do not let them in. Now I can let them in and not have to worry about waking up to a room full of dog hair.
I have three dogs. It was a bit of a bun fight to get whoever was in out so that they each could have a turn.
Poor Shaka, the really old Staffy who has very bad arthritis in his hips, barely fits in the suitcase pet-bed. However, once in, it takes him no less than 5 minutes to start snoring.
My petbed is not nearly as beautiful as Kirsten’s but my three smiley-faced dogs think it is the BEST!
I got this little book from my aunt the other day. It is quite special becuase it is waterproof (i.e. you can read it in the bath if you want and it won’t damage) but I have to admit, it has lain on my beside table for the last week and a half without me even peeking at it. My boyfriend picked it up and started reading it and there are some really lovely short stories and poems inside. Below is one such poem that I think is really beautiful.
LAO TZU from Tao Te Ching
The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all things without trying to.
It is content with the low places that people disdain.
This it is like the TAO.
In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don’t try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
When you are content to be simply yourself
and don’t compare or compete,
everybody will respect you.
There is nothing better than a good cup of coffee in the morning. It is one of my favourite things in the day. For me, coffee is like pudding or desert - it’s a real treat (even though I have at least one cup every day).
This is MY coffee mug. I fell in love with it a few years ago when I saw it in a magazine. I tore the page out and passed it out to my family hinting they buy it for me as a Christmas gift.
It was only a year later when the Villeroy & Boch NewWave collection arrived in South Africa that I got my mug. It cost a fortune by mug standards but it has lasted two years and the joy it has brought has made every cent worth it.
I think my coffee cup/mug looks like a lily. I love the organic lines and flow of it. It encourages you to cradle it.
Villeroy & Boch has just launched my mug (the NewWave range) with colourful South American patterns printed on. This ethnic-style collection has been inspired by travel and exotic destinations and translated into contemporary designs for today’s discerning consumers. The graphic range features bold prints of flowers and birds in vivid contrasting colours. What fun! I think I am going to have to start a collection of them!
The Wren Bird Pouch Story:
There were 5 little birdies sitting in the lemon tree,
One takes off and flies away.
4 little birdies sitting in the lemon tree,
One takes off and flies away.
3 little birdies sitting in the lemon tree,
…and again one takes off and flies away.
The last 2 little birdies sitting in the lemon tree turn and look at each other,
One says to the other “Please don’t fly away and leave me all alone”.
So both little birdies take off and fly away.
Will any of these cute little bird pouches be flying to you???
Go over to my etsy store to make your flight reservation and remember that if you buy the corresponding bag (made from the same fabric as the bird, postage for the bird pouch is FREE).
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There are also 2 New Big Town Bags this week:
Dusty Ice Blue and Olive Leaf bag with chocolate brown interior and Emerald and Chocolate Brown Shweshwe bag (This is a new Shweshwe dye colour that is really stunning).
…and 2 New Small Town Bags this week:
Black Dash and Sugarbush bag with lilac interior and Yellow Gold and Chocolate Brown Diamond Print Shweshwe bag with grey lining.
