colour crush :: rainbow popcorn

 I'm into sunny, cheerful, spring, gelati colours right now, so I printed some to go with the popcorn!

Handprinted "Fan" in quilting weight and medium weight fabrics now in the Yardage Design online shop.

Happy Friday!

making :: fabric covered bangles

Yesterday, I covered a couple of the new wooden bangles I have in the shop with some Liberty print. So easy, and so effective, it was the perfect 15 minute crafty interlude!

Liberty print, or any light weight quilting fabric, works really well for this project. Both of these bangles were made with 90cm strips of fabric that were about 3cm wide, with one edge folded over about half a centimetre and pressed. 

Starting on the inside, wrap firmly around the bangle on a slight angle, overlapping and fabric as you go (making sure the un-pressed edge is covered). Just before you get to the last wrap, fold the unpressed edge over with your fingers (so there will be no exposed frayed edges), wrap it around the bangle and then trim so it can be glued down on the inside of the bangle. Fold over the end of the fabric before gluing (I just used craft glue) to give it a nice finish, and either hold it until the glue bonds, or clamp it with a clip or peg. Warning :: these are addictive! Wooden bangles to cover are available in the Yardage Design online store.

Have a great Thursday!

making :: resin jewellery

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a Resin Jewellery making workshop, taught by the very clever Bronwen from whizzbangle. I've had resin on my list of "need to know more" materials for a few years now, so I was very happy to find a short, fun course to get a feel for it. I find I'm always more motivated and enthused about my own work when I take time out to learn something new/have a bit of fun/socialise with other creatives. It was a total win:win:win day!

I knew nothing about resin before yesterday (except that I like the look of it!) ~ I had expectations of a tricky process with a lot of fumes, but it was nothing like that. There are great resins now that don't have any fumes and if you can measure and stir, you can make resin. This is me mixing {photo courtesy of my workshop buddy Jennie} ...

We made two bangles and two rings each {you can see mine in the top pic}, which meant we got to try out a few of the lovely moulds and pigments on offer.

My favourite thing of the day was the little bowl we all made with the left over resin from making our bangles and rings. I thought it was a brilliant way to ensure no resin was wasted, and it turned out so beautifully. The colours just work and I was lucky enough to take it home ...

The possibilities are endless with resin. I love the colour mixing, the speed of the process, and the beautiful tangible result at the end. A very, very satisfying craft. I feel I may need to dabble some more in the future! I highly recommend having a go if you get the chance.

Hope you're having a creative week too!

new tea towel design :: auspicious

It's been a while since I've done a new tea towel design, so I'm happy to share this one with you at last! Inspired by my recent trip to China, this design is kind of a good luck symbol seen in various forms on all manner of things. It is an "auspicious" symbol, which means conductive to success or favourable. I added my own design touch, with a series of hand drawn "stripes"...

I really love how it looks like a never-ending knot (or a race track, according to Little Mister Yardage). I printed it it in copper (which is actually metallic) and royal blue, because (aside from red), these colours really caught my eye in the ancient architecture we saw in China. Of course, I also printed it in red, which I love, and is currently in use in our kitchen at the moment!

The new "auspicious" tea towel is now available in the Yardage Design online shop ...

Have a great Thursday!

new :: bangles

Something a bit new to the shop this week :: wooden bangles! I took a few of these to the recent Finders Keepers in Brisbane and they were a hit, so I thought I would list some in the online shop for everyone who couldn't make it.

These bangles elicited some really creative ideas of how to personalise them :: decoupage, paint, cover with fabric, but my favourite was the lady who said she was going to paint hers with blackboard paint :: she was very excited at the prospect! Others were going to leave theirs natural and just apply a bit of wax to protect. Whatever you decide, these bangles are a blank canvas for your creativity, and a nice little craft project and/or gift. This tutorial is a good place to start if you want to cover your in fabric, but there are loads of tutorials for bangles via Google. Bangle details and purchase information here.

Cheers!

monday inspiration :: customer colour combos

I'm always pretty fascinated by what colours/fabrics my customers choose. After two markets in the last month where I have had a range of my "Fan" design available in quilting and medium weight fabrics, I thought I would share the colour combo's that were the most popular (insert impromptu little photoshoot with citrus here!).

Purple, red, orange and yellow : this particular combo was chosen by a customer at the Winter Design Market a few weeks ago and I just love it. I think these would look great as patchwork cushion covers {adding to my list of things to make}. Several other customers also bought this or a similar palate, but replaced the purple with ocean blue which also looks great.

"Oranges and lemons, the bells of St Clements" {totally stuck on my brain when I see these two colours} :: these colours have been the most popular of all. Perhaps it's the preparation for spring and summer, or just that they are happy colours. Who knows, but they work well together. Red {below} is always the go-to choice for people who see my fabrics, love them, "need" some and can't decide on a colour/don't have a specific project in mind. I think I should call it Stash Red!

Wishing you all a creative week, and hoping today is the day ...

Fabric and pennant available in the Yardage Design online store.

Happy Monday!

market wrap + charm packs

Yardage Design was at the Finders Keepers market in Brisbane this past weekend. It. Was. Awesome!

It was very, very busy both days with loads of lovely people taking advantage of the summery weather and amazing line up of independent design on offer. It was fantastic to meet some "online" friends in real life, and catch up with interstate makers :: it was so much fun and made the last few weeks of hard work all worthwhile. I look a few pics on instagram as well as these just before it opened on Saturday.

The best sellers of the weekend were definitely Freckle tea towels, market bags, and of course, the handprinted fabric charm packs ...

There are a handful of charm packs in the shop if you'd like one.

Have a great week everyone!

this weekend :: finders keepers market brisbane

Just 3 more sleeps until the Finders Keepers Market is on in Brisbane!

It's been almost 3 years since I've done a Finders Keepers, and I'm excited to share new designs, colourways and products (including some coveted charm square packs) this weekend. I love the interaction of a market :: it's nice to experiment a bit with colours and designs and test them out on an interactive audience. Looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting some new/old online acquaintances. Please say hello if you can :: I'll be in Studio 2 (the middle room) this Saturday and Sunday. I'll be posting to Instagram over the weekend :: you'll find me there as @yardagedesign.

Cheers!