Designing fabric + Zip pouches

Hello :)

I have been working on designing fabric patterns featuring my illustrations, with the intention of creating some products for my Etsy shop, and maybe expanding my range a little?

I'm testing out some little zip pouches for now, that could hold bits and bobs or lip balms and the odd bit of makeup. To be completely honest, I'm not incredibly well acquainted with my sewing machine, despite always having a love for using textiles and the urge to make my own clothes. 

The poor thing had been hidden in it's dust bag inside a cupboard for years! And I could probably have counted on one hand, the amount of times I'd used it.

It was only recently that I felt it was about time I had a little play around with it, and I actually made myself a couple of skirts, one from a 60's pattern too, and surprisingly, it's actually wearable! Well kinda...but that's another story!

I do know that sewing machines can be a bit temperamental until you start using them more frequently. So after a few more little projects and even a bandana for my dog,  I started some little zip pouches. 

There's a lot more work to be done, because I am a bit obsessive about straight seams and patterns matching up etc. and these aren't quite there yet. But I'm still excited to share these. I'm currently using the blue tits design below to hold my mircon pigma pens and its the perfect size!

I'm so excited to receive some more samples for the stag design and the sleeping fox design above, so that I can get started making a few more mini prototypes. Eventually I plan on making some larger flat bottom zip bags for cosmetics, toiletries etc. Because there is seriously something so addictive and rewarding about turning your artwork into a functional, useful item.

Thanks for reading!
xxx

 

Illustrated notebooks!

Yet again, I've neglected this blog for so long. My blog posts are pratically annual! I've been busy coming up with lots of new ideas for my Etsy shop, TheInkyDeer, which I'm really excited about trying.

First of all. Notebooks. I have always been the type that loved to doodle all over the front and sometimes back covers of notebooks, sometimes out of boredom, but usually because I thought it looked cool. I still find myself doing that now, in fact. I spotted some plain kraft moleskine notebooks which were just dying out for a design of some sort, and I came up with the idea of popping a few up on Etsy.
The first is a botanical design of freesias. Then a little bird - the jenny wren, which is my favourite garden bird as they are so adorably tiny! Lastly is a stag, but I'm not yet sure if I will keep this one for myself as I do have a bit of an obsession with all things deer related.

  

True North Gallery exhibition

Last November, I was fortunate enough to be included in a really exciting exhibition over in the states. 'Antlers; From fairy tales to the spirit world', at True North Gallery in Massachusetts. Whilst I wasn't able to see the whole range of artworks in person- what with living across the Atlantic- looking at the True North Blog I could see that the show featured an amazing array of different artists, with works in a range of media.