Shipwrecks & Bravery

Year 2

Tara-Marie — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:19:30 +0000

I am, officially, 100% finished my second year of college.

Truth be told, I’m not super impressed with myself. But I’m going to do my best to not dwell; the summer is looking extremely exciting! I have a huge stack of papers next to me full of craft fairs & artsy events taking place in Ontario for the rest of 2012, & I have a business meeting tomorrow morning!

Inspiration: Turquoise

Tara-Marie — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:15:44 +0000

Do you ever find yourself browsing Etsy, typing in the same keywords on each visit? I definitely do! Browsing a certain colour, era, or material is a great way to find items that you might not think to search for specifically. & even if you don’t find something that you’d like to purchase, it can still be a wonderful source of inspiration!

One of my frequent keywords lately is turquoise. I’ve fallen in love with the mineral (especially in jewellery, of course!), & it’s such a vibrant & pretty colour.

Here are some of my favourites …

1. vintage pyrex mixing bowl; || 2. royal quiet deluxe typewriter; || 3. vintage colourblock dress; || 4. toddler dress in turquoise & strawberries; || 5. mid-century bracelet; || 6. vintage plastic cups; || 7. art deco fan; || 8. vintage sterling silver ring.

xx
Tara-Marie

Knit-But-Not

Tara-Marie — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:00:04 +0000

My client project is finished! I’ll write more about these later; I’m dashing off to catch a train, because tomorrow is my birthday!! Here are some super quick photos of my new, pretend-stockinette infinity scarves.

These are really distracting me from my other projects. I want to make hundreds! Different sizes & colourways, & I want to re-shoot my silkscreen, & perfect my labels inside … I can’t wait for summer!

Stockinette

Tara-Marie — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:07:21 +0000

Chantelle & I have been doing homework in the studio until midnight (when we’re kicked out!) a lot lately. I sure hope I finish this assignment on time! The above prints were drawn by myself to resemble stockinette stitch, & I can’t wait to put it on everything.

Nothing of Consequence

Tara-Marie — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:19:09 +0000

Just a shot I took early this evening while winding up a skein for my new pullover. This is the most beautiful March I can remember, ever!

Craft and the New Ecomony Tote Bags

Tara-Marie — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:19:09 +0000

350 tote bags, now embroidered & ready for the Craft and the New Economy symposium on March 10th!

Surface Design

Tara-Marie — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:42:13 +0000

I felt like taking photos today. I have a busy day & an even busier weekend, so the only chance I had was during Surface Design class …

First Attempt at Dyeing Yarn!

Tara-Marie — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:28:12 +0000

Last week, after a class field trip to Distill Gallery (for a very exciting new assignment!), a bunch of us yarn addicts headed to Romni Wools, a hugely impressive shop in Toronto. It is yarn heaven, with skeins & balls stacked to the ceiling on two whole floors! Some aisles require you to walk nearly sideways, & there’s a large section devoted entirely to books & magazines. As a class, we rarely visit the city without making a trip. I had already been there twice in the previous week (I may have a problem), so I settled for a single skein of white Cascade 220.

Here’s what it looks like now:

I wish I had taken some progress photos, but the process was quite simple. I mixed up a couple shades of turquoise & blue weak acid dyes, doused my yarn with vinegar, & had fun with an eyedropper! Bundled the skein up with saran wrap, popped it in the dye microwave for steaming, et voila! I’m so pleased with my new yarn, & it was so quick!

We have yet another field trip tomorrow evening, so I think I may need to buy a few more white or natural yarns … my happy heart makes up for my poor wallet. Now, I just need to decide what to knit!

Tara-Marie

Samples + Pot Dyeing

Tara-Marie — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:00:53 +0000

Enjoy these blurry shots I took of my work in the studio tonight!

I haven’t done any immersion dyeing since last year, during a Dye Chemistry class, but it’s a lot simpler than I remember. As you can see, I haven’t quite mastered dyeing evenly, but I’m very happy with my results. The imperfections add a little texture, & I’m pleased with the colour.

Now, to work on the sewing, & produce three bags before Tuesday morning …

Printed Logos

Tara-Marie — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:07:28 +0000

I hope you all had a lovely holiday!

I’ve been really, really busy — but not with S&B, unfortunately! I’ve been hopping all over the place, visiting family & friends, & attempting to get settled into a new semester at school. I have some fairly exciting projects coming up, which I hope to document.

I’m afraid I don’t really have anything to report on. I’ll just leave you with photos of the little drawstring bags I printed before the break! Coffee cup cozies will now be shipped with these:

xx
Tara-Marie