Cultiver: November 2012

Friday, 30 November 2012

new to the cultiverse...

hats and fascinators - Ginger Avenue - $90 - $120

Screen-printed tea towels - Little Evil Stuff - $16

Gift tags and ornaments - Once I Was - $4 - $6

UPcycled tunic dress (and blouses) - Middlemost - $70 - $120

Leads and collars - Tutu's Bling - $12 - $15

Origami Kusudama Globes - Scrunch Design - $30 - $120

Wednesday, 21 November 2012

A quiet word with...

Janine Middlemost of MIDDLEMOST

What do you make?: Clothing, jewellery, cards, accessories, collage art work.

Your favourite materials?: Vintage and up-cycled fabrics. Found objects.

What inspires you to create or where do your ideas come from? (tell us a little about your creative process):

At 9.15am everyday, after my 4 children are off to school, I turn on the music and make make make. I love working with vintage and retro fabrics, the quality is so much better. I usually start with the fabric, the size and weight determine what I can make with it. I will often cut out a bulk lot of items and then move on to jewellery making. I love the idea of things being one offs, so with that in mind I create my own hand stitched packaging for my jewellery, each one with it's own little story, like a mini collage art work. I will spend hours at night time cutting images from old books, or covering tiny buttons in my favourite fabric scraps.

How are eco-friendly practices incorporated in your work?:

I buy all of my fabrics and books from op shops, garage sales or flea markets. I use as much re-cycled products as possible.

What have you studied?:

I studied Fashion Design at East Sydney Technical College a life time ago. I have also sharpened my sewing skills at TAFE more recently. I also have a nearly complete degree as a registered nurse, although I had to put that on the back burner as I couldn't manage it with four children.

Are you a full-time or part-time maker?: I am a full-time maker.

If you’re self taught, how does this affect your practice?: Most of my jewellery making is self taught, if I get stuck I ask one of my talented maker friends for advice.

Why do you create?: I love it! It's the best job in the world.

What does DIY and the handmade movement mean to you?:

I think the saying "Make Do and Mend" says it all. Our society is far too consumerist, people need to look at what they already have instead of what they think they need. I create goods made from almost 100% recycled materials, and am very proud of that. My goods and packaging are also hand made solely by me. I will always purchase the hand made and sweat free option.

Local/Australian makers you are excited about (please include web links if possible)?:

Julie Gibbons makes wonderful things using repurposed and up cycled fabrics.

http://www.tractorgirl.com.au

Kurt Saggers AKA The Cats Pyjamas turns vintage tweed jackets into wonderful hats.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/pyjamacat

Betty Jo designs. making gorgeous jewellery, clocks and other wonderful things out of repurposed vintage and retro linoleum, doilies, buttons and other found objects.

http://www.linoforest.blogspot.com.au

You can find a range of Middlemost items at Cultiver or visit Janine's Facebook page here

Thursday, 15 November 2012

new to the cultiverse...

screen printed t-shirts and onesies - Kate Ward - $25

notebooks, bookmarks, diy cardmaking kit - Little Deer Creations - $10 - $40

beautiful clothes for boys and girls from new and upcycled materials - Pollen - $30 - $50

Our favourite Nanna knitter Veronica Constance has delivered a new range of wonderful toys - $18 - $50

fedora and silk/cotton summer scarf - Rock Ribbons - $50 & $30

Ipswich Town prints - Vic Calthorpe - $10 - $20

Tuesday, 13 November 2012

A Quiet Word with...

Amanda Whitelaw of Hungry Designs

What do you make?

I make and sell wearable art and accessories. These pieces are all hand drawn and coloured by myself. They are then laser cut from wood, screen printed onto fabric or engraved into cork. They are all made in my home on the Gold Coast – which I share with my husband, Colin and our 2 guinea pigs, Bud Lucky and Champ Kind.

Your favourite materials:

I design everything using my favourite mechanical pencil, my Wacom and my Mac. I wouldn’t be able to do anything without these – they are definitely my favourite materials to use.

What inspires you to create or where do your ideas come from?

I am inspired by lots of things, my likers on Facebook, tattoo and art shows, comic books and my family. Colin is a constant source of inspiration for me and I know that Hungry Designs wouldn’t be the same if he wasn’t so supportive and as involved as he is.

My designs are sketched, re-sketched and then the solid pencil work begins. The pencils are scanned in and then digitally coloured. These designs are then taken a step further and laser cut from wood or screen printed.

How are eco-friendly practices incorporated in your work?

All of the laser cut wood that my wearable art brooches are cut from are 3-ply wood that has been recycled.

What have you studied?

I studied Illustration & Printmaking at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Scotland. It was a 4 year course and at the end of it I received my honours degree – although I don’t really use the practices that I learned while at art school.

Are you a full-time or part-time maker?

Hungry Designs is very much a full time job for me, although I also work full time at a publishing company in Brisbane. It’s a little bit of a struggle sometimes to balance everything but I know that you don’t get something for nothing in this life so you have to work for what you want.

What’s your day job?

I work for a publishing company in Brisbane. It’s a lot of fun and because of how I feel about the people it makes going into work a pleasure.

Why do you create?

I create because I really feel that I have to. If I didn’t I think I would go insane. Having Hungry Designs means that I can try new things and go down creative avenues that I wouldn’t have considered before. Hungry Designs is so important to me and it allows me to draw, have fun and meet wonderful people. It really is like a child – watching it grow into something that started off so small and never knowing what will happen next. It’s a wonderful experience to have.

What does DIY and the handmade movement mean to you?

The DIY and handmade movement means a lot to me because without it Hungry Designs wouldn’t exist in the same way that it does. Without the respect and love that handmade goods have I would just be designing and creating for myself and I wouldn’t be able to afford to experiment and be anywhere near as creative as I am. I also wouldn’t be pushed and forced to tackle certain subject matter. Because of the handmade movement and the respect that it has I have been lucky enough to grow as an artist and that is so important to me.

Can you tell us about some other Australian makers you are excited about:

I am continuously inspired by other designers and artisans.

I really love the work of Cat Rabbit – what’s not to love! The soft and detailed figures are so adorable and I have a real respect for people who can sew – I really can’t so it always amazes me what people can come up with using fabric, a needle and thread.

I also love the work of Good Boy Cracky, I adore the cute felt creatures. I have 3 of their brooches and I love them so much. They seem to speak to my more geeky side!

Lastly, I am always really amazed by Catamation. Gill (who owns and runs Catamation) is incredible. Not only is her work incredibly detailed but it is also beautifully crafted. I commissioned Catamation to make over 170 origami flowers for my wedding and they were simply amazing! I have so many of her bobby pins and accessories I have lost count!