Falling Leaves

Another talented Brisbane designer is good friend KT Doyle who received a Brisbane City Council grant last year to develop her surface designs as a range of environmentally friendly wallpaper and textiles for interiors

Currently, you can see her "Falling Leaves" wallpaper design displayed in the window of SPACE Furniture at 10 James Street, Fortitude Valley.

To view more designs and for further information on the project, please visit KT's blog.

Proud Peacocks

Many Brisbanites will be missing the delightful Lyssy May store that was located in Morningside.  However, I am pleased to report that although talented bag designer Alyssa Milton has relocated to Mebourne, her business is thriving and you can view and purchase her new Autumn/Winter collection through her website.

I am as proud as a peacock to have collaborated with Alyssa to have designed and printed this exclusive fabric for her new range.  We stepped outside the screen-printing comfort zone and experimented with printing on corduroy with great results.  More colours and fabrics will follow so to view and to keep updated, check out the Lyssy May blog.



I can't wait to get my own peacock denim carrier. For something different, we have printed the I peacocks on the reverse side which has created a nice contrast for the flap.

Alyssa will assisting on the Thea & Sami stand at the Melbourne Stitches and Craft Show. If you are visiting, you can view and order a peacock bag there.

 


If you have dreamt of having your own fabric designed and printed for your collection, we can make that a reality for you.  Our studio specialises in screen-printing in small runs.  To discuss further, contact Thea at Thea & Sami.

Hand-Printed Lamp Shades

Our hand-printed product range is slowly expanding so I hope you that you love these lamp shades as much as we do. What do you think? Available in 3 sizes, the shades are versatile and can either be hung or used to cover a favourite lamp base. We will be exploring sustainable options in wooden bases to complement our hand-printed natural and organic fabrics.

Designs from top to bottom are our Marguerite Print in natural linen, Fretwork Print in hemp/organic cotton,



and for children's rooms, we have this adorable lamp with wooden feet covered in our hemp/organic cotton Mushrooms Print. The lamps are internally covered with fire-retardant material for safety.



The range will debut at the Stitches and Craft Show in Melbourne. Visit Living Creatively to print out a Thea & Sami discount voucher to save 15% off show purchases. If you can't make it to the show, you can still use the voucher to shop on-line until the end of March.

Our stand at the show will be in the Incubator Section.

The Fashion Shoot

I can now officially add fashion photographer to my ever-expanding roles within the Thea & Sami organisation. This was our low-budget photo shoot from last Sunday afternoon taken in a local Brisbane park.  The models were not professionals either but local natural beauties Belinda (on left) and Jade.  You will have to stay tuned for more revealing shots (of their faces that is).

This is a sneak preview of what we have been up to with our hand-printed organic fabrics. Thanks to feedback from Allyson, I have decided not to use the Hemp/PET that I originally planned to use for the wrap dress but am substituing that fabric with a hemp/organic cotton muslin of similar weight.  The black & white version is printed on organic linen.



We took the photos by the Bulimba Creek at Minnipi Parklands (click for deer sighting) and had to share the floating platform with a nice old man who was fishing for catfish.  I think he was quite excited to be sharing his space with such lovely ladies.



Our Va-Va-Voom top (I just came up with that name) is made of organic cotton/spandex and we are making an initital small batch for the Young Designers Market in Brisbane on the 8th March and to the Stitches and Craft Show in Melbourne next month.



And here is the elusive Emily Tappenden who posed for a location test shot while waiting for the models to arrive. She later realised that this photo would probably end up on my blog.  Emily is responsible for all the styling and patternmaking of this collection.  It truly was a collaboration between her and myself and it has been very exciting seeing our sketches finally come to life.

It is noteworthy to point out that Emily only graduated last year from the Fashion programme at the Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE.

Who is Kitty Kat?

Web Designer Kat Tran Phuc was another busy girl who finished numerous screen-prints in Alarna's group class on Saturday. This is a selection from her 'Kitty Kat' range, derived from her name.



With much patience cutting her stencil and skill at screen-printing a ribbed tank top (never easy) I'm sure that all will agree that the final product is a success!

With only 2 weeks left (eek!) until the Stitches and Craft Show in Melbourne and with pending orders, I won't be teaching any more workshops until the end of March now.

Today we were busy (never a weekend off) doing our own photo-shoot for our next Spring/Summer range so stay tuned for a peek at some our lovely hand-printed organic clothing.

Bows & Buttons

Graphic Designer Emma Simpson was part of the Alarna Zinn entourage and this is only a small selection of her screen-prints of the day.  These coordinated designs become one-of-a-kind cushions which will no doubt be admired by all who visit.

Little Jane St. & Friends

The people I meet in my workshops never cease to inspire me. Here are some lovely screen-printed designs from Brisbane illustrator Alarna Zinn of Little Jane St.  I love these pretty tea-pots.

Alarna brought along her group of talented friends to the Thea & Sami Screen-Printing workshop on Saturday and were busy, busy, busy.  This group was mighty fast with the craft knives!

  

Alarna will be selling her range of Little Jane St. stationery at the Brisbane Young Designers Market at South Bank on Sunday, March 8th.



Aidan Bisset vamped up his t-shirts and muscle shirts with his own designs which he will be wearing to the gym next week.  And to show that you can come up with an original angle, check out his 'wet paint' look hibiscus design.

Premier Skirt

Thank you to all of you who sent me messages telling me that the Premier of Queensland was televised wearing my hand-printed Brisbane (Skyline) Skirt on Brisbane television on Sunday night. Premier Anna Bligh was also photographed in the Courier Mail on Monday, 16th February.

I had visited the Premier last July for a fitting so it was nice to see that she chose to wear the skirt for the launch of her new website. Ms. Bligh looked every bit the Queenslander in pink linen and even coordinated her look with pink sandals; far more stylish than your average politician!

The Thea & Sami Brisbane Skirt had won a Memento Award in 2007. These awards recognise quality Australian designed and crafted tourist gifts.

The skirt is available through Artisan M(art) in Brisbane, Eimai in Melbourne and the unlined, organic linen version from Bliss Ecowear in Paddington, Brisbane.

Otherwise, please contact me directly as we make-to-order the skirt to your colour preferences.

July 2011 Update: The Brisbane Skirt is no longer available but you may purchase the print to frame as a screen-printed panel of Brisbane City. Other links in this post are also now non-existent.

I Love My T-Shirt

Kathy West also attended the Thea & Sami screen-printing workshop last Saturday and printed the most adorable retro ladies and her t-shirt design in 2 colours.



Amy Sellings was a very lucky girl since she took big sister Kirsty's place in the class when was unable to attend.  Let's hope Kirsty makes to one of our workshops soon as Amy proudly shows off her butterfly t-shirt.

Trees Inspire

The natural beauty of trees and flowers never ceases to inspire artists as two of my lovely screen-printing class attendees from last Saturday would attest.  Eleni Papadatos was pleased to have replaced an old beloved tree t-shirt with a couple of her own new versions.



Legal Eagle Toni Wills explored her creative side with her floral and tree designs printed on beautiful natural fabrics.

Hand Made Bowl and Fabric Winner

As a craftsperson, I can't ever imagine giving a gift that wasn't hand-made.  Last Friday night, I attended a surprise birthday party for my artisitic friend Jay Dee Dearness, successfully pulled off by her husband Pete.

Part of Jay Dee's present was this adorable little hand-sewn bowl from Finki, which was traded in return for my mushrooms fabric.  The bowl was then filled it with guest soaps and accompanied with a Thea & Sami pistachio, organic cotton "Blossoms" bath towel.  It was sheer coincidence that it matched Jay Dee's decor perfectly as I hadn't visited her new home until Friday.

Speaking of mushrooms fabric, I would like to thank all of you who entered my blog giveaway which has now ended. There were so many clever suggestions as to what to do with the fabric that I had to put everybody's name into a bowl (twice for those who commented on their own blogs) to draw a winner.

The winner is Wilma from Newcastle, Australia.  Wilma of Empress Wu Designs plans to use the fabric to make a little forest/woodland creature doll.  We will be asking Wilma to show us the finished results in the near future.

Hand Made Help

Many Australians are continuing to find ways to raise funds for the Victorian Bushfire victims. The craft community is no exception so please check out the Hand Made Help blog to see items that have been listed. Proceeds go to the Bushfire Appeal.



I have also listed this one-off Thea & Sami hand-printed canvas tote bag as my contribution to the site. See more details on the bag and place your bid through eBay. Listing ends 18th February at 7.36 AEST.



The DUST (Etsy Down Under Street Team) girls are also selling through Etsy so there are even more hand-made goodies that you can buy while helping this very worthy cause.

Weird but Cool

On the lighter side of things, I visited Artisan (formerly Craft Queensland) last Thursday night for the opening of their first 2009 exhibition, suitably named "Hand Made Strange". The show focuses on graduate and emerging arists who use their abilities to create strange objects from otherwise familiar ones.



I was particularly fascinated by this "Tip of the Icing Berg" piece by Elizabeth Willing, made of marzipan icing and artificial fingernails (image courtesy of the artist).

I also like Hannah Cripp's "Office Virus" (image courtesy of USQ). Look carefully and you will see the virus constructed from various office items. Very clever girls!



Other artists included in the show are Shane Brazier, Helen Rogers, Catherine Sagin, Mila Vasikic.  The exhibition runs until April 4th so if you are in Brisbane, try to make it to Artisan and their cool gift store of hand-made objects, M(art).

A Nation Mourns

As an Australian, I too am shocked and devasted by the news of Victoria's fatal bushfires.  I offer my prayers and condolences to our southern neighbours who have lost loved ones and homes.

It's a terrible thing to feel helpless when a tragedy such as this strikes a nation. One way to make a small difference is to visit the Australian Red Cross.  You can make secure donations on-line to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

T-Shirt Printing Class

What a busy week it's been!  I was so tired last night that I just stayed home and slept, slept and spent most of today sleeping some more.

I did manage to teach my first two Commercial T-Shirt Printing classes yesterday and am grateful to my participants (aka guinea pigs) for their patience as I only managed to write the class program and students' notes on Friday night.  I also apologise to my morning class as I forgot to take photos but here is the afternoon group who are now ready to go out into the world and produce their own t-shirts.

Justin Long came along with girlfriend Natasha Johnston and are both looking like pros working the t-shirt carousel.

 

The lovely Justine Greig is curing her t-shirt through the tunnel dryer.  This class wasn't advertised but was offered to subscribers of the Thea & Sami VIP news who had attended the Intro to Screen-Printing workshop.   FYI, there is still one spot left for each of the next 2 Saturdays; February 14th & 21st if you are in Brisbane.




Watch this space as we are currently sampling new feminine styles of organic t-shirts.

My Mum & Dad Made These

I love getting emails from happy customers so imagine my delight when I received these adorable photos today.  Meet Rocco Christiansen who is one lucky little fellow as he is wearing original designs by his very talented mum Liz.

Last year, Liz brought along her husband Elton, sister Kathryn and niece Natasha to the Thea & Sami studio to learn how to screen-print.  I have yet to meet a more prepared team of printers than Liz and Elton who must have screen-printed dozens of little clothes for baby Rocco on the day and he wasn't even born yet!

So here we have him finally fitting into his own exclusive range of hand-printed clothes at the age of 6 1/2 months.  Isn't he just the cutest model?

 

We offer discounts for group workshops so please contact me if you would like to book your own date. They are also fun for corporate team building.