Lovely Legs

What a glorious winter we have been having here in Brisbane! Daily temperatures of 22˚C (71.6 F) have inspired me to photograph our new hand-printed leggings in my sub-tropical back yard.  



The leggings are made of organic cotton/spandex for a comfortable fit that you can enjoy for yoga, pilates or just relaxing at home.  For a day out, the printed text or floral leggings can be worn with our black Play Jane tunic.



Following the success of our plain black leggings we have now added red to our range. All leggings are available through the Thea & Sami on-line store or if you are in Brisbane, you can see them this Sunday at my stall at the Young Designers Market.

Get Published

Have you ever fancied yourself as a published artist? Here's your opportunity to be included in The Diary Project 2010.

Each page of this diary is designed by a different artist/crafter from around the world. To design a page you need to have a web space from where you sell or promote your art  such as personal website, blog, Etsy, Flickr, etc. Participation is free, you get free publicity and you will have a discount on the book purchase.

 
These are example pages from last year's diary. The 2010 diary will be the third edition and will be published in 3 languages.


I apologise for the late posting of this project but with my crazy schedule of late, I had forgotten that I had signed on months ago. I have reserved the page for January 12 which is my birthday. The final date for submissions is August 1 but as a designer, you probably thrive on deadlines. Never fear, I haven't done my page yet either.



There are still some pages available so if you would like to be included then visit the website for more information and instructions: http://fantazya.ca/diary2010.html

Paper Printmaking

One of my dearest and most talented friends, Jay Dee Dearness, hosted a Press Party last Saturday at her lovely Queenslander.

I was excited to go along to learn a new skill as each guest had a chance to try printmaking. Jay Dee had prepared a metal plate the previous night for us to use. Here she is demonstrating how to ink it up.

On the printing press, Jay Dee had marked out for us the position for placing the inked plate face up. Each individual sheet of pre-moistened paper was laid down over this and covered with 2 sheets of felt.

Jay Dee demonstrated the wheel turning with on-lookers KT Doyle and ever supportive spouse, Pete Ward. The press, since christened Shelley after Mary Shelley the author of Frankenstein, may look old-fashioned but is brand new. The design has basically remained unchanged for decades.

This is what the finished product looked like printed on cotton watercolour paper. It is the design for Jay Dee's new gallery space "Myrtle Street Studio" located under her fabulous house. This will be an exciting new exhibition space for Brisbane and I will be announcing more as plans progress.

This is Jay Dee helping Eleni Papadatos. Other Brisbane bloggers present included Alarna Zinn and Georgina Lewis. Thanks to Pete for the great barbeque that followed!

P.S. The inking of the plates uses a lot of paper and Jay Dee has discovered that the pages from old phone books work best. If you live in the Brisbane area, please contact her via her blog if you have any you wish to recycle.

Relief!

Whew! The relocation of the printing table went relatively well. I had been stressing about it for months as I feared that it would be a huge job.

We had to move our VERY heavy, 7 metre long table to the larger studio next door and fit it along with the textile dryer, cutting table, etc. all into one space. Although this will allow us to cut down on expenses, I can't help feeling sad to leave my original little studio. It has lovely natural light as the only unit with street-facing windows. My new studio does have sky-lights so at least I won't have to depend on the colour-distorting fluorescent lights.



We had to use car-jacks to lift up the legs and roll little metal skates under several legs for ease of movement. This was not as easy as we thought as the parking lot had a substantial dip, causing the skates to keep falling off.

The hired skates only go in one direction so we had to realign them each time we wanted to change direction and keep re-jacking the legs. This strategy didn't really work either because of the uneven ground so finally, several people had to lift up one end of the table and do a 90 degree turn. There were 7 people in all including myself which is why I couldn't take more pictures. So apart from a couple of scarey moments when the table top came off the steel frame in a few spots, there were no major mishaps.



Ssssh, don't tell my neighbours but we did leave huge circular scratch marks in the parking lot which we will blame on aliens if asked. Luckily, we did this on a Sunday evening when there were no witnesses and we had the room to manoeuver because of the empty parking lot.

I would like to send a big thank you to my wonderful and able helpers; Emily and brother Dan (pictured above), Voyt and fellow percussionists Didier and Martin and to Eleni. You are awesome!



This is the table in its new home. Do not fear; that ugly wall colour is going to go!

We had to readjust all the legs yesterday with the aid of a builder's level to ensure that the table was perfectly flat. This is especially important when printing meterage (or yardage) otherwise the large screens would not lay flat and the design repeats would probably not line up as they should.

The plumber reconnected the screen-washing bay yesterday so we are ready to keep screen-printing.

Swim Fish, Swim

I love our new screen-printed fish fabric! I have named this design "Fraser Island" after the world's largest sand island known for its beautiful, crystal clear lakes as well as the abundance of surrounding ocean fish life. This is keeping within our Queensland inspired themes.



This was our first test print yesterday in a custom-mixed aqua colour. We will be confirming two more colourways soon. I can just see this fabric used in nurseries or bathrooms, don't you?

In response to Anabel's question; there are two special people who are currently helping me screen-print with the large screens. The printers are my husband Voyt and Eleni, my cousin who I will be introducing to you shortly. Both are working for love right now.



Wish us luck tomorrow as we will be attempting to move our 7 m long screen-printing table to the studio next door without having to take it apart. I am very nervous about it!

I would also like to send a big thank you to Sara for featuring Thea & Sami on her blog: Faith, Hope and a Whole Lotta Love.

The Big Catch.

I am really looking forward to going to the Thea & Sami studio today as the new fish screen has arrived. See my previous post on positively fishy.



As you can see, the screen is almost as tall as Voyt (husband) and he is no shorty at 179 cm (5' 11") tall. Please excuse the sandal wearing in the middle of our winter but he is Polish.



I will be registering the screen to make sure that the design is printed straight and evenly across the fabric. The most exciting part is always screen-printing a design for the first time. I can't wait to see the fish on the organic cotton fabric!

My Colour Diary

Many designers keep sketchbooks full of images for ideas and inspiration. How about keeping one for colour schemes? The possibilities are endless.

One of my most prized possessions is my Colour Diary from my days of studying Textile Design. We were encouraged to keep and update our diaries weekly. As a mature student and a bit of a nerd, I would spend my Friday evenings doing exactly that. I found looking through magazines along with the cutting and pasting quite addictive yet relaxing at the end of the week.

Most pages are inspired by a single word:

TROPICAL


BOHEMIAN


NANTUCKET (Americana)


SPICE

Of course, these pages are my own interpretation of each word. If you would like to start your own colour diary, I would advise you to use a small notebook otherwise you may find it harder to fill the pages.

Would you like to see more of my Colour Diary?

Positively Fishy

You are probably wondering what this is unless you are familiar with screen-printing. It is a peek at my film positive for a new fish fabric design.



The design was done to scale in Adobe Photoshop and then digitally printed onto film. The film is required for permanently exposing the image onto the screen using a photo-emulsion process. The area that is now black will correspond to what is screen-printed. As I am using a large screen for this print, I have had to cut and very precisely tape together my digitally printed films that were not big enough otherwise.

It is unusual to have such a vast screen-printed area but as I am choosing to print onto undyed, organic cotton fabrics, it will allow me to produce printed eco fabrics in any colour I choose. It also means that interior designers will be able to have custom-printed colours. To keep the fabrics environmentally-friendly, we use Permaset Aqua inks that are solvent-free and water-based.

I am mixing and testing ink colours today and will have the screen ready to print by the end of the week. It's always exciting when we have a new design to screen-print!

Table Runners

Thea & Sami hand-printed linen is now available as table runners.



The Marguerite Print table runners may be purchased through our on-line store. Tablecloths and runners can be custom-made in other sizes so please contact me to discuss your requirements.



The table runners are also available in the Fretwork Print on hemp/organic cotton.



More homewares and new organic cotton fabrics coming soon!

Va Va Voom!

Thank you Scoutie Girl for featuring Thea & Sami's hand-printed Va-Va-Voom Top on your fabulous blog.  



Scoutie Girl has "a penchant for the passionately handmade" and sources the globe for the best in hand-crafted design.

Our Va-Va-Voom Top is also available in plain black or white organic cotton/spandex jersey.  The organic cotton remains soft while the spandex ensures that the garment fits well and retains its form.  Who said eco can't be sexy?



The top is shown here with our Classic City Skirt hand-printed with our Marguerite design on certified organic linen.

Guinea Pigs

I love guinea pigs! When I was a child we had two pet ones called "Pip" and "Squeak". I thought I was so clever even back then for coming up with such incredible names.


How adorable are these cuties made by Leah over at Handmade Bits and Pieces? Not as smelly as the real things, I bet. You can win one by visiting Leah's blog and leaving a comment,

If you would like to receive a Thea & Sami hand-made surprise, you may also leave a comment on my post, Pay It Forward.

Selvedge Shop

If I were in London, I would be at the new Selvedge Shop's grand opening on Saturday.



I regard the Selvedge magazine as being the best there is when it comes to featuring textile design and designers. I always get excited when I receive my subscription copy in the mail.

So for you lucky Brits and visitors that are able to make it to the shop, you will be able to take advantage of the opening specials on textile goodies. Visit the website for the location and further details: Selvedge.

Pay It Forward

One of the best things about writing a blog is the friendships that develop. Recently, I commented on somebody's blog because I absolutely loved what they had done with the fallen branch from a tree. The clever and resourceful Peta had them made into play blocks for her children and I was pleasantly surprised to receive 3 of my own to play with. I just can't stop admiring them as they now sit on my desk. I just love their natural beauty. You can see the original post at Peta's blog Pippiwillow. Peta has a lovely Thea & Sami surprise on its way too.




So with that bloggy good spirit in mind, I take the opportunity to apologise to Crafty Rie for taking so long to blog about her Pay it Forward post. However, better late than never so I am now passing on some blog love too. If you would like to participate, here's out it works:

I am entering into the following contract with the first 5 people who comment on this post and then commit to do the same on their blog. Just read below and if you feel up to the task copy the following into your blog and leave me a comment. I am willing to post overseas (I am in Australia, but remember you must commit on your blog to do the same to others).

1.  I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.
2.  What I create will be just for you, with love.
3.  It’ll be done this year (2009).
4.  I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
5.  I reserve the right to do something strange.
6.  In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.
7.  Send your mailing address - after I contact you.

Welcome to everyone. I will however, make an effort to do something that you like based on what I see on your blog, BUT there are no guarantees.

Yes, I know I raved on about not passing on blog awards, etc. but this is different as it is totally voluntary and you are under no obligation to participate. If you want to pay it forward, please comment.

Coffee & Chocolate

Three great reasons to be at Brisbane's Portside Wharf this Sunday; coffee, chocolate and a market featuring the best of local hand-made design. Need I say more?



The sweetest of strawberries, rare and exotic coffees and the most delicious of chocolates all in one destination at the annual Coffee and Chocolate Affair. YUM!

Portside Wharf is located on the Brisbane River at Hamilton and there is a map on their website.

How very difficult it will be for the designers to concentrate on selling and not give in to the many temptations. The markets will run from 8.00 am - 4.00 pm this Sunday, 12th July. For a list of participating designers, visit Boutique Markets.

Up In Annie's Room

I had a lovely day at the Young Designers Market last Sunday. I always enjoy meeting new and old friends. It's especially nice when people introduce themselves after reading my blog and that is exactly what the lovely Emma Gascoyne did.

 

Emma bought some Rose Fretwork linen from me and wasted no time in putting it to good use in creating these wonderful two-in-one brooch/pendants.  You can find these in Emma's on-line store Up In Annie's Room.

 

This is another of Emma's two-in-one designs worn as a pendant.  See more on Emma's Blog.



So please say hello to me if you are coming out this Sunday to the Portside Wharf Boutique Markets!

G Magazine

G Magazine recently requested our colourful tea-towels for a product review. I am delighted that they have selected the Thea & Sami Rose Fretwork tea-towel for their "Kitchen Capers" page in the current July/August Issue.

Our eco tea-towels are made of hemp or hemp blends and only hand-printed with water-based and toxic-free inks.



G Magazine is Australia's green living magazine and is published bi-monthly. Features in this issue include articles on Waterless Car Washing, Solar Panels and Alternatives to Conventional Dry Cleaning.



I am slowly listing new products this week on my on-line store. And I mean that I AM LISTING them myself. This is a really big deal as I am finally conquering my fear of Dreamweaver.



PS. I will have plenty of yummy tea-towels for sale this week at the Portside Boutique Markets.

Note: Tea towel prices have gone up slightly since G Mag went to print.