Trying my hand at pottery at West Dean College

I love ceramics and always enjoy having a go at new crafts, so when my friend Amy suggested we try our hand at pottery, I agreed straight away. We decided to make a weekend of it and signed up for the throwing pots taster day at the beautiful West Dean College near Chichester. After a sneak peek of the house itself (former home of surrealist art collector Edward James) we headed to the pottery studio.

There’s always something so lovely about craft studios and now I’m getting used to my camera, I couldn’t stop taking photos of all the little details around the place. To begin with we were shown ram’s head kneading, which gets rid of any air pockets in the clay and can lead to wobbly pots. Once we were ready our tutor Alison Sandeman demonstrated our first task: a simple cylinder.

Simple as that!

There were eight of us in the class and pottery was new to nearly everyone, but after seeing how effortless Alison made it look we were all confident about our chances as we started the wheels.

It soon became obvious that it’s most definitely not as simple as that! Thankfully, Alison was really encouraging and always on hand to share her 25 years of experience. Even though I was far from a natural, I fell in love with the challenge and it was hard to tear myself away from the wheel at lunchtime. The little bowl above right was my first attempt… unfortunately it kind of went downhill from there. Here’s a couple that didn’t make it!

By the end of the day we all had five or six pots of varying size and shape to show for our efforts. They’ll be glazed for us in the next few weeks and hopefully some will survive so I can show you the finished articles.

{all Decorator’s Notebook}

I definitely want to go look into doing a longer course and have to admit I’ve been searching for secondhand potters’ wheels on fleabay. I’m hooked!

52 Forms of Funghi (aka: a year of knitted mushrooms)

There’s only one thing I like more than a good photo project. And that’s a knitted photo project! Fibre artist Leigh Martin from Oklahoma is on a mission to yarn bomb trees with knitted mushrooms. One species every week for a year. Brilliant right!?

{Bromeleighad via The Jealous Curator}

I’m definitely going to be following the progress of this mycological adventure …and if you’re wondering (as I was) how on earth such an idea comes about, read Leigh’s mission statement for a full explanation.

Time for the picture round… a quiz!

I have a reputation amongst my friends and family for being the least competitive individual on the planet. They’re nearly right, except I love a quiz!

So I’m kicking off the week with a little treat for you (well ok, me). Litographs make lovely posters where the design is made up from the complete text of the book it depicts.

But can you work out which books these are?

Answers in the comments – or cheat and buy one of these for yourself by visiting the Litographs website.

New builds on the bloc

Those clever girls at My Friend’s House have a fantastic nose for quirky design, like these diminutive skyscrapers popping up on the streets of Berlin.

 

{Photographs Evol / Yatzer via My Friend’s House}

Street artist Evol uses detailed stencils to turn drab city structures like telephone junction boxes, bins and concrete blocks into miniature buildings. I’m not usually a fan of street art (and I strongly object to graffiti) but there’s something so unassuming and appropriate about these urban sculptures I really like them.

Beautiful boro textiles

I’m fascinated by folk crafts – wherever you go in the world you find art born out of necessity and hardship. It seems that it’s an innate human desire to beautify and embellish the things we have around us, however functional and humble their origins.

I recently stumbled across the tradition of Japanese Boro textiles and I think they’re as interesting as they are beautiful.

In the years before WWII many people in rural areas of Japan lived in extreme poverty. Boro means ‘tattered cloth’ and is the term given to heavily patched and repaired indigo cotton – mostly bedclothes, futon covers and fisherman’s jackets. Some have been repaired so many times that the original material is barely visible.

Women would sit down to sew in the evenings when the men returned home, and the hands of the makers are traced all over each piece of cloth. This kind of running stitch is called sashiko and had both a practical and decorative purpose – as well as joining the scraps and adding simple embroidery, the fabric was also made stronger and warmer as the layers built up and up over the years.

{all Siri Threads}

After the war, boro cloth became a sad reminder of the desperate times people wanted to leave behind, and using or wearing the fabrics was something to be ashamed of. More recently though, collectors have recognised their beauty and importance and original pieces now fetch hundreds of dollars.

Owning one of these would feel like owning a little piece of someone else’s history and I’d love to feel I had a little of this sad and inspiring story woven into the fabric of my home.

The art (and politics) of laundry

I’ve used Flickr a lot less since Pinterest came along, but it’s worth remembering that in addition to photos, Flickr is home to some incredible archives. I recently came across the Boston Public Library photostream which contains scans of the most amazing historical artwork, ephemera, advertising posters and photography.

You can spend hours getting lost in the collection but I picked out this little selection of nineteenth century laundry adverts. Feminists are advised to look away now!

{all Boston Public Library}

Dare I ask who does the laundry in your house?!

Silkscreen printing snippets

I mentioned a little while back that I enrolled on an eight week evening class to learn the basics of silkscreen printing. I’ve only got a few weeks to go so I thought I’d share a couple of the designs I’ve printed so far.

{Decorator’s Notebook}

We’ve been working on two techniques. The pomegranate (I’ve been variously complimented by my classmates on my onions and pumpkins!) were done using simple cut paper stencils. These are easy to make but tear easily too, so you can only get a few prints from each one. The fern is done using photo silkscreen, where you expose a screen coated with a light sensitive emulsion to UV. If I carried on, I think this is the method I’d use as the image can be quite detailed and the screen can be used many times before it wears out. The photo on the bottom left is the screen itself.

Picking myself up to go to a three hour long class after a full day at work has been tough, but once I’m there the time goes so quickly and I wish I’d been able to work on more designs. There’s nothing like thinking creatively and doing something new to treat the winter blues!

Is it too early to mention *whispers* Christmas?

Well, not if my blog searches are anything to go by – the eager beavers amongst you have been looking for Christmas decoration ideas for weeks already, so now that November is upon us I reckon it’s finally acceptable to jump in and share a little festive inspiration once again.

But for those who are likely to be drawing a sharp intake of breath at the thought of tinsel and baubles when we still have 47 days to go until Christmas I’m hoping today’s house tour post is a nice gentle introduction for you.

Not a bauble in sight! This subtly sparkling Scandinavian schoolhouse (try saying that one after a couple of G&Ts) belongs to calligrapher Ylva Skarp. The building hadn’t been used for teaching since the 1940s and most recently it was a tin museum which Ylva remembers visiting as a child. The little graphic poster in the photo above is the last remaining trace of its former use.

The house couldn’t be more Swedish if it tried, with its big open plan rooms, grey and white walls and wooden floors, and Ylva’s kept it equally simple with her Christmas decorations. A few sprigs of spruce and flickering candles take the chill off and homemade decorations add a personal touch. I love the paper Christmas trees on the coffee table (instructions here) and I’m tempted to opt for a basic branch  instead of a real Christmas tree too this year.

Ylva’s love of calligraphy is evident throughout her home – this linen cupboard is painted with her favourite phrase “yes, but why not?” and the rugs, cushions and crockery are her designs too. Nordic Bliss sells a selection of Ylva Skarp prints and textiles in the UK.

{all Magdalena Björnsdotter for Lantliv}

Such minimal Christmas decorations aren’t going to feel festive to everyone… does this house say winter wonderland or bleak midwinter to you?

Print & Pattern

I don’t think I’ve ever grown out of that ‘back to school’ feeling so I usually try and sign up to an evening class at this time of year to keep my brain cells ticking over and my creativity alive as the nights draw in.

This year I’m doing a beginner’s class in silkscreen printing at Morley College in Lambeth. We’re starting off with basic stencil prints so for my homework I’ve been gathering simple patterns for inspiration.

{Diamond Dogs / Clouds and Bolts / Leaves}

{Feathers / Trees and Birds / Glasses / Blue Clouds}

{Circles / Chevrons / Coffee Beans}

I could go on and on – there are so many talented printmakers out there. Not sure how far I’ll be able to get in twelve weeks but I’m hoping the learning curve will be a fun one! I’ll be sure to share the results with you.

Sawdust & Sparkle: Lee Broom’s Crystal Bulb Shop

When I read that Lee Broom was transforming his Shoreditch studio into an old general store, complete with mahogany panels, sawdust floor and 200 of his glittering crystal bulbs, it sounded like a very attractive combination indeed.

{all Decorator’s Notebook}

The glittering cut-glass bulbs looked so beautiful against the dark wood walls – I was really tempted to invest in one for le flat (I do live in Crystal Palace after all) but having seen them en masse I’d never be satisfied with just the one!

The Crystal Bulb Shop is at Lee Broom’s studio at 93 Rivington Street (a stone’s throw from Tent) until Sunday – if you’re in the area call in and check it out.