Ideas and Designing Day ... Pure pleasure!

Styles come and go.

Good design is a language,

not a style.

Massimo Vignelli

There is something about a blank page in my design journal with my pencils and putty rubber at the ready.  To sit and stare out the window and think.  I also like to gather bits of fabrics and notions such as lace, buttons, papers and threads ... laid out for me to look at.  I have to say generally I see a design in fabric and know what I would like to do with it to some extent.

With the sun out and the birds singing and me ready to get some ideas. Firstly I write ideas down on a scrap piece of paper and from there I start to sketch, not a serious kind of drawing but an outline of what I am thinking with notes in margins about colours, buttons or possible changes that could happen if something is not working in my head.

This will be me tomorrow afternoon and hopefully in a really nearly finished sewing studio that I am having great fun preparing and displaying.  I will when it is finished take some photos for you to see or a little video or some sort .... which ever my technology non expertise will allow, probably photos.

I am awaiting some drawer liners ( lavender scented for the munchers ...) I looked everywhere and could not find any but good old Amazon came up trumps.  The thing is they will take day but they are William Morris too so they are forgiven.  My dilemma is do I put everything away then take it all out and put the liners in and it back (seems like a ghastly thing to have to do) or wait which could be days.  Whilst waiting everything is in boxes because of the munchers or I would never sleep!  It has put me back days and with so much to do I am like a cat on a hot tin roof ... but there it is.

Inspiration differs with the weather too.  If it is hot and sunny then I am simply drawn to paler colours, where as when the North wind doth blow then it is reds and creams all the way!

I am trying to ( space permitting because even when you think you have lots of it - it disappears very quickly with fabric and quilts!) sort fabrics in to colour ways so blues, greens, lemons, creams and whites, reds and lilacs and black and white ... It is going to be a bit of hard thing but it will work out if the space allows.  Then it is the lace and buttons it is going to take me all week I think but it will be so worth it.  That said tomorrow I would like some hours designing so that is what I am going to do.  

In addition I still have two projects to finish as well all of which is slow stitching and will be very enjoyable.  Looking forward to making up project baskets for the Summer stitching.  I am so pleased I was so organised before Christmas with projects for publishing I am really ahead with that and what a good thing with Mum being so poorly from March this year and all that goes along with Alzheimer's.

 There will come a time when Mum will not know us and it is not sitting easy with me.  Thus I am not taking stitching with me when I visit right now but talking to her about her childhood memories of Cornwall and family ..along with decade recognition so the 1950, 1960, 1970 for her.  Learning not to contradict her when she says her Mum has been there with her but leading her down another path instead talking of things that make her really happy not sad. There will be plenty of time to just sit with her and stitch and talk to her...

I would like to get several projects stitched this Summer and I have lots of fresh ideas rolling around

my head right now so that is why it is time to start designing before they just roll away again...

There are lots of delicious Summer must not miss Vintage Fairs coming up as well and I have been updating my work diary so that I know which ones I will attend.  The one in Toddington in August is one of my absolute favourites and is firmly in the dairy - it is also a time when we get together with two other couples who are good friends and of course in the vintage trade, well us ladies all are and our husbands support us and luckily get on really well too ... it is a really fun weekend.

When time is taken up with so much right now I live by lists and a sort of timetable so that I can best utilise my time wisely and not get too bogged down with things piling up to get done.  Sitting slow stitching can also be done later in the day now as the daylight hours are longer so I am able to fit more in right now.

I do not like to say this too loudly but the weather has been glorious and is making me feel like getting our wooden furniture out for the summer and hanging baskets etc.  It will be out before Bank Holiday weekend that is for sure, which means sewing in the garden with a cold drink and an umbrella up so I can see what I am doing and the sun is not on the delicate fabrics but my legs poked out in the sun to get some colour!!!

Well that is is for today I hope you all have a wonderful day and I will be back here on Thursdays so until then enjoy the sunshine ( shhhhhhh - don't tell it) and as always Happy Stitching! XX