Jilli Blackwood's Art to Wear

http://www.jilliblackwood.com/

Glasgow artist Jilli Blackwood, originator of the 'slash and show' technique, showed these beautiful pieces at the Knitting and Stitching Show in London which ended yesterday.

For me, these clothes by Jilli Blackwood were the visual highlight of the show.

Her clothes are in corporate collections and museums around the world.
Jilli weaves some of her own fabrics and each piece is awash with detail. Find out more on her website
http://www.jilliblackwood.com/

A sample of Handmade Happiness!

This is the picture I sent to the Petersfield Post newspaper. Fingers crossed they publish it in next week's paper. It shows just a few of the things going into the shop.
Mostly made by me but also a neat paint stack with 24 colours, a skein of autumn colours yarn and a vintage card of poppers representing all the vintage habadashery items I will sell.

Yesterday I sourced an A board to stand outside the shop, carried on painting the shop with my daughter who has been a godsend lately and received a wonderful parcel of cards from www.moo.com I'll show you those soon. But today I'm off to the Knitting and Stitching show and hope to bring back lots of goodies and lots of photos.

My handmade buttons

It's been a while since I made any buttons. But some people know me as 'the button lady' from way back so I decided I'd better make some more for the shop. I enjoy making them and the joy of having the shop up and running (from Saturday 15th October 10-5) is that I will have time to make during shop hours. 


The shop will be my workshop and making, which has often felt like too much of an indulgence during busy family times, will happily fill my working days oh, and the customers of course. Meeting people and talking all things creative will be the very best thing about having the shop!

Since yesterday's post I have signed up for a credit card machine, heard that my 400 cards from moo.com are in the post, continued painting the shop, chased up BT and sewn a crocodile.
Tomorrow Sunday I am excited about visiting the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace. I hope to take loads of photos to share with you on Monday and to find some wonderful products for the shop there!!

Ribbon storage

I saw this neat idea from www.justsomethingimade.com
Easy access ribbons. Sooo much better than stuffing them in big lidded jars which is how I store my ribbons right now!

Sorting shop problem area

You can see that the floor is quite nice. Above is how the problem area looked the first time I saw the shop.

The second time I went to view the boards had been removed from the area, also a piece of the floor.

So far I've just painted the whole area white. Royal icing being a better look than yellow Artex. That bit of red carpet (which incidentally is glued to the floor boards beneath it) will have to go but what to replace it with? A question for all you great interior designers reading this. If anyone knows where I can buy that exact flooring to fill in the gap please let me know.

Painting green to white

The shop doors open into a lobby area and the empty doorway goes into the actual shop.

Yesterday I started painting the green walls to white. This is the 'lobby' wall you see as you enter where I picture card racks; inspiration boards; community arts notice board etc. The first area before going into the shop proper.

After two coats of Albany's superperformance high opacity white paint (!) you can see what a difference there is in half the lobby area wall.
I also painted a wall of yellow Artex white. I'll show you that tomorrow. It's the only 'problem' area.

MY SHOP !!

Yesterday I received the keys to my shop.
At last I can show you what I've been waiting for these past months.
I can now paint the walls and fit it out ready for opening. (Two of the walls are dark green. They must be made white!)

The address is 9a, Dragon Street, Petersfield. The shop is part of an old building which dates back to the 17th century in parts. It used to be a coaching inn called 'The Green Dragon' hence Dragon Street. For locals it is between the computer shop and Wild Damson just round the corner of St Peter's Road where Marks and Spencer's car park can be found.

This blog 'Handmade Happiness' will now also be the shop blog. Until very recently Handmade Happiness was also to be the name of the shop. But I am having cold feet about that. That name won't fit into the small sign space pictured above! I thought I'd call the shop 'Made' but that's taken. So is Handmade according to the register of company names. I have traded under my own name but a name should tell you what the shop is all about. Name ideas please!

So when will the shop open? I aim to start trading on Saturday October 15th.

Dyed velvet

Alison Crosthwaite dyed this for me. I had some plain white velvet that I'd been storing and I asked if she could dye it in jewel colours. She's done a great job hasn't she? See more of Alison's work on her blog by clicking colour queen in my 'Nice to Look At' section.

Handmade dolls

My latest dolls look as if they are flying through space in this picture. Like the tv advert where the air hostesses are soaring through the sky!

She's ready for her close up. The others are waiting for me to make them socks. And I usually give them each a little flower decoration. To brooch or not to brooch that is the question!

Hydrangea colour

Yesterday my friend Ann and I went for a long walk with Dolly the dog into the beautiful surrounding countryside.
Outside the Harrow pub was a totally photogenic flower stall. It had bunches of these dried hydrangeas; papery orange physalis; zinnia flowers in orangey reds and shocking pinks and flamboyant dahlias.
Only one problem -I had no cash on me and no camera. Ann spotted someone she knew and borrowed some money from her so I could buy these Miss Haversham style flowers.

Later in the walk we marvelled at five llamas in a field including a baby one. They have fringes above their eyes and soft looking curly coats like the best teddy bears. I'll show you soon. Because on the next weekly walk I'll take my camera!!! Doh.

Felt

I'd like to be making more felt like this today.


What I'll actually be doing is sorting more shop stock and making phone calls. Making is so much more fun than admin! The shop lease was to have been signed yesterday and fingers crossed it will be signed today or very early next week. Watch this space! I can't wait to celebrate!

Sewing supplies

I saw this photo from www.decor8blog.com on pinterest this morning. 
Do you ever click on to the blogs in my 'Nice to Look at' section? I really recommend pinterest - www.pinterest.com where members show their favourite inspirational photos. The other blogs listed are 'nice to look at' too.

Sussex views

I stopped off at Lavant on the way to Chichester to admire the view. The whole drive from Petersfield to Chichester whether you go via South Harting or via Midhurst is through countryside and farmland. We are lucky to live in this beautiful place. (I always drive via Midhurst as I'm frightened of hitting a deer near South Harting.)

I went to Adams in Chichester to buy wholesale bags for the shop and to look at their colours of tissue paper. What do you think? Pale lavender or duck egg blue?

Dolls' house miniatures

Recently lots of you have been looking at a post I did of my mothers' miniature toy shop.
So here is the other 'dolls house' she created. It's a food kiosk and I love all the little details.

My plan today was to show you the dolls I've just made but my camera isn't working. Just black. I've an idea to dress them in Tricot style clothes. Doubt that my dressmaking skills are up to it but I'll have a go. If you see them in knitted dresses as per usual you'll know I've failed!!

Gorgeous Bed Linens

Saw these desirable patterns in John Lewis. Everything is Designers Guild apart from the embroidered first one which is John Lewis' own brand.



I sometimes think I was born at the wrong time. What I need right now is lots of staff!
A housekeeper and a personal assistant, a gardener and a handyman/ builder.
I have four A4 sheets of 'To Do' list and seem to be creeping through the list like a very slow snail!! Time for an iron pill I think. Have you anything you rely on to give yourself that extra boost when life gets tough? Staff for instance?

Wire birds installation

At John Lewis in Southampton there are these impressive wire birds in the stairwell. Cleverly made and installed so that the shadows they cast add to their drama.
We enjoyed a restful cup of tea in their cafe after the trudge round Ikea for rails, hooks and lights for the shop.

A Work in Progress

Knit, crochet, sew. Everything feels like a work in progress at the moment with not enough finished and ready to sell. I'm going to Ikea today to look for good lights and to meet daughter who lives nearby.

This piece ('I've started so I'll finish'!) is going to be an autumn colours cushion cover. Meanwhile other daughter and I were cutting strangely shaped patterns from boiled wool and flowery cottons yesterday that I will be sewing up and stuffing today. But more of that later!

Guzzini colour

One of my favourite possessions is a Guzzini red pot like the one in the middle picture only nailpolish red.
Yesterday I was stunned to see this Guzzini display in the Steam Trader Company kitchen shop in Horsham.
What did I buy? A duster and a window blade - no not Guzzini versions just practical items I need.
But when Christmas comes you know what I want!!!       http://www.iguzzini.com/