Hi everyone! I know - it has been ages, again, since my last blog update. I have decided that, for the time being, all updates will be over at my new website - http://www.ginabsilkworks.co.uk/ - there is a link to the shop here as well, and in theory I will be able to keep everything far more up-to-date there. Thank you all for following, and do please visit the other site, or pop over to my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/GinaB.silkwork.passementerie
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Tassels, tassels, tassels
July has been a very busy month here - we are still working madly on the Making Tassels dvd's and products to go with them. There is light at the end of the tunnel - finally we are getting close to completing Volume 2, finalising product packaging, and things are beginning to get quite exciting! The image below shows some of the techniques that are shown on Making Tassels Volume 1: Soft Tassel Techniques
We have a pencilled in a launch date on Create & Craft for the whole range - September 15 at 2pm and 7pm. This will also be a bit of an Anniversary show - can you believe it has been a year since I started doing the shows? Before that though I am scheduled to do two shows on the 18th of this month (August, in case you miss this post!) The shows will be at 11am and 2pm so I do hope that you will be able to tune in.*
I very happy to say that I have a new member on my design team, Gillian McMurray, a wonderfully talented artist and craftswoman. So, for now, an introduction, and do pop over and 'like' her Facebook page if you get a chance! http://www.facebook.com/GillianMcMurray.wildlifeandpetart . It is very exciting for me to have team members who specialise in other crafts, as their take on making passementerie is often very different from my own, and very inspiring.
On a personal note, some of you may know that we lost our old dog Bo this month. At nearly 16, I suppose it wasn't exactly a shock, but those of you who have pets know how hard it is, I miss her terrbly. She was lovely and a real family dog, but things were getting really tough for her. We now have a new trainee head of security - we had not planned on getting a puppy quite so soon, I will admit, but fate has a way of working that I won't argue with. Toby is a lovely puppy and already fitting in very well.
Well, onward and upward - narration recording for me today!
* Remember that live tv schedules can change at very short notice. Check the listings, and my Facebook page, Twitter and website for any last minute changes or cancellations.
We have a pencilled in a launch date on Create & Craft for the whole range - September 15 at 2pm and 7pm. This will also be a bit of an Anniversary show - can you believe it has been a year since I started doing the shows? Before that though I am scheduled to do two shows on the 18th of this month (August, in case you miss this post!) The shows will be at 11am and 2pm so I do hope that you will be able to tune in.*
I very happy to say that I have a new member on my design team, Gillian McMurray, a wonderfully talented artist and craftswoman. So, for now, an introduction, and do pop over and 'like' her Facebook page if you get a chance! http://www.facebook.com/GillianMcMurray.wildlifeandpetart . It is very exciting for me to have team members who specialise in other crafts, as their take on making passementerie is often very different from my own, and very inspiring.
On a personal note, some of you may know that we lost our old dog Bo this month. At nearly 16, I suppose it wasn't exactly a shock, but those of you who have pets know how hard it is, I miss her terrbly. She was lovely and a real family dog, but things were getting really tough for her. We now have a new trainee head of security - we had not planned on getting a puppy quite so soon, I will admit, but fate has a way of working that I won't argue with. Toby is a lovely puppy and already fitting in very well.
Well, onward and upward - narration recording for me today!
* Remember that live tv schedules can change at very short notice. Check the listings, and my Facebook page, Twitter and website for any last minute changes or cancellations.
Friday, July 06, 2012
Tassel progress being made
It is some time since my last post - my apologies! (little bits of info can always be found over at my Facebook page!) Things have really been busy.
The title of this post tells what the biggest thing has been - the next dvd titles. Making Tassels Vol. 1 is now in production, and filming starts on volume 2 this weekend. And, there will be quite a few new products to go with everything, as, no matter how you try, you can't make tassels without some unusual/hard-to-find materials. Things are moving along nicely though - perhaps this terrible weather is helpful, I have no reason to want to go out and enjoy summer.... ;-)
It has been a week of quite exciting things - I received my copy of the Encyclopedia of Medieval Dress and Textiles of the British Isles c. 450-1450 - with my entry on Passementerie. It was a real honour to be asked to contribute on the subject of my passion, and extra nice to see it in print. And the book itself is frankly wonderful. I have to admit to taking time out of my silly schedule to read just a little bit of it, but I can't wait to get properly 'stuck in'! Here's a link if any of you would like further info -
http://www.brill.nl/encyclopedia-medieval-dress-and-textiles-british-isles-c-450-1450
On the experimentation front, Suzi ( http://www.suziclarke.co.uk/ ) sent me a couple of photos of some buttons dating from about 1825 - buttons which I have seen in other photos but never with enough clarity to really see what is going on. But of course being a brilliant costumier and as much of a detail geek as me, Suzi was able to take photos of enough of the back of the buttons - that, with a little bit of a description of what the bit that couldn't be photographed looked like meant that it all made perfect sense immediately. That my friends, is excitement. I cannot describe how pleased I was to see those pictures, and I will admit to dropping everything and having a go at how I thought they may have been made. And it worked by jove!
I was also asked to look at some pearled buttons - I'm not going to let on too much about the project these will end up on, but I have to say that even with the plastic pearls in my stash, I was happy with these.
It is interesting to see how the shape of a mould changes the look of the button - the star on the left is on a flat disc mould, while the right a domed mould.
***Correction - the one of the left is the DOMED mould and I mis-typed! Sorry for the confusion and thanks to those who let me know my mistake!!***
This technique actually working has opened up a whole new aspect - and fixed a few other button 'problems' - photos of suits, etc that I know have passementerie buttons but can't see the detail quite enough. Still, I won't get any further sidetracked until filming is complete....
The website is also getting an overhaul over the next few months! I know... hopefully it will go smoothly. There are a few other things happening, but I have to keep quiet about them at the moment...
And so, to keep you updated, my next scheduled show at Create and Craft is on July 26th at 10am. That's a way off yet, so do remember to check my website or C&C's listings closer to the time, as live tv often gets changed at the last minute.
Thanks for all of your support!
The title of this post tells what the biggest thing has been - the next dvd titles. Making Tassels Vol. 1 is now in production, and filming starts on volume 2 this weekend. And, there will be quite a few new products to go with everything, as, no matter how you try, you can't make tassels without some unusual/hard-to-find materials. Things are moving along nicely though - perhaps this terrible weather is helpful, I have no reason to want to go out and enjoy summer.... ;-)
It has been a week of quite exciting things - I received my copy of the Encyclopedia of Medieval Dress and Textiles of the British Isles c. 450-1450 - with my entry on Passementerie. It was a real honour to be asked to contribute on the subject of my passion, and extra nice to see it in print. And the book itself is frankly wonderful. I have to admit to taking time out of my silly schedule to read just a little bit of it, but I can't wait to get properly 'stuck in'! Here's a link if any of you would like further info -
http://www.brill.nl/encyclopedia-medieval-dress-and-textiles-british-isles-c-450-1450
On the experimentation front, Suzi ( http://www.suziclarke.co.uk/ ) sent me a couple of photos of some buttons dating from about 1825 - buttons which I have seen in other photos but never with enough clarity to really see what is going on. But of course being a brilliant costumier and as much of a detail geek as me, Suzi was able to take photos of enough of the back of the buttons - that, with a little bit of a description of what the bit that couldn't be photographed looked like meant that it all made perfect sense immediately. That my friends, is excitement. I cannot describe how pleased I was to see those pictures, and I will admit to dropping everything and having a go at how I thought they may have been made. And it worked by jove!
I was also asked to look at some pearled buttons - I'm not going to let on too much about the project these will end up on, but I have to say that even with the plastic pearls in my stash, I was happy with these.
It is interesting to see how the shape of a mould changes the look of the button - the star on the left is on a flat disc mould, while the right a domed mould.
***Correction - the one of the left is the DOMED mould and I mis-typed! Sorry for the confusion and thanks to those who let me know my mistake!!***
This technique actually working has opened up a whole new aspect - and fixed a few other button 'problems' - photos of suits, etc that I know have passementerie buttons but can't see the detail quite enough. Still, I won't get any further sidetracked until filming is complete....
The website is also getting an overhaul over the next few months! I know... hopefully it will go smoothly. There are a few other things happening, but I have to keep quiet about them at the moment...
And so, to keep you updated, my next scheduled show at Create and Craft is on July 26th at 10am. That's a way off yet, so do remember to check my website or C&C's listings closer to the time, as live tv often gets changed at the last minute.
Thanks for all of your support!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Tassels, weaving and Create and Craft dates
Hello everyone! Time for another blog update....
This month has / is so busy on the commission front, and it seems as though everything is need very quickly. I have worked on a lovely set of passementerie trimmings for a bridal ensemble - I love the purple and red mix of silk. (click the images for larger versions)
This month has / is so busy on the commission front, and it seems as though everything is need very quickly. I have worked on a lovely set of passementerie trimmings for a bridal ensemble - I love the purple and red mix of silk. (click the images for larger versions)
For those of you who follow my Facebook page, you will have seen that I have also been weaving metres and metres of fine silk ribbon with a picot edge. This is for costumes for the Tudor Tailor's forthcoming book on Tudor children's clothing - it will be so interesting to see the finished baby's outfit. Very soon there will be alot of very well dressed children at a Tudor event near you!
I also have a large amount of gilt thread Death's head buttons to complete for a Georgian suit, rosarys, shirt collar ties , medieval laces - all wanted for the same date! And that doesn't count the new items I have been working on for show displays. It's a good thing I like my job, ;-)
This month has also seen my latest article / master class in Your Wardrobe Unlock'd - Continuous Frog Fasteners. Perfect timing as my latest dvd (in case any of you missed it!) is 'Making Frogs & Fancies' !
More exciting - I have a table full of prototype items which we're working on bringing you very soon, and the filming of the next dvd starts next week.
For those of you who are interested, the Trimmings Table should be back in stock next week. Yay!
If you are able to, do please tune into my Create & Craft shows - one is scheduled for this Saturday (19th May) at 2pm, and I am also due back on Jubilee Day - June 2 at 2pm. (Perhaps some Union Jack buttons should be on the agenda?!) Don't forget that you can watch online! I always have something as a give-away for the 'cup of chance' , so it might be worth emailing in too ;-)
Hopefully the sun will struggle through soon. I know that the rain is really needed in this country, and everything is looking lovely and green, so I'll be happy to let it continue through May - but it would be nice to have some sun in June, don't you think?
Don't forget that you can follow me on Facebook - I do tend to post up little snippets a couple of times a week there, so it is an easy way to keep updated.
Thanks for reading!
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