Join the Colour Revolution!

I’ve been busy making since I last blogged. Sorry for the gap between posts, I really am not good at keeping you all updated. I admit I’d much rather be sweating it out at the sewing machine or getting busy with a paintbrush than typing at a keyboard.

But, a lot has happened since my last blog post. Firstly, I was really honoured to have my work featured in the Sunday Times Style magazine, courtesy of my friend, the Fabulous Fashionista ,  Sue Kreitzman. Sue was on the cover wearing a gorgeous Lauren Shanley creation, and on the inside feature, she was wearing a kimono I made for her featuring her own artwork.

What a joy and a privilege!

I’ve since gone on to make a few more kimonos , but short, jacket style ones all in my signature bright colours.

I made one for a very special friend, a Zimbabwean designer, who lives in Nottingham and has won many awards for her incredible accessory designs. Her name is Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri and her company’s name is Vanhu Vanmwe  Do look her up, her bags are just incredible. Her kimono features her love of inspirational women , Erykah Badu, Miriam Makeba amongst others. Here is her finished kimono:

Another was made for a very special friend called Clare, who runs an amazing company Big Love Sista CiC who’s mission is to inspire women , young and not so young to believe in themselves through the power of art. I couldn’t love this woman more. Her kimono was made with her own images of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the back and a painting of Eve on the front. An image of Frida Kahlo with a sacred heart completes the piece, along with lots of vibrant poppies, embroidered and embellished with gold thread.

Along with these, I’ve made three other kimonos that are looking for new homes. There is a Frida Kahlo inspired one, and two with beautiful Macaw parrots as the theme. Here are the images. They are all a free size ( will fit up to about size 22/24 ) and they cost £180. A bespoke piece costs £225. If interested, do email me on thebabyfairyfifi@hotmail.com for more details.

 

For further information do head over to my website IHEARTCART 

or if you are a Facebook person like me, like  my page on facebook .

 

If you are a more of a cape person than a kimono person, I make those too… either waist length or hip length. Here are two I made earlier: So if you are bored of this bland world and you want to raise a smile , join the colour revolution !

 

Heaven and Hell (the wearable art way)

So I was  invited to a very special friend’s 40th birthday bash recently. The theme was Monsters.

I looked around my wardrobe to see what I could wear to this auspicious occasion and it dawned on me: I  had been so busy making wearable art and alternative fashion  for other bright and creative  people that I  had forgotten to represent the wearable art ethos in my own clothing. That had to be changed. Clearly I had to make myself something to wear.

I decided on a Heaven and Hell theme. Plenty of scope for monsters there, I  thought. I do like  a bit of contrast in a theme , and well, you don’t get more of a contrast that that!

I had sourced a few second hand t shirts from a local charity shop that had been printed with Hindu Gods and Goddesses so I used the images from those unwanted garments as my jump off point. I had found the most amazing lime green and gold african batik print  fabric at my local Brixton fabric shop that I was itching to use.

A simple pattern of shift dress and bolero top was the beginning. I cut out the beautiful fabric along with some bright pink lining ( nothing like lime green and shocking pink to make your eyes water in a wonderful way) and got to work.

I appliqued the Hindu goddess onto the front of the dress and painted a fierce Buddhist  evil god that I had sourced in a book of monsters that I had at home , he would do nicely for the hell aspect of the dress. Then I appliqued flames all around the hemline of the dress. Fire burning up from hell! I decided to use my favourite monster image of Medusa ( the classic Caravaggio painting) on the front of the bolero. I painted the image then appliqued it to the front of the bolero, along with big red droplets that came from another wonderful piece of African batik  to symbolise the blood spurting from Medusa’s head. ( Nice monster touch there…) Then I appliqued some horses that I had sourced from yet another African batik ( can you tell I like African fabrics?) and added white wings to magically transform them into flying Pegasus. Enough text. You want to see pictures don’t you?

And here’s me wearing it

I rather like this look. I think I shall make more wearable art for me to wear too!

The party was great ! The outfit admired by all.

When the Fabulous Fashionista and dear friend, Sue Kreitzman saw this outfit, she immediately requested something similar on a coat for her. Well how could I refuse?

The previous coat I had made for her, the Frida Kahlo themed one had been made with the same beautiful lime green and gold african batik print ( although only bits of it show through with all the decoration on it) so I thought I would try the same theme but on different fabric.

Just as well, actually as the lime green and gold fabric was so popular that they had completely sold out at the shop. ( Nasseri fabrics in Brixton) Part of the beauty of African Batik is that it is done in limited runs and is ever changing .

I found this incredible and rather psychadelic fabric in blue and shocking pink that had what appeared to be heavenly bodies interconnected in the Universe , printed on it. Well that’s what it said to me. So I thought, I’m sure I can use that.

So I set to work appliqueing and painting on a bigger and better version of my outfit. I decided that such a grand theme warranted a grand shape , so I worked with the classic Emperor kimono shape with it’s beautiful sweeping sleeves.

Here is the finished piece. I think it turned out nicely.

 

If you are inspired to take up the challenge of wearing your own piece of wearable art, I’m available to take orders ( there is a waiting list) . Head over to my website www.iheartcart.com to see more of what I do or email me direct on

thebabyfairyfifi@hotmail.com and put wearable art in the subject box.

From Virgin White to Glorious Colour : the birth of a Frida Jacket

Creating something special for the extraordinary artist , Miz Thang

What a fortunate woman I am at the minute. I have recently been commissioned by the extraordinary American Folk artist, Miz Thang  to create something wonderful from a vintage white tux tailcoat. The theme was Frida Kahlo which made me very happy as Frida is very close to my heart.

It was pretty daunting to make the first painty marks on this pure white garment that had been flown all the way to me from across the Atlantic Ocean. But I stuck my courage to the sticking place ( sorry Lady Macbeth) and gave it a go.

It’s currently flying it’s way back to Miz Thang on an aeroplane. It’s a well travelled tux. Here is it’s story in pictures.

I can’t wait to see pictures of the marvellous Miz Thang wearing her new arty tux. It is such a joy to help people become walking art pieces, especially when they are already fabulous artists!

I’m currently working on the most amazing cape for her, featuring her very own , delightfully bonkers paintings of circus freaks. This one is worth waiting for… I can’t wait to show you!

Love me two times or maybe even three ?

Cushions that could  have come straight out of the psychedelic 60’s

Yes I know that video is in black and white, but boy can you just hear the psychedelic colours coming at you as you listen? I know I can and I have never licked any cute coloured stamps.

After watching these performances and others recently on the television of the Doors European tour in 1968 ( I was 4!) I was struck by the sheer creativity, inventiveness and freedom that musicians displayed then. Now because of all sorts of reasons ( many being commercial) we are restricted to what we can hear on mainstream media, unlike back in those heady years of early black and white telly. Of course, the Internet should allow for us to find such creative musical expressionists, but why am I still so excited at the sheer energy of watching Jim Morrison and the wonderful Ray Manzarek on keyboards, his head wiggling as he played , his body perfectly still and his long skeletal fingers working musical magic on the keys? I could wax lyrical about how impressed I was , but I won’t.

Back to crochet.

Bright colours were the order of the day in the 60’s . I remember my early childhood.: our bathroom was lilac and the ceiling was painted blood red. Our living room was a temple to purple , teamed with rich chocolate brown.

I’m still clearly influenced by those colour choices even today. I can’t help myself , colour makes me happy. Many people comment on my use of colour. I don’t see anything special about it, until I try to find other stuff with colours I like and then end up making it myself.

Like these cushions:

I call them the Light My Fire cushions after the lovely Mr Morrison’s song that the Beeb tried to ban because he mentioned ( shock horror) Girl you couldn’t get much HIGHER.  I feel they really reflect the spirit of the 60’s and psychedelia .

I used the granny square motif because of it’s real retro 60’s/70’s hippy feel and used three coordinating styles rather than matching: 9 small squares edged in black,

4 squares edged in black

and then one large gradated colour square , also edged in black.

All three of the cushions are lined and backed in modern crisp black cotton and fastened at the top with mix and match shiny gold buttons for that added bling factor.

I’m rather in love with these babies, but they could be yours.

They cost £15 each , including the cushion pad, which I think represents fantastic value for money for a completely handmade unique item.

You can buy the full set of three for £45 and the postage will come free.

Remember, these cushions aren’t for the feint hearted. They are bright. Probably even brighter than these photographs can even portray. But if you have a minimalist interior that could do with statement cushions, eh voila!

Or , if like me, you just like to cram as much colour into your life as possible, then you won’t need any persuading.

Available through my facebook page for now , later through my Folksy shop

As always, I intend to keep to my mission of keeping it Bright and Beautiful at Crochet Bright and Beautiful.

This time I think I’ve more than met my mark.

 

 

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Wow, my blog gets props! So exciting!

Hooked By Me

The Dolce and Gabbana’s Miss Sicily crocheted bag has received mixed reactions on purseblog.com.

I’m not usually a big ‘granny square’ fan but I do like the black with bright colour combination – like the bag made on this post.

Personally, I’m not sure about the other patterns that the Miss Sicily has been combined with, I think they clash and give it the dated look which perhaps is what they’ve gone for. I think if the rest of the bag was black, or solid colours it would make it look more modern.

Maybe I will make a similar styled bag myself?!

What are your thoughts on this bag and ‘granny squares’ in general?

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Pink Rosebud Beanie

Here’s another beanie.

Pink rosebud beanie

I couldn’t resist the pink again. Sigh. What am I like?

This hat would fit children from around 3 years and would stretch to fit an adult.

View from the top

Side view showing rose detail

This pretty hat costs just £10 and is available direct to order through my facebook page Crochet Bright and Beautiful ( pay via Paypal)

or I shall be listing it soon on my folksy shop ( link below)

Crochet Bright & Beautiful

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A Fairy Lovely Gift

A place to put those precious teeth

And no, I’m not talking about a glass by the side of the bed for the dentures!

I’m talking about those first precious teeth that fall out and are stored under the pillow for the tooth fairy to replace with money. What is the going rate these days? In my day it was 5p but then I am rather old ( born in the Year of the Dragon) . I’ve asked my little birthday party clients and they tell me it is now at least a pound. With the invention of the £2 coin, I bet the tooth fairy is fairly generous in some establishments.

Sometimes the tooth fairy finds it really hard to find those tiny teeth . I know she/he is magical and has superpowers but I’ve experienced times firsthand when I was a child when the tooth fairy couldn’t find a tooth and I missed out on my money. I worked hard on pulling out that tooth, I really deserved remuneration. It’s mentally scarred me, clearly.

The solution

I’ve come up with the cutest solution for lost fairy teeth: a squishy tooth box that can also double up as a pincushion for mummy once those big teeth are firmly in place and the tooth fairy moves on to younger mouths.

Of course it features crochet. I mean, what else would it be? I’ve made a magical crochet fairy mushroom with a butterfly or bumble bee resting on top.

Open up the mushroom cap to reveal a glittery inner that is just big enough to hold a few teeth and a £2 coin or two safely. It’s even robust enough to fit under the pillow should you not want to break with tradition, but I think it would really please the tooth fairy to find it displayed next to the bed. Indeed it is pretty enough to serve as just decoration.

The box itself is a very sturdy card and the top is a crochet cushion. I’ve put a circle of green felt on the bottom to finish it off nicely.

For no extra charge, I’d be happy to personalise these precious containers with the name of the owner of the baby teeth.

I’m soon to upload them to my folksy shop if you would like to buy one. They will cost £9 + post and packaging.

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TA DA! My first Market stall in full technicolour

 

You may have to crank your head to the side in parts, apologies! But I thought I’d let you have a peek at what I’ve been up to. I’ve been busy , hence the hiatus. I’ll be back soon with lots of new stuff and updates.

 

Today I have been mostly making…

Hello Kitty style toddler hat

Chunky cute ladybird beanie

Under water crib mobile

Starfish detail

Seahorse detail

Mermaid detail

It’s all go here. Busy busy making for the upcoming craft stall.

Pug puppy and fairy are calling… Must dash!

Granny’s In the Pink

A new granny square cushion.

It’s shades of pink and chocolate.

Yummy.

Pretty cushion.

Detail of granny squares

Some think granny squares are fuddy duddy and old fashioned.

Not me.

I just think they’re a wonderful way of combining colour. I see granny squares as yarn mosaic.

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