textile Archives - Try Handmade

Audra Textile Design Studio

March 12, 2019 by Erika Jurney 4 Comments

Look what I just discovered in the Gallery.

I am Audra Zilinskiene (Audra Zili) – a textile designer located in Vilnius, Lithuania. I’ve been working with textile fifteen years. All the time I was interested in the source of textile, traditional weaving and dyeing techniques, ethnic design of different cultures.

I feel proud of my little discovery – textile mosaic. I have spent two years to find the best way of combining and constructing the colorful yet simple circles to something unique, eye-catching, comfortable to wear and of firm construction.

Aren’t they gorgeous?

Graphically bold pillow covers

January 3, 2019 by Erika Jurney 2 Comments

Hitomi Kimura is the designer and screen printer of kalla Design, textile and surface design studio based in Ibaraki, Japan.

In 2007, after studying graphic design and working for a publisher in London, England, Hitomi started her own small business in Japan, selling her screen printed matters.

All the printed products are hand screen printed with water-based eco-friendly inks and then some of them are carefully machine sewed by the designer herself.

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

December 4, 2018 by Tara Gentile Leave a Comment

[hTara]

Baltimore, Maryland is this week’s focus of the Shop Local post. I found lots of great crafters who will all be showing at Squidfire’s Art Mart on May 9 from 11am – 6pm. Baltimore is a perfect spot for a day trip for a lot of people – DC, Central PA, Philadelphia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware. If you’re looking to get out of town but not spend the night, Baltimore might be the place for you!

This adorable scarflette is woven by hand by Carly Goss, a graduate of the fiber arts department of the Maryland Institute College of Art, using tencel and hand-dyed silk. I can almost feel the luscious fibers on my neck! Carly says she “[specializes] in bringing a new, modern aesthetic to traditional weaving patterns.” If you’re in the Baltimore-area, you can take a class at Carlybird Studio to try your hand at weaving!

JennyJen specializes in appliqued housewares & totes. This owl pillow is created from cotton, then the tree is appliqued with a quilted, mushroom color fabric, and then a felt owl is appliqued on top. Each of JennyJen’s pieces feature this whimsical flair with expressive animal characters.

“Naughty Kitten! Please don’t eat the fish.” Lana Kole designs wall decals to add a unique touch to your rooms. Being a renter, I love wall decals! They provide so much personality to a blank wall but leave no holes or other marks that need to be covered up. Lana Kole Studio also specializes in textile and surface design.

For more great artists and crafters in the Baltimore area, check out the Charm City Craft Mafia. And the Baltimore Etsy Street Team. You can also use Etsy’s Shop Local feature to find Baltimore artisans.

Omaha, Nebraska, USA

October 14, 2018 by Tara Gentile 3 Comments

This week’s Shop Local post stops in Omaha, Nebraska. Below you’ll find my favorite picks from the Omaha craft scene. If you don’t find something that fits your fancy, check out the Omaha Craft Mafia website for more fabulous Omaha artisans. When you’re in town, you’ll want to visit the Hot Shops Art Center where you’ll find “over 80 studio artists, as well as four gallery spaces, in [the] building complex located in downtown Omaha.”

The crafter behind Stash comes to Omaha from Finland by way of Great Britain. She’s been sewing since she was tiny, making her own clothes in elementary school, as her mother was a textile designer. Now she makes chic bags out of vintage fabrics! The wristlet above is constructed from a chocolate & red vintage fabric, red canvas, and leatherette trim. Don’t you love the strong shape juxtaposed with the floral pattern & feminine pleats? Fabulous!

Continuing with the strong shapes, Bren Duvall, of BrenDesign, created these sterling silver “Building Earrings” in the image of a city skyline. She says has an “obsessive quest of building an eco-conscious small business from nothing more than a pile of recycled metal bits.”

Shifting gears a bit, when my baby girl gets a bit bigger, she must have one of these skirts! Many children’s boutiques do pillowcase dresses, cute hats, or leg warmers, but Bustle has crafted this flamenco skirt for your tiny dancer. Ellene Mcclay, the proprietress of Bustle, is inspired by vintage fabric and historical fashions. She also creates jewelry, accessories, and clothing for ladies of a more mature age at her other shop, Deciduous Soul.

Last but not least, this clever little idea caught my eye and couldn’t be passed by! September House creates embroidered flower pot wraps that are sure to add a nice touch to even the prettiest plant.

Artists are Putting Rhode Island on the Map

September 5, 2018 by Kim O'Brien Leave a Comment

Everyone please welcome Kim O’Brien to Try Handmade! Kim is a metalsmith from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, US, and she’s here to share with all of us the handmade goodness to be found in her home state. Please leave a comment for her if you know of a fantastic maker in Rhode Island, or just to say hi!

:: Erika

Hello, Readers! Welcome to my new column In My State. In case you hadn’t guessed we are talking about the tiniest of states. Here in RI we are big on handmade. How can’t we be? We are home to Rhode Island School of Design so we are invaded by thousands or artists each year who are looking to further their artistic explorations. The city is flooded with RISD umbrellas and students carrying portfolios to and fro. Even before RISD came to be we were known as the jewelry capital. Needless to say, art runs in our blood. We need to create.

To get you situated, I will start with a little map project which artist, Kristin Crane takes on passionately.

Kristin doesn’t let the map control her books, instead it is a compromise. Balancing color and composition, she works with the map and makes it her own design.

Her coptic bindings are a lovely detail, it shows her skill as a fiber artist. However, it serves a practical purpose, allowing the journals to lie flat.

Kristin’s own words best describe her passions. “I’m a textile designer living in Providence, Rhode Island and am a self proclaimed book addict. I love to shop for them, read them, make them, write in them. (I tell myself there are worse addictions to have.) I also love to travel and get as excited about what journal to bring on a trip as I do planning every other part. I love when books I’ve made get to travel around the world, even if I can’t go with them.” It is these passions which make her work so successful.

Kristin doesn’t stop at journals. Here are some of her quirky book marks.

And some cards to send notes home to loved ones while you are off traveling.

Fitting isn’t it?

Now that you are hooked and ready to start making your next travel plans, head on over to Kristin’s shop. If you don’t see your destination there check out her flickr site to see other custom orders she has done.

Happy travels!