My design process
For me, designing is a considered and slow process, a thoughtful process of how an item will be both beautiful, as well as practical. It can also be a painful and maddening process as ideas take a while to percolate or resolve a tricky making problem.
On some pieces, I can spend months thinking about how it will work, working through the concept to final prototype. Or, I can make a new item in a day from the initial spark of an idea. Over the past few years, I have made lots of products, realising that, though I can make anything, I no longer have to make everything.
Having worked behind the scenes in interior design, I love making for the home. Following the William Morris principle of form follows function, I hope to create items that can be practically used, or worn, but that still look like a piece of textile art. The making takes time, each piece is treated with care.
Design and marbling inspiration for me come from nature, music, art and even architecture. Weirdly I find the solution for a niggling issue tends to pop into my head on a dog walk. I now always carry a small notebook and pen to draw and write down my idea or solution. Juggling so much running a business I know that if I don’t write it down or draw the design, I will forget. That’s very annoying when it happens!
Occasionally, the design will start from the materials received, some of which are pre-loved and then repurposed and given an extended life, such as the theatrical textiles and ballet slippers I receive from The Royal Ballet and Opera. I am so grateful for these donations, some of which have been used for community projects and when teaching for a charity. The sales from the items I make go to support the incredible work of the Trussell Trust, food bank charity.
My homewares and marbled leather goods are created for the discerning, eco-conscious consumer, with my hope that they will last a generation and beyond. When a prototype piece is made, it is tested, worn or used in our home, to see how tactile and functional it is, tweaking the design as needed. I design and make leather goods for durability, wishing them to be handed on for generations to come, so I offer free stitching repairs for life on all of my leather aprons, bags, cases and journals. The design for my carry goods is kept simple, so the marbling remains the focus.
When making a 3D design, I first sketch on paper, create a 3D paper object, then a fabric prototype. This is tweaked, reworked and made again, before making the final piece in marbled textiles, or leather.
Using traditional hand tools, heritage crafting techniques, I create products that, I hope, are simple, classic, but with a contemporary twist. Made not for fast fashion, but for longevity, to be cherished and then passed on.
Marbling makes each piece fun, one of a kind, a piece of textile art to be worn and used, the wearer and owner knowing that it is one of a kind. It does impact my design, as some patterns don’t work on a curve, whilst others can make a 2D piece appear to have depth.