Going back to my roots.

I've been (stupidly) thinking that I can relax a little bit this week. Having stocked up big style for the Christmas markets, I felt that I well and truly needed a break from being a one woman factory. I have crept quietly  back to my custom order list (shhhh) which I desperately would like to get through before my little family take a well earned holiday in December. So we can really relax, enjoy the kids and forget about Cheeky Pickle for a week. 

But (stupidly again) I thought I'd try out a few ideas that have been roaming around in my head for quite some time. My main goal for a while has been to seriously think about delving more into a homewares collection of art pieces. In my mind I can see simple, fresh, larger designs, framed in white or natural wood frames, hung in peoples kitchens, lounges and dining areas.

This is my first attempt at layering papers and stitching into them. Once finished it feels like you are holding a piece of fabric. Love the textural quality to this technique. I just used some papers that I didn't really love as this was just a test piece.

But if I seriously would like to achieve this, then I need to thoroughly work through all my ideas and go back to designing as a textile designer and not as a childrens art designer. (If that makes any sense to you. Sorry I do tend to write as I speak!!) I need to research shapes, colours, different techniques, trawl through house and home magazines, put a mood board together, take photo's e.t.c. So for some reason, this week was obviously going to be THE WEEK I started! Stupid, totally stupid to think early November was a good time to start something new, because I know myself only too well and I know that once I get going on something new, I am like a woman possessed. I have absolutely no control what so ever over my creative urges and nothing will stop me until I feel happy with what I have designed.....which could be never!  So my poor family have had to put up with my grumpy mood all week as I have tried my hardest to get what is in my head to WORK and look good on paper. And I really can't stop until it looks and feels right.

I then tried to make a simple shape from the papers to see what they would look like less abstract. This is where I LOVE facebook. Pop up a photo and you get an instant reaction and point of view. Brilliant!...and thank you if you helped me out this week with your lovely, supportive posts. You really don't know how encouraging they are when I'm trying out new ideas! xx

My ideas at the moment are to use organic and natural shapes and colours. I've been looking at shells, fossils, grasses, ferns e.t.c. I am wanting to design something very abstract, combining the organic, curvy shapes with natural colours of white, cream, beige, green and browns. 

Finally, I decided to stop being stingy and to use some papers that I LOVED. Now I felt like I was getting somewhere. I loved the texture and colour, but hated the shape. So I decided to cut the whole thing up and go very simple.

I love this one as it has the shell/fossil shape, but it's less obvious, more a hint of what it is

So I did another in my favourite colours of green this time. I used a green background here, but didn't like it. It was too fussy

So this is where I am up to at the moment and I am sadly a world away from being totally happy with the results. Goodness knows when a real collection will come out of all these ideas as I'm not very good at putting things to one side for a while and then coming back to it.

I'm an all or nothing kind of girl!!

My favourite up to now. Simple, fresh and clean on a textured white background!