Wednesday 5 December 2012

I now sell my work online!

I just wanted to let you know that Louise Dawson Design jewellery is now available to buy online on folksy.com - I've got a couple of pieces available to start with, but keep an eye on it because I will be gradually adding more pieces. It's all very exciting! Each piece comes gift boxed too, which is ideal for Christmas!

Here are some new little knit and fabric brooches, these (and more) are available to buy at the Jessica Muir Gallery, Long Melford, Sudbury. Please remember, if I post images of things you would like, everything is available to buy and I am more than happy to make pieces to commission. Contact me at enquiries@louisedawsondesign.com






Sunday 25 November 2012

A very big  thank you to everyone who visited me on my stand at the Selvedge Winter Fair in London earlier in the month, I met lots of lovely people and very much enjoyed the day. Here's a few pictures!

Setting up!
I wanted to give my display some height and I found the perfect way to do this with a wooden stand I found in a second hand shop and painted white!
Cover button brooches
 I'm currently making a new addition to my blog- check out the gallery page. Stitch wise at the moment I'm making a little collection of work for the Jessica Muir Gallery in Long Melford, Suffolk (images soon) and I'm planning a joint venture at Spitalfields Market in mid December, I'll keep you posted! Also, look out soon for some new experimental resin and fabric brooches coming soon.





Sunday 28 October 2012

The Selvedge Winter Fair

On Saturday 10th November I will be taking part in the Selvedge Magazine Winter Fair at Chelsea Old Town Hall, King's Road, London. It's on from 10am-4pm, do come along and pop in if you're in the area. There will be over 60 exhibitors and I'll have a range of brooches, rings and necklaces on sale-it's a great opportunity to buy some lovely handmade gifts for Christmas, or just to treat yourself! Find out more at selvedge.org



A selection of knitted and felted necklaces I'm working on, embellished with found objects and broken jewellery
Detail of knitted necklace embellished with beads taken from broken jewellery

Hope to see you there!



Friday 19 October 2012

My other train of thought

I'd like to share with you some previous work to give some background to my working process.

I love to have the freedom to develop ideas without the constraints of making a functional piece and it is mostly through working in this way that the ideas for my jewellery are formed and developed.

"Curiosity"
As you will know by now, my obsessions are knitting and felting and my main objective through my work is to explore the possibilities of these crafts and subvert wool as much as I can! For my last main big project "Curiosity" I was lucky enough to have a month long residency in the Benham Gallery at Cuckoo Farm Studios, which was essentially an exploration into the sculptural and textural possibilities of knit and felt. This subject is something I want to continue to return to in order to explore the infinite possibilities surrounding this subject and I hope that one day I will have the time and the organisational skills (!) to work the two strands of my work, being the conceptual pieces and jewellery, side by side. Ultimately, in everything I make I want to ensure that there is integrity in the thought processes behind the pieces.



I made this piece from two separate knitted tubes and Shibori felting experiments.


The bobbles run all the way through the middle of the piece! The pieces were hung from the ceiling using invisible thread, creating an ethereal presentation.





Many visitors to the exhibition said the pieces reminded them of sea creatures


Knit and crochet piece- I added my Crocheted strings by hooking them into the knitting machine needles when constructing the tube 
Once I get the Gallery section of my site up and running I can share more, but for now I hope this gives you some insight into how my work and my thoughts develop!

Sunday 7 October 2012

Foraging, walking and cooking!


When I'm not sewing and knitting one of my most favorite ways to spend my time is cooking (and eating!) lovely homemade things. I also love to forage for ingredients, and as I have a Labrador who is at her happiest out in the countryside (pictures of her to follow at some point, she doesn't like to sit still for  long!), dog walks provide a  handy time to pick blackberries and apples, which is exactly what I did last weekend!

Here is the result, Blackberry and Apple Gin which will be ready just in time for Christmas!



This was how it looked a week ago

This is how it looks now, just a simple combination of fruit, sugar and Gin, can't wait to try it!
If you'd like to make some yourself, the recipe is taken from the River Cottage Preserves book
By way of news of the textile variety, I'm currently making lots of things for a London Textile Fair next month, I'll let you know more when the advertising is released!





Wednesday 12 September 2012

Latest exhibition- The Minories, Colchester

To co-inside with Open Studios, The Minories Gallery in Colchester has an exhibition show casing a selection of participating artists, and I am very excited that my work is part of the exhibition! Lots of visitors to my studio over the weekend had said how uniquely it was presented, and today I popped into the Minories to have a look! It's always intriguing to see how other people present your work and this particular presentation has definitely inspired me for when I'm setting up displays myself in the future.


The Exhibition is in the lovely Garden Room at The Minories






If you're in the area I can recommend a visit to The Minories, as well as the variety of exhibitions and shop, the beautiful Georgian building and gardens are lovely to see in themselves. There is also a great Bistro so you can really make a day of it! Visit theminories.co.uk for details of how to get there


Friday 7 September 2012

Open Studios

Cuckoo Farm Studios Open Studios event is taking place this weekend 11-6pm- there are thirty artists in all, including me, and it's always a great weekend. Come along and enjoy a look inside the studios and have a chat with the artists, and maybe even buy yourself some artwork or something beautifully hand crafted and lovely! The weather is promising to be very Summery (fingers crossed!) so make a day of it, bring a picnic or take advantage of our tea, cake and sandwich stall! (I'll definitely be doing a bit of that myself!)

There will also be an exhibition in the studios gallery (The Benham Gallery) entitled "Documenting Memories," which celebrates the 20th anniversary of Cuckoo Farm Studios and gives a great insight into how it all began and how CFS has grown throughout the years.

Hope to see you there!

Here is a little look at what you can expect to see over the weekend

Some of my brooches and rings in progress




Artist Amy Turnbull's piece for the "Outside" exhibition

Artist Jean Muir's piece for the "Outside" exhibition. We  have a unique setting within our  beautiful grounds at CFS
and the Outside exhibition highlights this very well
Please visit cuckoofarmstudios.org.uk for details on how to find us



Wednesday 29 August 2012

One man's junk..!


I love scouring second hand shops, flea markets and Ebay for pearly treasures I can up-cycle into my jewellery pieces, and here is a little look at my latest finds! I like to imagine the story of where these necklaces and bracelets may have come from, and I enjoy the challenge of  re-inventing them into my work, juxtaposing them with new materials. Something old, something new!


Looking forward to getting to work with these!

I'll keep you up to date on the transformation of these pieces from junk to jewellery!

Sunday 19 August 2012

Photo Shoot for my Online Collection!

As I mentioned a while back, I've been busy working on a jewellery collection to sell online, and I'm excited to say that it's now ready!


I had a brilliant photo shoot last week, and here's a little look at some of the pieces while I work away on setting up an online shop- watch this space, it's coming in the next few weeks!








Thank you to Olivia for being a great model and thank you to Tara at Hammonds Photography Studio for taking the photos!

Saturday 21 July 2012

Lace Making!

The amount of Bobbins we needed to use for one tiny piece  was daunting at first! We started with 10 pairs!


Yesterday my good friend Louisa and I were lucky enough to spend the day with a lovely patient lady who is teaching us to make lace! It's something I've always wanted to try but know very little about, so we jumped at the chance to have a go!

I love knitting and felting because I am excited by the idea of creating something from nothing- creating a whole new fabric from raw materials, and lace making ticks these boxes too. Although it took me a while to master the stitches and create a tiny section, it was very satisfying to watch this tiny piece of fabric take shape. Of course I'm already thinking of how I could make lace with wool, and I'm even thinking about blowing up a lace pattern to see if I could make giant lace! Much experimentation is needed and I'm excited to see how I can develop lace making into my work!


We punched holes in our pattern for the pins, which you then build the lace around using pairs of Bobbins with  fine cotton thread 

Although it required a lot of concentration, I also found it to be a very therapeutic process, and I imagine it was once a very social craft, in much the same way that knitting fashionably is today. I feel very privileged that we have the opportunity to learn this skill because unfortunately it's not a commonly practiced craft anymore. However I think now we've tried it we'll be hooked!


You don't need vast amounts of equipment to start lace making, just a  pattern, brass pins, bobbins, cotton thread and  a solid "cushion" to attach your work to- you could make one using polystyrene covered in fabric. Plenty of coffee and cake is also recommended!  
 I'll keep you updated on our lace making progress, there are so many exciting possibilities that I am really looking forward to learning more!

Sunday 15 July 2012

Customised Packaging!

My finished jewellery box label!

I've been busily working away in the studio making jewellery for a photo shoot in a few weeks time, the images from which I will be using to set up my online shop (Very exciting!) So I'm very busy, but that's how I like it.

For a long time I've also been considering what packaging I should use when sending my pieces and having chosen some smart black jewellery boxes, today I've been in the studio having fun experimenting with inks to come up with labels for them.

I started by distressing the edges of my card with a paper distressing tool, before layering the vintage shade Distress Inks
 My goal was to create something individual to customise my boxes, to make the packaging as special and  unique as the jewellery inside, so I went for an "old paper/vintage photo" look, to complement the recycled aspects of my work. I then added some teal ribbon to complement my logo, some vintage lace and some of my trademark pearls and diamante!

I've also made some smaller labels for the brooch and ring boxes
I'd like people to order a piece from me online and be as excited about the thoughtful packaging as they are  about what's inside- it really is about the whole package (excuse the pun!) 

In the meantime, whilst I am setting up the online shop,  my pieces are still available to buy or commission- contact me via enquiries@louisedawsondesign.com - you could be the first to receive a piece in a lovely new box!



Thursday 5 July 2012

The Lovely Place Where I Work!

Just a small section of the fabric department

When I'm not working in my studio, I work part time in a brilliant place called The Cheap Shop in the
famous jam making village of Tiptree. It's been my favourite shop since I was a little girl because it's filled with all the things I love- wool, fabric, ribbons, buttons- it's a crafty persons heaven! Whenever I visit somewhere new I always seek out the crafty shops and I've never come across somewhere with such a wide variety as the Cheap Shop, or such knowledgeable and helpful staff!

The wool room, my favourite place to be!
It's helpful for me to work in a related environment to my textile work, as it keeps me constantly thinking and talking about craft and creativity, and I'm glad that such a place exists to keep craft thriving!

When I was younger I made lots of felt bags embellished with buttons and I used to travel to the shop on the bus to choose from the huge button selection!
If you are interested in any type of craft I can't recommend highly enough that you come to visit- my images only show you a small cross section of the shop and it has to be seen to be believed- I'll see you there!



Wednesday 27 June 2012

Crochet Experiments!

Some new things! I have been experimenting with ways to make crochet jewellery using a wool and silk mix yarn, which has lovely draping qualities to add to the lacy effect I wanted to achieve.

In all my jewellery I like to keep the fastenings simple, as with this bow 
I have been wanting to make some long necklaces that could be dressed up or down, and here is the first experimental piece! I think a piece like this would make quite a statement layered together with other necklaces, and there is also potential  to develop them with some embellishment (to satisfy my Swarovski obsession!) 

So, that sums up what's going on in the studio at the moment, lots of experiments! I'll keep you posted about these ideas and the other things I'm working on!

I'm hoping these initial ideas can develop into a crochet collection


Saturday 16 June 2012

Something Old, Something New


I like to use recycled materials in my work as much as possible, both in order to reduce the environmental impact of my work, and also because I enjoy the challenge of creating something new by reinventing the old.

However, I have also developed a love of all things Swarovski, Freshwater Pearls and semi-precious stones, and through the combination of both of these themes, my "Something Old, Something New" theme has developed!

These pieces combine recycled yarn and fabrics with sparkly Swarovski crystals. The Little fabric discs on the necklace and brooches was cut from fabric that once formed a  display in a shoe shop window!

This necklace is the first I've made with the little fabric discs, and it's an idea that I'm going to work on and develop
 I'm taking these pieces to the Warner Textile Museum shop in Braintree next week, along with some more bits and pieces!





Sunday 10 June 2012

Knitting Projects!


I don't get a lot of spare time to make non work related things, but this year I am determined to make some things for myself! I've been knitting this jumper for quite some time and I finished it this week. I'm hoping to get quite a few pieces knitted ready for the Winter- but with the weather the way it is, I may need to wear them before that!

I'll definitely keep warm in the studio wearing this!

I made this one from a pattern, but one of my aims for the near future is to create my own experimental knitwear collection- watch this space!




Thursday 7 June 2012

Cuckoo Farm Studios


Today I'd like to give you a little look inside my studio! I'm very lucky to have such a nice place to work in, and such a unique place too. There are about thirty Artists working in our community at Cuckoo Farm, Colchester, and it's really helpful to me to be working surrounded by like minded people.

When the inside of my studio is looking a bit tidier I'll post some more images!

Cuckoo Farm itself was once a working pig farm, and all of the studios are converted farm buildings (my studio is in the old farm cottage!) and because of this we are lucky enough to have lovely grounds around the studios (really nice in the summer, very cold but pretty in the winter snow!)

We have lots of arty things around the grounds at the studios

I'm very grateful for the opportunities Cuckoo Farm has given me since leaving college, and my studio is an integral part in the process of making my work.



Saturday 2 June 2012

Swarovski and Pearls


These are just a few of the pieces that I've been making this week. Tomorrow I'll be transforming them into rings and they'll be all set to go off to the gallery! I stitch all the beads and stones onto the felt backing by hand-  I am an obsessive embellisher! People are always surprised that I stitch them all rather than glue them on, but I think this gives the best results and I love the process of it.

The big round rings are made from handmade felt beads which are then embellished- they really are statement rings!


It's not a ring yet, but it will be!

Statement ring!

 I also make jewellery to commission, so if there's something particular you'd like please contact me!