We're back!

After a very long flight, due to Melbourne's bad weather on Tuesday, we finally landed back in Melbourne. The Stitches & Craft Show in Sydney was heaps of fun, the highlight being meeting all the other crafty incubator peeps.

This time the incubator section was much larger than previously and I had so much fun meeting everyone. We were very lucky to have Julie from Juicy Roo and Cathy and Louise as our neighbours, hi girls ;)

Lara has done a great post on the show, so I'm going to send you to her blog for the full story and more pictures ;)



I'd like to end this post with a big thank you to Angela & Ross and the team at Living Creatively for making this show such a success! We'll see you next year in Melbourne!

last week in a nutshell...

Handmade Melbourne book launch


Printing for Stitches & Craft Sydney

... and being published in Living Creatively's latest issue.

It was such a busy week last week that I've lost all my energy to write a long blog post. Thankfully Teegs is back... she's the star blogger of Ink & Spindle, which gives me a break ;)

We're all on track for Sydney and are all very excited to be at the show. We're counting down now...

ps. a little bit of my delft fabric is up in the shop... the rest will be put up when we get back...

18 sleeps...

until the Stitches & Craft show Sydney

We've been printing madly over the last few weeks to get all of our (and hopefully your) favourites printed to bring to the show. We've also been printing our new patterns in some yummie colours, so far my favourite is the new 'Delft' pattern in white on natural.


'Delft' in white on natural


'Delft' in charcoal on cream

Come and visit us at the Stitches & Craft show in Sydney :)

Open Studio 25 July 2009

It's that time again... we're opening up our studio for you to come and have a look :) Of course we'll also have our lovely fabrics on display and you can see, touch, smell and buy them.

We'll even have some of our new fabrics out... how exciting!

You can find us here:

Suite 206, 10 Elizabeth Street
Kensington

We'll be open from 10am until 1pm!


'Delft' in Honeysuckle, Inky Blue & Deep Red

Most of the new fabric will be launched at the Stitches & Craft Show in Sydney, this is just a sneak peak... we're still busy printing heaps of yummie colours for the show.

I'm back...

I'm back from my holiday in Europe... but I haven't quite got my head around things yet, so a longer post will follow later.

Today I'm in the studio. It feels so good to be printing again... especially when it's a fresh new screen :)

We printed 'Delft', my new pattern. We'll be taking this print to the Stitches & Craft Show in Sydney.

Back from Brissie...

Whilst the other girls post pretty patterns and funny stories, I'll be showing my shoes :) I bought these cute, adorable shoes on my trip to Brissie as well as a nice dress and top. (sorry for the bad pics, it's night time and I couldn't wait any longer ;)



I have to tell you that I never buy any brands or so, but I went a bit overboard and treated myself to a Wayne Cooper top :) for which I had to go back to the store in Melbourne because the shop assistant in Brisbane forgot to take the security tag off?! How did we ever get out of the store AND through airport security?



That aside, we had the best time in Brisbane. The weather was perfect, the company even better and the show was once again fabulous. It was so good to meet up with Brissie, Sydney and Melbourne crafters. The indie crafters even made it onto the local radio, how cool?! Thanks Brissie crafters, you're awesome!

And a huge thanks to Angela & the team too! We'll see you again in Sydney!

Our next event will be the Melbourne Design Market on the 14th of June, make sure you come and visit us... we like hot chocolate ;)

Shop in Brisbane or online...

We've been busy cutting, folding, packing all weekend and we're almost ready to hop on the plane. Before we go we're doing a class in lace making, the old school type... tea lady style :) how cool!

Lara & Teegs will fly out on Tuesday to setup and man the stall on Wednesday and I will fly out on Wednesday evening to be there from Thursday til Sunday. How exciting... I hope we have enough stock...

Please come and visit us at the Brisbane Stitches and Craft show... and for those who are left behind, I just updated the shop with a whole lot of mixpacks. All orders will be sent out when we get back, which is after the 5th of May.



See you in Brisbane! or when we get back :)

Stitches & Craft show Brisbane

We're very busy cutting, folding, packing and making to-do and to-take lists.

Here are some pretty stack shots.





Most of the fabric will be coming with me (pre-cut) to Brisbane... We're fully stocked and crossing our fingers that it's going to fit in 3 suitcases.

Oh and I almost forgot... these fabrics are also available in our shop. I believe the other girls will also stock up our shop soon... either before or after the show. Please know that we won't be able to post anything while we're in Brisbane, so you might have to wait a little bit longer ;)

Show & tell...

Today we're having a day off. A day just for us. To 'recover' from the big show(s).

Yesterday's show was fun. It took some time and coordination to get all the models dressed and lined up (gosh the place was a mad house for a while) but once that was all sorted it went pretty smooth. Ink & Spindle made 9 skirts for the show and we'll get them back so we can wear them :)

We also made some canvasses and other cool things for the exhibition, which will be on at NMBQ, 57 Smith street, Fitzroy until the 22nd of March 2009. Go and have a look, there's great work on show and all made ethically and locally.


Screen printed artworks from Ink & Spindle

... and here's what I came home with from the Stitches & Craft show


Henry le oobee (ooh la la, he's French) and a zipper mouth monster (it says 'Bite me')

We all did swaps, how nice is that. Thanks Leslie. Thanks Jodie. You both rock! These softies totally make my day, every day. Henry is very charming and zipper mouth monster is hilarious, I'm in lurve :)

Check Soozs' blog to see all the photo's of the show and the great blogger dinner she organised. Thanks Sooz, it was fun and yummie too! We all brought something for a swap too, what else could I bring but fabric ;) and in return I received a free tap dancing lession from Miss Caroline Tap Dance. That's going to be so much fun, and Teegs is coming with me.

... and to top it off. I updated the shop with some leftover stock. Bloem in Charcoal and Deep Red are back, as well as some new mixpacks. I have a new colourway to add too, but I haven't had time to photograph it yet.

it's all over...

Booooohoooo! The show is over and although I'm exhausted and about to fall asleep, I do feel a tad sad about it. It was so much fun meeting fellow bloggers, crafters and other people who love what we do. Thanks so much to everyone who made our days!

I have heaps more to show and tell, but I don't think I can write proper sentences now so that'll have to wait. Good night everyone!

Here's a pic I 'borrowed' from Justine's flickr since I was way to busy to snap some pretty pics ;)


Shannon, Kristen, me, Teegs & Lara aka 'fabric mafia or print mafia'

Oh.. it looks like we're going to Brisbane too... yikes that's in 6 weeks. Back to the printing table soon :) Bribane, here we come!

Our first show day...

Our first day at the Stitches and Craft show went pretty smooth. We met heaps of nice people and had some pretty good sales too :)



Both Lara & Teegs are presenting some workshops over the next couple of days so if you're coming to the show, make sure you book yourself a ticket.

As part of the learning centre studios, I presented a 'seminar' on A Home Based Craft Business today and will be doing another one on Friday. The good news... it's free to come along to my talk!

Right, I'm off to bed now... we have some busy days still ahead.

Please come and say hi at the show, we love meeting new people and putting faces to bloggers names.

See you there!

In the studio...

Here's what we're up to in the studio...


Fat quarters for the Stitches & Craft show (folded with the help of Amy's tutorial)


Fabric bolts


Fabric bolts


Skirt with Sumor in Charcoal on Black & cotton denim - made for the 'Refabricated' exhibition


Little cape made of Sumor in Charcoal on Black - made for the 'Refabricated' exhibition

Show, show, show....

We've been busy this week. Cutting, sewing, packing, late dinners, lots of laughs, giggles and an earthquake. That was bizar, the whole building was shaking, the windows rattling loudly.

On Wednesday we'll be at the Stitches & Craft show with some yummie fabric goodness. We even have a few surprises for you in the form of never-seen-before fabrics. Please come and visit our stall, attend some of our workshops and listen to our story when we are interviewed on stage.
We're all very excited about this, it'll be lots of fun in the indie crafter section and we can't wait to catch up with some of our favourite blog reads.



We're not done yet. After our big week at the Stitches and Craft Show, we'll be part of 'Refabricated', an exhibition by the newly formed Melbourne Textile Collective, the show will present Bespoke ethically produced works from 'No Sweat Shop Label' accredited clothing companies and emerging local designers. Featuring hand-printed garments, textiles and textile based works.

The show is held on the 17th of March at NMBQ, 57 Smith Street, Fitzroy from 7pm onwards. Come along to see our prints made into awesome garments and showcased on the red carpet!

Back online...

Yay, I'm back online... and able to receive emails again. I hope I didn't miss too much over the last couple of days.

We've been busy printing over the last couple of days. There will be some new colours in the shop soon. Most likely after the show, as I keep on having nightmares about not having enough stock for the show. I'm sure it'll all be fine, but I still feel stressed and pressured by the small amount of time left.



Copyright Marcel Lee 2009
Please do not copy or use this photos without written permission from Ink & Spindle.

Bright Sumor...

Here are some new colour ways for my Sumor print... which will most likely be released at the Stitches & Craft Show (11 - 15 March @ the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds)

We've bundled our resources once more and will have an exhibition space for Ink & Spindle, which is very exciting because we've never done anything this big (apart from starting the business). We hope that you'll come and visit our stall and/or attend one of our workshops and seminars, which will actually not involve any printing...but it will be crafty and exciting.

Anyway, I'm drifting off... here are the new colour ways:


Sumor in Deep Sea on cream


Sumor in Fuchsia on cream


Sumor in Honeysuckle on cream


Sumor in Deep Red on natural

how cool...

...is this



Today I went to visit Jenny at Amitie. It was my first visit ever and I have to confirm what everyone else has already said...this is the best patchwork shop I have ever been to. So many colourful and cute fabrics, especially the Japanese ones that you can't get anywhere else...of course I bought some...but I'll show them later.

Jenny told me about the feature that's currently on the Living Creatively website...about the Stitches & Craft show.

Go have a look for yourself...there are pictures of lots of crafty ladies and a great story on the show.


this is me...

last day tomorrow...

Tomorrow is the last day of the Stitches and Craft show...if you haven't been there yet...come and visit us, it's fun! We're on level 1 at the Living Creatively stand.

Here's my little corner at the show



and to see the little corners of other crafty girls...click here

For everyone who has been and wants more information on the demonstrations I did...here we go:

Print Gocco:
a little goodness
print addict japan

Lampshade making:
Lara Cameron's tutorial on Lampshade making

Make your own mini tote tutorial
the mini packs in my shop are perfect for making this little bag, all you need to buy is fabric for the lining, straps and bottom

at the show...

The Stitches & Craft show was so much fun today. I was a little bit scared getting on stage for my interview, but I think I did ok.
It's so much fun to be with so many crafty peeps. I met Kristen, Angela, Amelia, Lululollylegs, Hiromi, Justine, Nicole, Thornberry, Townmouse, Miss Marzie and all the fantastic girls at Living Creatively. I'm sure I forgot some people...sorry for this...I have seen so many new faces today. Just let me know if I forgot anyone...I'll add you to my list of ever growing blogging faces :)





We all got to see and meet Kerri-Anne Kennerley today as she was the special guest on today's show.

I'll be back tomorrow (and Saturday...and Sunday) and you can catch me on stage at around 1pm...hopefully I'll be over my stage fear by then. See you there!

Another thing I meant to share with you...which has been pushed to the background because of the show...is that I got a phone call on Tuesday that I was offered the job I applied for about a week ago. I had the interview on Friday morning, so they were really quick to tell me. I accepted and am really excited to start my new job on the 25th of March. The hours are exactly what I wanted, part time three days a week from 9am till 3pm. I will have Thursdays & Fridays to myself, which means that you will be seeing a whole lot more from my side. Yay, more fabric designs and other cool stuff :)

stitches & craft show...

I'll be at the stitches & craft show from Thursday till Sunday...come visit me and heaps of other crafty peeps...



Wednesday 12 March till Sunday 16 March
10am - 5pm
Caulfield Race Course

more moo...

just in time for the Stitches & Craft show...



...I'll be at the Living Creatively stand from Thursday the 13th of March until Sunday the 16th of March.