Stitch and Tickle Bags Featured on Daily Candy!

Yeah! Daily Candy just did a write up on my bags, no better way to start the day!

 

Put Your Money on a Stitch and Tickle Handbag

One-of-a-Kind Leather Accessories

 

'To-do lists. Budget spreadsheets. Calorie-counting apps. Regimen is your mistress — but you’re secretly dying to go rogue.

Sophie Truong sees your need for spontaneity and sews you a leather bag. The designer works from pure instinct to stitch freewheeling yet functional purses, messengers, and clutches.

A onetime Museum of Fine Arts buyer, the self-described bagaholic lit upon her new vocation after failing to find her own consummate carryall. French-born Truong soon sourced soft, colorful cowhide in an NYC fabric shop, and the rest was histoire.

Truong ad-libs as she goes, forgoing patterns for a gut feeling. The oversize, teardrop-shaped black tote has outside pockets for easy access to keys; a ruby pleated satchel has contrasting cream handles. A silver, ribbon-bound iPad case recalls a 19th-century daybook, while the wee red wristlet demands a wallet upgrade.

Each piece is so singular, we bet you violate that yearly accessories allotment. What the hell, right?

Available online at stitchandtickle.etsy.com, $65-$280. "

Sati Zech (German, b. 1958)

I have my mind on Berlin because we decided to go around Thanksgiving (yippeee..), so what better time to post about artist Sati Zech, who I found somehow in blogland (via the Visual Influence blog?)..

“The thick, viscous red-hued paint shaped and scrapped upon strips of naked cloth emanates feelings of femaleness: her power and passion, her cycles and repetitions. The layering, the gluing, tearing and sewing all gives rise to the idea of labor specifically woman’s labor, a kind of thoughtful, painstaking never-ending work that manifests itself in tactile visions of strength, beauty, necessity, serendipity.

The objects are very much themselves, independent and unbeholden to any specific tradition, yet they contain the emotional dynamism of Louis Burgeois, the semantic materiality of Joseph Beuys, the subtle tactility of Eva Hesse and the symbolic charge of African art. "

Source: Howard Scott Gallery

I unfortunately can't read (or speak) German so I can't share much more, but the Howard Scott Gallery is representing her in New York and has some beautiful works on paper:

I find her work so lose and powerful. I've been so focused on making things for the Stich and Tickle store, I don't think I realized how much I miss making art. How beautiful they are..

See more of her work on her website here or at Howard Scott's gallery website there... Way too beautiful for words.


And if you can recommend anything good to see in Berlin or London in November, let me know!

Stitch and Tickle included in Mix Tape Lookbook by Poppytalk

I'm delighted to have my Brown Leather Clutch included in Poppytalk's newest lookbook, Mix Tape.

I'm in awe of the work they put into selecting items and putting these books together, on top of their everyday blog. Thanks Jen!

And there are a few new items in the Etsy store:

Ultrasoft lambskin messenger bag in Wine

Oversized Black Metro Bag

Thank you!

We had fantastic Open Studios last week end with record attendance and very constructive feedback. Thanks to all who came - their continuous support is always greatly appreciated.  For those of you who didn't make it, here's a peek inside my studio, cleaned up - despite what you may think (yes.. it was worse before..):

Stitch and Tickle Bags

Pillows on Stitch and Tickle, Soft Sculptures, Teabag Panel

Soft Sculptures

Soft Sculptures

Hand Knitted Paper Yarn Lamp & Teabag Sculpture / Installation

Panel with dyed doilies (in progress)

Hand Knitted Paper Yarn Panel

Linen window panel

Now back to work...

Miscellaneous treats..

As I started toying with Tumblr and Pinterest in the past few weeks, I've barely had the time to check the my usual favorites, and boy did it feel refreshing to find so much good stuff out there! I am still debating if Tumbler & Pinterest are for me, since it has you browse through millions of images to find a few good ones, and time is so limited...

Anyhow, here are a few of my recent finds from some of the blogs I check regularly:

A beautiful blanket or textile photographed by Carline van Oel via the always inspiring blog Jokemijn

Which led me to discover Carline's blog, Pompoon, where I found pics of the new Mina Perhonen  collection which I wish I was wearing right now:

Via Alabama Chanin, I found this beautiful movie on the making of linen, which I have yet to finish watching...


BE LINEN MOVIE from Benoit MILLOT on Vimeo.

Natalie wants to make one on cotton and I have no doubt she will.. because who wouldn't want her to make one when she can do this with cotton t-shirt material:

And by the way, on top of designing new collections, being a mom, making a third book, she's going through a serious detox to make her look even more fabulous.. (so what's a little film about cotton...)

Ok, that's really only a few but I have to get into the studio and do some work so have a good week end everyone

Lari Washburn: Daily Drawing - The Gallery at Spencer Lofts, Chelsea, MA

I'm delighted & very excited to have Lari Washburn's first solo show here at the Gallery at Spencer Lofts. Over a year ago, Lari started planning for this show setting out to make a drawing a day. This exhibition shows  a selection of the body of work she produced during this past year, adhering to that routine.  Her work evolved significantly from sketchbook doodles, whimsical monkey drawings to large abstact paintings.  You can read more about her process on her blog here, under Drawing Project.

The show  looks amazing: come see it, it opens this Saturday, September 10, 2011, from 6-8pm.
Directions here. 

Caroline Swift Ceramic and Glass Work

I have a soft spot for bone china because it looks so delicate, often almost translucent, yet quite resistant. I particularly love it when it's unadorned like the pieces Caroline Swift makes:

(c) Caroline Swift - Bone china spoons

(c) Caroline Swift - Bone china bowls

I want them all! And what better way to present them.. love the simlicity of it all. So pure. She also makes these beautiful installation in glass:

(c) Caroline Swift - Hanging Sculpture - Glass

(c) Caroline Swift - Hanging glass sculpture

(c) Caroline Swift - Hand painted glass bauble

See more on her website here (you can even buy them there :)

Work in Progress

Just a little over 3 weeks til the annual South End Open Studios... and with a couple of trips already planned, time is going to fly..

I am keeping busy in the studio trying to finish miscellaneous projects, such as this leather lace pillow made out of piece of leather I found in NY a few months back:

The leather seems to have been lasercut and printed (light drawing lines that outline the cut motifs). It's really beautiful but too thin to make a bag or a garment so there, a pillow will do :).

Also, very much into clutches these days so I made this one out of brown leather than has a bit of an antique finish (I still have to shoot it to put up on Etsy..):

And I started working with the new leathers I got for the fall. I am getting a bit frustrated with my sewing machine when the leather is very soft so I doing more hand-stitching. Here's the first bag I made:

That picture is taken with the Iphone so it doesn't show the color well but it's a warm grey which I'm totally in love with..

Also just put this new Ipad Case in the Etsy shop:

I'm thinking of doing some in different leathers for men, maybe?

In the meantime, that one is having a great time:

even if he often hates to admit it:

Oops Master Pouter

Man..I hope I come back as him if I do..

29 ways to be creative...

Just found this on PoppyTalk and thought it pretty much sums it up...

 

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

Nothing we don't know but a good reminder of all the little steps to keep taking.

I already cleaned up my studio this week so that's one down. Making lists I do all the time but the challenge is to then do what's on the list (it doesn't say what to do about that). Listen to new music sounds good - I'll create some new Pandora stations today (a bit stuck on Cat Power and Regina Spektor's radios these days..).  Stay away from computer is going to be the hardest one YET the one I feel is the most needed! I already forgot the 20 + other steps but that's a start :)
So there - now off to studio to have fun...

p.s.: #11 is one of the best advice I got from an art teacher once: surround yourself by creative people.

What works best for you??

Happy Friday all.

Oooooooooohhh - and.. the thing about Tumblr..

Just found that picture of this amazing installation on Tumblr at Design is for Living. I love the airiness / bubbliness of it all.. BUT was totally unable to find who it's by... That's the thing about Tumblr... I started using it (see the Stitch and Tickle Tumblr page here) because it's an amazing (mindblowing?) database of images that allows you to re-post so easily BUT (again), it's so easy that often you can't find where it's coming from - and two hours later, you've lost two perfectly good hours in Tumblrland... instead of making / creating  something...

Anyhow, check it out (click here to scroll down or there for the archive) and let me know what you think. Where do you look for inspiration? Do you prefer Pinterest? Wishpot? What do you use the most? Would love to hear from you. I also need to plan some advertising for the store on various blogs and websites this fall - which do you like the most or think would be the best fit?  I could really use your input!

Ann Weber Cardboard Sculptures

Every time I walk past a pile of cardboard on the sidewalk I think I've got to figure out something to do with that waste... California based sculptor Ann Weber makes these gigantic sculptures out of cardboard boxes:

All photographs (c) Ann Weber

Love the scale...

Weber has a ceramic background but started working in cardboard to avoid the "cumbersome process of clay" and after seeing Frank Gehry's cardboard furniture. 

She is featured in Hand/Eye Magazine online this week:  

"In building her sculptures, Weber uses three simple tools: a stapler, box cutter and shellac. Most of the cardboard she uses have been found in dumpsters and when asked about the size of her pieces she simply replies, “I'm interested in how big you can make something before it collapses.” Her process is simple: Weber cuts the cardboard into strips and then weaves them into podlike shapes. To hold them together she staples the strips, adds a coat of shellac or polyurethane. For heavier and sturdier pieces she forgoes the shellac and bronzes the structures". Piece of cake :)

Read more on Hand/Eye online here or visit her webiste there.  And think twice next time you put those boxes in the recycle bin..

Back to work... with PoppyTalk Handmade!

My niece and nephew left this week end after a fun-filled (and exhausting :) vacation; who knows what they will remember the most - the food (burgers, hot dogs, getting sick..), New York or Newbury Comics but I think they had a good time... I loved having them but am glad to go back to the studio today. 

AND I was delighted to learn that the Stitch and Tickle Store got selected to be in the Poppytalk Handmade market.

Here are some of my favorites from their selection this month:

Visit  here to find all links to these beautiful things and much more!

And check out this tutorial for this perfect pouf which I am going to have to make for myself :

Allright.. back to work!  More soon..

In love with Jellyfish..

From the Aquarium in Boston today - just stunning...

And these:

remind me of those (hair installation by Nance Davies)