Time out

I've been so busy this week. Some cloth work... some driving around the country looking at plants... and some stolen moments to hang out with friends and family. :) My design partner Megan returns home to California tomorrow. I'm going to miss her, but have a feeling she'll be back again in no time :)


















Nilo and I on the sea front in Puerto Jimenez.


















Partners: Bainbridge & (Megan) Houseberg























Houseberg and Bainbridge


















Nilo's first batik. This is Megan and he (apparently). So sweet!

Peek-a-boo

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on yesterday's post. I'm curious to discover if any of you know of a way to get blogger to allow me to respond to a comment, directly following the comment itself. Or is that too advanced for blogger? That's a problem, no?

If you haven't already been over to Jude Hill's this morning, Go there next! She has some fabulous images posted today! I really love this. Guess it's one of those times when, without knowing how or why, ideas collide in the ether. Why do I say that?... Here's a peek at the start of one of my new lines for the B&H autumn/winter collection, which will be available in September. Or... maybe late August to you *:9























A touch of South America... Sorry folks, but this is all you're getting right now ;}

Check out Sandi Manning's "Gorgeous Girls" here! Go Sandi!!! Beautiful sisters... beautiful stitches! You weren't a finalist.. but you're still a winner! :)

A giveaway!

In the background, off-stage from blogging and stiching the things that appear here, I am busy researching all kinds of amazing stuff, and starting to develop a new line of accessories and apparel for bainbridge & houseberg, which is going to be launched as a legitimate business, later in the Spring. That will involve an online store (probably at Bigcartel, 'coz I like the crispness of their site) and a website for the label (to be designed by my eldest son, Eben, who does website design work... incase you're interested), and the population of both. So, the next few months, in particular, will be busy ones. I have a good feeling about this venture.

These past few weeks have been an impotant part of that process in terms of meeting (online) lots of lovely and amazingly talented people - that's you! - sharing and exchanging ideas, getting some constructive feedback, and being inspired. And I thank you for that, because now I better understand the direction in which I want to go. Not that it's written in stone, because it needs to be able to change and have the potential to grow into something new. But... each time, I feel like I am closer to something... essential. Well, it's not easy to put it into words.

For I while, I was playing with some design ideas for bags - which are still to form a focal point of our designs - just to oil the wheels abit, and start to explore what my passion in all of this really is. They say that style is something which, once you strip back everything else, is what is left and is that which is totally essential to your thing. I think I've figured it out now. It just feels right... and that's a good enough sign for me! :} But more about that anon.

In the meantime, I still have a couple of those experimental pieces, and it's time for me to move on. So I've decided to do a giveaway, they seem very popular at the moment :} The design in question is Tulip Bell, a light weight, broad skirted shoulder bag, made from recycled cotton fabrics and cotton fabric scraps, with hand stiching, stone and metal accents. Black with a cream/black contrasting lining and adjustable strap.



















Tulip Bell.















Detail.

If you're interested, just leave me a comment, saying what you think is essential about what you do in your creative life, together with a means to contact you. I will make a draw from the names on the 28th of this month.