New hidden pocket designs

Just experimenting with some new pocket concepts.. I've got half a bag created already.. With half featuring piping because I change my mind halfway through the process haha! But that's the beauty of a toile :)

Here is a rough sketch of my ideas!

Kind of resemble an envelope which I like :)

Visual Journal

Got a moleskin journal. its great for scribbling ideas, without feeling like its a formal sketchbook, but at the same time, its an expensive moleskin so you want to make each little scribble a good quality!

Heres some of my scribbles for fabric repeats. these probably only make sense to me!. Basically planning a gold overlay. i plan to submit this moleskin as my 'visual creative diary' - but with no dates.. nobody needs to know i only got this at christmas! ;)

doodles doodles doodles

Drawing, Drawing, Drawing

I am trying to draw everyday. a sketch, a bag idea, or a technical drawing, perhaps some colour.. but drawing anyway i can! then im trying to create repeat prints.. which is hard with new drawings coming everyday, but hard in a good way i suppose! Just thought i would share some of my most recent drawings :)

Edinburgh Chimneytops

Technical drawings on dot paper to get an idea of size and pocket placement! They dont include fabric placement, but tartan and harris tweed will feature :)

another chimney sketch

some repeats ive got going on!

Digital Fabric Printing

Having my first tutorial this year tomorrow! Im quite nervous because they either send me on a motivational high where i work work work or bring me down to a state of depression which means i just want to sleep, eat chocolate muffins and watch big bang theory everyday for about 4 days.. soo.. yeah, nervous haha! Ive missed the last two weeks because ive been visiting London, including a trip to Top Drawer which was really great, i saw some great designers, and it gave me an insight into smaller trade shows which i could more than possibly exhibit at this time next year! Also good to see layouts as im thinking forward to my degree show, and trade prices was interesting to see too!

The shop featured in the next few photographs is called 'Miss Katie Cupcake' - an adorable little shop absolutely filled to the brim with handmade and vintage-esque goodies, my mum and i stumbled accross this little shop when we were wondering up to the royal mile. its no bigger than my bedroom and we probably spent an hour in there! Anyway - i fell in love with a little linotype tray filled with goodies, got a good photo, bought a brooch and then went home to draw up from my photograph! And it features in my print below :)

Miss Katie Cupcake - Shop in Edinburgh - Photo by MacLean Photography :)

 Visiting Top Drawer in London was a great eye opener! We turned a corner to see some lovely scarves, my flatmate nudged me and said 'Hey! you can make scarves.. they would sell so well, definately get on that!' anyway.. 55 stands and about 1200 scarves later we decided its er.. its already been done. ive never seen so many scarves at a show!! maybe i wont bother with those then!!

Top Drawer London!

Oh and the fabric design - im getting somewhere - but SO slowly... I have to work at it for hours and hours and then just before i quit photoshop i have this idea.. and it comes from there! Also i havnt got illustrator so i cant make vector files, which means i cant reeeeally use these as theyre not good enough quality. when means all the work im producing, is infact, a waste of time.. but i figure ill go through like this, and then when i know my final designs ill re do them in high quality! A decision im sure ill live to regret! 

This is my latest design featuring picknmix bags from the christmas fair, in my colour palette blue tone, with drawings from miss katie cupcakes shop over the top. a continuous line drawing created in pen. Its a little different i think i quite like it.. and it does feel more surface design than fabric design.. i can see it on notebooks etc.. we will see! the white is a layer inbetween just the break up the colour and line.. but i quite like it. hmmm.. i havnt slept on this yet though! 

Visualisations

Here are some of my first visualisations. I dont have any definite fabric repeats yet so i decided to use my drawings, both digital form and straight from the raw scans! i also scanned in my tartan wool and leather.. i kind of like the look here actually even though i havnt used my repeats yet! Strange what you do when you're bored then actually you like them..!

I am creating a bunch of luggage pieces with accessories. i hope to have a few big bags for my degree show as well as a large range of accessories, from toiletries bags to umbrellas! Maybe even some wellies.. we will see :)

 I want my degree show set up to be kind of simple but still have a good amount of products on show. Its about quality, not quantity.. thats for certain. you dont want your space to look overcrowed..! I plan to have a box shelving unit which i can stack loads of accessories into. that way, i can make an overwhelming amount which you can view, but in an enclosed space. then stack two or three big luggage bags on top of each other, maybe get a luggage trolley too!

Back to Edinburgh

I went back to Edinburgh last week for some more primary research. Now that i know some of the aspects i want to concentrate on, it was a no brainer to go back. We stayed with family in Longniddry and caught the train in each day. We walked alot, and drunk a hell of alot of tea in hotels and starbucks on the upper floors above shops on princes street. We walked the royal mile about five million times and i got loads of photographs. i even managed to fill a small A5 sketchbook whilst i was there which was great!

I also got pretty christmassy as it was the christmas fair and everything around the city was slowly becoming very chistmassy too!

Here is some of my research from the week.

My gran used to walk this close everyday to work in the 60s :)

;

my muma 

Final Year Student!

I am a final year student. I AM A FINAL YEAR STUDENT! We even have the date for our graduation. its too real!

anyway - im attempting to get stuck... whilst everyone else is at secret tinie tempa gigs at the new Students Union, im sat here painting colour palettes from my trip to Edinburgh!

Contextual Research File Started..

Back in Bon.. love this place!

colour applied to acrylic paper, ready to cut out and create a range of palettes!

Using my new Bamboo tablet in my final year work. This will be brilliant for creating hand-drawn templates on photoshop. Last year i drew everything, scanned them in and edited it all on photoshop.. ahhh!

The Weekender Bag Progress

Its finished!! Thank goodness. have not blogged my progress because i havnt sat still for like three weeks! But i have finished and i can finally have a nap :D

Alot of coffee was consumed.

The designs are being drawn up for the final screenprints!

Working out the best position on the screens

The screens just after they have been burnt!

some fabric samples for accessories

 Sorry for the jump here - i dont have good photos of all of the fabrics seperately which i know its kinda stupid but yah - here is the finished article! It took me three days of printing and three days of construction and is all from scratch, including piping and handles etc.

The finished bag :)

Feature fabrics for kindle case pockets.

the luggage tag which comes with the luggage bag. It is the purple print on the reverse!

Bag feet. im showing everyone my bag feet.. proud of these haha!

so to conclude although i am quite proud of my creation, i have leart some very valuable lesson which i will take forward with to to third year. i also have a better design placement idea, but hell im not making another bag (They are way too expensive to make).

Thanks for looking!

New Project - British Birds

My new project is self-driven. We had to create our own brief.. which is kinda scary!
I am currently working from drawings to create my second fabric collection. I thought i would share a few of my drawings and ideas! Im thinking classic british birds, onto eco-friendly unbleached linen, with screenprint and resist dye techniques. Im back into the studio next week where hopefully i can get some techniques started and hopefully have a collection sorted by the end of the month! Things move too quickly for my liking.. But i cant work properly until i have the pressure of a deadline looming! Really bad habit i know :c

Kingfisher.. with fish!

Kingfisher Colour-ways in ribbon.

Embarressed to say that i dont know what bird this is! I just found it in a magazine and it didnt say!

One for Sorrow; Two for Joy.

Some quick ideas!

The Travel Collection

I think i would like create travel collections with my fabrics; there is something luxurois about designer travel cases, whether its travel wallets, makeup cases or full weekender bags. It all adds to experience of a weekend away! I think some of this has something to do with the way i was brought up to be honest! My Mum is a woman who always travels first class and refuses to go on the London Eye without a glass of champagne (Okay, this one is my fault, i took her on a champagne flight for her birthday and now she cant go back to a normal flight!). She always has lovely weekender bags and accessories.. It really does complete the experience!

The plan for these fabrics, i would like to make two weekender bags and perhaps some travel accessories. I think i will only have time to create one, i always set myself too much work for the timescale. But we will see how it goes, and how annoyed a get with my sewing machine!!

Thanks for looking at my blog :)

Digital Sketchbook

Here are some of my drawings which i have created into digital drawings through the use of both photoshop and illustrator, through layers, opacity and also live trace. These are now in the repeat-pattern stage and i will post some pictures once designs are finalised of course! Im very excited about this.

Louise Richardson first four fabric collection - The back to basics range -sewing notions. February 2013!

Buttons which can work as both the stripe and the dot texture. Im thinking more fabric design in the sketch. Live traced on Illustrator.

Layered image of wax resist watercolour study of pinking shear line suitable for stripe, and my embroidery scissors and a thimble!

My mannequin and a small unusual button collection ive got going on..

This tape measure took me so long.. so so long..

thimbles! I like the different sizes :)