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Step up in winter warmth |
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Signatur Handknits Winter 2017 is full of colour!
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Canberra Handmade Market 18th & 19th March will be my first showing of new designs and colours.
Designers On Show in Sydney 24th to 26th March brings together an all Australian-made line up in Sydney too.
For the Knitters you can start with ALL ABOUT COLLARS and WHAT IS IT ABOUT KNITTING ACCESSORIES?
I co-ordinate Designers On Show and it's like Christmas all over again when I open emails with new images from exhibitors. I will share a few images and the story behind the DoS exhibitors. We'll start with two new exhibitors and then you can scroll down for even more!
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Milliner, Jenepher Walker, joins us at Designers On Show in Turramurra 2017 March 24-26. Each of her pieces is created as a one-off using vintage and found objects, or by up-cycling vintage hats. Jenepher works in anything from felt to straw. She exhibits at wedding fairs and will create bespoke pieces for that special day.
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www.designersonshow.com |
 
Ruth Tate graduated in Fashion and Textiles from Winchester School of Art in the UK.
Ruth's designs have been sold at Liberty in London and First Traditions in Europe.
She takes her inspiration from history, film, vintage fashion and past masters Vionnet, Gres, and Chanel. Ruth is passionate about style versus fashion and encourages her customers to discover their own personal style. Ruth's collections are made in Sydney with fabrics and trims sourced from around the world. Ruth offers made-to-measure for a perfect fit.
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Scroll for more images and exhibitors at Designers On Show exhibtitors
There will be two more newsletter leading up to the show - as 2017 designs are still to be photographed for both myself Signatur Handknits, Ruth Tate, Penelope Shilling, Pages Shoes, Bronwyn Hunter, Sonia Bourke - who's eco dyed fabric is featured below. |
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Take a close look at collar styles |
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Collars and Cowls |
 i Collar, Cuffs & Trims can step a garment
up from a casual cardigan to a styled Blazer. Last year I restyled a couple of designs simply by changing the front band, adding a collar and creating a new button detail.
Left: Shona design with a Shawl collar creates a Jacket, originally Shona was a classic round neck cardigan.
Right: Diamond cable swing with wide shawl collar. Below: round neck in Purple and Vee Shawl in Rosehip. |
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Neckline styling: Diamond Cable Swing in Purple with round neck and below in Winter White with the round neck extended into collar, completed with fringing. Top right in Brick Red a Wide Shawl collar in basket stitch totally replaces the centre front panel of pattern. This is an edge to edge piece without buttons; of course buttonholes can be worked.
Above in Rosehip Diamond Cable swing with Vee Shawl collar also in Turkish Blue showing the back neck detail of this collar. The Winter White below shows the original wide sleeve style, above shows the slimmer sleeve.
Below right in Black Patchwork Cardigan with the original round neck in black and in Pink (discontinued colour) with the Patchwork Jacket with a Vee Shawl collar.
With knitting kits and patterns both neckline options are included in the instructions. Knitting kits include the pattern, yarn and buttons. The Signatur triangle buttons for the cardigan, and for the Jacket, handmade textured square buttons. |
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In my book Swing, Swagger, Drape the Metro design has three neck options.
Below left in greys shows the standard round neck, centre in Turkish and Aegean I simply extended the round neck the collar; the collar on the chocolate/clay combination steps up to a larger needle for a wider/deeper collar. Adding a buttonhole into the collar allows it to button under as shown left.
Right, Bee Bee Jacket took inspiration from the Metro design into a blazer. |
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There are always choices when designing, adding three lengths and collar options.
Creating the Bee Bee Jacket design and then creating a secong neckline option to the Metro Coat. |
 Right I have created additional notes to accompany  the instruction from my book for the Vee Shawl collar option (right)
Above, you can see the cable buttonband on the Metro, with the triangle buttons. Right, the Vee Shawl collar is simply created by adding stitches to the front edge and taking the buttonholes from the cable into this double moss band. The Vee neck is shaped, which decreases the adjacent front panel, at the same time increasing into the buttonband to create the collar. |
Last year I restyled the Split Texture Cardigan (original round neck in Purple below) into the Split Texture Jacket (Stone Fleck below). I took the neckline from the Millar A line Coat (In Sequoia Green close up below) and Chaffey Jacket design (right).
This collar option has no wrong side; the corrugated garter is firstly worked as the buttonband, with each front. It doubles in width, stepping into the body of the pattern, making the collar the same wrong side and right side when worn open. There is no round neck shaping, subsquently no ends and when the collar is worn open as shown there are no unslightly joins to be seen on the wrong side of the knitting.
These collars are also very knittable, as they are worked with the front. The Corrugated Garter creates a rib effect even though it is knitted by the row. |
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Accessories: why are they so popular? |
 
I keep adding new yarns for you to knit my Accessory kits in, which of course brings new colour ranges. The four pieces are all knitted from the one set of instructions the Circular Cowl pattern. Top left & bottom right in Cinque; top left in Tonalita (just 2 colours left) and below left in Azteca chunky.
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  One Pattern - a simple funnel shape. The Green above and Blue left are the longest length.
Top right is a shorter length. All three pieces start narrow before increasing to shoulder width.
The Red Cowl right is worked with less length before the increase, knitted on large needles to create the loose low cowl. |
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So why do some pieces have plaits attached? |
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I'm glad you asked ! Well, I knit many of the samples, often in the car (generally with someone else driving), or on a plane: as you know we can knit anywhere!!!
I hate knitting circular, so I cheat and make them flat and seam them - but you can see the seam - which is where the plait comes into action!!! Just remember to leave enough yarn for the plait!!
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Í am so looking forward to the shows. I love my down-time designing, doing a little house painting but when March rolls around. I'm ready to hit the road again! |
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Winter 2017 starts with Handmade Market Canberra |
Saturday 18th to Sunday 19th March at EPIC
This show goes from strength to strength; it is All Australian-made goods, with great designers and makers and fabulous food.
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A brilliant start to winter 2017.
24th to 26th March in Sydney Designers On Show.
Winter 2017 says COLOUR!!! You'll find Pages Shoes, Penelope Shilling Clothing and Signatur Handknits of course, at both Designers On Show at Turramurra and Handmade Market Canberra. |
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Did I say something about colour? |
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Above: Carol Dobson of the Blue Mountains creates wearable art from Fimo, working by combining colours in layers as with millefiori glass, except a great deal lighter than glass. Left shows colour mixed to create gradients into sharp geometrics for an asymetric necklace. |
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Sonia creates eco-printed fabrics with Australian eucalypts, rolling the leaves and other plant matter into lengths of natural fibres, using a heat process which translates the leaf image onto the fabric. Sonia then combines the eco print with solid coloured fabrics into draping long line vests, embellished and with deep pockets. |
  Sonia Burke from Canberra is always finding new ways to work and create individual fabrics which are then worked in draped vest and jackets.
She uses leaves and their natural colours as well as natural fibres, extending this to found objects in the environment with seed pods, flowers and even wire.
Colours achieved with this technique are quite muted so I am very excited to see Sonia exploring colours into these creations. The fabric is used as panels combined with plain fabric and highlighted with non functioning button details. |
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Below images from Bronwyn Hunter, Aharoni Jewellery, Penelope Shilling Clothing, Signatur Handknits, Robert Taber Jewellery, Jennifer Walker Milliner, Denise Smith Glass, Jane Stapleford Fine Art, are amongst the exhibitors at Designers On Show. |
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Above: Robert Taber rings with a twist, Jen Walker head piece, Denise Smith glass lampworked bead and Aharoni jewjerly with pink and white Diamonds. |
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Nicole Miranda is a local Sydney graphic designer and artist, each piece is hand painted onto earthenware ceramics, from domestic pieces, to tables and plaques of garden installations. Nicole worked to commissions, from house plaques, friezes and stunning splashbacks. Inspiration themes include Australian natives, Mediterranean, French and current trends. |
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 Trish Fraunfelter, like many creators, started her business in the family room, and it's still all about the home and garden, from magpies to chooks. Trish creates the artwork and many pieces are hand-printed with some fabrics printed by the metre. The furnishing fabrics are vibrant, and of excellent quality. The main range including aprons and ironing board covers is made of canvas/drill which is hard-wearing and guaranteed to give the user years of wear. |
Felter Bronwyn Hunter is joining us again in 2017
From garments to wraps and wearable art left is the first image of some leaves she is creating. I can't wait to see how Bronwyn translates these into wearable pieces. |
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Below fine artist Jane Stapleford brings a world of fairy tales to life original in her water colours and limited edition prints. |
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CanToo Cancer Research |
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When Margaret-Ann Hayes isn't leaping out of planes to raise money for CanToo she can be found at the CanToo Cafe at Designers On Show. Margaret-Ann brings the best of everything to the show, morning and afternoon teas plus light lunches.
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If you'd like to discuss anything in this newsletter - or anything at all, please email Jane. Thanks for your support - Laura, Petra, Philippa, and I look forward to seeing you in the knitting circle! |
