The Collectors...

I’ve never had a fabric stash.

I know how ridiculous that sounds, being someone who sews quite a lot; but it seems that whenever I have fabric, I tend to use it. I don’t save it, or keep it tucked away for that special project; it’s used – and used fast – on a random project, or on small something for a new baby, or on a last minute whipped-up-present for a friend. I guess that’s what it’s supposed to be for, in the end.

But I do admit, I had a case of serious fabric envy over at Kim’s yesterday – she’s got this hefty box of colour coordinated material in micro-prints, spots, stripes and solids, and is, at the moment, trying to match clothing for a couple of new dolls she’s working on. The box was stuffed full, neat as a pin, and there were random fat quarters strewn almost artfully all over the table; I stood over it and thought of all the lovely things that could be made with such a stash, but also how beautiful such a collection can be.

And it got me thinking about how some people are just born collectors.

And, how I’d quite like to be one of those people (but not in a crazy, obsessive, hording kind of way).

So, this is a very roundabout way of saying to you, that if I had all the money and time in the world to be a collector of things, this is probably what I’d start off collecting:

   

Most definitely, I’d start by amassing a beautiful stash of fabric and buttons...

...I’d also add to my collection of photographs and daguerreotypes – and may even splash out to find some turn of the century mourning photographs (because even though the idea of them is a bit morbid, the actual images are so peaceful).

I’d then build a collection of ink pots and ink bottles....

And I love the idea of collecting old newspaper advertisements – the things they’re often peddling are wonderful and strange…

(This is from a small collection of “Lloyd’s Sixpenny Dickens” which I found by accident and snapped up posthaste – it contains the original stories written by Dickens and published in the newspapers, which have then been bound into paper books. My favourite is the advert for Coles’ Ointment, which is a cure-all for abscesses, boils, poisoned wounds, eczema, as well as sore throats, croup and chesty coughs. What a miracle!)

What about you? Are you a collector?

Or do you have a list of things that you’d love to collect too, if money and time weren’t a factor?

Nat

Heavenly Handmade...

Do you buy handmade?

There has been a real resurgence for handmade in Brisbane, and steady growth in clever local artists selling their beautiful goods – and I for one am very glad. Sites like madeit and Etsy have made accessing handmade even easier, and little boutique markets are popping up all over the place and developing a loyal handmade following.

I love handmade items – and no, it’s not just because we run Quill and Ink Handmade, and love making gorgeous things for lovely people. I love buying handmade because it supports local artists, stay-at-home mums and dads, hobbyists, and clever creative types; I also love buying something that’s been made with care and love, something that’s been locally designed and produced, and something that supports our local economy.

But my favourite reason for buying handmade? Every artist generally has a great story to tell about the origins of their business; and therefore, every piece has a great story.

Take, for instance, the lovely Steph from Mon Petite Poppet: she began her French inspired clothing label when little daughter Bijou was born. Admitting to having a passion for all things French, Steph wanted to create clothes for her little jewel Bijou that weren’t frilly or fussy, that were practical, made with beautiful natural materials, and that shied away from the brand name gauntlet. The result is the most divine collection of French inspired blouses (and one seriously cute denim cape with red and white polka dot lining), which feature beautiful patterns in soft natural colours.

 Available at Mon Petit Poppet on Etsy

Another favourite: The beautiful and very sweet Kia from Hello Kia. Kia handcrafts the loveliest stamps sets which combine traditional Japanese carving methods, learnt in the mountain village of Takayama, with the Danish idea of hygge (sense of warmth, homeliness), and taking joy in ordinary things. Quite a culture mix, huh?

Her stamp sets are distinctive, quirky, fun, and sweetly simple – and each one celebrates the everyday in the most delightful of ways. The clever Kia also makes gorgeous crochet baby rattles using super soft Australian merino wool – a skill learnt as a child from her mother, and an old fashioned style that she’s lovingly reviving.

 Available from Hello Kia on Etsy and Kia Hing Fay's Website

I love that Brisbane is bustling with handmade loveliness, and that ordinary people are taking the plunge and creating extraordinary, beautiful, and meaningful things. And it’s a lovely thing to be a part of this blossoming community of creatives.

 Do you like buying handmade? Have you recently bought a handmade item with a great story behind it?

Nat

Ps. Follow Kia and Steph in blog-land too!

Kia: http://www.kiahingfay.com/blog/

Steph: http://monpetitpoppet.blogspot.com/



 

The Sentimental Relatives

I love the art of collecting, don’t you?

I’m a bit of a fair-weather collector, only adding to the pile once every few months; but I love that thrill of discovery, of finding something that perhaps no one else has seen in decades.   

I collect old portraits, both posed and informal, from the turn of the century. I have quite a sentimental reason in doing so – as daft as it sounds, I often feel bad that their images have been left behind, whether through a deceased estate, or by distant relatives who have no idea who they are, and who then pass them on to antique stores with other semi-precious things. They sit in dusty boxes, hundreds crammed together, without a place to belong. So, I find out the portraits that are hidden amongst hundreds of others, the small one of a freckled-faced girl or a faded mother and child, and add them to my box of sentimental relatives.

Old photographs definitely have their own breed of charm. I love the posed sepia toned family portraits, the children (especially little boys) donned in ribbons, lace and buttoned leather shoes; the stern, wide-eyed faces of bearded men, sitting straight-backed in fancy parlours; and the daguerreotype miniatures of black clad bonneted grandmothers, curled, ribboned, and often stony-faced. I imagine that I can see hope on the faces of the young couples - the stylish young women standing at a noticeable distance from their formally seated husbands.

The photographs I save speak to me about the idea of family, heritage and history; I like that these unknown people loved, laughed, lived and died somewhere in the world, and now, by being added to my own small collection (and even though I don’t know a thing about them) they won’t be forgotten.

Are you a collector?

Nat

The good, the bad, and the gruesome of fairy tales

Rapunzel and The Princess and the Pea Papercuts by Quill & Ink Handmade





You may have seen some of our beautifully intricate fairy tale papercuts at markets or on facebook – they’ve actually been an interesting and challenging extension to my obsession with childhood fairy tales.

I’m sure I loved fairy tales (as much as I do now) as a kid; I mean, who doesn’t? Aside from the ‘handsome prince rescues beautiful maiden’ scenario, I love the way that the stories are so predictable; each one follows a similar formula – no matter how the tale starts, you know that the bad guys will be punished, that the prince figure will always find his way to the beautiful maiden, that good will eventually triumph over evil, and the world will be set to right. I love the predictability, the tales’ certain path – I’ve always found it very comforting.

Over the years, I’ve read stories from all over the world, studied the way they work, applied and tested various well known formulas, and written plenty of my own. But the thing that has struck me the most? The disparity between my remembrance of childhood fairy tales – the stories that were soft, warm, rosy and beautiful – and the gruesomeness of reading the same stories as an adult. They’re violent, bloody, scary, filled with double meanings and suggestive adults only content. They almost always involve some kind of ghastly sacrifice, true love is constantly put to the test (and left to the pure-hearted maiden to master), and yes – Stepmothers are always, always bad.

Briar Rose Papercut by Quill & Ink Handmade

When I started reading them again as an adult, I’d often find myself laughing out loud at the content. Take for example, the original version of Rapunzel by the Brothers’ Grimm - the naïve, unmarried Rapunzel alludes to a lover (yes, a lover) and the child that she’s carrying by complaining of the increasing tightness of her gowns to her captor, Dame Gothel.

And the wicked Stepmother in the Juniper Tree decapitates the head of her small stepson, then props him up against the wall, his head balanced precariously on his shoulders, and goes on with her chores. She later goes on to chop up his corpse, adding the meat to a stew that she feeds to his father.

As gruesome as the tales are, I actually think it adds to their specialist appeal – they’re able to span the divide between childhood and adulthood, making the tales accessible to a wider audience. As a child, I glossed over the horrid for the happily ever after; as an adult, I’m able to laugh at the scandal, decadence and the audacity of the content.

The Seven Ravens papercut by Quill & Ink Handmade

It’s also one of the reasons I started papercutting the tales – I wanted to encourage adults to re-read these astonishing and beloved stories. While most of the papercuts are for children, containing sweet scenes with beautiful girls trapped in their beautiful worlds, each one comes with a blurb of the story, which I hope prompts a rediscovery of the classic.  And in some, there’s also a hint of the true nature of the tale - like the small knife in the hand of the girl in the Seven Ravens, which she uses to cut off her finger in order to save her enchanted brothers.

Nat