In my business, I’m committed to sustainability, so I try to use natural fibres and organic fabrics where I can. None of my textile waste has gone to landfill and any fabrics that haven’t made it to end use stage will be used or re-purposed for something later on. Ink wise, I print with water-based, solvent-free inks and the water that is used to clean off my screens is collected and distributed throughout the gardens around our house. I’ve always thought if are mindful and take a lot of small steps, we end up with big results when it comes to looking after our environment.
Inspiration
Commercial trends were an easy starting point for inspiration. My first designs I thought were relatively simplistic: bold prints with a mid range amount of detail, like what you see with the “Play Time Owls”, but it turns out screen printing images that require a crisp look are pretty hard for a beginner. I somehow missed that part on YouTube and jumped straight in.
To be honest, it was a bit chaotic at the start. I was building the business and sewing pillows during the day, then when I wasn’t doing that, I was screen printing and photographing my new fabrics once I had made them up into nursing pillows – this was all within a couple of weeks of learning to screen print. I’m not sure I would recommend taking on that amount of work at one time…
When I was ready to share my new talent, I contacted one of my stockists, Breastmates. Keep in mind that at this stage, no one actually knew that I had taught myself to screen print so I wont lie, I was a little nervous to know what Franny, who is actually a clothing designer herself, was going to think. Her feedback was amazing, she loved the designs and she loved the fact that I was printing them myself. It was actually during that same conversation that I was inspired to create the “Geo Cross”, so it’s true what they say: inspiration is all around us!
What’s next?
I’m going to be stepping it up a notch. To me, screen printing some of my own fabric, and also being able to add a more personal touch to my pillow inners and bags, has really enhanced the uniqueness of my business and now I just want to grow my talent further.
I think the new collection of fabric I’ve been working with lately will really showcase that as well. The new fabrics will have a focused “art piece” feel, with the overall look being hugely inspired by nature with a few key whimsical elements mixed in. I can’t wait to finish it off and share it with everyone.
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