Home-made Layered Cake Stand

Since having gathered a bit of a collection of pretty vintage style tea plates over the years from charity shops/flea markets/vintage fairs I thought the best way to show them off and give them a new lease of life was to have them as a practical display.

With this in mind I decided on creating a Layered Cake Stand - The idea for this came from the book by Sarah Moore called Homemade Gifts Vintage Style Amazon Link to the Book can be Found Here

Also with my craft fair coming up soon I also thought I could use this vintage inspired stand as a clever way to display my own products I will be selling on my stall.

I hope you like the outcome :)

Finished Bobble Stitch Crochet Cushion

I have finished the Bobble Stitch Crochet Cushion that is now all set for the craft fair next month and will be making one or two more of these to accompany this one. 

I am happy with the finished design and will also be putting these on my Etsy sore in the near future. 

The beginnings of a Handmade Circle Crochet Striped Cushion

Working towards getting my collection together for my stall at the Trowbridge Teenage Market on October 18th I have decided to make some circular striped crochet cushions to add to my range.

Below you can see the finished front of the circle crochet cushion, I chose to do the colour way in purple and grey tones to create a warm/fresh look.

Just the back to go! which I will be posting an image of once complete.

Progress of the Handmade Crochet Daisy Chain Headbands

I have made progress on my initial Daisy Chain Headband by adding a green fastening with leaves that you can simply tie where feels most comfortable at the back of your head, you can see this version pictured below.

Since completing this version I have made a slight alternate version of the Daisy Chain Headband that I thought would make a more balanced look to the design. I did this by adding a green crochet 'stem' in between each daisy motif. You can see the finished Version 2 pictured below.

I am very happy with the alterations made to this design :) so I will certainly be making up more of the Version 2 headbands.

Keep a look out on my Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LeonaCurtis if you are interested in purchasing one of these. 

Lets hope that Indian Summer hits us hard next month! :)

Try-out for a Handmade Crochet Daisy Chain Headband

Even though the weather has turned a bit nippy recently it's still the summer!! and festival season is still a'happening :)

I have been wanting to try out designing & making a summery headband that would be a suitable accessory for a festival/beach/summer occasion, and have come up with the idea of a daisy chain headband. 

I have made an initial start on the headband which you can see pictured below :)

Now I have joined the Daisy motifs together I have the idea to crochet a green fastening on each side with small crochet leaves to enhance the summer/festival vibe. 
I will post an image of the finished product once complete. 

Handmade Crochet Choker Necklaces

For the festival season this summer I thought to have a go at designing and making a crochet choker necklace with a charm attachment. 

This would be a perfect boho/hippy vibe accessory thats fit for a festival event or to enhance a more alternative look.

I chose to develop a White and Black Cotton crochet chocker pattern and have attached a small charm attachment of either a Circular Swirl or an Angel charm.

Please see below the finished products I have so far developed. These are now up for sale on my Etsy store: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LeonaCurtis

These have been fun to create and I will surely be making more of these with different charm attachments...so keep a look out.  :)

Adjustable Handmade Crochet Baby Bow Headband

This week I have been trying out some ideas for a new product and I decided to make a headband suitable for a baby girl. 

Initially I made one as a gift for my partners sisters baby girl but enjoyed making it and loved the outcome so decided to make some more which are now available to buy on my Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LeonaCurtis  

:)  

Final Spring 2015 Knitwear Trend Story Board Project

These two Spring 2015 Knitwear Trend Story Boards were a project to complete for Bonmarche, both story boards depicts knitwear Customer focused Trend Inspiration, Colour Inspiration, Design Flats and Fashion Illustration that showcases the final knitwear product.

Spring / Summer 2015 'Knitwear' Range - Fashion Illustrations and Coloured Illustrations

Its a fast paced transition for fashion trends and keeping up to date and working ahead of time is key to deliver the best knowledgeable designs.

So here it goes SPRING/SUMMER 2015! 

I have been working on Knitwear designs for Spring/Summer 2015 and have included two examples below of a Ribbed Raglan Jumper and a Cropped Batwing Pointelle Cardigan.

Original Black and White Illustrations.

Final Coloured Illustrations using Pro-marker Pens.

Handmade Crochet Dreamcatcher

Wanting to make something unique for my partner's new born baby Niece, I decided to create something decorative that could be hung above the baby's cot/hung in the bedroom. Choosing a feminine colour combination and adding coral beads to add a pop of colour I am very pleased with the outcome and hope this makes for a memorable gift.

:) 

Spring / Summer 2014 'Lounge-wear' Range Board

Final Inspirational Spring / Summer 'Lounge' Range Board Including:

Design Flats, Colour Story, Fashion Illustration and Details.

Spring / Summer 2014 'Nightwear' Range Board

Final inspirational Spring/Summer 2014 Range Board - Including: 

Design Flats, Fashion Illustration and Colour Story.

Coloured S/S'14 Nightwear and Loungewear Fashion Illustrations

S/S 2014 Nightwear & Longewear Range - Fashion Illustrations

It's the start of June, which (fingers crossed) means one thing...Summer time :)

I have used my previously designed Nightwear Range for Spring/Summer 2014 to create Fashion Illustrations that helps visualise the range as a whole. Below shows the initial Black and white drawings.  

Initial Nightwear Illustration ( Left to Right: Cropped Jersey PJ's, Tab Detail Night Shirt and Contrast Detail Cotton PJ's).
Created using a Uni Pin Fine Line 0.3 Pigment Ink Pen. 

Initial Lounge wear Illustration ( Embroidered Neckline Top, Colour Block Gilet and Colour Block Lounge Trouser).
 Created using a Uni Pin Fine Line 0.3 Pigment Ink Pen. 

Finished Crochet Bunting

Below shows the finished Crochet Bunting! I'm very happy with the final product and and look of this and I will surely be making up some more of these.

I will be starting up an Etsy account soon which will include this and other handmade products. So Keep a look out for updates.

oxo

Crochet Bunting

Everyone loves a bit of bunting! 

Finding a perfect pattern to make some decorative handmade crochet bunting, I decided to give it a go - The pattern for this can be found at: 

http://crochethealingandraymond.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/granny-bunting-remix-styles/

Below shows the initial 5 triangular buntings before finally joining...which will be shown in a later post.

Floral Deer Birthday Card Design

For my Mum's 65th Birthday this year I wanted to design a personalized card  that included imagery which I knew she would like. The below images shows the initial Drawing and the final Design.

I chose to draw a deer for the main motif as this is my mum's favorite animal. To make this design more eye catching and original I combined floral elements (Granny Bonnets) to become part of the Deer.

 Using text 'Mother Deerest' on the design as a clever pun to the main focus of the Deer. 

Finished Card Design edited on Photoshop CS5.

4 x Cushion Cover Commission

For these commissioned zip fastening cushion covers I started by helping source the fabric with the client.  This feminine contemporary with a rustic twist fabric was purchased at: http://www.countrythreadspatchwork.co.uk/

Here are some images of the finished Cushions :)

If you want to any details/information on commission based work please contact me on: leona.curtis@hotmail.co.uk and I will be happy to help.

Up-cycling Project :)

I picked up this Side Table gem for £15 at a flea market in Bath and straight away saw the potential for an up-cycling project.

I started this project by sanding the top layer of varnish off. I then used 2 coats of wood primer/undercoat and painted over this with a 'Sketch Book' white wood paint. For the door I chose to paint this in a contrasting  'Stiletto' Coral wood paint.

Ta daaa!
I finished off this side table by purchasing a handle at Nkuku to freshen up and personalize the look.

This handle and others can be found at:
 http://www.nkuku.com/Category/0/House_-AND-_Home~Hooks_-AMP-_Knobs.html

Autumn/Winter 2013 Range Board

Final inspirational Autumn/Winter 2013 Range Board - Flat Clothing Designs, Jacquard Print Designs, Colour Story and Fashion Illustration.

A/W 2013 Range - Fashion Illustrations.

Working on from my designs for A/W 2013, I have developed Fashion illustrations to complete the look of each A/W'14 design with appropriate styling which helps to visualize the range.  

Initial Illustration using 0.3 Fine Line Pigment Ink Pen. 

Finished Coloured Illustration using Promarker pens.

Two tone Crochet Cushion Cover

Feeling the need to get back into a bit of crochet this week and learn a new pattern!

 I decided to have a go at a Cluster pattern to produce a cushion cover. You can see the progress and outcome below :)  

Starting off! I got to grips with this pattern rather easily. It does take time and uses up a lot of yarn but the bobbly textured outcome is worth it and I think will make a very cosy cushion cover.

As you can see I have created a two tone colourway. Using a darker triple ply shade of red for the bottom half and a lighter triple ple shade of red for the top half. I am happy with the contemporary subtle outcome.

All finished :) this took 2 months to complete working on it bit by bit. I Enjoyed this project and would love to create more with using colours. Very comfortable to rest on and feels sturdy/strong.

Inspiration Fashion Sketches - Autumn/Winter'14 and Spring/Summer'15

Initial Fashion sketch  for Autumn/Winter 2014 inspiration. Created using a technical pencil
and Pigmented Ink Fine-liner.

To get into the swing of trend forecasting for Spring/Summer 2015 I have started initial Fashion sketches that are customer focused. Both S/S'15 sketches created using a technical pencil and Pigmented ink fine-liner pen.

Fashion Drawings 2013-2014

Its the changing of the seasons!

..and in the world of Fashion Design assisting I wanted to have a go at sketching fashion drawings to go with an Autumn/Winter theme and also to go along side my 'At Home' range I assisted designing for a Spring/Summer'14 collection.

Here are the outcomes :)

Initial Autumn/Winter Fashion Drawing hand drawn using pencil,charcoal and black fine liner

Final Fashion Illustration re-worked and coloured in Photoshop CS5

Initial Lounge-wear drawing hand drawn using pencil, charcoal and black fine liner.

Initial Night-wear drawing hand drawn using pencil, charcoal and black fine liner.

Final Fashion Illustrations re-worked and coloured on Photoshop CS5.