{sam messina} sk8 fashion::rainbow allsorts

Hey there,
here's some long awaited photos of the most recently made skateboard jewelley.
Sam's been busy cutting and drilling and sanding and polishing. He excitedly runs upstairs to show me each new piece, as he comes up with a new design shape.
Being a long time skateboarder, Sam knows the feel and shape of a board under his feet and hands. It's inspiring and interesting watching him turn these pieces of broken wood into a new existence. And to watch his mind working on new concepts and ideas and imaginations of what he can produce with his own hands.

Sam Messina is an artist, designer and skateboarder. He's also a dad and a husband. And a whole lot of other things, too, of course. He's been skateboarding for more than 20 years, and drawing for a lot longer than that. He currently has an intense fascination with the Mexican candy skulls and El Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) images, particularly in tattoo art form.

Luckily we had a professional model on hand (my sister) to take these improptu photos. Some fun out-takes over here.

We'll be selling these at the Southbank Young Designer's Market tomorrow, come along and visit us.

*please excuse my tacky "sk8" heading - Sam is still trying to work out the perfect name for this range.

{Pippijoe} fabric

Caitlin Klooger is an independent designer from Melbourne with a passion for textiles, patterns and craft. Perhaps it was her previous career as a landscape gardener that inspired the organic, botanical and wildlife designs. Designs are printed onto hemp/cotton blends or 100% hemp fabric using environmentally friendly inks. The fabrics are soft to touch and perfect for crafting, bags, clothing ,soft furnishing and light upholstery.
Caitlin blogs over at Pippijoe, where she shares stories of her crafting, adventuring and inspiration.

* All images used with thanks from Pippijoe.

{Of Paper and Thread} fabric

Danielle Smeets is a West Australian textile artist who started Of Paper and Thread in 2007 by printing her designs in her backyard shed. Danielle has been working on her textiles full time since 2008. Each design only makes it to print if it's something that she herself would want to purchase, a dedication and honesty that is often seen in small handcrafted businesses.

Danielle is inspired by the nature and architecture around her, always taking a camera on her outings. Her designs have a timeless and classic feel, yet are modern and very versatile, with a delicious colour pallet of cherry, rust, sunny yellow, aqua and bamboo green. The images are hand printed onto textural fabrics such as linen/cotton or hemp/cotton blended base cloths and  printed using solvent-free inks. Each colour-way is produced in small batches so they are a limited edition.

Her blog is a visual feast of colour, design and some excellent links, as well as new designs.

Ink & Spindle

Ink & Spindle is a boutique screen-printing studio based in the beautiful-looking Younghusband Wool Store building in Melbourne. Run by three young textile designers – Lara Cameron, Bianca Van Meeuwen and Tegan Rose - who share a love of art and design. They specialise in high quality textile printing for designers and independent labels. The trio were brought together by a common passion for screen printed textiles and sustainable alternatives to the mass produced textiles that dominate the marketplace.

They each have a distinct voice in the design industry; yet the three design styles mix effortlessly. Their printing studio showcases their varied talents in textile design, as well as their dedication to minimise the environmental impact of the textile industry.

We love their bold vibrant colours, and striking confident designs. Check out the Ink & Spindle blog, where they share news, travel adventures and always look fabulous!

Kristen Doran Design

Kristen Doran is a Sydney based textile designer who started off printing fabrics for the handbags she made for friends. Soon bloggers were requesting to purchase the fabrics and this snowballed into a business in textiles, toys, clothing, accessories and stationary! Her designs are hand printed onto 100% cotton or a linen/cotton blend base cloth.

Kristen's images are printed onto panel size, and are perfectly designed to be made into little softies or usable as bags, cushions or other accessories. Most recently she has introduced fabric meterage; perfect for dresses for little girls and clothing for not-so-little girls. She appeals to boys (and girls) with her robots and drummer boys. Her babushka panels are popular all around, and come in three lovely colourways (we can't decide which one we like best). Her quirky little owl panels are fun, while her bird in a nest makes a beautiful cushion or panel in a quilt.

Kristen blogs about her life as a textile designer and mother at Cheeky Beaks. She showcases new designs as well sharing glimpses of her many crafting skills.

Audrey and Maude Softie Patterns

Audrey and Maude was born when Melbourne designers, Cathy and Louise, recognised a gap in the market for easy patterns that anyone can try.

Inspired by the number of basic sewing questions and requests for patterns from other sewers, Audrey and Maude aims to provide a range of simple and nostalgic sewing patterns that people can make easily in their own style.

The patterns are easy to follow, with simple and cute hand drawn pattern pieces. Perfect for beginners, the sweet little softies are easy to customise using many fabric options.

Cathy and Louise met via their blogs, Miss Marzie and lululollylegs, when they were paired in a blog swap and discovered their similarities combined with the fact that they lived in the same town. They fit in their love of crafting and designing around their busy lives as mothers, and their part time jobs in a fabric shop.