Screen Printing Workshops

Are you interested in learning how to screen print? If so, I'd love to invite you along to our new studio space for a fun little day of designing and printing.

We'll spend some time working on a design, then hand cutting the stencil to turn into your screen printing image. We'll be printing onto 100% linen tea towels, fabric pieces or any other medium you'd like to bring along (pillow cases, t-shirts, etc etc). Our new table is very lovely to print on - come and add your mark!

Our studio is located in inner-city Brisbane, and close to good transport as well as ample parking. It's a lovely location, with a good backyard for morning / afternoon tea and chatting.

The first two workshops coming up are 30th Oct and 13th Nov, at 10.30-3pm. The workshops are $125, which includes 100% linen tea towels, hemp / organic cotton fabric and all other materials you'll need to print your own design. There'll also be a yummy (vegetarian) lunch and delicious nibbles + tea included in the cost. You are welcome to being along your own blank items to print onto - t-shirts, pillow cases, etc. You'll also have access to extra tea towels at wholesale price. Get your Christmas gift list under way with some beautiful handcrafted goodness!

More details + book your class here. (I'm open to doing different dates if neither of those suit you, please contact me to chat about it - redseedstudio@gmail.com).

chook shed retreat

This week Ellie and I were lucky enough to spend a few mornings printing at a good friend's place to make use of her big tables and the beauty and quietness of the Australian bush. Libby Woodham is the artist/creator behind Tropical Merino clothing (more about Libby soon), and she resides at a fantabulous converted chook shed on about 20 acres of bushland at Mt Cotton in Brisbane.

Instructions on how to get there - drive down dirt road about 7km...keep going until you go over the dry creek bed, chook shed is on the left...

This place is an artist's retreat, full of massive canvases, shelves full of books, a sewing area, a painting area, big tables to drink tea around and a marvelous permaculture garden...jealous much? Oui!

We also had our lovely friend Erin join us (after having to teach the Sat-Nav who's boss), and we spent blissful hours absorbed in printing...

...having a spot of tea...

...and then Danielle screams because she accidently disturbs a huntsman spider - no - I am definitely more scared of them than they are of me! My favourite moment was seeing Erin's top after a few hours of printing - we're very proud (she assures us it was old)!

Come say hello and check out what we printed (and buy handmade for Christmas) at the Bris-Style and the Southbank Young Designer Markets this coming weekend!

juicy and comfy

Yesterday I made some cushions from our new fabric. I did the printing over the weekend, and wanted to see the new designs as cushions.

My little assistant and I went into the backyard and took a few photos.

This one was taken by the little one - I quite like it.

These cushion covers will be available for sale at our Christmas markets.* We'll also have kits so you can make your own cushions (and lots of other things too). More about that as we get the last bits packaged together.

Christmas markets are:

BrisStyle Indie Designer's Market 5th December 9am - 4pm.

Southbank Young Designer's Market 6th December 10am - 4pm.

GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) Twilight Market 11th December 4pm - 9pm.

Portside Boutique Market 13th December 9am - 3pm.

*If there is a particular design /product that you like, please let us know so we can try and make sure we have it for you at one of our markets. We will try our best to make things for you, but we cannot take custom orders as this time (especially is we haven't got the fabric printed).

{design} Flower Press

A little while ago, I was the lucky winner of these beautiful tea towels. They arrived in the post just yesterday.

Hand printed by Susie of Flower Press, they have a marvelous feel and look to them. I love the realness and rawness of something made by hand. Not some mass-produced item, but where it has been touched many times by the artisian who dreamed, designed and created it.

Susie uses gocco for some of her (paper) printing, which is something that I'm terribly intrigued by (and must do more research into.....one day soon).

Her tea towels are hand screen printed onto unbleached linen or cotton, and come in a delicious rainbow of colours.

I must say I'm not jumping in to be washing up with these ones - as I really want to keep them for those extra special times. Thank you Susie for sending me these beautiful pieces.

Head on over to the Flower Press Etsy shop for some more lovely goodness.

not all board shorts and pineapples

In the last days before Finders Keepers, the city's abuzz with excitement about this festival-like designer market.

Danielle, being a new up-and-coming designer, was asked a few questions about her thoughts on this fun event. Go and have a read.

She puts it so perfectly; about Brisbane always feeling like the left-out kid. Well, let's show those other states what a great show we can put on.

Come along to Finders Keepers, ready for some music, food, fun, chatting and of course checking out some* of the best designers in the town.

                “Sometimes Brisbane feels a bit like the kid who gets picked last for a sports team. As we hear all of the wonderful events being organised in Melbourne and Sydney, we want people to sit up and take notice of the talent in the Sunshine State! It’s not all pineapples and board shorts you know!”

Can I tell you though, there'll be a few pears amongst the mix.

Fruits of Eve, by Flying Star Toys

A pair of birds, by Girls Made This

and our new 'Pear Shaped' fabric, that I printed yesterday.

And can I tell you, that I don't think I could be more pleased with this new collection. Come along and see for yourselves.

*I say 'some' because I know there wasn't enough space for all the amazing design and talent we see happening around here.

*First two images used with thanks. Click on them, to be taken to webpage.

a design process

Sam normally does the design work around here - for our fabric as well as all our business cards, logos, etc.

Well, lately he's been focussed on making his skate jewellery and I've been sick of all this computer time, and not so motivated by the sewing machine. The other night, once the kids were fast asleep, and Sam was out getting his car fixed (his mechanic works all hours of the night!), I took up paper and pen. And started work on some drawings that mean something to me.

Slowly working on them over the past few days, and hours. They actually talk to me. You know what I mean?

So, 'the potter's daughter' was born. Well, my mum was a potter. My favourite tea cup. My (now broken) turtle bowl. Alter-style candle holders. As well as a potter, she was a yoga teacher, and a mother. There's other potting, clay influence in my life, too. Other family members (hi Roo, Ian + Annie) all with different styles and techniques. This leads to a deep appreciation and understanding of clay in your hands - and a distinct lack of care for those generic 'made in china' mugs!

Many of my photos from my overseas Greece adventure are of those beautiful vessels that I dream of - the lab who processed the photos assumed me to be an archeology student.

These images are first draft (and badly scanned at that!). Sam will take over now, and 'tidy them up' - as those designers say - ready to be exposed to screen.

And, here's Ari's version of a still life we set up for him with a few pots. He added the flowers from imagination.

I can't wait to see this as a screen print on fabric. What colours can you imagine? White on berry? Deep grey on black? Red on natural?

Tell me, what do you think you'd use this for? Cushions and aprons and bags? Imagine curtains flowing; soft natural hemp/organic cotton flapping in the Spring breeze.

We'll be printing it next week, so come along and see it for yourself at the Finders Keepers market.

And if you're a lover of ceramics, you'll be please to know that Kim Wallace will be showing her beautiful ceramic pieces at Finders Keepers, as will Shannon Garson and Kylie Johnson.

{bring your *pocket money*}!

*photos of pots used with thanks to Andrew Stewart.