Archives for October 2015

home economics: a hooked rug display at the textile museum in Toronto

October 27, 2015 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

I have been in Toronto for the last two days buying leather supplies. But I also went to see the hooked rug display at the Textile Museum. I took photos of my favourites to share with you. The Canadian themes with beavers and maple leaves were strong. I particularly loved the second rug, the chunky beaver with the wonderful setting including the chewed trees.

The border on this rug by Ruth McWhirter was so charming, I had to share it. I’ve used hearts in a border before on my rugs, but I love the way these hearts interlock as well as the play of red and black.Grenfell rugs are so often outstanding. Look at the precision. And it’s the same for the exquisite Quebecois rug which follows.

And how lucky to see an Emily Carr rug!

However, my favourite piece of the show was Joanna Close’s kitchen. Joanna documented her family farm in rugs before it was torn down to make way for a gravel quarry. The farm had been in Close’s family for six generations, from 1858. This piece is the only one in the series to depict the farm’s interior. It embodies the creative impulse of women who found the time, amid long days of hard work, to honour their world and make something both beautiful and useful. (And when I checked her website, I found Joanna is also a delightful sketcher. Check out her drawings HERE.)

new wonky bird pouches

October 24, 2015 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

I couldn’t wait to work with this great coated fabric which I bought in Ireland. I combined it with orange waxed canvas to make a pouch which is water-resistant inside and out. It can be wiped clean–and if you have a spill, wiped out. These pouches are perfect for makeup or art supplies or whatever small items you carry with you in a larger bag. Each time you pull it out you will smile at these wonky birds.

The pouches are featured in pairs, showing the front and back sides. Each one is different. The fourth pouch is lined in crisp striped canvas which has a light protective coating. These items are in the online store.

bird pouch 1 7″ x 5.5″

bird pouch 2 7.5″ x 5.5″

bird pouch 3 7.5″ x 5.5″

bird pouch 4 6.5″ x 5,5″

Meet the 1510 — a new backpack

October 22, 2015 by Birdbrain 4 Comments

I have been working on this design for a while in collaboration with its new owner. It is made with a remnant piece of gorgeous leather–how I wish I had more of it–and fastens with a repurposed Diesel belt. This is a full-time backpack lined in moss green waxed canvas. It is 12″ tall, 13″ wide and 3.5 inches deep. There is a zippered pocket tucked securely on the back, and three pockets inside: a leather phone pocket and two more, one of them zipped. The bag does up with a leather drawstring as well as magnetic closures and the leather strap. All the seams are doubly stitched and the bottom is reinforced with a second piece of leather. The bag will wear well.

I am happy with this design and plan to make more out of other leather. If you are interested, let me know.

the weekend production

October 18, 2015 by Birdbrain 2 Comments

One of my favourite things to do when I have an afternoon free is to drive to a nearby town to visit my favourite vintage store and then to do some sketching. Yesterday I was successful on both counts. I found a great buy in the store and a delightful Victorian house to sketch. As I sketched I imagined the lives it had seen over the past hundred plus years. It appeared to have been loved for its lifetime because all the pieces of gingerbread and other ornamental woodwork were in good condition.

Today we actually had snow flurries. A perfect day to stay inside and bake and sew. I am working on the new backpack, mostly still in the designing stage, so as things percolate, I made a few Kodachrome pouches. I enjoy combining pieces of recycled leather to come up with a pouch and then line each one with a different piece of batik. Below you will see the pouches and the pies. A great way to warm and brighten up as November looms. (The pouches will be in the shop this week.)

back in production: a new Keller in recycled leather

October 14, 2015 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

I have finally begun to fill the orders that are waiting. This Keller bag is designed to be a compact size, yet still hold an ipad. It is made of leather from a man’s jacket with lots of life left. This bag is understated, a durable everyday bag with minimal hardware. It’s only when you look inside that you see some verve–crisp blue and white stripes. The bag sports a large outside zippered pocket, inside phone pocket and reinforced bottom with feet, as well as an adjustable cross-body strap. It measures 13″ wide, 12″ high and 4″ deep.

more ireland sketches

October 13, 2015 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

I always have good intentions about filing my sketchbook when I travel, but often the pressures of time and other people limit what I get done. This time in Ireland things worked much better. I carried a small kit and plunked myself down whenever I could. I always got the ink down and on good days the paint as well. I absolutely love seeing things with a pen in hand. I ‘get’ so much more. So I did fill a sketchbook and here are some of the pages…

After three days in Dublin we did a five day tour of the north in a small bus. We were on the move and time was short, but I was pretty determined. Here are a couple. Our first stop was Belfast to visit the murals and the Titanic Centre. I sat outside on a bench and tried to capture the magnitude and brilliance of the design. The following day in Derry we walked the wall and when it started to rain, we found a small cafe right in the wall and I sketched the view out the window.

More cold and blustery weather in Galway but I sat on a bench at the harbour and sketched this row of houses.
After the tour, we set off on public transit for Enniskillen. We stopped for lunch in a bustling spot. The owner was intrigued with the sketch and asked if she could put it on their Facebook page.The weather was wonderful in Enniskillen and I spent time outside sketching in the sun. Here I have paints balanced on the wall to complete a sketch of the Town Hall. I was enchanted with that building and painted it twice, the second time standing outside the bus terminal before we left.

For this one, I balanced things on a garbage can, ink at the time, paint later.And I can’t leave out my coffee sketches. You know, they are not an indulgence or a quirk. They are actually a great way to loosen up and get ready for sketching.

The sketchbook is full and the memories are strong. I highly recommend sketching your holiday away…

Dublin fabric shops

October 12, 2015 by Birdbrain 2 Comments

It is always delightful for me to find great fabric when I am travelling. My friend Wendie (do check out her blog and the adorable minion hat and mitten set) suggested I look out for Cath Kidston when we were in Ireland. I’d actually kind of forgotten about it as there is so much to see and do, but at the end of a long Dublin day when we were walking back to the hotel, I spotted the shop at the top of Grafton Street. I made my way to the basement and found the fabric below. I’m always on the lookout for coated fabric for totes and it is very hard to find. I thought this red would be great with the tan cotton dots for lining. But the best part of the visit was the advice of the sales attendant. She was so interested in what I wanted–she too loved fabric and sent me on the lookout for Murphy Sheehey. This is a small store in a warren of streets off Grafton–but inside jammed with wonderful fabric. From there, again with advice from another sales attendant, I found the The Cloth Shop not far away. We were travelling light with small suitcases, so I had to curb my desires for so much of the fabric–but this is what I ended up with, heavy enough. The piece on the left is coated waterproof cotton sure to be a tote with blue or orange leather. The piece on the right is French cotton canvas and reminds me of this fabric. The middle piece? Probably lining for leather bags, rich colour, great wearability.But here is the best…coated cotton with a flock of every kind of crazy bird. I bought all that was on the bolt, about 3 metres. I can see all sorts of possibilities for these critters. They make me smile.

designing a new bag and more

October 9, 2015 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

It is Friday before Thanksgiving and I am doing some preserving (tomato butter, recipe here) some cooking (squash soup) and some baking (carrot cake with the essential cream cheese icing for #1 son’s birthday). The markets are bursting with wonderful produce and it is such a pleasure to cook with vegetables grown in our own neighbourhood.

Like so many homes in Canada this Thanksgiving, our place will be full of family. And we have lots to be thankful for. But as all this goes on, I am also designing a new bag, a backpack. I have a remnant of beautiful caramel leather and I’m juggling the pieces to make it work. I’ve been fooling around with this design in my head for a while, my first with grommets, and talking to its potential owner about what she needs in a backpack. Here you can see I’ve joined two pieces to make the body the size I need to have a 4-5″ base and an overall height of 12 inches.And finally some decisions this morning. An exterior pocket for phone will be on the back of the bag, a secure spot. The lining will be moss waxed canvas. And I think I have enough leather to make the flap, the straps and to have a double bottom. May line the flap with recycled leather as I did in the last bag–it is lighter in weight and adds a nice contrast. I find this juggling with not quite enough leather often results in design decisions I would not normally have come to, usually for the better. Once I get the cake in the oven, I’m going to do some practice grommets…And on another note, I received these lovely photos yesterday. The KD Delta is now in Victoria BC and getting good use.

0704 messenger bag

October 7, 2015 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

This is a first for Birdbrain, a unisex messenger bag. This one is designed specifically to fit a 7″x10.5″ tablet. It is made of mahogany leather, a great weight with a mildly distressed finish, the same as used in this tote. This messenger bag has an air of efficiency, slim and light, ready to be carried in to a meeting, or worn cross-body on your bike. Tablet, papers, phone and pencil as well as passport and boarding pass all tuck inside.

It has a simple flap with magnetic closures and is lined in orange waterproof waxed canvas. There is a front zippered pocket for valuables and a slip pocket inside for additional belongings. Hardware is low profile brushed metal.

All stitching is reinforced and there is a double leather bottom for extra strength. The shoulder strap is adjustable. This messenger bag has been designed and made as a special order, but other orders are welcome. Just use the contact button on the right, under Navigation.

Ireland Sketchbook: Dublin

October 6, 2015 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

I have been away for a couple of weeks–in Ireland. I took my sketchbook and paints determined to sketch as much as I could. Our first three days were in Dublin, a great walking city. There were so many buildings I wanted to sketch but managed only a few. Sketching while travelling is a balancing act. Sometimes I got the ink drawing done on site and added the colour later. Other times I was a able to finish the full drawing. But always these sketches were started outside on location. I was using a Stillman and Birn beta coil sketchbook–both the paper and the book size worked well.

This was our hotel, the Davenport. Apparently it started off as a church and then became a theatre before its present iteration as a good central hotel. We discovered that the hotel was right next to Oscar Wilde’s home and a great statue of him lounging on a rock was in an adjacent park.

I saw this puzzle building on the drive in from the airport and loved its whimsey. We walked along the Liffey River past the poignant Famine Statues and then found a spot on a bench with a good view of the puzzle building . The trees, just turning colour, were as bright as the building behind.

Further along the river is the O’Connell Bridge adorned with these marvellous lamps. I sat at the base of the Daniel O’Connell statue across the road and sketched the lamps and then in an outdoor cafe a little further down to sketch the building below. It is amazing how much of the day you remember just by sketching–the sun, the crowds, the conversations all come back when I look at these sketches.