BirdBrain Designs

a new messenger bag, leather and waxed canvas

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This is a large messenger bag, able to carry a 17″ computer. The body is made of waxed canvas (which I bought in Kenya and sadly is almost gone) and cognac leather. It has a wide cotton webbing strap with a shoulder pad, a leather grab-handle and durable metal hardware. Under the flap there is a slip pocket and inside a large double pocket. It is lined with durable canvas, has a double bottom for strength and a vintage leather tab closure. Overall, a great bag to take you back and forth to work. 19.5″ x 13.5″ x 3.5″

textile adventures

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Finally spring is here and I’ve been out for some textile adventures. Last week I was in Toronto for the TMC sale. Traffic was difficult and I didn’t get there for the lineup–but still managed to find some good pieces which I will use to line leather bags. It is a huge sale, four rooms jammed with fabric and notions. You can be sure that next year I’ll be in the lineup!

I did manage to get to the Marimekko shop while in the city. Those of you who read the blog know that Marimekko is my favourite textile design company. I’ve loved their designs since the sixties. I bought a metre of each of their iconic patterns to make summer totes…and for the first time bought a piece of clothing! This t-shirt dress will be great for my travels.

Last week I was in Kingston at my favourite place on the shores of Lake Ontario, The Tett Centre. You can see my sketch from another visit here. Inside the door is this wonderful portrait of Tett by J. David Brown.

Even the bathrooms in this place are wonderful!

The Kingston Fibre Artists had a wonderful show and sale in the Community Gallery. I fell in love with this depiction of buildings, Metropolis, by Sylvia Naylor. Free motion embroidery on hand-dyed and painted cotton. Inspiring!

It was a week of colour and texture. So now it’s time to settle in to make a few things. Right now I’m working on two messenger bags which I hope to show you soon. 

new teal dot cross-body bag

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Here is a new bag for Spring. It is a special order made from a great piece of dot-pierced leather, a remnant we found in Savannah. It is lined with more dots, fuchsia Japanese cotton/linen. There are two large slip pockets on the exterior which extend to make a 4″ double bottom, and three more pockets inside. The strap is adjustable and can be worn as cross-body or on the shoulder. Solid brass hardware and a heavy duty matching zipper. 12″ wide by 12″ tall.

yellow sky

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I’ve been working on this test/sample piece for the last week or so, trying out some new ideas. I’m planning to make a longer and slightly wider piece with a village at each end and connecting sections and images between the two.  I am working out shape and colour in these small pieces as well as the concept of border. I still have more thinking to do before I begin the larger piece. I decided to do circles in the sky as it seemed to lighten the small space–and the warmth of the yellow seemed much better than the blue I began with . You can see the full evolution of the piece on my instagram feed (connection in the menu bar above).

I am inspired by Jane Kidd’s exciting exhibition at the Textile Museum, Curious. It is intriguing to see how she overlays design features, incorporates grids and divides the canvas turning a landscape into a complex layering of ideas, many of which feel like warnings. An exceptional textile artist!

hooking in the March sunlight

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It’s still cold in southern Ontario but we have had more than a week of straight sun. Marvellous. And I’ve had the chance to get back to hooking after a long while. It’s a wonderous thing, alone in the studio, listening to a good podcast, feeling the sun on my shoulder and enjoying the texture of the hand-dyed wool strips as I pull them through the taut linen. I’m working on a small piece where I’m trying out some new ideas in preparation for a larger table runner. So there is no pressure here. It’s a test piece, and I can listen to an interview with the author of the book I’m currently reading  (Jennifer Egan of Manhattan Beach) while still thinking about shape, design and colour. It’s a nice blend of listening and wandering. 

So here is the piece on Saturday as I started…

and again today. I’m working with strips and small pieces from my endless boxes of leftovers from other projects. So I have a mix of cuts from #4 to #6 and I’m working it out as I go. I’ll post again soon with some progress shots.

a new travel tote in paprika leather

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Here is a new travel tote in a beautiful leather with both character and strength.  The tote has carry handles and a removable and adjustable shoulder strap. Outside there is a large zipper pocket and inside there is another zip/slip pocket as well as a large canvas pocket–so lots of ways to organize your travel things. It has a double leather bottom, brass hardware and durable metal zippers. This will fit under the seat in an airplane and just as easily carry books to the library or rug hooking to your meeting. It’s a great versatile bag in a beautiful colour. Dimensions: 17″ tall, 15″ wide and 5.5″ deep. Shoulder straps have 12″ drop.

welcoming spring with two new bags cobalt dot leather

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This fabulous piece of leather is a remnant which I found in Savannah at Measure. It turned out to be wonderful– colour, texture and quality–and there was enough for a cross-body bag and a wrist pouch, each with outside pockets. The shoulder bag has a zipper pocket inside as well as a slip pocket; the pouch has a small pocket inside for credit cards, subway tokens etc. Both are the colour that welcomes spring! Check in the online store. today There is just one of each.

an update and a scribbly sketch

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I sat in the window of a local cafe and sketched this scribbly fragment of a great old building. It’s sunny, but still very cold in my part of the world and it’s much nicer to sketch from the warmth of a cafe sipping a hot drink. I was fresh from a visit to the dentist and it felt good to let the freezing thaw out while I traced the lines of the limestone and brick. I haven’t been sketching very much for one reason and another–but I’ve taken on a small project which will have me sketching local buildings in the next few weeks. This is just a start–but with sun in the forecast for the next few days, I hope to post some more. 

some new things–finally

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It has been a busy month and I haven’t been in the studio very much. But it’s been happy news that has kept me away–a new granddaughter and a little holiday. And now I’m home and back in the groove.

Here finally, are some new things. Most of these are orders, but if you see something you like, let me know. There may be enough leather to make another. This first is another version of this convertible backpack.  This one is in a great colour combination of smoky grey-green and black. Like the first one, this backpack converts to a cross-body bag.

And here are a few large pouches. This first one has a wristlet and the following two are waiting for shoulder straps. The blue leather is a small piece I found in Savannah at Measure and I am delighted at its weight and texture. Check in the next few days for a bigger bag out of this great leather… and some new things. I plan to update the shop and have some sale items available by the end of the month. 

houses on the brain

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I was uploading the last two pieces to the Rug Hooking Gallery (on the menu bar at the top of the page) and I realized that I had not added this piece done about a year ago called Houses on the Canal, based on my memories of Amsterdam. I decided to post it here as well, because it is interesting to see the evolution from this piece to the most recent two pieces. While I was at it, I thought I’d post a pouch I made using a piece of denim from my 20 year old NAF NAF coat and some coloured remnants. This vintage black denim is great. This was a chance to explore colour and shape — and just plain fun.