blog.karenbarbe

Quinchamali pottery

2009-11-05T05:30:00.002-03:00

I've always loved the carved and painted motifs of this traditional Chilean pottery. The clay is darkened with smoke. Each potter (locera) has her own unique patterns.

Found this article about Quinchamali: Daughters of Clay

The Pattern Sourcebook

2009-11-04T15:45:00.007-03:00

This is my latest acquisition:
The Pattern Sourcebook A century of surface design by Drusilla Cole.

This book doesn't aim to be a comprehensive selection of last century patterns, but a collection of Cole's favourites surface designs: a remarkable selection that picks examples from as early as 1850 to the present day and feels fresh because it doesn't comply with the obvious look from each decade. It's interesting how the eighties and nineties are barely covered in this book (what happened then?). The book is beautifully designed and the patterns are arranged by colour which leads to unexpected mixing between different eras motifs.

I still don't get why the publishers included a CD with images of some of the featured patterns, if all of them have a large copyright symbol in the middle. I hardly find a use to these digital pictures. Of course I wouldn't expect licensing rights from a free CD, but I can't even use them as a desktop background.

Pins made from reused plastic bottles and other things

2009-09-24T16:22:00.005-04:00

The red pin at the bottom right just above this line was bought from AfroArt and inspired me to make some others from reused plastic bottles and other things.

Macedonian Apron Designs

2009-08-24T14:02:00.005-04:00

Images by Sotha Bourn (Powerhouse Museum).

These aprons comprise all that I'm constantly looking for: textiles, colour, craft and folk. They are part of the exhibition Ties with Tradition: Macedonian Apron Designs currently showed at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia.

Printed Matters

2009-08-16T13:22:00.007-04:00

Today I was featured in Revista Mujer, a Sunday magazine of La Tercera newspaper. It goes like this: "BED OF TILES – Designer Karen Barbé drew inspiration from hand-painted tiles for creating an original collection of cushions and duvet covers. Phone..."

This is my first press mention so I'm very excited and happy about it – though I'd be happier if they had included my website address...

Woollography

2009-08-14T09:51:00.009-04:00

A few days ago I was talking to an aunt of mine and she mentioned she had once taken a course on Lanigrafía (which I can only translate as Woollography) – the art of depicting landscapes or objects using different embroidery stitches and colours, much more the same thing as Crewel embroidery. Though at first the term lanigrafía sounded absolutely weird/funny to me, I've been thinking about it and I believe it's quite meaningful after all. This word could well be used to comprise all the artistic expressions made with wool/yarn with a graphic value.

Now, the latch hooking. I finished the piece I was working on and noticed how distorted it ended compared to the original pattern. It happens the same thing with knitting – each knot/stitch is not a perfect square. I'll try to figure out a way to correct or adapt patterns to latch hooking.

Latch hooking again

2009-08-07T13:27:00.003-04:00

My new rule: always have a craft project around to grab during breaks from computer work.

Textileria: Kick off

2009-07-23T19:03:00.004-04:00

Rug canvas must be my favourite embroidery surface. In fact, I love anything with a grid.

Thanks to all the people who have come here and left comments and sent emails after reading last week's Bloesem post about my work. I was totally surprised to see me featured there (Thank you Irene).

In the last weeks I've been setting up my Textileria, a place to showcase all my printed goods. For the moment I'll be selling only in Chile but I plan to add new products, open an online shop for international orders and do wholesale. A long way to go but very happy to be on it (at last).

Black stripes

2009-07-01T15:12:00.005-04:00

My copy of Good to Know finally arrived (pattern to the left). Amy organised this giveaway and luckily I was one of the winners (my first time ever to win something over the internet). This Good to Know issue is all about personal style (When does one know that a personal style has developed? Is it important to know what exactly that style is?) and includes some interesting insights from different illustrators and artists on the subject. I'm still reading it but already feel comforted from knowing that many artists/designers out there share similar doubts when it comes to define one's own style.

I love the Mohair Council logo.

Grey + Lime Green + Winter day

2009-06-25T20:00:00.006-04:00

All the screen-printed tiles you've seen here before have been sewn into duvet covers. There are still some details but I can say they are almost ready.

Today was such a gloomy day that made it impossible to shoot inside, so we went up to the roof!

Sewing

2009-06-24T18:10:00.004-04:00

Isn't it wonderful when after lots of cutting, pinning and sewing you start finding the right order for optimal production?

I love that apron from Bengt & Lotta. Too nice for kitchen use.

Yellow+grey+light blue

2009-06-12T16:05:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to give a big thanks to all of you who have visited, left comments and sent nice emails. Especially to Kim who has featured my tiles on her blog. I really appreciate it.

I've been sewing (now I even have an efficient helper) and going almost nuts following the diagram of the tiles layout! I end up totally dizzy after counting, checking and double-checking that I'm joining the right tiles together. But definitely fun.

Today

2009-06-02T18:08:00.004-04:00

These piles of cotton tiles now are waiting to be sewn.
I found this nice 100% wool dress in a thrift store.

Quilting Day

2009-05-24T15:09:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was quilting day.
Thanks to my mom for her help and expertise.

Tiles – New colourways

2009-05-20T16:51:00.005-04:00

Screen-printed tiles on cotton.

Qué linda va la novia

2009-04-19T16:40:00.004-04:00

Here are some pics from my sister's wedding. Yesterday we all enjoyed the most beautiful sunny day in Quintay, Chile (at La Caracola Lodge).

Here, the bride.

The wrong side of latch hooking

2009-04-08T14:49:00.002-04:00

Just to report that I didn't like how my hooked rug turned out.

Some time ago I was wondering if there was any future with latch hooking. Today, after my first hooked rug, I say no. I recognise I didn't pick the right yarn for the rug, I just bought some knitting yarn that seemed okay and not that expensive for this first try. Not the best decision. Now I have a nice "bathroom rug" that constantly sheds loose wool fibers or "fluff" (I read this could last from a few months to a year provided that you vacuum it regularly).

If it helps anybody, I found it very practical hooking over a pillow with a solid/smooth cover.

Easter

2009-04-08T08:36:00.003-04:00

From an old Burda Moden magazine.

Nos Casamos

2009-04-01T11:50:00.004-04:00

I thought of making some different and sweet wedding favours for my sister's. First she asked me to design the invitations – they both wanted a fun and laid-back thing and somehow related to the place where they are getting married, Quintay (a fishing cove and great place for diving very close to Santiago). After printing the cards I got the idea of screen-printing the same motif on tea towels as wedding favours. But they look so cute that I think no one's ever going to use them!

Tiles strips

2009-03-13T12:17:00.006-03:00

Tiles strips now sewn, here mounted on my closet's doors to get the full picture of the layout (well, half of it at this time). Flip it horizontally to the right and you'll get an idea of the whole layout. Coming next: seam ironing and remaining strips sewing.

Tiles

2009-03-07T16:36:00.004-03:00

Screen-printed tiles on cotton. Now they are ready to be sewn together.

Red and blue

2009-03-04T19:16:00.002-03:00

Nice colour inspiration. From Nordiska Museet.

Sonia Delaunay - Swimsuits (1928)

2009-01-24T10:42:00.008-03:00

What a great artist Sonia Delaunay is. Not only did she succeed in painting, but also in fashion, textile and stage set design.Her work is mesmerizing, the use of essential strokes, shapes and colours is stunning. After reading about her on The Textile Blog I had to get a book to read more about her work so I picked Sonia Delaunay | Fabrics and Fashion by Jacques Damase (Thames and Hudson, 1991). The collection of swimsuits shown above is featured there.

When describing her fabrics, Sonia explains: "I have done fifty designs, relationships of colour using pure geometrical forms with rhythm. They were, and remain, colour scales - really a purified version of our concept of painting. (...) The rhythm is based on numbers, for colour can be measured by the number of vibrations. This is a completely new concept, one which opens infinite horizons for painting and may be used by everyone who can feel and understand it."

It only added to my delight when I discovered that Sonia was the designer behind the costumes made for the first Dada play by Tristan Tzara, Le Coeur à gaz (1923, Paris), which decades later inspired similar outfits worn by David Bowie and Klaus Nomi. Great trivia, isn't it?

On a funny note, this photo has been included in the sixth edition of the Schmap Stockholm Guide. It's just one of the thumbnails in the review of Café String but anyway it's kind of nice, huh?

Dolls

2009-01-20T16:03:00.004-03:00

I had forgotten about these photos lost on my cluttered desktop. They are screenshots of Dolls (2002) by Takeshi Kitano. I was immediately caught by the repetition of masks and paper windmills creating these striking patterned backgrounds.

Check Yohji Yamamoto featuring here as Costume Designer.

Mexican Embroidery

2008-12-23T13:35:00.006-03:00

Here are some peeks from a 1946 issue of Mexican magazine La Familia. I'm smitten with the embroideries of this China Poblana blouse and the huipil yucateco.