Purse- suit of Happiness (oosh that was bad yeah?)

So this week has been mega busy but in a really good way. Lots of time spent eating tasty food with lovely friends and family and a visit from my sister and her family as well as a whole heap of printing and stitching.

Just for today though I wanted to share a few purses that I whipped up out of old curtains and bedding. I used a small magnetic clasp to keep them closed and bias binding for the edging.

 

Have HeART Workshop

On Thursday morning I ran a workshop as part of the Have HeART project, they are putting on a series of fashion and craft based lessons over the next few weeks in a high school in the Splott area of Cardiff. Have HeART are a Cardiff based non- profit social enterprise that aim to unleash the power of art for positive social change. 

The project is run by an awesome lady called Nia, who asked if I wouldn't mind showing the kids how to weave some paper wallets.

We started off the morning by looking at a few examples of different types of recycled wallets and bags and then the kids started designing their own shapes and styles.

Once the kids had decided on the different structures and colours they wanted to use, we started choosing different pieces of paper from old magazines and comics and I showed them how to create a plain weave. It's a super easy technique but gives a great effect with lots of different patterns and colours showing through.

We used gaffer tape and old zips that I'd picked up at ReCreate the children's play resource centre in Ely to bring their designs together. As well as sticky back Velcro for the closures. Everyone had a wallet to take home with them and a fun morning was had by all ;)

I can't wait to get involved with more Have HeART workshops. They've actually got a tshirt design competition running at the moment, which you can take a look at here. Also find out more about what they do on their Facebook page.