Inspiration

Knit Sits: Claire-Ann O’Brien

Now that it is finally feeling more like fall, I’m thinking knits knits knits in interesting combinations. Designer Claire-Anne O’Brien‘s knit sits definitely fit the bill. I love that she mixes surfaces and textures of the soft and the hard in the smoothness of the wooden and metal legs and the chunky seat bottom. She really ‘knits’ together industrial and textile design! Sigh, sorry for such a knit-witted pun.

British wool chair below

The chairs have an extraterrestrial slash 60s Pop Art vibe that I dig. They remind me of Claes Oldenburg soft sculptures, like his squishy alphabet:

Ina Grau Footwear

Ina Grau are “a collaborative shoemaking endeavor” started last year by LUISA FERNANDA GARCIA-GOMEZ and CRYSTAL QUINN. Their shoes are full of whimsy and detail and it makes complete sense that they’ve made shoes for the uber-talented Annie Larson of All For Everyone.

love the embossed dots on the soles

They are totally inspiring me for my North American Footwear: Moccasin class at TAC where we are choosing from ‘over seventeen different solutions handed down from Native American artisans, each honed over millenia to be the best foot covering for a particular region, climate and geography of North America.’ WHOA amazing. I also posted the class at SkillShare, a new community I’m pretty excited about as a lifelong crafter, learner and teacher. Look for me there if you happen to be on it!

Etsy’s Small Business & Sustainability Summit

Had a great time yesterday at the Etsy Summit and heard a lot of interesting projects from designers, architects, and small business champions on how to sustain ecologically and ethically conscious practices. It was pretty inspiring and I thought I’d make my own Etsy-inspired post. These are some photos that I took while I was there and then ‘Etsy-fied’ with Photoshop and pencil sketching. Thanks so much to Textile Arts Center for sending me and ‘Vive la craft’!

All happening in the beautiful DUMBO district of Brooklyn

Eco-Knit: Nanna van Blaaderen

Nanna van Blaaderen‘s knits have ‘animal life and nature’ as essential sources of inspiration. I love how her designs flow organically from braids to body. “More or Less” collection below:

Her “Species a Tribute Collection” is here

Minä Perhonen

I’ve been inspired by Finnish influenced Japanese line Minä Perhonen’s prints for their 2011-2012→ Autumn / Winter Collection:

Their furniture and upholstered chairs are so imaginative and adorable.