I felt really inspired during a visit to Athens, back in May, and was determined to create something inspired by the clay animals and gold charms I admired in various museums, once I was back home.
I thought the gold charms would work well as a fabric print. I created a design in Illustrator using photos I took on my phone and opted for a black background and a fairly large scale print. Contrado seemed to have the best selection of fabric bases, so I ordered a couple of swatch packs and went for their Cottage Cotton Slub fabric. The sensible option in terms of cost would have been to make a blouse, but I decided to order enough fabric to make a Wilder dress. With a discount applied, the cost worked out £65 for 2.7 metres of fabric, including postage.
The Contrado ‘natural fabrics pack’ has some really nice options and I’m definitely planning to make some more projects, when I am similarly inspired. I’m thinking a Jane Fonda’s workout inspired print for gym shorts or leggings next, I just haven’t quite figured out the design yet.
For the clay animals I spotted in Athens, I thought I’d just have a go at recreating my favourites. I used oven hardening clay and painted them using acrylic paint. I’m really happy with the pig, but the hedgehog doesn’t quite have the charm of the original. The paint would wash off (I actually washed off a first attempt and started again!) so they’re not very durable, but it was fun to mess around with clay for the first time in years, and they currently look good on the mantlepiece.
