Summer 2010 i met the lovely girls from the Bricolage collective; here i interned for Katherine May, helping out with her lovely patchwork quilts and workshops. This summer i was thrilled to be invited back to help out with Naomi Paul, who creates beautiful unique crochet and knitted textiles.
Naomi, Polly and Yemi and been asked to do the window display for KJ's Laundry, 74 Marylebone Street. They each went of individually to make their designs with the idea of a cushion moutain. Polly make the large ones for the base, Naomi the medium ones in the middle and Yemi the small ones for the top; all sticking to a blue colour theme.
http://www.kjslaundry.com/
Naomi hand mono printed her cushions using card cut out shapes, she called this selection ALBER which you can buy from KJ's Laundry
once Naomi had printed on to the hemp linen, i cut and stitched together the printed side and the back which was navy velvet or navy died hemp, around 3 sides, then stuffed with the feathered cushions and hand stitched the 4th side together. Naomi had screen printed name labels which we tacked onto the back. We also made a triangular ruck sack to go on the back of one of the mannequins.
the shop window, in the end they didnt go with one big pile of cushions, but instead lots of little mountains.
TENT
Also whilst helping out over the summer Naomi had to prepare for the TENT trade show during design week were she had been given a stand, and a order for Liberty London; both of which she was lunching her new collection of lighting.
http://www.tentlondon.co.uk/
The weeks leading up to these events i helped with the research in producing and making the light shades; such as finding people who could make the wire frames, the lighting fixtures/wires, packaging etc
Naomi had designed pendent shaped crochet light shades from mercerized cotton cord; she named this design GLÜCK
her second design is called SONNE
Naomi hand crochet all of the light shades by hand and sources her yarn from fashion houses, which the discard after each season. They hold there shape with a wire frame in the middle, and attached to the wire at the top with a little bung.
Plumen light bulbs sponsored Naomi with her design, because the bulbs are energy efficient but gives the brightness without getting hot!
At TENT i was very excited to be there, to have seen all the different processes Naomi had gone through to get her final product had all paid of, and her stand was displayed perfectly...
there was an outstanding amount of interest in the lights and a lot of people wanting them in all different shapes, colours and sizes, which you could design and colour in on the lovely dining table. We filled to big books of business cards and contacts, which i think might mean i need to get practicing my crocheting skills.
see more of Naomi's work on her website and her lights in Liberty London.
http://www.naomipaul.co.uk/
