Babette's table ware saga

And I say saga because it's been ages since I first thought about making something of the sort.. and by ages I mean a year and a half on average. I have used clay many times before (courtesy of dad, his skill, his studio.. erm.. and his patience of course), namely for themed pendants to incorporate into my re-cycled/re-purposed/totally-handmade jewellery and other small items I would have dreamt about as gifts. I literally grew up in the 'safety' of knowing I had easy and unlimited access to the haven that is a pottery studio, should I ever wish it. My only regret is that I realized only too late that I had been wishing it all along.. so a couple of schedule checks later I found myself back at my parents' home discussing the perfect water to plaster powder ratio and diluting engobes in preparation. I learnt how to make the right moulds for every shape, I learnt how to paint on tapering/dusty/textured/curved/indented/concave/convex surfaces, I also learnt (the hard way) that no caffeine/alcohol ought to be consumed during the hours and hours of painting. If you're dying for a coffee/corona then do yourself a favour and wrap up for the day! 

So basically, I wanted to bring to the table (yes, literally) something with a story to it, much like I seek to do with everything else marginally related to Babettopolis, so the pressure to choose shapes and designs wisely was up. I wanted to make useful objects that present a case for themselves; each one-off item, I hope, has the power to stand alone since it is simply and sharply designed and yet, every item had to have enough personality so as to be taken up by and included in several existing 'china' collections we already own. I wanted each item to act as a little canvas for a random thought. 

Following are 3 photo collages from the studio. Please excuse the picture quality, but to be quite honest, after (and during) 10 hour painting sessions, doubled up on a low stool with glasses sliding down the nose in the sweltering heat, there remains little energy and enthusiasm in one to devote to photo taking. the first shows the bone-dried lot of items waiting in a wooden box, an unfired side-plate on which I tried to age the colours by texturing the surfaces further (very good stress relief) and the 'geisha bowl' which was the very last thing I finished! (*yay for random cataloguing). 

These are 3 photos of some freshly decorated items which I must have been very happy about since I actually stopped to take a photo of them during my 'glass of water' break.

The second photo is of me, taken by my dad, at around 10:30pm, during the last sitting. I carry my laptop with me everywhere so I can catch up on some of the less demanding comedy shows (*yay for multitasking). 

And the following are a few of the many photos taken this very morning by Mr. Nigel who really likes bolognese pasta sauce and who was kind enough to help me understand that I have purchased a very good camera an that all that remains is for me to learn how to use it (*touche!). We opted for a clean yet warm setup  for the detailed shots and I just love how they turned out! (click here for the whole album)

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

what did I tell you about my obsession with Islamic art? 

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

I do not see me halting this process any time soon. In fact, I just received some new colours so I'm itching to start afresh! .. but the next logical step is 'good protective packaging'.. or perhaps 'a nap' and then 'good protective packaging' ...


... oh just forget the nap!

A Grace-ful weekend

Yes, grace-ful and gift ridden! The windfall started on Friday when graceful Gaby (unexpectedly and for that, even more sweeet) passed on to me this lovely 1930s/40s clutch bag. I fear I am unable to put my admiration for the intricate beading into words. I especially love how that strip of sky blue sequins on the inside of the flap has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the colour-scheme and yet makes so much sense in the context. I have reserved this very morning to sorting through some cupboards and so I was able to make space for this bag, now residing, I hope happily, in the 'intricate and occasion-y' section of my top wardrobe shelf. Until next time!

Saturday morning brought with it a whole new level of grace... I met up with an ex-workmate: Rita, a lovely woman and a seamstress herself, is most dedicated to her vocation as a teacher and care-giver to kids who really need her and people like her. I'm all admiration for the work she, and others in her team, carry out on a day to day basis.. work which would drain the life out of anyone else so, really and truly, Bless them!! Rita, ever so kindly, passed on to me several bags full of raw and salvaged material for me to use in my sewing projects. Amongst which, were two bags full (to the brim) with buttons in their original boxes.. all sorts of shapes, colours and patterns. The box above is the fanciest of the lot and I cannot wait to put my needle and thread to it. 

And just when I thought that my day had reached its peak, I quickly realized that, this was simply going to be a full-on, no-dip, gifted day! 

I was lucky enough to make the acquaintance of Margot and one of her sisters, who in good spirits, not only welcomed me in their mother's home, but also flattered me by complimenting my work no-end! I cannot thank these ladies enough for entrusting me with so many items which until recently, belonged to their mother Emma. So much sentimental value and such good taste! The mother too, I believe, was a seamstress and this, for some reason, fills me with a kind of pride.. these are ladies I fear I was born too late to meet!

Here are a few of the many gems!

Shawls and bags and ... 

yep bloomers! 

These dresses reminded me of the Delphos cut and that, in my books, is a success!

Scarves, and delicate gloves and skirts to put apart and sew anew...

Some pretty blouses and sparkly knitwear

And the piece de resistance, a red feathery hat piece from an enviable past where wearing such hats was the order of the day (*or rather 'eve'). It needs a lot of care .. and I'm ever so willing!

As for the rest of the weekend .. we were graced by the first rain after a cruelly dry summer, and with a vengeance. The first shower yesterday evening simply shocked, but now, after raining all night and well into this morning the air is yielding that lovely smell we expect of the first showers in September, and so, we are being compensated, somehow! Can't wait for greener landscapes round about where I live.

Islamic Reflection

Look at this wonderful thing and ponder upon the wonder that is M.C. Escher. This is a drawing based on the artist's direct sketch of tile designs in the Alahambra Palace in Spain. It is reflected (flip) repetition and basically encompasses all that I've had in mind for the past months (or has it been years now?)

This, on the other hand, is a picture of a repetitive and traditional interlinking Iznik tile mural in the Rustem Pasha Mosque in Istanbul which I haven't yet visited, much to my dismay. See how the stylized vegetal forms flow, and yet it's a very disciplined and controlled flow.

Bear with me a while. I am here trying my utmost to synthesize, linguistically, a personal obsession and all-encompassing love for what appears before me as a hint of the divine. It's a difficult task. The photo below is  of tiles for sale in Marrakech, tiles I did not purchase due to being generally over whelmed by a city I had long dreamt of visiting; and when the said city turns out to be even more beautiful than expected to be, this tends to have the general effect of 'stunning' one into a state of reverential gawping and irrational decision taking (ie. preferring 'a photo of' to an actual tile).

                           

This is the central fountain surrounded by painstakingly laid 'zellij' mosaic tiles in the roofed courtyard of the Islamic Art Museum (Dar Menebhi Palace) of Marrakech ...

... and this is a beautiful combination of tile work and stone work in the Ben Youssef Medersa, (Islamic College) also in Marrakech

These photos, I hope, give a clearer indication of the build-up and the extent of my obsession with the geometry and symmetry of Islamic art and craft. I admire how the practical tile, which keeps a building cool and relatively dust free in hot and dry climes, is elevated to such an extent that within its four corners it becomes a metaphorical representation of the infinite. The intricate geometry, calligraphic ornamentation and 'arabesque' interlacing of stylized florals come together to serve the human and the divine in one fell swoop. This time-tested synthesis, ultimately, reflects the cultural preoccupation of a nation with the covering of surfaces. The structure of a building is emphasized through its covering much like the structure of a dress, or more generally 'dress', both covers yet complements the human form.

In any case, I made these hats out of stiff felt to: cover, flatter and complement. They are practical, foldable and carefully studied so as to cast some very dramatic shadows across the face. I will be making more in different colours in the coming weeks.

As a parting note, my new ceramic collection also bears a similar inspirational origin.. but more on that later when I manage to take some good photos of the glazed lot.

This lady had style!

There are days when you wake up to a somewhat fresher view. If you first give up slightly and then give in a little, expect to be astounded. Things will inevitably cross your path. People leave this earth, and seamstresses, I hope, go to a place where sturdy reliable sewing machines are cordless and virtually noiseless. But in leaving, they leave behind a train of beautiful memories, traces of who they were. I seek to leave something behind, as trivial and inconsequential as my calling might be; and in the process am rewarded tenfold by what others, of perhaps a similar disposition, graciously left behind.

I feel honoured and perhaps a bit too giddy whenever I receive generously, and can only promise my absolute best to restore and re-use and do justice.

As I said, this lady had style and thanks to her ever charming grand daughter I was allowed a precious opportunity to have a glimpse in her world and draw some beautiful conclusions and estimations. It's a fresher view of a person whom I never met and yet, somehow, got to know well.

Choices must be taken responsibly, and gifts of the sort, accepted even more diligently.

                                     

Here are some kid gloves and belt buckles that I'm very looking forward to transform. I absolutely love the ageing process on leather and how that buckle looks suspiciously like 2 Babettopolis 'B's

A collarless summer suit with gathered skirt, an embroidered terracotta shirt dress and a pleated shift dress in the loveliest printed fabric

A flimsy and sturdy mix of underwear for which I have some serious embellishment plans

The dress I, embarrassingly enough, couldn't wait to try on. Apparently it makes me look like a Caribbean owner of a banana plantation by day and a socialite by night ~ pass the fruitbowl, mister! (my target was very far off the mark. I had really hoped it would make me look like Sonia Delaunay). So yes, I washed it, replaced the zip and went over all the seams to strengthen them just in time for dinner. Next to it, the long skirt of dreams.

Secret-Rose-Sarah, I know you're out there, please take good note of this top. I want to reproduce it with geometric embroidered shoulder panels. Next to it, a lovely piece of tattered black lace I will use as a headscarf.

And two lovely suits I haven't yet had time to tend to. Simple straight cuts make for very elegant and timeless pieces .. every item, most of which are tailor made, reasserts my belief in the need to stop and think before investing in something that fits your body shape and your lifestyle.

I am the happy owner of a pretty washing line.

* for the record: dear all superstitious out there, my closet is simply not the best place to be.

This, on the other hand, is a picture of me, taken by my dad under strict orders to not show what a horrible state I was in at 10pm after a marathon day in the pottery studio.. I found clay in my earlobes and colour on my back when I got home (wtf!). In any case, I am putting the finishing touches on something new for Babettopolis. Will keep you posted about it all once the pieces survive the second firing. I don't want to 'jinx' it by revealing too much. Suffice to say that my lifelong aim to bring something special to the table just got literal.

Musing about the act of sketching and more work

I pat myself on the back whenever I find that I've been good enough to save a copy of a sketch for a dress. With big projects like this flamenco dress I usually sketch in detail and if I'm in a patient enough mood/have the colours within arm's length/have enough time, I also sketch in colour. I can safely say that I enjoy it but circumstance often dictates that I go directly to the rice paper to draught a pattern and simply get going. Also, once a sketch is finished (and to such a degree) I kind of feel cheated; a drawing becomes a mockery of the time-consuming process that looms on the horizon for a seamstress! 

With this flamenco dress we kept to a traditional palette and patterns, but one walk down the textile shop got me thinking about several other possibilities in orange and turquoise and yellow and lace. A flamenco dress must complement the dancer's personality and her personal stance towards the dance, every little detail has to come together to make up one rational whole. With so much going on it's easy to lose your plot, so it's a fine line that we thread between visual coherence and a bag of crazy haberdashery trimmings. Ruffles, like the hills, come alive to the sound of music so I can't wait to see this graceful dancer, in her dress, in action next December!

And now on to summer-friendly items of clothing, lined in practical airy cotton and in colours that help keep up the spirits when the heat just gets too much. A lover of the 60s asks me to re-interpret some classic shapes for day-to-day staples that are toddler friendly and breeeeeeezy!

And a young fashion lover opts for a purple strapless dress with open pleats instead of closed up darts which can be accessorized over and over. We kept it simple, waistband-less to allow unrestricted belt size options and with a discreet slit at the back.

Also, how cute did this bustier turn out?! I had found the material at a charity shop in Valletta back in the day when there were still a couple open (how sad is it to not have a decent charity shop/bazaar Valletta that does not open for just two hours in the early morning on one very particular day unless it happens to be a feast/birth/too hot day). So yes, I has bought this piece with the intention of doing something for myself with it, but as it usually happens, I placed it on the neatly folded pile of 'future projects' and forgot all about it until the right person came along, a fellow cat lover and pancake maker extraordinaire! It would have been a real waste to make nothing of it. The buttons turned out pretty sweet after an acrylic and clear nail polish makeover, sweet enough to steer the bustier clear of any lingerie connotations and make it all the more wearable. Miaou!

And after all that I thought, feckit!, time to make something for myself. So I made a skirt that is scant consolation for my holiday in Santorini which never happened but at least long enough to hide a tan-in-progess whilst keeping the mosquitoes out! 

In the pipeline ...

I woke up to a hot dark kitchen and realized that my flowers have dried picturesquely.

So I got to thinking about what needs to be done next in Babettopolis.

Here is some more felt in exciting new colours, courtesy of the ever gracious Michelle! I have, in the past, on interminable bus rides, whilst waiting for someone, late at night, been sketching a number of ideas for new hats. I plan to start working on them once I replace the bulb on my working-lamp, and once the weather gives up its nasty game. Roll on winter, give me weather that justifies hat making!

And here are bunches of feathers, generously donated by Rose, my mother's childhood friend! I have plans, many plans for these feathers, as does my cat! Pheasants, peacocks .. all welcome here!

Also I'll be going back to my dad's pottery studio soon, I have freshly made casts and moulds waiting for me in a line on the metal cupboard. I want to make tableware that tell stories, to help fill cupboards and tables with some charm. Fingernails full of clay, Balthus running around being a fuzzy (yet still somewhat endearing) nuisance, corona beer and the rest is my own little history (in the making).

I believe there's little else more satisfying than an object that turns out just as you had imagined it would, that comes out whole from its mould, that pleases the eye even in its most rudimentary state. 

Some excitement mounts! 

On the pastel front

Cannot believe it's been almost two months (already?) So much stuff has happened in the interim and yet the memory of stringing together rows of pearls, is still so vivid! These are the accessories I had created for a June bride with a penchant for the dramatic. Very few could have carried off this look, so I'm happy I was given the opportunity to help out creatively. The hat piece brought together all of my favourite elements: lace, feathers, pearls and netting, and the choker, incorporating a vintage earring with sentimental value for the bride, sat perfectly in three neat rows around the neck. From the looks of it, this turned out to be as smashing a wedding as everyone involved had hoped for.. so it's all goood!

Here's the bride at her first accessory fitting, and a close-up of the choker in the making. Below, a pretty photo of the happy couple! The perfect make-up from her favourite era brought everything together so nicely! I wish them both all the very best .. 

And for a guest at the same wedding, and a personal friend, I created a cupcake of a prom dress in a subtle leafy theme! Had it been for me I would have covered the whole dress in leaves .. but that's just me and my twisted need to keep up a chronic and splitting headache! Satin and chiffon in a pale peachy blush pink (I'm sure there's a technical name for it, but oh well!) come together nicely in the gathered skirt.

Here's the young lady herself at the wedding reception! 

 And here's the feathery and leafy head-band to go with the dress. At the bride's request everyone was 'encouraged' (to put it lightly) to wear head gear .. that, I must say, is my favourite kind of tyranny! you go girl!  

As far as pastels go, I've only just come to realize that they've taken up much of my last month. Here's a picture of a flowery bustier I made for another friend, Alexandra (*http://www.alexandraaquilina.com/) from a piece of sturdy cotton salvaged from a charity shop. After featuring on her handmade-market stall as decor, we decided to make something more respectable of it! Such lovely material deserves the very best! Now I'm determined to wait for a good photo of it as worn!

And we end this post with the queen dress of all pastel dresses.. a boat neck and belted, ice-cream van/parlour, cotton dress where all our favourite elements come together; including a gathered 3/4 length skirt, a flattering collar, and a pearl button fastening! It's the second dress I made for my friend Sarah (*check out her facebook page) this year.. and by now, I've (creepily) come to know her shape by heart! 

And as if there wasn't enough cuteness in one long post dedicated to pastels.. here's a cute photo of Sarah with my fuzzy fat cat Gustav! Which makes me wonder .. why don't they use more cats in political campaigns?