Friday, December 5, 2014

Xmas Open Studio


Our Christmas Open studio is coming soon on Saturday the 13th December starting from 11 until 3pm. We will have lots of lovely handmade wares including fabric, cushions, pyraminis and other creations by our friends! There will be tea, coffee and cakes too!

We would love to see you there!

You will find us on level 2 in the beautiful Younghusband Woolstores, 10 Elizabeth Street, Kensington, Melbourne.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Pyramini love (and giveaway!)


We are thrilled to have just released a beautiful selection of gorgeous Pyramini beanbags. There are currently 6 designs to choose from, all handprinted and handmade here in Melbourne, so mix and match away! To celebrate the launch we are having an instagram giveaway! Just hop over to @caitlinklooger and @laracameron on instagram for more details. Of course, you can find the details on our Facebook page if you prefer. Good Luck!


Friday, July 25, 2014

Beautiful Baskets

Fabric Baskets in Bracken and Pebbles

We are very excited to be able to present you with a new craft project! We love these baskets and have now placed a great pattern and instructions in our online shop. They are easy to make and use just a single quantity of our fabric. The pattern includes a mini version for the little people in your life too. 


Wednesday, July 16, 2014

The Better Bag Maker - Book Review and Giveaway!

If you’ve ever been interested in making your own bags, you should take a look at this! In her latest how to book, our friend, the very talented Nikki Mallalieu, shares her tricks, techniques and shortcuts so you can achieve a perfect design and finish. It contains 10 bag projects so you'll definitely find a bag to suit your needs, skill level and next travel destination! You could choose a Melbourne Weekender, Marrakesh Overnighter or a Barcelona Satchel.  



...and you just might recognise some of the fabric featured inside this beautifully photographed and written book.


Stash Books has very generously offered a Giveaway of The Better Bag Maker. You can win a copy of the Better Bag Maker (hard copy in the US, digital version for the rest of the world). All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what your favourite bag style is. The Giveaway will be open until Friday July 25th.


ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED
The winner is Cheryl Bush! Cheryl, please email us with your details and we will arrange for you to receive your copy of Nikki's beautiful book!

Intern Applications now open!

APPLICATIONS HAVE NOW CLOSED

Thank you to all who have applied, we will contact you shortly!

It's July already and as promised we are opening up applications for the final round of internships for this year, our apologies to all who have emailed with queries :) Applications will be open for two weeks, closing on Wednesday 30th July. First available slot will be the first week of September.


For those interested in undertaking an internship, please find more details on our FAQ page here.

For those who have read all the details already and are keen to apply, you can do so via this handy form!

Three recent interns Cara, Bethan and Simone with their patchy creations

Thursday, April 10, 2014

New prints, new colours!

It's been a busy start to 2014 in the studio! Caitlin has been settling in well into her role as co-captain, Lara has been moving at a slightly slower pace than usual with the impending bub due any day now, and amongst it all we've managed to design a couple of new prints, come up with some new colourways for existing designs AND add some new colours to our palette! All listed in the shop as of today :)

Firstly, introducing Bracken - Lara's latest design - a large scale inverse botanical print in four colourways:


Bracken in Turmeric


Bracken in Stream


Bracken in Slate


Bracken in Coal - note this is a seconds/sample length only

Next, introducing Caitlin's latest addition to the range - a gorgeous flowing Hakea print perfect for window furnishings and upholstery (amongst other things!)


Hakea in Slate


Hakea in Red Orange

And finally, some existing favourites printed in new colourways!


Silver Gum in Turmeric & Almond


Kangaroo Paw in Slate


Ginkgo in Turmeric & Almond


Dashes in Olive


Birch in Turmeric

Hope you like!

xx Lara & Caitlin

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Say hello to Caitlin's fabrics - and a little sale!

The Ink & Spindle shop is looking nicely stocked at the moment with the addition of some of Caitlin's fabrics from her previous label pippijoe! Some of these designs/colourways will become part of our ongoing collection, others will only be available until they run out. We'd love to hear which ones you like most!

To celebrate these new additions we'd love to offer you a 15% discount off all of our meterage - yay! Simply use the code "hello_pippijoe" at the checkout, valid till next Wednesday 12th March. Here's a snapshot of what's available:


Buds in Black


Laundry Birds in Black


Pebbles in Powder


Waterhen in Ocean


Shells in Honey


Ficus in Caramel


Daisies in Red


Orchard in Red

xx Lara & Caitlin

Thursday, February 20, 2014

... and the beginning of a new one!


Caitlin getting her hands dirty at the printing table

Hello!

I'm not sure if we've met before... I'm Caitlin.

I have been designing under my own label of pippijoe for the past 7 years which I created from home amongst the debris of family life. It's been a fantastic journey, but I've always yearned to work in a studio with other creative people and was lucky enough to meet Lara and Teegs along the way.

Prior to pippijoe my background is Interior Design and Landscape Architecture. I love creating things and I like to think that textile design links all my previous incarnations beautifully.

It's very exciting to be joining Ink and Spindle for the next part of it's creative journey. It's been perfect timing for me and I've had a lovely time here recently learning the ropes with Teegs and the ever growing Lara. I'm looking forward to adding to the Ink and Spindle range with new designs and will also be bringing onboard many of the designs from pippijoe.

I'm thrilled to be working with such lovely creative people in the beautiful Ink and Spindle studio and look forward to sharing the journey with you.

I'll be in touch, but until then you can follow me on instagram @pippijoe
Caitlin

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The end of an era...


Lara & Teegs on Teegs' last day in the studio

It's a pretty momentous time in the Ink & Spindle studio - Teegs is hanging up her ink splattered apron and bidding farewell to the studio in favour of exciting travel adventures. It's been a pretty emotional time all round, but sometimes - despite how much you love something that you have built up from scratch and put a whole lot of heart and soul into - there are other callings in life. It takes a whole lot of guts to listen to that voice inside and take a big step into the unknown, but to ignore it is to ignore your own heart.

We are very lucky to have a great new partner to take on Teegs' role in the studio, but before we introduce her to you here are a few farewell words from Teegs herself:

Hello, lovely friends! It is with tears in my eyes that I write this, my last blog post as owner of my beautiful little I&S. Lara says "a few farewell words" but she knows me better than that. The talky is what I do best!

Where to begin? To thank YOU! You lovely people out there whom without, we quite simply would not have been able to achieve the things we have achieved. Every single time you ordered our textiles, or told a friend about us, or shared our website on your social media.. all of that has allowed us to continue and grow. Thank you to every one of you who has emailed us to show us your new I&S curtain/reupholstery project/quilt, or just simply to thank us for doing what we do - we feel very lucky to be able to bring joy to your lives in some small way. Thank you for helping us to create an alternative to the toxic, mass produced textiles that dominate the world. I am so proud that I have been able to put my love and energy in to growing something that doesn't harm the people who produce it, or our finite planet!

A special mention must be made of a particularly amazing woman, Carmen. Back in early 2012, unbeknownst to me at the time, she pointed me to the path I am now treading. The wonderful Carmen told me I could go overseas & do some professional development in the form of an artist residency. It seemed an impossible dream, but lo & behold 10 months later I was touching down in Mexico City, ready to learn all I could learn. So thank you Carmen, for your encouragement, your patronage & your belief in us. I must extend that thanks to everyone who supported me in my Pozible campaign to get to Mexico, words can't describe how much your kindness & support altered my life for the better. If only I could hug you all!

Next up, thank you to my arty/design peeps. It's been a seriously amazing 6 years and I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of the wonderful Melbourne indy design community. Seriously, this community is a giant love-in & I'm going to miss rocking along to all the markets and tradeshows and getting to hang out/talk shop with that rad crew of ridiculously wonderful creative geniuses/businesspeople. I feel very lucky to have developed some pretty amazing friendships with some pretty amazing colleagues over the years - special mention to Mel K, Matt T, Sarah R, Emily W, Geniene, Ben & Nat, Sass, Shannon, Anna & Gareth, Wendy, Miranda, Michelle H, Victoria M, Katy, Ming-Zhu, Sayra. You guys! So, so much love for you.

The Younghusband crew! We have seen so many faces come & go through our beloved redbrick warehouse over the years, too many to list.. but good times have been had with all. I feel super lucky to have been able to spend this time within its hallowed walls. Special mention to Yong, Master Sam, Jules & Bridget, Gary - you guys have all helped us in some way & I love you :)

My beloved studio buddies over the years! These people I completely adore. They're amazing and absolute treasures & have all graciously tolerated my somewhat dubious DJ skillz. The beautiful Beth-Emily, Tom, Bianca, Nichola, Brianna, Lara D, Jess & Emma, Dan.

Especially big ups to these two studio buddies - one past, one present: the wonderful Dana & the gorgeous Abby. These amazing ladies are very close to my heart and if there is something I am completely thankful to I&S for, it is their friendship. So many good times, so much good advice, laughter & tears & hugs & drinks & funtimes.. my life is all the richer for having you two in it, would that I could take you with me!

Some non studio related thank you's: My beloved high school art teacher, Ollie, for her endless encouragement of me, a timid, quiet, skinny little ginger art kid in large, noisy, sport-focussed school in the country. I think I could have very easily fallen through the cracks there & Ollie helped me find my feet & taught me to embrace my passion.
My painting mentor/lecturer Glenn, who taught me to call a spade a spade & always took no small amount of glee in suggesting a tin of turps & a match whenever he was called over to give his opinion on an artwork in progress.. Glenn taught me to take art seriously, but not too seriously. He pushed me to go to Melbourne to study my BA of Fine Art. Without Glenn as my mentor, I&S would simply not exist.
Dearest Mike, my favourite Kiwi of all time, a brilliant teacher and gentle soul who taught me art is many things & opened my eyes to the spiritual/ephemeral/unseeable side of the world. He spoke of the relationships we have with our brushes, the beauty of paper, of repurposing materials. In class Mike made us watch Monkey Magic & do Tai Chi & discuss world events. Mike taught me to be a kinder person, to listen to the unspoken, to spend time thinking, digesting, not to rush.
My amazing parents, Felicite & Graeme. Thanks for giving me a free-range, barefoot, veggie-growing, powertool-wielding, car-driving, horse-riding, tree-climbing, cow-milking, ballet-doing, art-making, cake-baking, book-filled childhood. I'm pretty sure I can do/make/be anything, thanks to the things you taught me in my early years. Thank you for your unending love & support for every crazy thing I have ever wanted to do: drop out of high school to study art? Of course you can! Oh, you want to start a small boutique textile business during a worldwide recession? Sure thing, Teegs! Fly to Mexico alone & study textiles in another language? Most definitely! Come sailing with us for months? No problem! Sell your business & move to Europe..? (Actually, mum is still getting used to that one)

My final & obvious thank you is for beloved Lara, my sister by another mister, my bestie, the lady who knows every story of my life, excellent advice-giver, the one who has tolerated me on a daily basis for 6 wonderful years! I could not have hoped for such a wonderful business partner, or indeed for said business partner to become my dearest friend & confidante. What Lara does not know about me could fit in a matchbox! I am so grateful to have spent these years with her, and it is with a heavy heart that I leave - especially at this super exciting time! Look at that photo of us! The belly! We have walked a fabulous path together, but now our paths are diverging & I must go to achieve some major life goals, as she must stay to achieve hers. Not having Lara around will be like missing my right arm! I am so proud of everything we have created together & I think this is the perfect moment to pause & reflect on how far we have come, the business we have built, the goals we have achieved. I love you Lara! Life is going to be so odd without seeing your face every day - you can expect a lot of skype calls :) especially when your mini is born, I'll be needing to see her often.

Ok so that's it for the thank you's.

So, what's next for me? My plans now consist of throwing a Bon Voyage party & flying one way to Istanbul in April with darling Illy, then winding my way west to beautiful Mel in Berlin, to gorgeous Alana in Madrid, then north to my as-yet-unmet second cousins in London, to Greer in Scotland...and of course every country in between! My plan is to look at art & architecture until my eyes bleed. Pretty excited!

If you want to follow my ridiculous adventuring, Instagram/Twitter will be the way to do it: @teegs3

Well, that's about it from me! Goodbye, everyone!

Thanks for the love & awesome times.

xx Teegs

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

I&S printing with YOU at NGV International AGAIN - this Friday 14th Feb!

Great news! Our Open Studio/Workshop at the NGV International's Melbourne NOW exhibition yesterday was so well received that the lovely staff have asked us back to do it all again this Friday 14th.

We will be spending our Valentines Day with you guys in the Community Hall from 11am! Yay!

This event is happening in conjunction with the Sustainable Living Festival - have a look at all the amazing events that both organisations have on at the moment :)


It was super wonderful to see so many familiar faces, such as Heidi, pictured with me above! Back in 2008, Heidi bought some of our first ever prints, so it was a bit special that she came in for a hug & a print :)



The collaborative artwork! We cut this piece up & handed sections out at the end of the day :) come down & help create a brand new, one off piece of work... and maybe even get some for free!

xx Teegs

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Visit us at Melbourne Now @ NGV!!



Some exciting news - Ink & Spindle will be presenting as part of the Melbourne NOW exhibition at NGV International next Monday 10th Feb!

We'll be bringing along a bunch of small screens to put together some interactive, collaborative textile pieces with YOU - and the best part is you'll even get to take home a piece! It will be be a whole heap of fun so come down & get inky :)

More details over here.

On a more somber note, this will be Teegs' last official Ink & Spindle engagement before she heads off on her adventures, so come down for a goodbye hug & do some printing with her xx

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Intern Applications close today!

Wow! We've had a huge response to our first round of applications for 2014, thank you to everyone who has applied.

Due to this overwhelming response we are closing applications at 5pm today, Tuesday 28th January.

We will be notifying applicants next Friday 7th February.

Our next round of applications will be open mid-year, so watch this space or our Facebook page for details!

xx Teegs & Lara

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Intern Applications now open!

Hello 2014!

It's been a busy start for us here at I&S HQ, lots of things to organise what with us going through the emotionally difficult process of selling my share of our beloved business & Lara's baby bump getting bigger before our very eyes!

So we are a little delayed in opening up applications for the first round of internships for this year, our apologies to all who have emailed with queries :)

For those interested in undertaking an internship, please find more details on our FAQ page here.

For those who have read all the details already and are keen to apply, you can do so via this handy form!

Currently we're only scheduling placements between 3rd March and 1st August, and we will open up placements for later in the year in a few months. However if you desperately need to lock in a later date ASAP for study/personal please let us know!


Here's Rosie, one of our most recent interns with her hand-cut design made into a cushion cover :)