The English Romantic

With each collection of fabrics I am aiming to use "Every Last Scrap". There is so much waste created by the textile industry. I love fabric but I don't feel the need to hoard it or build a stash. After owning a Patchwork and Quilting shop in the late 1990s and with a partner who was a representative  for Moda fabrics, I managed to gather lots of fabrics. In 2014 I started a BA Hons in Textile Design (printed fabrics) which led to more fabrics being accumulated. I realise that having so much fabric inhibits, rather than encourages productivity. Sitting looking at huge amounts of fabric is overwhelming for me. Gradually I have donated, sold or given away most of my accumulation. I now work with a small collection and aim to use every little piece. This encourages my creativity and encourages a large body of work from even a small collection. I also avoid taking part in dozens workshops. I have attended so many and each producing lots of samples. I'm wor...

In these peculiar times my art work has been my best friend. I live alone which is something I love. I selfishly enjoy the freedom of not having to compromise. So I am probably well equipped to deal with the situation. Plus, I have enough fabric and art materials to work through for several months to come.  It is a time to learn a different way of working and re-evaluating the things we like to do. I have always enjoyed creating books and have made and sold many different styles over the years. Hand embroidery has always played a major part of my life since being a little girl. Taught by my mother and grandmother, it has been a constant pleasure. This is a small journal inspired by Faded Roses. It has a Dupion Silk outer cover with a Briar Rose hand stitched on the front. Inside are four signatures of pink hand tinted paper each enclosed in an embroidered signature cover. aaa This is one of five book...

I'm hoping you will head over to Maggie Lowe D esigns to see my final pieces of work for my degree. You will find me  here Only six more weeks to go until my final hand in. Then!!! I'll be back to blogging and also working on some innovative online workshops to inspire you all.

2016 has brought a new name and a new blog. I needed a short and snappy name to launch my new look. so, I've combined my maiden name and my middle name to create Maggie Lowe Designs. There is a new website and Facebook page too all ready to launch. Find me at Maggie Lowe Designs on blogger.

Phew!!  We certainly hit the ground running in the second year of my degree course….. Our module brief  'Shades of Indigo' asked us to create designs for fashion textiles using 'indigo' as our colour palette. Well, everything has turned blue, not only paper and fabric, but my hands( no gloves) and  several white shirts (oh.. where did I put my apron) . I needed to produce thirty paper designs and fifteen fabric designs using print, stitch and manipulation. Heres a selection of my work. My inspiration came from my summer sketchbook. I had experimented with Oriental brush painting. I also looked at Japanese textiles especially 'Boro' with is now considered an art form although it was initially a utilitarian way of preserving clothes and other textiles. During my further research I looked at the work of 'Yayoi Kusama' who lives and works in Japan and works with repeated 'Polka Dots.                 ...

I love the look and feel of cloth dolls and the quirkier the better. There is a real pleasure in searching through the internet and looking at American Primitive dolls, there appeal is endless. My friend Joan had a birthday recently so I made "Maddy" as a gift for her. This happy little soul now sits on a chair in her sitting room. One doll is never enough, so along came 'Adeline'. I am very fond of her as she dares to be different. She looks at life from all directions and is a proud individual. Her hair is wild, although she tries hard to tame it somehow it always has a windswept look. Her necklace is made from boot buttons from her grandmothers button box. She always has a wry smile on her face thinking about the scrapes she gets in to. We would all love her as a friend!! Coffee time now, off to meet another friend. Have fun. xox Angela.

At the end of our last term we were set a summer project to keep us busy during the holiday. We were asked to fill an A3 sketchbook with a documentation of our summer and to look for design opportunities in the every day. The trees in my last post are part of this sketchbook and were inspired by the artist David Hockney and his wonderful "Yorkshire Sketchbook". My work is a random look at places and events of the summer, Chelsea flower show,  The Tour De France in the UK, walks along the coast and various other ramblings. On a visit to the beach in Devon I came across a wonderful bed of alliums. Such lovely shapes and colours.                                                                                               ...

Hello to all my lovely followers and apologies for my long absence. As you may know I started a BAHons degree in design last September. I have to say it has filled every waking moment (and often given me sleepless nights,) but I am loving every minute. I have been pushed way out of my comfort zone more times than I can count, learning new techniques and developing ones that I already knew. I have spent the summer break working on my sketchbook, visiting galleries, and researching many artists and designers. What a treat it's been. This is a piece of work on trees that I've been working on, the medium is ink on paper. I've also worked the piece on linen fabric using procion dyes and bleach the finishing with hand stitching. In between I've allowed myself the luxury of a little hand stitching inspired the Kantha work of the women in Bangladesh and Bengal. Some of these have added to my Etsy shop. I've really missed my b...

I love little things to stitch and spent a pleasant afternoon stitching these little brooches. The back is some beautiful Irish tweed that I bought at The Festival Quilts back in the summer. I've built up the layers with different fabrics then added buttons and bits. A quick and easy project and It,s a fun way to brighten up my coat!! xox Angela

I've given my blog a new simpler look and hope you like it. I've been 'awol' for so long so it's good to say Hello… I'm loving my course at Somerset College of Art and Design, it's hard work and very time consuming but it's wonderful to be part of such a inspiring and creative environment. My stitching has taken a back seat to painting and drawing but as it's the holidays I gave myself a little treat . I designed and embroidered this little Etui.  It took a while to decide on how to work on the construction, but then came the real pleasure of  stitching the design. The pearls make the edges look pretty too The pockets are to hold your stitching needs and the centre is a little pincushion. 2014 will be busy for me but I'm looking forward to it. Happy New year to you all too. xox Angela.

I love to stitch little things for stitcher's, so here are my latest creations ready to go in my Etsy shop. I always stitch where ever I go so it,s nice to have a little set of my needfuls to quickly pick up.                                            First my hoop, all ready to go in its own pocket. There's a place on the back for scissors, they are held in with a button and a loop. The pocket holds a 6 1/2 " hoop just the right size for work on the move.                                     The matching sewing roll has all those essential notions.                               Pockets for a pack of needles and  buttons, a needle case               ...