Blog of Interest: Prints Charming

In the coming weeks, I will be showcasing, in depth, some of the many wonderful links you see posted along the navigation bar to the right side of this page, blogs and websites that I find inspiring and that do, in many ways, relate to the creative spirit and inspirational drive behind Martha Stewart Living, in terms of craft, food, design and style.

First up is the wonderful Prints Charming, an Australian-based textile firm that was started using the combined talents of Cath Derksema and Kirsten Junor. Their store and studio in Annadale is just one part of their operation, which now has a very important web component.

The pair is always developing new and innovative textiles and fabric prints, sewing kits, quilt kits and so much more, most of which are for sale on their website store. Read their story, below.

About:

Cath Derksema and Kirsten Junor met when they were both working at John Kaldor Fabricmaker in the late 1980’s, Cath as a textile designer and Kirsten in production. Cath left Kaldors to start her own design studios ArtPark and Masterpeace , producing original artworks for the rag trade both in Australia and off shore. Kirsten went onto study costume making at NIDA, then working for film and television in Sydney and London. Their paths separated, children arrived and it was after a chance meeting through a mutual friend that their paths crossed again, Prints Charming is the result.

What they do:

"Hand printing in our studio leads us to be inspired in many directions. By printing only 3 metre lengths at a time means we are able to constantly change our colour palettes and designs, making a visit to our studio a new experience every time. These small print runs are exclusive to our studio and online shop. But we don’t stop there! We love to sew as well, fabric often going straight from the print table to the sewing machine. Stitched into quilts, soft furnishings, women’s wear, bags and anything else we can. Hand embellishment is a strong influence and we love to embroider round and round our organic printed motifs. Keep an eye on our on-line shop and the PC Diaries for regular updates.

Hand printing is the basis for all our art work that we create for our Prints Charming ranges for Marcus Fabrics in New York. The creation of hand printed artwork, for these ranges means our unique style is retained, to be then enjoyed by fellow crafters worldwide. The beautiful soft handle of these fabrics makes them so suitable for clothing as well as craft.

Our style is often described as fresh and modern. We also like to think it’s very Australian as well. The light in Australia is so different to the rest of the world; we are bolder with our use of colour. Using a white base cloth to print on means the colours stay fresh and dance off the fabric."

Cath and Kirsten recently developed a new range of hand-printed panels, which are perfect for embellishing with embroidery, like the example above. The 'gals' have been kind enough to send me a sample! These cushions, below, with Cath and Kirsten's original prints, would be lovely with some added embroidery. Visit their online store to find out more. Also, read their blog for more inspiring projects!