It seems there is a market for denim ties. But not from a cardboard box, along Camden Lock on a Sunday afternoon in 1990.
I have a strange characteristic which is to get obsessed with production. I get a random idea in my head such as 'denim ties!' and I make piles of them. And that is it.
Later, they get donated to charity and sometime later, I see a tramp lumbering along Ludgate Circus wearing one. This happened with some fake-fur trimmed hats I once designed. I did sell a fair few of those. To a shop on Oxford Street, to indie boutiques... But luck was not on my side with the denim ties. They hung around. When they did move it was with a downward momentum, like denim snakes down the board game of my life. Denim ties, loser ties!
More recently (2023), I became obsessed with pressing out badges using a hand crank badge machine. And then absolutely square eyed, choosing fabrics online (to cover them with). And then excruciatingly nerdy, assessing the width of each printed motif and matching it to the exact dimension of the circle cutter. I only ordered short sections (sometimes charm packs and sometimes fat quarters) but a fabric stash was garnered.
I like Frumble, Dalston Mills, and Fabrics Galore for online fabric shopping.
Incidentally, I noticed a new type of fabric design which I'm guessing is AI generated. It is called '3D'. As in 3D snowmen or 3D knitted flowers. The command might be:
Create a seamless repeat pattern, using a photographic style, showing pink, blue and yellow, furry teddy bear faces with happy smiles.
I once read a feature about a guy on Hackney Road, who sat in the middle of an empty shop and carved spoons.
He was perched on a little 3 legged stool, and he made ladle shaped spoons from chunks of wood, using a carving knife. As the day went on, he became surrounded by piles of wood shavings. When he finished each spoon, he would smile, and hold it up to be seen, gleaming. Then onto the next.
That would suit me just fine. I could be happy for the rest of my life, carving spoons.
Ok, now this is funny... I just looked him up, and I remembered it just right and the man is called Barn the Spoon and he is still going strong with his spoon shop. Here's his Barn the Spoon website.
“I made my first spoon twelve years ago and now I’m addicted to making spoons. When I’ve made a good spoon I feel good within myself, but a good spoon doesn’t happen very often – maybe once a day. It’s a beautiful thing.”
I don't think he means he feels bad when it's a middling or lower spoon. I think he is in his element all day and when he gets a good one, he's riding high. I totally get it. I'm signing up!
I can't embed it as it's disabled, but here's a link to a video of Barn making a spoon. It's very peaceful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6GLVE1JONc
Post 30 of 365
I've decided to commit to 365 days of social media continuity and publish 1 blog post per day for a year.
If you enjoy, learn from, share or benefit from any of the 365 please consider a donation to Macmillan Cancer Support.
A penny per post, 10p per post or even a pound: every little helps! Thank you.
Head over to my Just Giving Page for Macmillan Cancer Support