05/11/2012

THE BLANKET {sarah elwick}

This is my second review of one of my very clever friends over on the left. This time it is the lovely Sarah Elwick up for answering a few questions about herself and her *new* on line shop she has set up. I was very lucky to receive one of her gorgeous baby blankets in the post as a little swap for some artwork. I was excited when it arrived as I'd seen little peeks on instagram and facebook. And my oh my did it not disappoint, it is gorgeous in the flesh. My husband LOVED it too and didn't even say "do you really need another blanket" which in itself was a flipping miracle!



I used to go to art foundation with Sarah (I know it does seem like I'm a little biased and only currently reviewing 'Sarah's'!) She has moved up to Winchester to teach and create these masterpieces. She has recently exhibited at MADE in London and will be showing and selling her beautiful stuff at MADE in Brighton on Friday 23rd, Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th November. Make sure if you are in the area you pop in and have a look, or check out her shop on line.

I asked her a few question so you could get to know a bit more about her and her work...


WHAT DID YOU STUDY TO GET WHERE YOU ARE NOW

I studied for a BA(hons) in textile design, specialising in knitwear at Winchester School of Art, graduating with a 1st in 2003. I then went straight onto study for an MA in Menswear Knitwear at the Royal College of Art. Both courses were absolutely fantastic, and really taught me to think creatively, and developed my personal handwriting as a designer.

WHY IS PRODUCING AND SOURCING MATERIALS FROM THE UK SO IMPORTANT?

After I graduated from the RCA I worked as a knitwear designer for a company that mass produced knitwear collections for clients in the US. They manufactured this knitwear using factories in the Far East, where the motto seemed to be 'make 'em cheap and pile 'em high', and any slightly more interesting construction technique,  high end yarn, or stitch pattern would usually be ruled out because it would be too expensive to produce.

This experience really opened my eyes to the conditions that cheap knitwear is made in, and gave me the impetus to want to start making something here in the UK, being able to design products that I felt passionately about, using high quality yarn, and supporting the extremely skilled knitwear, and yarn producers we have in the country, hopefully helping to keep this important part of out manufacturing heritage alive.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO MAKE SUCH AMAZING COLOUR COMBINATIONS!

This year for my new geometric merino collection, I was inspired by patchwork quilts, and other traditional 'folk' textiles, such as Scandinavian Fairisle knitwear, and traditional welsh wool blankets, as they all have quite bold, graphic colourways and patterns, which I always seem to be drawn to. I got particularly inspired by this blog called Folk Object: http://folkobject.tumblr.com/ which has whole a wealth of inspiring Folk art and textile images to view. 

I then digest this information over a period of a few weeks/months. At this stage I tend to procrastinate for ages over a wide variety of inspiration and imagery, and then gradually designs and patterns seem to come naturally to the front of what I'm working on. If my gut reaction says 'YES!' then I go with it! It's difficult to know which designs and colourways will be popular, but I think you have to rely on your gut instinct about what makes you feel most excited as a designer, and try and take a few risks with new work each year.

WHERE CAN PEOPLE SEE YOUR WORK AND BUY YOUR BEAUTIFUL THINGS.

My work is available to buy through my online shop on my website: http://sarahelwick.com/ through Notonthehighstreet, or through a few shops I have listed on my website. I am always on the look-out for suitable new outlets, so please get in touch if you would like to stock my work.

Other than that I've just shown my work at MADE LONDON, which was brilliant, and from the 22nd-25th of November I will be exhibiting at MADE12 in Brighton: http://www.brighton-made.co.uk/ please pop by and say hello if you can!

DO YOU HAVE A PLAN OF WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO PRODUCE NEXT?

After really great feedback on my work from MADE LONDON on my new geometric merino range of accessories, I plan to continue to develop this range of products next year. I want to design a new range of womens luxury fineguage merino scarves, that really showcase the beautiful merino yarns to their full potential.

DO YOU FIND TEACHING A BENEFIT TO YOUR PROFESSIONAL PRACTISE?

Definitely. I think having to explain techniques, and approaches to students really enhances my knowledge and understanding of certain processes. I also find it really inspiring to see what my students design, as they are looking a process with fresh eyes, and so can often be really innovative and push the boundaries of the discipline.

ASIDE FROM COFFEE WHAT CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?!

Well I'm more of a tea person to be honest, so tea, and red wine, oh and probably houmous. I eat it pretty much every day!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WANTING TO START UP THEIR OWN BUSINESS

Be prepared to work ten times as hard as you think you will need to. 

Do shows where you can sell your work to the public as soon as you can. The feedback you will get on your work, what people like and dislike about your products, and whether ultimately will you be able to sell them to make enough money to make a living out of it, will be invaluable. 

Don't undercharge for your work. If something is handmade, using good quality raw materials, people expect to pay a bit more for it. If you're only making a couple of pounds profit from each item, you're never going to be able to sustain it as a business.

Ask for advice. From your peers, tutors, other people running a similar business to you, organisations who run workshops. Ask what shows they recommend, how they price their work, how they produce their work, etc, etc. As long as you're not in direct competition with them, they will probably be happy to help you.

Always thank people who have helped you along the way. Whether it's tutors, show organisers, suppliers, friends who photographed your work for you, or modelled your work for you, whatever it is say thankyou, and if you can't pay them offer them something in kind. In my case, some knitwear in return for something I need help with always goes down well, and you never know when you might need them again...!

Me and Stanley also did a little photo shoot for Sarah to help with images on her website. You can see more here, but a little glimpse of what we got up to is below. I think it is so important to support these hardworking individuals as best we can. There are so many huge brands out there making tonnes of money by selling cheaply made things out of not very nice, unsustainable materials. I think if we can buy a little less but buy locally or from people we know then just perhaps we can make a real success out of good, talented people.




3 comments:

  1. Holey crumpets! This has to be one of the loveliest blankets I've ever seen. I love Sarah's other products and before I'd even scrolled down to the bottom of your post to see your pics, I was on Sarah's website checking them out. One of those lovely cushions will be on my Christmas list! Lovely to see Stanley in his Tootsa MacGinty dungies enjoying his new blanket staring out at the waves - I wonder what he was thinking about?!

    I think its great that you're supporting your very talented friends and the things they make by featuring them on your blog - I love discovering new makers I might not have come across otherwise in this way -Thank you. I agree that it is so important in this climate to help support the people that are really fighting to make a success out of the thing they love doing when there's so much cheap not so well made competition - surely its a no brainer to spend a bit more and get something so much nicer and unique and give your money to someone who appreciates the sale a lot more, but sadly not everyone else thinks like that.

    Last year I made a pact with myself to only buy christmas presents from Etsy, craft markets, people I know, people I'd come to know through my blog or make things myself. It worked really well and I'll definitely be boycotting the high street again this year! Wishing Sarah lots of luck with her business and beautiful knitwear, I hope to own one of her lovely cushions soon!

    Emily xx PS sorry for ranting :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Emily,

      Thanks so much for your lovely comments, I really do appreciate it (especially as the blankets are a new range for me, so putting them out in the world can feel a little scary at first...)

      I'm glad that the last few years have seen consumers start turn away from cheap mass produced goods, to support small businesses, and local more ethical producers, wanting to buy products that they really love, knowing a bit about the story behind how they were made.

      Thanks again! Sarah x

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  2. Such a beautiful blanket! So many talented Sarah's about!

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