For the Love of Tweed

As much as we are trying to hold on to summer here in Scotland, there is no denying that Autumn is just around the corner. I usually try not to mention the next season before it starts but I just had to make something with all the glorious Harris Tweed I brought back from our recent trip to the Outer Hebrides and the stash includes lots of lovely Autumn shades.

I have been making leaf shaped brooches for a while now but not usually in leafy colours.

Here are some beech leaves I picked this morning so I can share with you where the inspiration comes from.

I used to love keeping sketch books and making samples as a form of inspiration gathering but time just does not allow for that any more. The ideas go straight from my mind to the finished piece these days then off out to stockists and craft fairs or into my online shops.

My petunias have been a great asset to my photography this summer and now it's time for my little nasturtiums to shine.

The brooches below are a combination of tweed and handmade felt. The felt is embellished with little foil sprinkles which catch the light without being over 'blingy'.

These earthy tweeds are so full of colour when you see them up close. They reflect the landscape of where they are made perfectly.

This bright orange is incredible! I only have a little bit of it, probably enough for two brooches so once they're gone, they're gone.

This rusty brown felt matches the hawthorn berries that are now hanging in abundance from the bushes up and down our farm track.


Talking of tweed matching the landscape I must share a link to this wonderful exhibition.
FROM  THE LAND COMES THE CLOTH 

The exhibition is a display of photographs by Ian Lawson that are to be published as a book next Spring. The exhibition is on at An Lanntair in Stornoway until September the 4th 2011. 
You can enjoy a virtual look around it here.