Glass Buildings

It seems Newcastle and surrounding cities are growi

ng to be transparent and metal. New shining beams and structures...

I'm beginning to question their beauty.

...city library...

Are they beautiful because they stand out? 

national glass centre - sunderland

i can see the rest of the city reflecting in the windows.

x

...Newcastle in the Sunshine...

love love love that the sun was shining last week up here in my wonderful little city!! So i ventured out for a stroll and wanted to share my findings.

I found a wonderful little market happening in the town centre full of beautiful bits and pieces.



full of lovely little stalls. i had some wonderful chats with people trying to make a difference in the world.
I bought myself a little sign, for when times are hard. i hope it will bring some inspiration to others.



with love and inspiration
xx

deadline tomorrow!

So i have my hand in tomorrow, a crit early next week.... and then all the time in the world to make this a beautiful little space...

i started a flickr, put photos of the finished coat up.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephaniejayne

i tried to make that a link, but i don't think it worked.

check back soon for some interesting chats and beautiful pictures.

i need to go to bed before i drive myself crazy and do another unecessary illustration for the hand in tomorrow.

good night all

xx

sneak previews

Its been ages since i've had chance to blog about some wonderful things. Its been a busy busy time and deadlines are coming to an end at the beginning of June. This is only a quicky blog!

Coat is very nearly finished!

Had an initial shoot today, my first real one tomorrow!!

Started a flickr too... although it only has one photo at the min, a sneak preview the coat!

this will also be updated properly after hand ins and crits are finished.

i received a beautiful parcel today!! 

we had our briefing for final year as well!

i made some delightful leather buttons today, they are actually divine and look wonderful on my coat.

anyway! there are things to be done tonight.

until next time

love

xx

... all tied up?!

toile 5 was finished last night in the small hours of the morning, all ready for my fitting today! how very exciting!! its been quite an adventure, but seeing the complete toile 5 on my model today was just a wonderful feeling!

and here she is... 

(many thanks to the wonderful Colette for modelling)

i'm not really sure why these images are so mis-aligned. 

Today was all about checking the fit of everything. a few bits and pieces have been tweaked... still a few to be finalised in the morning. Then its all about cutting, and the actual final coat!! i'm so excited! its slightly surreal.

I'm going on a mission to London on Thursday, getting the megabus over night, running round like a magpie collecting gems, and then back on the bus. it'll make for interesting thoughts...

All in all, coat is going well so far, and there is an extension on the deadline, 1 extra week to make! working in my favour to get a photoshoot before hand in. My first real photoshoot, but i have some wonderful ideas, and some amazing friends to help out. 

really need to get some batteries for this camera though!

positive energy today.

sweet dreams

x

... home is where the heart is

I'm home for a few days! Delightful drive home in the sunshine. Just picture it, quiet roads, sun beaming, window rolled down, music turned up and singing to the limits of my vocal chords! BLISS!!! lucky only my car was their to hear.
In lovely old York town. Went for a wander today and it reminds me how much i love this little city. its full of wonderful things! there was a man painting on the pavement outside the minster, very beautiful.

I nearly bought a bike on ebay, pretty sure the novelty would wear when the weather gets colder... so instead i have the enthusiasm to dig into the deep deep depths of my garage tomorrow and rescue the lonely cycles. might also venture into the wonderful Yorkshire countryside if the weather stays as nice as it was today!

Have lots of enthusiasm for some side projects! Organising my life, raising funds for my graduate show... I'm excited today. very refreshed!
apparently there are parcels awaiting my return in Newcastle! i think i might actually burst with curiosty!

love x

Rainey Day Projects...

I'd like to introduce to you the book that started off all the Rainspiration!

a little book of mine now full to the brim with ideas about coats and other such things! I mentioned in a previous blog how i got the name, and here is the original book (above).

The 'rain' theme started from a project set by my course, to design and make a beautiful coat, specifically a Rain Coat. anyway, this project has been going on for a few months now but I'd like to write about my coat so far. It is a little bit epic, and i have days where i go through loving and hating it. None the less, I am very excited! I couldn't put all my thoughts into this coat, its the most refined i could make it and my tutor still leaves me emails to tell me to avoid anymore tangents (until my graduate show anyway).

i'd like to share more of my design ideas, but there is to much for one blog. I'm considering starting another more image based site, deviant art has been recommended, i'll look into this and keep you updated.

It was only recently now that the coat has grown and grown, that i needed to get my head in line. and what a task that ended up being!!! apparently my room just isn't big enough. I started drawing on my walls, which is very uplifting! i recommend it to everyone who is lost in ideas. there is something about drawing on the wall that is so satisfying. Maybe because i was told off so many times when i was younger, at least now i've learnt to put paper up! so the image above is the starting point of my thoughts collecting. its now full of notes and lists and timetables. joy! but it must be done!

i even had a burst of energy the other morning to move all the furniture in the sitting room and now its a studio! i hope my house mates don't mind, half of them are home for Easter break. a nice surprise for their return?!

So i finally have my space to work, and I'm onto to toile 5, which should hopefully be complete and ready for a fitting session next Monday. fingers crossed!

and the coat looks like this:

nearly finished design ideas, there are 2 drawings because the concept is all about cogs, the idea of machinery turning and then turning other pieces... ideally this is a concept i'd like to continue into next year.

For now, its a coat of coats, a coat that can be worn, tied up, retied, let loose... full of beautiful contours and magic and stories. Fairytales and folklore. The concept started as an adventure, a road trip around Northumberland and that lead me to stories, cogs, maps and mystery... an incoherent bunch...

Just one Beautiful Coat, "a symphony of exquisite details" UK VOGUE

this is toile 4. a lot of changes marked. I've updated my patterns. i'll keep you posted on the sewing! toile 5 to be revealed soon!

I'm really hoping to have everything ready with enough time before my deadline to get a photoshoot organised. I have a lot of ideas for how i want the shoot to be, hopefully to gather some beautiful imagery for my folio.

I'm hopefully escaping to London for the day later this week, to collect shiny things (like the magpie i am) and bits and bobs for the coat. I'm very excited! also with the chance of meeting up with a wonderful friend while I'm there. Need to pick up some things for some side projects I'm starting for summer. Starting to save up for my Graduate Show so I'm hoping to design, make and sell some quirky accessories and clothing. More info on that as Rainey Days grows. Definitely heading down the road to York tomorrow, where my dearest sister might be helping me sort out my background images etc... the blog is still a working progress. much like my coat and Rainey Days. we'll grow together.

enjoy the journey.

x