Can I knit it? Yes you can! : Meet Studio Aitch

I don't know about you but at reetsweet HQ (also known as a chilly flat in Leeds) we are itching to put the heating on, but trying oh-so-hard to wait until the last moment. So knits is what we need, and Harriet from Studio Aitch will be back on Dec 7th at reetsweet with her utterly gorgeous pieces including her handhuggers which will keep us toasty, and her prints and brooches - which will warm your hearts instead. Hurrah! 

She's a local gal, hailing from Sheffield and works from her home studio there. Here's just a taste of what you can expect from this awesome maker:

 

Well, how the devil have you been?

Hello folks!

We hope you've had a wonderful summer and enjoyed yourselves! We went to Beacon's Festival, baked a lot of cake and started making our very own jewellery line - woop! But we're back and here to please, with a new designer/maker event in Leeds at The Corn Exchange on Sat Dec 7th.

The perfect day to come to town all cosy in your mittens, have a piece of cake, a cuppa and buy some crafty treats for those you love! Hope to see you there...

Becki
x

New maker: Hayley Louise Crann

Over the years we have hosted some original and stunning illustrators, and I am delighted to announce a new maker with a fresh and dynamic style...

Hayley Louise is an Artist and Designer who has a passion for creating intricate hand drawings and designs. Focusing on different textures and details to create life like sketches Hayley’s bases her work around wildlife and their surrounding environment, she has always had a love of nature therefore it is the main inspiration behind the works she creates. 

Sketching all of the different aspects first she then creates a composition with them using Photoshop. Having had an interest in art from a young age Hayley spent five years studying Art and Design at Leeds College of Art and has recently graduated with a BA(Hons) in Printed Textile and Surface Pattern Design. Based in Leeds Hayley now has a collection of drawings in limited edition prints and greetings cards she is now trying to promote herself by taking part in art fairs and competitions and has been awarded a certificate of ‘Outstanding Art’ from the online gallery ‘Light, Space and Time’ and was awarded 2nd place in an arts competition held in Leeds.
 

Find us at Leeds Corn Exchange from 10am until 5pm this Saturday 2nd February, visit our online gallery here to see past events.

june fair: maker profile sophie wilson

I can tell you the moment I fell in love with Sophie Wilson, it was at an exhibition a couple of years ago, trying on moustaches in her 'know before you grow' exhibit - I went for a classic black curly (no 74).  I picked up her card, and I think I tried to persuade her to get involved with reetsweet via email - she did, and at christmas last year we hosted her design + print stall and she has had great success.

What people love about Sophie - who is only 20 and still has a year of studying to go, is that all her work has a profound humour to it, and is uplifting without being cheesy. She wasn't initially drawn to art - she had a penchant for drama, and it was only late on in her school career, she decided to apply for Art & Design at College and was chuffed when she received a place and found that illustration and design was what she really loved and went on to study BA (Hons) Graphic Design at Leeds College of Art.

 

Musically she loves Fleetwood Mac, Simon & Garfunkel, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, The Smiths, Beirut and Regina Spektor, and enjoys the accordion - Yann Tiersen is a big love of hers as her boyfriend actually plays the accordion himself.  Blessed with some hilarious  friends, Sophie says that it is through them that she channels a lot of my inspiration and energy for her work.

 

 

'I like design to be quite clean, but sometimes a little decorative and quite pretty too. Some of my favourite designers and illustrators include Olly Moss, Robbie Porter, Gemma Correll and so many more (I could genuinely go on for hours).'

She will be finishing Uni soon, then she hopes to go into freelance design, specialising in print and illustration, and hopefully still making people smile. Aside from design, she is hoping to get a tortoise, and she will call him Winston...we like this girl's style and priorities!

june fair: bear follows cat returns...

Fresh from living and working in Berlin, Bear Follows Cat aka Phillipa returns to reetsweet for the june event to show us more of her intricate and original papercuts and screenprints.

She has now introduced a series of homewares including cushions and you can also shop online at her lovely folksy shop which has a selection of her woodland creature artworks for sale...they make us want to marry a deer and live in wood...

reetsweet june: the art of illustration with ruth jamieson

There is something magical about this lady's work, and at reetsweet we have a huge appreciation for the unusual, and for the unique...

We are absolutely delighted to be showcasing Ruth Jamieson's work at the next fair in June, Ruth is an artist and tattooist currently based in Leeds city centre, and has had a skill for drawing since a young age. 

 

Ruth’s work is inspired by the decadent 1920’s, particularly Berlin’s vibrant Weimar period. Christopher Isherwood, The Bauhaus School of Art and the Dada movement have all influenced her creations, leaving her work with a sumptuous yet dark undertone.

Predominately using black and grey in her drawings, she has recently taken to incorporating light colour washes, reminiscent of vintage fashion illustrations.  Ruth will be selling prints, bags, badges and mirrors of her artwork at Reetsweet's Summer Fair June 2nd, meanwhile, enjoy more of her work here.

reetsweet at leeds uni: MEGA ROUNDUP WEEK!

Well good evening! More bits to tempt you in to tuesday's fair at the uni....






Louise Taylor of Louise Taylor Originals is based in her home studio in Flockton, Wakefield. Where she works creating art work, gifts and stationery. Inspired by her interest in textiles mainly embroidery, focusing on hand stitch. She gathers inspiration from from around her home in Yorkshire, looking at flowers and her veggie plot! Louise explores natural forms and structures, producing abstract drawings which focus on line and form...and very charming they are!

We open at the riley smith hall 11am to 4pm Nov 8th...

leeds uni fair preview: yuyu

Appearing at the leeds university fair, Nov 8th for the first time reetsweet are proud to introduce to you yuyu...




The people behind Yuyu are Mark McKeown and Julie-Anne Hughes, both designers but with different design disciplines. Julie started her textile design journey at art school in Scotland. Over fifteen years on, having worked in top design studios in New York and London; Julie now lives in Leeds and divides her time between designing for Yuyu, teaching Illustrator to the textile students at Leeds College of Art, and most recently new mum to son Bertie.

Mark has nearly twenty years of experience in graphic and editorial design. They met back in 2004, since then Julie’s passion for surface pattern and screen-printing started to influence Mark’s everyday graphic design work. In 2007, they decided to combine their different skills and love of bold graphic prints (often influenced by the retro patterns they grew up with in the late seventies), to create Yuyu. They launched their first collection at Top Drawer in September 2008.

Nearly five years on, with a new baby and studio puss called Doris, they continue to design cards which are sold to independent retailers throughout the UK, Europe, America and Canada. They also undertake freelance commissions and licence their designs for a variety of different products.

www.iloveyuyu.com

LIVE BLOGGING SUNDAY: Today's fair

Carrie Ann Coupe brings more of her intricate and delicate designs to reetsweet's fair - from prints to useful paper goods!

oct fair preview: new friends!

Here at reetsweet we are always looking for new crafty talents, and are proud to introduce to you Natasha Kidd - aka 'theknittingkidd' knitter extraordinaire!

'I am a knitter with a serious case of the 'knitting bug' interested in creating, making, colour, texture and all things handmade.

I design and hand-knit unique and quirky felted bags. My bags come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours, with embellishments including knitted toadstools, mushrooms, flowers and other flora, fauna and buttons. Alongside bags I make knitted and felted purses, brooches, pencil and laptop cases. Most recently I have started to develop a range of small knitted toys. All products are made with high quality wool.

I have been knitting for about a year and a half after a random knitting lesson with my mum one Christmas. Since then I haven't stopped knitting and I have been selling my wares for about a year, first to friends and family and since April 2011 I have started selling at craft and handmade fairs.

I studied an Art and Design degree at Leeds Metropolitan from which I graduated in 2003. I have always been interested in making work including sculpture, model making, animation and drawing and painting. I have found my passion in knitting and textiles.'

http://www.knittingkidd.co.uk/

October's reetsweet on the 1st and 2nd will also showcase the work of Memelou - Michelle Gemmel! Her charming designs are the perfect antidote to the nights drawing in...

'Michelle Gemmel has been a designer for many years. She studied textile design at York St john University. After graduating she worked for large companies designing Underwear, swimwear, nightwear and housewares but most recently became a freelance designer. Michelle has always been in love with surface pattern and decided to follow her dream and design patterns all day long! She also now has the time to be more creative and has decided to pursue her love of craft. She loves making quirky, fun purses and printed tote bags as well as cards and other nic naks. Everything is handmade and designed (with love) in Michelle's micro studio in Leeds- it's really that small!'

http://me-melou.blogspot.com/

thanks for a nice weekend!

Thanks Leeds for hosting one of our best fairs yet! Check it all out here lots of new and established stallholders, and cake, and leeds pride on! We all had a great time! Special thanks to Lianne Mellor, James Green and everyone from Zinc White and to all the shoppers who came out despite the drizzle this morning - see you next in October on the 1st and 2nd x

totally sweet! : steph says hello's new design for reetsweet!

Hello there reetsweeters! You may find you'll be seeing a lot more of our flyers and posters around leeds so watch, this, space! Steph says hello (aka Steph Baxter) has once again surpassed herself and produced us an amazing autumn flyer for the august/oct fairs...thank you steph!! To see more of her fantastic work got to her website! Thank you please! x

join us on fb for updates and announcements!

Keep up to date with all our events, submission dates and musings on the facebook page here! We have a two day event coming up this august @ the stunning Leeds Corn Exchange - more details here for saturday 6th august, and here for sunday 7th august...both days are free, we just wanted to give as many crafters, and customers alike, the chance to come on a day that suits them to take a look at what we have on offer!

Watch this space for our very own reetsweet competition coming up soon!

come rain or shine @ nation of shopkeepers sat!

Tomorrow we roll! It's finally reetsweet @ nation of shopkeepers, whatever the weather we will be on the balcony from 12-5pm with art, crafts and cake.

You'll find prints from some amazing artists, cushions, other homewares, jewellery, toys, accessories and more...everything is one of a kind and a little bit different! See you there from 12! Free entry!

And don't forget, if you can't make it tomorrow, there's this next sunday! Our super duper massive fair @ the corn exchange....