Welcome dearest readers to a new edition of Friday Friends. I hope your collective weeks have been filled with laughter and sunshine. I am excited this week to introduce a Maddabling guest blog writer - meet Emma from 4eggs !
I really heart this Red ladies cushion cover - 'Armando Caruso' Fabric. Red, white and black with tulle Fringing - isn't it just gorgeous ?
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| http://www.etsy.com/listing/85940437/red-ladies-cushion-cover-armando-caruso oh and you really must see for yourself the amazing level of details and textures in this Black Embellished Evening Shoulder Bag...... The Perfect Accessory for your Little Black Dress ! |
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| http://www.etsy.com/listing/88490946/black-embellished-evening-shoulder-bag |
Who is 4Eggs?
4Eggs is me! Emma Egginton. I used to tell my husband that I would name my brand 4Eggs because it represents my first passion, my family. All my family call us the Eggs so it was fitting that it became my shop name. It also keeps me a little bit anonymous which suits me because I can be a little shy when it comes to my creations.
When did my artistic journey begin?
I have always loved art. Many moons ago I looked forward to going to art class, I rarely got into trouble during art lessons unlike the rest of my studies. I remember making scrunchies out of liberty print fabric and selling them at a local beauty therapist. I also made Christmas cards when I was 16 and sold them at my Uncle’s book shop.
This is my year 12 major work for art; it is a self portrait of me made up of coloured photos. This was pretty cool way back then, there wasn’t any Photoshop around! I used black and white film and had it run through a colour processor to get the coloured photos. It has seen better days but I will never throw it away because it took so long to complete.
My mum is an excellent seamstress I was always impressed by her ability to whip something up on the weekends so at the age of 23 after being fed up with being a beauty therapist since leaving school I decided that I would learn how to sew and enrolled in an Advanced Certificate in Garment Production at the Canberra Institute of Technology. Let me say I had no idea what “right sides together” meant when I started out, but finished the course with an array of skills and techniques that I still use today.
I made several tailored jackets and ball gowns for friends and family but realised very quickly dress making wasn’t going to be a viable option for me because people were not prepared to pay for the time it took to make a customised garment. I made the odd outfit for friends or myself and went back to the work force and got a degree in Community Education at the University of Canberra, getting a job as a Youth worker until I had my daughter Amy.
This is a close up of the hem of a chiffon embroidered dress I made at CIT.
I started doing craft again when I was bored at home waiting for my daughter Amy to arrive; she wasn’t interested in leaving my womb so I ended up having weeks off work and nothing to do. I would wobble off to Bunning’s nearly every day to buy something to paint or stick on somewhere! After she was born I loved making her little dresses and hat and still have her special little pinafores I made for her.
In 2006 we decided to leave Canberra and move to Busselton. During a visit to Yalingup Gallery I discovered “The Ritzy Tote bag” by Caroline Thomas. I tracked her down in Dunsborough and asked her about her bags, she offered to teach me the technique and so I did a two day course and got the creative juices flowing again...
I've made four bags and two clutches using this technique. I currently have one of them on sale on Etsy : http://www.etsy.com/listing/88490946/black-embellished-evening-shoulder-bag
The creativity carried on until my son was born in 2008. Two little people left little time for sewing so my craft activities was redirected to painting and paper art with my daughter and my son as soon as he became mobile. Here is Amy proudly holding a painting I helped her with.
Below is a purple people eater outfit I made for Amy and 20 other little girls for their dance concert a few years ago. They all looked so cute !
As Tom got older I was able to do more and come 2010 we decided to build a house so I started painting all our furniture which was all wood and dated. You name it, I painted it - a pink tall boy for my daughter with decoupage bedside table. Tommy got a blue and aqua tall boy with matching bedsides. The kids helped with a lot of the painting (even if it meant another sand after they had contributed ! ).
I bought an old desk and dressing table from Vinnies and did them up. I love my acrylic blue dressing table. I also tried my hand at upholstering some old chairs from Vinnie’s. I just used some IKEA fabric which I embroidered and painted. Hard work but I’m proud of the finished results.
Inspiration
2010, Enter Pinterest to my life, this site is truly inspiring! I love how visually stimulating it is.
A myriad of images in front of me, pins on anything and everything your heart desires. It is an amazing resource and source of inspiration and motivation for me. Pinterest ignited my creative side and motivated me to start crafting and creating again. I began (with the help of my kids) trying out things I’d never dreamt of. We made homemade glue and wrapped yarn around a bowl. Amy’s (who is 6) turned out better than mine but I persevered and tried with fabric and sari silk. I love making a creative mess, drenching fabric and yarn in gooey glue was very therapeutic and the end result I called ‘fabricmache’!
I have discovered really cool techniques from other talent artisans and I always go straight to Pinterest if the kids want to do a craft activity. We had a great time making glitter goose. Glue, glitter... what more could you ask for?
If you would like to see my Pinterest boards : http://pinterest.com/4eggs/
My Etsy Shop
I was talking to a great friend in QLD about getting a job when Tommy went to school, she made some comment along the lines of why don’t you just make stuff and work from home. I ummed and arrhhed for a while and then one day made a conscious decision to try. Knowing myself as well as I do I knew I had to pick a forte and concentrate on it. After throwing around a few ideas I decided on cushion covers. Why? Because to me cushion covers are like a laid-back canvas that comes to life when the insert goes in. Cushion covers allow me the freedom to create a one off piece that is unique. I can create something different every time. Colours, techniques, fabric type, embellishment, always different. I love mixing vintage fabrics and deconstructed vintage clothing with new satins and cottons to create bold, quirky, fun designs. I love mixing textures and weights to create unconventional cushion.
I draw influence from everywhere and anywhere for my cushion creations :
Shapes, patterns, interior and fashion designers, art, artisans, nature, colours, kids craft books, jewellery just to name a few. I am inspired by fashion and the colour's and patterns designers use to create eye-catching ensembles. I believe cushions can be a powerful entity, they have the ability to completely change the vibe of a room. I like knowing that what I make and sell has really power in the home decor world. I read just today that they are the ‘five-minute face lift of interiors’.
My designs are partly planned partly spontaneous. I sometimes have to walk away from one for a while till I work out what it needs next. I have to have about five on the go at a time otherwise I can get a little bored.
Future aspirations
To be big you have to think big... so I dream of seeing my creations in a magazine like ‘Inside Out’ or ‘Home Beautiful’. That would be the best thing ever. I hope that crafting can be my business and that I can contribute financially to my family through my passion. For now I will continue making my cushion covers, jot down my ideas, do craft with my kids because, that is what keeps me happy, and as the saying goes “happy wife...happy life”.
ps you can also catch 4eggs sweet tweets over on twitter : http://twitter.com/egg4
or on her inspirational blog here : http://stufflessordinary.blogspot.com/
Thanks Samara, looks great. Would you like to follow me on my blog?
ReplyDeleteFound your blog, following and have included a link in your blog feature :D
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