Pattern Pulp

Twitter Influencer: Malika Favre




Malika Favre is a french artist, illustrator and art director currently living in London. Her style of vector art is distinct and eye-catching, with a penchant for organic shapes, bold colors and innovative use of positive and negative space. With such an iconic style, it’s no wonder she has a legion of fans and an impressive client list in the realms of editorial, advertising, publishing, music and fashion that includes the likes of Wallpaper, Vitsoe, La Parisienne and Creative Review, among others.

Twitter is a great way to get to the know the woman behind the work, as she chronicle her adventures in travel, art and design and interacts with friends, colleagues and fans. Of course, it’s also an excellent place to get the most up-to-date information on her work and projects!

DIY Couture: Your Own Fashion Collection




A DIY revolution has been sweeping over the blogosphere for a while now, creating a legion of crafting enthusiasts looking to make for themselves the things that they see in stores, or wish that they did. We’ve seen a lot of jewelry and accessory how-to’s, in addition to an abundance of home goods and gifts – but what about clothes? If you haven’t had much experience with sewing and patterns, the whole premise can be pretty intimidating. Rosie Martin’s book DIY Couture: Create Your Own Fashion Collection will help you to conquer that confusion with simple, visual instructions and cool styling.

The DIY Couture collection is comprised of 10 stylish, easy to make pieces of clothing that you can recreate in your favorite fabrics, textures and colors. The book begins with a Useful Techniques section, followed by Collections: inspirational photographs of the pieces styled different ways.

Next, each of the 10 garments, from a Goddess dress to a cool romper suit and hoody, is clearly explained, including a spread showing all the variations (e.g. fastenings, necklines and hems) possible for each garment. Finally, clear step by step illustrations and photographs show you how each piece is made. With no complex sewing patterns, even sewing novices can make their own beautiful clothes. Pick up a copy and make your own mark on fashion.

DIY: Glitter Blocking Your Boots




We’ve all bought something that ultimately ends up at the back of our closet collecting dust. I did it a few years ago with these slip-on boots from All Saints. I bought them online, so when they arrived I realized the purposeful dingy-look of the off-white canvas didn’t do it for me. Instead of looking down-town grunge they just looked dirty.

I’m happy they’re still around, as I recently had a great idea on how to lose the dingy look…with glitter!  If too much is used, glitter can tend to look too young/girly, so pairing the bright glitz with the dull canvas worked perfectly.

Here’s my tutorial on how I transformed them. I hope it inspires you to tweak the items in your closet that also need a face lift.

Ingredients: Glue: I used Aleene’s Tacky Glue | Glitter: I used Martha Stuart brand in the color Smoky Quartz. I like this glitter over others due to the fine-quality of the flakes

Using your finger, evenly spread the glue where you want the glitter. Immediately after you spread the glue, shake the glitter onto the sticky areas. No need to be precise since the glitter will only cling to the wet area.

Then press down lightly with a clean finger on the glittered areas, this is a great way to ensure the glitter is secured. After all the glue areas are covered in sparkles, tap the boot to get any excess glitter off your shoe.

I would recommend doing this over an old newspaper so you can easily dump the unused glitter back into its container. Waste not, want not! After it dries completely you can start wearing them! That’s it ladies, a super simple way to re-vamp old shoes. 

Coverage by Chelsa Skees

 

A Trip to Singapore & Myanmar




A year and a half ago, I went to Singapore to visit my in-laws and snapped about 500 photos. Top one’s pretty intense, isn’t it? As life would have it, my husband and I are heading back there this week as he’ll be speaking on a music panel about licensing and copyright law.

Since we’ll be on the other side of the world, we figured why not take advantage of the inter-asia airfares and visit a place where we can slow down, even if only for a few days. We’ve chosen Myanmar. I’ve read that it’s untouched and beautiful (and vegetarian friendly!) and I’m assuming it’s going to be an internet-free experience, though who knows…between the two of us, we both have trouble unplugging.

SO! Back to Pattern Pulp. We’ll continue posting, though things might be a bit lighter than usual. See ya in June.

 

Tiffany's Bike Lock Cover Giveaway!




Remember Tiffany’s fantastic tutorial from two weeks ago? Well she’s generously giving away her lock sock to one lucky reader this week (shipped with love from Paris).

To enter, please leave a comment telling us what’s awesome about your city and why you love riding around it. The winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!

 

Ana Romero Monteiro's Textiles




Anyone who wanders onto Pattern Pulp on a semi-regular basis knows we’re all about the community and offering a stepping stool to fresh talent starting out. This brings us to the photo-realist geometric textiles of Ana Romero Monteiro.

While Ana’s been in the business of textile design for a while, this collection is a new and independent feat. Her kickstarter campaign is nearly over and she needs a hint more help to reach her goal with the few days remaining.

We’re particularly fond of the unexpected splicing of these highly contrasting prints and their application onto hard and soft surfaces.

Ana will be debuting this collection next week at ICFF, so if you’re planning to go, swing by her booth and say hello!

 

Tracking Repetitive + Awesome.
On Instagram.