What My Hands Have Found To Do

Hand embroidering portraits feel very intimate; as if I know the couples that I've done, except I don't.

I am SO bad at maintaining my blog

Last year's resolution was to blog more. I failed. My last post was 6 months ago and so many things has happened since.

This year I want to blog more again too. Though I'm really not sure if I'm gonna keep up.

1. Let's start the very first post of 2015 with my catssistant, Lights, being cute.

2. I've gotten into doing lots more embroidery portraits and really enjoy coming up with them

3. This is my latest commission: a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary

4. Some new work that I'm in the midst of, think marbling + leather

5. If you've been following me on my Instagram or Facebook, you'd have found out I'm expecting our son, Eden, come either late April or early May!

6. So far I've made a pair of leather moccasins, a sleeveless onesie and just today, a pair of leggings for him

7. This is the first time I'm working with knit, so you can bet I'm pretty proud of myself with how things came out. Patterns employed are stamps I've carved years back. Thought to revisit them again. Am definitely starting a kids' line if anybody's curious.

8. Excited about the latest workshop I'll be conducting for the Purrzaar Market on 7th Feb, held at Within. Check http://www.within.sg for more info and sign up. Apparently we'll be working out in a beautiful courtyard. It's gonna be good.

Studio stills

It's a little bit more complicated than this, but let's just say I did some work for ACRE last week and got these Flensted mobiles as payment.
Two beautiful mobiles for making one of their clients a noren - pretty sweet deal if I should say so myself. 

I love the way they softly change and take on different shapes. Mesmerising to watch.

I thought to show you this side of my pretend studio too, since I hardly. This is my very first plant nook, before I'd decided to have another one nearer my sewing machines.

Current state of my machine table: Messy

Current state of my studio assistant: Slack/Cute

I'd also worked on an illustration commission for another wedding.
This time was something simpler;  thank you cards the couple wanted displayed on their reception table for guests to take home.

What thoughtful words and how cute of them to have stuck it on coloured popsicle sticks!

Propating Propagation

Making roast for dinner tonight and I have all these rosemary and thyme left over. So obviously, I'm propagating them. The clear glassed ones are gonna be kept in my pretend studio, while I'll leave the brown mugs in the kitchen. Will be exciting to see which ones develop roots first.

My first batch of rosemary propagation experiment reveals it takes close to 2 weeks for any roots to sprout. I've put three branches in, and only this one took root. Even then, as you can see, it has only slightly developed.

Earlier in the week I'd received the wedding invite I did illustrations for.
The illustration is for the front of the invite and it came out absolutely beautifully on print.

P.S. I'm taking illustration commissions!
If you would like for me to illustrate your wedding invites too (or whatever, really), just hit me up at hello(at)graciechai(dot)com

Stories from The 'A' Team

I've an English teacher of a friend who really liked to inspire her class of boys (whom aren't the most literary inclined) to write. 

Some time ago, she'd asked if I would be keen to illustrate a bunch of their creative essays.
She had an idea to compile them into a "book" of sort, as a motivation to spur them onto becoming "published" local authors. 

 I of course, honoured, said yes! 

 Having taken this on, I realised it wasn't really a walk in the park for me either.
Illustrating sports-related thingamabobs and teenage boys aren't exactly my usual doodles. 

 All the sweat paid off when she presented me this binded book for my keeping. 

 I hope this class of 13-year-olds will feel a great sense of achievement and can show this compilation of essays proudly off to their parents.
Never give up, kids.

Pillow Commission

Been working on a commission this week for a client of Spur pop-up:

A 70x70cm pillow slip, with requests of illustrations of a man and woman on each side, plus a zipper closure.

(Tee-hee! Zipper makes a weird creepy smile)

Loads of fun to do :) 

Will be bringing it down to the shop Saturday -
Coincidently! It's also the last day of Spur! If you haven't, you should most definitely check the place out!

Hope you'll like it Jana!