Cold inspiration

July, a beautiful summer day, a totally clear blue sky, I was heading home down the A5. I was in a rush. My head full of things I still had to do before Friday my Manchester fashion Tanda, in 2 days time.

A surreal scene caught my eye, a field full of the prettiest iron structures. Intricut gazebos filled the horizon. I drove on, I really didn’t have time to stop…

but the delicate white shapes etched across the blue…? I turned around.

With my camera I headed back towards this enchanted world of shapes and contrasts, light and shadows. The British Ironwork Centre  with their ironwork gazebos

so much inspiration everywhere I looked, and there you see it, a textile design…painted across the stone by the sun !

               ‘Peach Rose Iron Gate’ my first British Ironwork Centre textile design.

I added a couple of roses and I made a lovely swirly asymmetrical skirt and a sexy halterneck top…and I had to make sure they worked on the dance floor,

product development and all that…

                                                     Yes, just perfect to dance in xx

 

 

Fashion’s Tanda

I’ve been getting lost in beautiful fabrics.

I love designing prints and I love turning the fabric into something to wear. If I could successfully combine my two passions of designing and dancing, how happy would I be !

Candi in a ‘Georgia’ skirt, in an exclusive print.

As a way of showing my designs, I’ve taken a Tanda ( 3 dances ) from a Milonga ( an evening of Tango ) and my models have danced my clothes around the room.

On July 6th I had my first ‘Fashion Tanda Interlude’ at Tango Stoke’s monthly Milonga my regular Tango class. The evening was great and allowed me to make mistakes in a warm environment supported by all my friends, thank you.

The following Friday at Tango Manchester’s Summer Ball I felt better prepared.

Table fliers with fabric swatches

Event artwork for Tango Manchester’s Summer Ball

With 8 lovely women, 4 handsome men, a little fashion walk choreography and beautiful dancing they couldn’t have made my clothes look more gorgeous, thank you.

Denista and Dino dancing at the Manchester Tanda

Agi and Paris dancing at the Manchester Tanda

There will be some video footage but for now here’s some great photo’s from photographer Mark Hemingway.

Agi

Denista

Julia

Alina

Bo

Agi

    The fashion Tanda is a great way to show my designs.

The next two Milonga’s where you will be able to see my work are

Sheffield Tango Argentino’s –  Tango Summer Milonga Sheffield on the 17th August

Learning Tango’s Milonga – Mill Hill London on the 7th September.

I have a website here hazelmcnab.com  it’s not quite finished but if you want to see more of my designs please have a look, for any information or to commission a design please get in touch hazel@hazelmcnab.com

hazelmcnab.com

As well as an exclusive range of prints, I will have a recognisable signature range of prints like the red rose on the black, and a range of solid colour garments.

solid colour designs to complement the prints

I want my exclusive prints to be valued as the works of art they are and I’m keeping the print run very small.

rose poppy black elderberry exclusive print

I believe it’s important for a woman to walk into a room feeling gorgeous,

and confident no one else will be wearing what she is wearing.

xx

inspired to wear

Inspiration … I love this photograph  by Eliza Deacon  not the flowers, but their shadow !

what an intriguing idea…

lovely effects, shapes, blurs and focuses. Subtle colours and a softness.

with a little help from photoshop, a textile design ready to be digitally printed onto silk.

fabric to pin to my stand, ooooh I love these blues.

and… Ta da, a lovely easy to wear, light to dance in lace up the back top,

Oh and look you can buy it in my Etsy shop

 follow my fashion inspirations on facebook at H by Hazel McNab

Yey !! I did it …

My Fashion Show

3rd May at The Bear steps Art Gallery, Shrewsbury.

Excited, yes… but too busy to be nervous.

10 mins to go and 2 models missing and no prizes for guessing which ones.

ok so they made up for it with gorgeousness when they got dressed.

So here we go…

…apologies for a very long post but I wanted to document the whole event.

Group 1 the Aquas

The fabulous Katja set the pace for the next 30 mins,

sexy, smooth and…with Nath’s music it was a… will they, won’t they…

just… start dancing…moment all the way through…

Looking totally gorgeous in a turquoise blue shiny satin, wrap round skirt. My Scottish shells, collected and painted from the beach at Kilmory ( previous blog post) came out so well on the silk in this printed lace up back top with peonys.
The elegant Jess in a black satin, side flare Tango skirt, and yes the side flare worked. The same shell/peony print but a different style top, this one a halter neck.

Zoe slightly self conscious but maintaining her usual cool attitude, looked stunning in my Indigo ‘aquilegia flower’, asymmetrical skirt and square tie top.

and, the ethereal Vicki finished the first group in a Chinese flower devoree, aqua velvet, backless dress with low front hem line.

Group 2 was my bright group

With limitless energy and enthusiasm, Shirley certainly worked that floor  – Sashaying that shiny fuschia pink, satin wrap round skirt with matching satin halter neck top. ( and with her own perfect shoes xx)

Katja did perfect justice to my ‘bonded rose’, full swirly skirt with side dipping hem. ( I so love this happy bright print ) Looking good with the bright red satin top with orange ribbon tie waist.

Rachael, a little daunted looked exquisite in a midnight, wrap round skirt, and printed halter neck top.

Vicki swished and swirled my ‘coral floral shell’ printed skirt down the catwalk with it’s little matching halter neck top.

Group 3 The sexy soft off the shoulder tops

a break from the printed silks with an easy informal tops for jeans group.

Perfect for dance work shops, slouching around and practicas.

Group 4 – Golden influences

Shirley looked great in the busy Chatsworth inspired print as a skirt and halter neck top.

Katja looked amazing in the olive and red version of my aquilegia print, and so she should as I designed this print especially for her.

The gold dress looked fab on Rachael and Zoe caught the light in gold satin.

Group 5 miscelaneous

I cheated a bit in the next group and put in some of my favourite pieces from my MA collection, the laser cut top and the dressing gown which took me forever to create the fabric, dying, devore and discharging the velvet but it does look so good.

I was really pleased at how well this ‘sand tide’ digital print, came out.

A silk asymmetrical skirt and halter neck top straight from the beach.

and then she did… I suppose it was inevitableout came the dancing… Vicki in another MA print skirt, with a black silk square tie top with gold hand beaded strap by Jane Dearman.

Group 6 Red and Black

I saved my ‘dark sand rose’ print for the last group

Jess looked divine in the printed halter neck top with a black skirt. Shirley wiggled in a bright red tailed pencil skirt. Zoe made me feel proud in the ‘dark sand rose’ silk side flare Tango skirt, with the bright red satin top, and Vicki looked great in the red velvet backless ‘Chinese flower’ devoree dress.

I was so pleased with how it all went and I can’t thank my models enough, they showed my clothes off beautifully, who would believe none of them had ever done anything like it before and how nervous they really were.

and YES we can do it again I’m setting up some dates xxx

I’m also photographing and putting up the garments individually to order online asap, and will put up the link and info on here next week.

Fashion’s a beach

Kilmory beach West Coast of Scotland on one of those glorious bright February days. Luckily my parents live up near here so when i visit them, this is one of my favorite places to go. That’s Jura in the background.
Heaven for the dogs… and yes us too. It’s a small remote beach and we often have it all to ourselves.

What’s this got to do with fashion? well… uplifting, soul brightening, pattern creating, heart filling pure inspiration…

and sun. Beautiful patterns playing in the water.

I watched the tide as it dragged the fine grains of broken seaweed backwards and forwards across the beach.

Textured stripes and the beginning of a textile design…Oh and look, if I break them up, overlap them, when i cut and sew them the make up of the garment will be confused by looking more complex than it is… ( noisy head, always looking for patterns)

I collected shells to paint, so pretty in their silver mother of pearl, pinks and blues.

I love this brown fine liner I’m converted, I usually use black.

I added peonies to the shells

I added roses to the dark stripes.

My print designs have been sent to Glasgow to be digitally printed onto silk, and I’m waiting…  I’m so excited to see these flat designs transformed into liquid, fluid fabrics. To spread them over my cutting table, to cut them, sew them, and see them dancing on bodies.

366 Hearts Exhibition – February 10th – 23rd 2013

So… it was getting close, I’d nearly done 366 hearts ! and I’d booked The Bear Steps Gallery in Shrewsbury to celebrate the end of my project with a two week exhibition of my hearts…

I couldn’t frame and display all the hearts, so which to chose and print was really difficult.

selecting the ones I wanted for cards and postcards was even harder !!

Fresh from the printers lovely new greeting cards to fold and pack. ( thanks mum )

and my books.

my sweet little house was being filled up with framed pictures ready to go to the exhibition. ( thanks Derek)

As an economical way of displaying more hearts I designed 3 posters. 30 blue hearts, 30 pink hearts and Yep all 366 except I hadn’t finished quite yet so spaces were left for the final 5 to be added day by day. All now in my Etsy shop

Isn’t it great when something turns out better than you expected, I’m loving my posters.

The Bear Steps is a lovely gallery in the heart (oops) of medieval Shrewsbury

though it can be difficult to find !

Ha ha… now to decide the layout! Yes I roped in the expert lol ( thanks Sam )

Pics up and looking good, we forgot the spirit level and ruler… and started squinting.

 

Looks lovely with the sun flooding in.

PInk fizz and cup cakes, ready for the private view

party time… I had to put on my red dress

and take a pic 347th heart Tribe style. ( thanks Rex for the fab photos ) Exhibition open…

I’m here 10-4pm daily, it’s great to see my hearts on the wall instead of on the screen and I’m having some lovely feedback. ( thanks everyone for your support over the last year )

the cards are selling well and I’m learning which are popular and now have a list for the next favorites to go to print.

366 hearts finished and I decided to set a new goal of 1000 hearts. Seemed a shame when things were just feeling like they were beginning.

I’m inspired and love my project so I shall carry on xx

Moving Hearts – my little book of hearts

My book arrived from the printers today, I was so excited to open the box and see them all neatly packed. I’ve put them up in my `Etsy shop

Moving Hearts

On Thursdays I’ve been looking after my friend Vicki’s Gallery in Bridgnorth. It’s been a lovely clear head space, and by taking myself away from my home office, it’s been a good exercise in planning, time management and prioritising. I chose the job I’m taking with me so I have to focus and not get distracted.

My priority has been my new Hearts book, I’ve chosen another 31 of my favorites.

The second collection has been called ‘Moving Hearts’

I’ve had lovely messages from people saying how moving my hearts are, so it seemed an appropriate title and it follows on nicely from ‘Inspiring Hearts.’

I’ve made the layout much cleaner and simpler than the first book and I’m hoping it shows off the illustrations better. I’m going to re-do the first book in this style and get some more printed. I sent the files for ‘Moving Hearts’ to the printers today and will get the book into my Etsy shop as soon as possible I’m hoping it’s going to make a great little stocking filler.

It’s been nice seeing what working away from home means and pretty soon when I move I will be working from a Unit at the Maws Craft Centre in Jackfield… so exciting.

Thanks everyone for the Heart support it’s great getting up in the morning to the ‘Likes’ on 366Hearts facebook

If you want to know the hearts I’ve chosen for ‘Moving Hearts’ they are 157, 160, 164, 170, 173, 175, 183, 186, 191, 197, 202, 205, 206, 207, 208, 214, 215, 217, 222, 228, 233, 235, 241, 243, 246, 249, 253, 255, 257, 261, 263, easiest place to see all the hearts is on my pinterest board

Taking a moment to indulge

I’m just about to paint my 253rd heart, and I’m wondering what I started. It began as a little part of my day, maybe a quick 10 minutes, a little post it note.

It’s now my meditation, it’s my time to contemplate, to look inside myself and see what rises. Something I want to translate from inside my head, my restless creativity, escaping to be caught on paper, onto the screen, a little piece of my passion.

I absolutely love this time xxxxxxx

some of my hearts are available on cards from here

Fluidity and Passions

It started with a day out at Chatsworth House

Wow. Inspiration began with this amazing green wallpaper.

Exotic, oriental birds and bamboo weaving their way around the room.

Outside a lovely day with views for contemplation, and head space to be inspired and feel creative.

Back home to paint and explore images, colours and patterns.

Looking at my boards on Pinterest  brimming over with colour, ideas and inspiration…

hum… I want to paint bright florals

a textile design, created and sent to Glasgow to be digitally printed… the most exciting bit, waiting for my fabric to arrive… like a Birthday present all bright, shiny and fluid waiting to be sculptured onto the body.

designed, cut, pinned, sewn and ironed…

A session with Sally, design alterations made and a perfect little halter neck tie back top with a knee length skirt. The top is lower at the front than the back so a covered tummy but a bare back. The skirt is straight on the left side with a flared panel on the right side for all those swingy leg thingys … Oh didn’t I say…

how funny …  just perfect to Tango in.

I wonder what I’m going to be doing this weekend. Well someone has to try out the prototype.

Night night Chatsworth and thank you xx