Footage of Nathalie Lete painting in Melbourne.

Such a treat to see Nathalie Lete painting a store window at Blue Illusion today in Malvern. After following her work for so long, I was really excited to meet her in person and stand there (along with lots of other people) and watch her work. Jam Fancy was there, too. A lovely gathering of crafty bloggers and people who admire Lete's work. So lucky to see Lete dip her brush and just...create something so beautiful.

Interview with Nathalie Lete

A window into Lete's Red Riding Hood world

Frances Atkinson


NATHALIE Lete's work is exuberant, nostalgic and everywhere. Blooming flowers with giant petals, bright red toadstools, battered teddy-bears, butterflies and birds; her work is story-book naive, with bold brush stokes from a boiled-lolly palette.

In the past decade the work of the Paris-based artist has become coveted by everyone from Disneyland and Issey Miyake to Chanel and, most recently, Australian clothing line Blue Illusion. Lete's unique aesthetic has blurred across a diverse array of items including clothing, rugs, jewellery, stationery, dinner-ware, ceramics, linens and colouring books.

In an email interview (her English is not strong) on the eve of her first Melbourne visit, 46-year-old Lete talks about her childhood growing up in Paris. ''I had no brother and sister so I was often alone and drawing all the time,'' she explains.

Holidays were spent with her grandmother in Bavaria where Lete spent her days exploring the forest, ''like Little Red Riding Hood''. Fairytales, ''the woods'' and the menacing threat that might be lurking there, also creeps into Lete's work: a spider dangles from a web or a wolf with a hungry look prowls nearby.

''My mother read me lots of stories when I was a child and I loved the illustrations. Even now, when I'm in the middle of nature, I can remember that feeling and I try to use it in my work,'' she says.

Lete says her father also influenced how she sees the world. ''He was Chinese. He wasn't really home a lot because he worked very hard. I remember we had a lot of silk paintings and my mother had some kimonos, which I loved.''

Lete describes her visual style as a mosaic that draws on everything from souvenirs to clashing colours.

''I like contrasting things. I think my parents had 'strange' taste and as I got older, I developed my own and now I mix both. Sometimes what I paint is inspired by stories I make up in my head. Some people might not understand this but it's an important part of how I work.''

Making a living from her art was something Lete always hoped to achieve, but growing up she was told the idea was ''impossible''. Undeterred, when she was 18, she sought the advice of an astrologer who predicted she would become an artist.

''That's why I went to art school, but it wasn't always an easy path. It's been a lot of hard work.''

Today Lete, her husband, painter Thomas Fougerol, and their two children, Oskar and Angele, live and work in a renovated 19th century studio that was once a metal factory that made pieces for the Eiffel Tower. The iconic structure features in Lete's work as a playful kitsch element that she seems to mock and embrace in equal measure.

Recently, Lete was flown to New York to paint Anthropologie's window on Fifth Avenue and this Sunday, she will visit two Blue Illusion stores in Melbourne. ''People are amazed that I find painting the windows so easy but for me, it's like a big piece of paper,'' she says. ''It's fun to draw such large pieces … it makes me really happy.''

The desire to create - whether for the crowd of bystanders she inevitably attracts, or a major label - is constant. ''I always have this feeling that I need to do something, otherwise I feel like a prisoner inside.''

Lete says that her ability to recreate certain feelings of nostalgia is partly because she feels ''disconnected" with the reality of being an adult. ''I don't like too many responsibilities, unless it's to do with my work. I like to feel protected in my world, which is probably why I'm so organised."

As Lete's popularity grows, how she manages her creative time has become critical. ''The success is great but I can't just sit on my balcony,'' she says. ''I have so much to do but I'm not a machine, I have to make sure I don't forget myself.''

Blue Illusion, Sunday 10am, 113 Glenferrie Road, Malvern; 2pm, G093, Doncaster Shopping Centre.

From: The Age newspaper

Queen SIze Crochet Blanket FINALLY finished

Three and a half years.
Countless balls of yarn.
Hours of happy hooking.
Ta daaa.

Chapter One: Spring Comes This Way

The warmer weather is getting closer. You can see it in the early mornings and again later at night when the sky gets that pinkish glow. I don't mind winter but I'm ready for some sun, reading in the shade, picnics, bbqs and drinks with lots of ice. Speaking of reading, I've got a stack of books on the go. I usually try and read one at a time but the four books on my bedside table and the one in my handbag, tell a different story.



I've just started Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (if you buy it from Book Depository, it's FREE shipping around the world). The film, with Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley is out soon and looks fantastic. Set in the 1990s, the book is about three children who grew up and were educated at Hailsham School, a place where children are referred to as 'donors' and have 'guardians'. I'm not too far into the story, but it's got me completely absorbed.

Racing through Jonathan Franzen's new one: Freedom. When it comes to a contemporary take on the suburbs of North America, Franzen is a wicked genius. The book charts the lives and the demise of the Berglund family. They might look like the perfect couple with two 'perfect' teenage children, but of course, they're not. More acerbic than poignant, Franzen's take on modern life can make you squirm and laugh at the same time. Can't wait to get on with this book.


Just quickly: Naming the Bones by Louise Welsh. I saw her recently at the Melbourne Writers' Festival and she was fascinating.

Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein. Loving this book about an American journalist who ends up working for a big Japanese newspaper and taking on the Yukuza. He was at the MWF, too - very funny guy with so many amazing tales of his life covering the 'beat'. Made me want to jump on a plane and fly to Tokyo (again!).

Okay. That's not exactly all of the books I've got my nose in but it's a start. I'm off to get a coffee and find some sun.

Breakfast: the prettiest meal of the day.

Our breakfast doesn't look this pretty every day but a new teapot kind of demanded a little extra trouble. Loving Sophie Dahl's cookbook. I haven't actually made anything from it...yet, but it makes for good breakfast reading and the pictures? So pretty.

Woolly Winter

A friend told me about the Yarn Barn in Reynard Street Coburg, just up from the old Progress Theatre. It's a small, unglamorous shop but they have some of the best colours. I went a little crazy, partly due to the fact that I was on the home stretch with my 100 granny square blanket. These new hues got me over the line.

Wee Wonderfuls WIP

I've been following Wee Wonderfuls for years and even made a few of her lovely softies but her latest book, Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love inspired me to stop organising my craft space and actually make something. It's been ages since I've made something so I've started off slow and easy. This little doll took about half an hour to make. I haven't quite finished sewing on her features, but here's a shot of where I'm up to and a few more from the book. The book as a great range of projects, from hand-sewing to more complicated toys but they have one thing in common, they're all cute and would make great gifts for littles.

Craftroom Clean Up

I don't know how long it took me. Felt like FOREVER but finally got some order back in the craft-room. A lot of stuff went to Op-Shops and Good Will bins. I've got to stop A: Hanging onto everything and B: buying more fabric, felt and wool. MUST start using what I have. Looking forward to sewing something. No idea what, but hope inspiration will strike soon. Happy making.

Baby Buntings

There's Chloe in Glasgow.
Timmy in Castlemain
Reilly in Flemington
Howie in Yarraville
Alberta in Geelong

and they all need a little Welcome To The World Hope You Like It gift. I found this pattern in the new Simple Softies For The Whole Family published by Penguin. They were so quick to make and each one has a lovely bell firmly stuffed into its head (not as painful as it sounds). Next stage; pack them up and post them. I hope their wee hands wave them high.

A Book For You...

Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffit by Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain is looking for a new home. If you live in Australia and would like the book, please leave a comment and email address and I'll be in touch. First comment and the book is yours. Enjoy!

Send in the Clowns

Well all that talk about inspiration worked. Dug out one of my Japanese Craft books and made this funny little guy. Had a lot of fun picking clashing fabrics. I tucked a bell in him too so he makes a pleasing chime when you shake him.

Finding inspiration

Sometimes I get the itch to start a new project but lack a bit of direction. What to make? Something big and time
consuming or something little and satisfying? For me, it all starts in my head. I start tossing up ideas, thinking about fabrics, books, colours. But if I can't actually settle on a project, I do the the following:

1.
Make a cup of tea.


2.
Crack open my inspiration books. These are five notebooks full of images taken from magazines, newspapers and the web of anything creative that catches my eye from a particular shade of pink on a cupcake to the way a curtain falls. I started the first book about six years ago and I'm still going.
It's a great way to have everything that appeals to me in one place. Whenever I happen to be in an op-shop, I always look for
magazines - old copies of Inside Out, Real Living and Vogue Living are always worth snapping up.


3.
Check out my favourite websites: Meet Me At Mikes, Loobylu, Posie Gets Cozie, Craftapooloza, Du Buh Du Design, High Up In The Trees, Jane Brocket, Make+Meaning are just some of the creative blogs that never fail to strike a spark.

4.
Trawl through my Japanese Craft books. These are a lot easier to get these days, especially via ebay.
Great photos, wonderful step-by-step instructions, these aren't cheap but I find them endlessly inspiring.




5.
Sketch. Here's the thing. I can't draw to save myself but picking up a pencil and making lines on a page helps me to loosen up. Often the project I end up making has nothing to do with sketching but somehow it's all connected.

6.
Take photos. I carry a Canon IXUS everywhere I go.

7. Read the latest and back issues of Mixtape. This is a little craft magazine published in Australia and every issue is packed with diverse stories about crafting, books, recipes and music. It's a corker and worth every cent.

8. Listen to Craftsanity - a weekly crafty pod-cast by Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood.

What about you?

What do you do to get needle, hook, paint brush, pencil going?

Beach Day Feeling

Sunday's Kitchen

Last Sunday Em and I went to the launch of Sunday's Kitchen by Lesley Harding and Kendrah Morgan. In Sunday Reed's garden at Heide (at the Museum of Modern Art), in the blazing sun, this gorgeous book got its start in the world.

Part cookbook, part social history, Sunday's Kitchen is all about the domestic and artistic lives of a group of artists (Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker, Arthur Boyd, Joy Hester, John Perceval, Charles Blackman and countless others) who met regularly at Heide to share in the lives of Sunday and John Reed.

Sunday and John were living sustainably long before it became popular. They grew their own vegies, milked their own cows, made butter, bread, preserves and used their way of life to cultivate and support an artistic circle of visual artists, poets and writers right up until their deaths in 1981. John died of cancer in December and Sunday died just ten days later. Every day at 4pm, Sunday would have 'Arvo Tea' which, ''signalled not only the end of a day's work, but also a forum for intelligent conversation and debate''.

Today the original house, now a gallery, still stands. My favourite room is the library/lounge. This is where the Reeds would sit after dinner, smoking, drinking and talking. It's not a big room but the walls are lined with books and somehow it feels like the heart of the house.

Here are some photos from Sunday's Kitchen.

Quilt+2dogs=potential disaster

So. I'd never made a quilt before. A few pre-cutting nerves and soon I had a neat(ish) stack of squares. Sew, sew, zip, zip. I get half the top done and decide I need more squares. I hang my half made-quilt over the back of my chair and start thinking about colours and prints. More flowers? Some stripes? The dogs had been in the craft room all morning. Outside it was pouring down in heavy sheets. I'm still pondering when I see a flash of colour out the corner of my eye.

That's when the screaming began.

Toby (Jack Russell) has one end of my quilt.
Mouse (Fox Terreir) has the other.
They are pulling in opposite directions.

Some sort of Crafting Miracle took place because I managed to gently extract it from their bitey jaws in one piece.

Now I know why quilting is so difficult.

Anyway. The whole thing took me all day but I was happy with it in the end. There's no lovely top-stitching or binding. And I don't think it'll be handed down from one generation to the next - but it's official. I've made my first quilt and not even dogs could stop me.

POSTSCRIPT: SNAP! For more dog vs quilt go to Posie Gets Cozy

Finished WIP

All done.

Camilla Engman: The Suitcase Series

I've been an admirer of Camilla Engman's work for some time, especially her drawings and painting that often feature strange looking people in even stranger looking forests. I read her blog and enjoy posts about her dog Morran and her daily life in Gothenburg, Sweden.

I stumbled across The Suitcase Series on her blog. It looks like the first of a collection of books published by Uppercase that focus on different artists from around the world. You can buy it here. It's one of the most creatively inspiring books I've read in ages. It arrived with lots of extra goodies, too; postcards and a print and a small booklet all about Morran.

The book kicks off with a chapter on Camilla's childhood but goes on to delves into her art, why she creates, her inspirations and attitude towards 'making'. I've been carrying around for ages and each time I get the chance, I dip into it and feel a little creative charge that makes me think...it's time I got some making done myself.


Oh, can you spot one of Loobylu's creations up there on the shelf?