Floral Heart Shaped Stamp

Everybody likes hearts and all girls like flowers, so this lino stamp is a hit. This floral heart-shaped stamp took me two whole days to carve. It started out as a good idea and ended up being a labour of love.

It was all worth it though because everybody loves this stamp and I have used it to create articles for Cratwise Magazine and I have used it to print on canvas for Show Me How on DSTV. I have printed it on many different materials in many different colourways. I have used it to print on fabric, card, paper, wood, leather and pvc.

Many people have asked me if they can buy this stamp from me, however it is irreplaceable. The fact that I can keep printing images over and over again means that it has almost infinite value.

I have found a supplier who can produce a nice quality stamp for me and they can even make it in pink! I am very excited about my new pink stamps. They will be available at R150 for the 20cm x 20cm stamp. Let me know if you would like me to add your name to the waiting list at

info@dyeandprints.co.za

I cannot wait to see what my students make using these new stamps!

Have a great day in full colour!

Kind regards

Melanie

0835689150

www.dyeandprints.co.za

10 000 T-Shirts For Charities

Our drive to collect 10 000 Rainbow T-shirts For Children In Orphanages is picking up pace and we are having a great deal of fun as we go.

You can participate in store st our stockists at Art Den in Roodepoort and at The Crafter's Den in Edenvale.

We have also taken the activity to Hobby-X and the Waterkloof Airshow & Lifestyle Exhibition.

My students in my classes are also contributing and some of them are even sending me T-shirts in the post from outlying areas.

Thank you to all of you who have supported the drive so far.

Get in touch with me directly if you would like me to send you a schedule of dates and venues where you can get involved at info@dyeandprints.co.za

Have a great day in full colour!

Kind regards

Melanie

0835689150

www.dyeandprints.co.za

Mount Olive Outreach

Last week we went to the Mount Olive Outreach near Lenasia with HIVSA to share our skills with the local community. We gave people from the surrounding area the chance to come and dye fabrics and T-shirts. We hope that the experience will inspire them to start their own businesses.

The smiling faces in these pictures tell the story...

Have a great day in full colour!

Kind regards

Melanie

0835689150

www.dyeandprints.co.za

10 000 T-shirts For Charities

We are doing a drive to collect 10000 T-shirts for charities in Gauteng.

While it is fairly difficult for one person or organisation to make a big difference in the lives of many orphans, it is fairly easy for many people to do one small thing, especially if they can have fun while doing it.

Visit one of the venues where we are having this drive and become part of this awesome charity drive. How it works...

Arrive at the venue with two white 100% cotton T-shirts. Pay a nominal fee of R30 for the materials that you will use. We will show you how to dye the T-shirts. Take one home for yourself and leave the other behind and we will donate it to an orphanage.

The children who benefit will not only receive a practical garment that they can wear, they also receive a unique gift that has been made with love by somebody especially for them.

Contact me today for more information so that you can find a venue that suits you at info@dyeandprints.co.za

Have a great day in full colour!

Kind regards

Melanie

0835689150

Kids LOVE tie dye!

Something very special happens inside a child when they open their first tie dye...they realise that the power is in their hands to make something very special for themselves. It ignites their excitement and opens their minds to the idea that they can be captain of their own ship.

The experience is amplified further when they wear what they have made. People stop them and ask them where they got such a beautiful T-shirt and they get the chance to reply "I made it myself." The T-shirt becomes an automatic feedback system for building confidence.

These are all pretty "deep" concepts and some will argue that the reason that kids love tie dye so much is because they have so much FUN!

You decide for yourself...

Have a great day in full colour!

Kind regards

Melanie

0835689150

www.dyeandprints.co.za

South Africa Fashion Industry Revival

The South African Fashion industry has been under some pressure for many years now. Forty years ago it was a huge driver of the economy. Today it is a mere remnant of its former self and it almost looks as if it might disappear altogether. I spoke to somebody a couple of years back who went so far as to say that "The industry is DEAD."

I have never been able to accept his autopsy. So long as there is a handful of people fighting for it, the industry cannot be dead. It certainly is in big trouble. It is not dead.

Last night I attended and amazing seminar where key players in the industry are rallying together to find solutions. AFI (African Fashion International) has partnered up with Endeavor and GIBS to turn the tide and GIBS has announced the rollout of their Fashion Entrepreneurs programme. Even Government has joined the conversation and it looks as if the industry is poised to rebuild.

As a generation of determined young designers emerges to revive the ailing industry, they are going to need a generation of determined artisans and manufacturers to service them and I am very excited to be right in the middle of this work.

For years now I have prayed that the industry would rally together to find solutions and that day finally seems to have arrived.

Keep your eye on the local Fashion industry and expect some big things.

Have a great day in full colour!

Kind regards

Melanie

0835689150

http://www.dyeandprints.co.za/

Hand Craved Stamps

I absolutely LOVE hand carved stamps. One of my customers sent me these pictures of some hand carved stamps made from wood that she found at a flea market in Pretoria. Thank you Dalene!

Aren't they beautiful?!

I believe that you cannot actually put a value on a stamp. Even though these particular ones are dirt cheap, I believe that they are invaluable because you can print the image thousands of times. Once you have made a stamp, you can use it again and again.

Wood blockas have been used for centuries around the world to print fabrics and the technique is still useful today. Although most fabrics are now printed with machines, block printing lends itself to manufacturing small runs of custom items.

Wood block stamps are widely used throughout India and Central Africa. I prefer to use lino or the more modern rubber mats because they are softer and easier to carve. The more pliable stamps also lend themselves to printing on more rigid surfaces. I use my lino stamps to print on fabric, paper, card, leather, pvc, wood and even candles.

The beauty of hand carved stamps is that you can make them whatever size you need. Many of the commercial stamps that you buy are very small. With lino you can make much larger stamps and you can shape them into convenient shapes for printing around the construction of garments.

All this talk about prints has inspired me to go and do some printing of my own....

Have a great day in full colour!

Kind regards

Melanie

0835689150

www.dyeandprints.co.za

Happy Customers

I have received some awesome feedback from my customers who are using my Slipstream dye and products. This is what they have to say...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7n1e2scV8k

"Your Book is absolutely stunning and user friendly." Deyana Thomas.

"Thank you for your DVD. I find it much more informative and enjoy your company in my living room." Hesmari van Toorn, Eazystitch.

"The colours are incredibly vibrant and look fantastic!" Pet-Jane Grove.

"I have a severe physical complaint - LOCKJAW - because of all the Wow stuff!" Glynis Jones.

"You really opened a new world for me." Jeanette, Quilter.

"Very enjoyable. Much more than what I expected." Charmaine Swanepoel, Craft Retailer.

Thank you all for your positive feedback!

Have a great day in full colour!

Kind regards

Melanie

0835689150

www.dyeandprints.co.za

Pretoria Weaver's Guild

Yesterday I did a dye demo at the Pretoria Weaver's Guild. This Guild has been around for decades and is made up of people who spin their own thread and weave their own textiles by hand.

It is a fascinating process and a person ca work on a single project for many months.

It was interesting to note that most of the Guild members were over sixty years of age. When I asked the organisers about this, they told me that the Guild had more than 700 members in the 1970's. That number has shrunk to around 60 or so. They believe that this has happened because more and more women are having to go out and work and have less time (and energy) to spend on themselves doing hand crafts. Because this is such a labour intensive craft, it is now mostly practiced by retired people who have the time to do it.

It is such a pity that this amazing craft that lies so deeply embedded in our textile history is fading out. Today most fabrics are woven on large automated looms and the knowledge that was once passed down from mother to daughter and father to son is now lost.

In some coutries around the world, the knowledge survives, but in South Africa, it is definitely dying out. I feel it is a real pity. There is nothing quite so beautiful as an authentic hand woven piece of cloth.

If you would like to know more about the Weaver's Guild or become a member, please get in touch with me and I will point you in the right direction. I would hate to see this craft die out completely in South Africa.

Have a great day in full colour!

Kind regards

Melanie

+27835689150

www.dyeandprints.co.za

High Fashion In Milan

My signature South African flag dyed by hand on chiffon silk recently walked down the catwalk in Milan. Follow the link to see it!

http://http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Melanie-Brummer-Fan-Club/266623571663

I have been producing hand dyed fabrics for the fashion industry since 2002 and they have appeared in collections around the world from New York to Milan.

Because I work so far behind the scenes in manufacturing, very few people know about it since the fashion designer is normally credited for the work. What most people do not realise is that a fashion designer will use many service providers along the way to producing a garment. A single garment may involve a pattern-maker, textile designer, dyer, printer, CMT (cut make and trim), beader and finisher before it makes it onto the runway. Very often the fashion designer is only responsible for the conceptual design and co-ordination of service providers.

Next time you see a garment strutting down the catwalk, remember that it is the work of many hands and try to guess how many people might have been involved in bringing the creation to you.

Have a great day in full colour!

Kind regards

Melanie

http://www.dyeandprints.co.za/