Cresta de plumas de pavo real / Peacock crest making process

Hace unas semanas me llegaron las plumas de un pavo real que había muerto cerca del caserío de una amiga. Gracias a Ana Vivero, que me ayudó como una campeona, pudimos limpiar todas las plumas en un par de días. Limpiar, secar, aplicar vapor... entre tanto mi cabeza iba dando vueltas. 

Some weeks ago, I got all the feathers of a peacock that had died near the hamlet of a friend. Thanks to Ana Vivero, who helped me, we could clean all the feathers in a couple of days. Clean, dry, steam them ... meanwhile my head was imagining what to create with all of that.

 -Si, quiero construir una cresta- me dije, y empecé a organizar el plan de ataque con María Ninot (la suerte de compartir taller con una joyera). Soldar no es de lo que mejor se me da así que podéis imaginar lo que llegué a sudar para soldar 45 piezas de un tirón. Buf, solamente el colocar todas las piezas me llevo una hora. Pero al final quedó la mar de bien.

-Yes, I want to build a crest- I said, and began to organize the plan of attack with Maria Ninot (one of the great thinks of shearing the workshop with a jeweler). Welding is not what I do best so you can imagine that soldering 45 pieces at once was a hard job for me. It took me exactly one hour to prepare all the pieces but it woth all the effort

Y después de tanto limpiar, serrar, soldar y coser... tachan! Me quedé tan contenta que decidí ponérmelo para la "Passejada amb Barret" de este domingo en Barcelona. Nos lo pasamos genial, mañana os enseño las fotos que hice.

And after much cleaning, sawing, welding and sewing ... presto! I was so glad I decided to wear it for the "Stroll with hat" of this Sunday in Barcelona. We had a great morning, tomorrow I'll show you the pictures I took. 

Making-of "La sal de la vida"

Los que me seguís la pista en Instagram ya sabéis que esta última semana he realizado la sesión de fotos de la nueva colección de tocados "La sal de la vida". El lugar, idóneo; unas salinas contiguas a un campo de margaritas, en Mallorca. Tuve la suerte de contar con las joyas de Maria Ninot y el chal de nuno felt realizado por Ana Vivero.

Those who follow me on Instagram already know that the last week I've made the photosoot of the fascinator colection "La sal de la vida". The place was fantastic; a saline next to a field of daisies, in Mallorca. And I had the pleasure to use Maria Ninot's jewels and Ana Vivero's nuno felt chal.

El equipo era inmejorable; una modelo llena de gracia y frescura y unos técnicos que lo mismo ayudan con la iluminación que van a recoger espárragos para hacer una tortilla en la cena de clausura. Todo un lujo!

The team was unbeatable; a model full of grace and freshness and a couple of light designers who helped with the lighting and also went to pick some asparagus to make a omelet for dinner. A luxury!

Y es que cuando la modelo y la fotógrafa (una servidora que lo mismo cose que dispara) conectan, la cosa fluye y el resultado mejora. Ahora solo queda editar y maquetar el catálogo de "La sal de la vida". Mientras tanto... a disfrutar que son dos días!

The fact is that when the model and the photographer (myself) connect, things just flow and you can apreciate it in the result. Now it's time to edit and make the catalog of "La sal de la vida". And meanwhile... make the most of it!

Branding & Silk Printing

El 2014 ha empezado con una nueva imagen para Darabil. Después de largas charlas con una taza caliente entre las manos hablando sobre la filosofía de Darabil, de cuales son las cosas que me inspiran, la diseñadora gráfica Glòria Lèmur se presentó con esta fantástica propuesta. Y yo, loquita de contenta.

2014 has started with a new image for Darabil. After some friendly chats explaining which is the philosophy of Darabil and which are the things that inspired me, the graphic designer Glòria Lèmur came up with a fantastic branding proposal. I immediatly felt in love with it.

Quería imprimir a mano mis propias etiquetas y forros para los tocados y enseguida pensé en Oslo Graphic Barceloneta; un espacio creativo donde conviven diferentes técnicas gráficas, y para más inri tienen un local estupendo justo al lado del mar. Aina Pla Planas, una de las osleñas y una crack de la serigrafía, me ayudo a preparar la pantalla y me regaló algunos consejos.

I wanted to print my own fascinator and hat labels on fabric to make the lining and I thought of Oslo Graphic Barceloneta, a creative space where they work with different techniques related to graphic arts. They have a great space just by the sea. Aina Pla Planas, one of the osloens, help me to prepare the screen and give me some tips. 

Me pase todo el fin de semana imprimiendo sobre diferentes telas, probando nuevos colores, limpiando la pantalla, secándola al sol y volviendo a empezar. El lunes, llena de emoción, fui al taller con el bolso lleno de telas preciosas para forrar los nuevos tocados. Estoy encantada con el resultado. Gracias Glòria y Aina!

I spend a whole weekend printing over different fabrics, trying new colors, cleaning and drying the screen on the sun and starting over again. On Monday I came to my workshop full of nice fabrics to line all the new fascinators. I'm so happy with the result, thank you Glòria and Aina for your great work!

January's fascinator workshop

 Aquí tenéis algunas fotografias del taller de tocados que realicé en mi taller, OSLO Barcelona, el mes pasado. Las alumnas eran un solete, pasamos un buen rato entre hilos, telas, tijeras, alambre y alguna que otra taza de té. Cuando empezaron ninguna sabia como crear un tocado y ya veis lo bien que lo hicieron al final!

Si vives cerca de Barcelona o tienes pensado venir de vacaciones y quieres aprender a hacer tus propias creaciones en forma de tocado puedes escribirme a tallers@oslobarcelona.com
El próximo taller será el 23 de febrero y el 2 de marzo.


Here you have some pictures of the fascinator workshop I've made in OSLO Barcelona last month. The students were amazing, we had great time between threads, fabrics, scisors, wire and tea. They didn't know how to make a fascinator when they started and look how well they end up!

If you live near Barcelona or you are coming on holidays and you want to learn how to make your own headwear creations you can writte to tallers@oslobarcelona.com

The next workshop will take place on 23 of February & 2 of March

Workshop - 19 & 26 -01-2014

Aprende las técnicas básicas para realizar tus propios diseños; desde la elaboración de los moldes que utilizaras para construir la base del tocado hasta las diferentes posibilidades de decoración y sujeción. Finalizarás el talle con un tocado elaborado con tus propias manos y contaras con el conocimiento y los recursos necesarios para realizar tus propias creaciones en casa. El taller consta de dos sesiones:

Sesión 1: Ver diferentes tocados y diseñar el nuestro propio. Crear el molde. Construir la base.

Sesión 2: Desenmoldar. Armar el tocado. Decorarlo. Preparar la sujeción.

Grupos reducidos: máximo 5 alumnos

Cuando: Domingo 19 de enero (de 12h a 14h) y

               Domingo 26 de enero (de 10h a 14h)

Cuanto: 70€ (con materiales incluidos)

Donde: OSLO, Torrent de l’Olla 164 (Gràcia) Barcelona

+info: info@oslobarcelona.com

Handmade camel hat

I just finished this felt hat in camel color. Here you have the making process; as you can see there is no need of big and complicated machines to be a milliner, the basic things are steam, felt and hat block (and you can even make your own blocks, like this one I made)

Glòria Lèmur's eyes and Darabil's hands

A couple of days ago I received the visit of Glòria Lèmur in my workshop OSLO; a great photographer full of sensibility, if you like what you see in here let's have a look of her visual journal. We drank a cup of Christmas tea and she follow me with her camera in the process of making a couple of little earrings. 

In my last jewelry collection, golden hour collection, I used cooper sheet and turquoise patinas so this time I wanted to try brass wire. My work it's a little polivalent and so it's my table; first step prepare the table. Then, I hammer the wire until it has the thickness and texture that I want.

The next step is to prepare the saw and sawed. Then it's time to file; you end up with the fingers full of gold metal powders.

The base is already done but to be able to put the earrings on the ear we need to weld a bolt. I always like to use sterling silver for the bolt because some other materials can provoke irritations on the ear holes. Cut the solder, apply the borax, heat on...we are almost there.

Yes small and simple, it looks nice after polishing and it fits well with the pom pom look. I think that I'll make another version in sterling silver wire.

Wedding flower crown

     This summer I had a special order but I couldn't show you the pictures until now; a wedding flower crown. The wedding took place in the coast of the Mediterranean sea and the bride was wearing a beautiful cotton dress. For this occasion I wanted to use autochthonous flowers so I went to the mountains that are near the coast to pick them; in a couple of days I fulled my studio of hanging flowers. Everywhere I could there was a bunch of flowers drying.

    

     After that, I put all the dry flowers on the table and I started playing with them; lavender mixed with light pink flowers, little yellow ones with wheat... I also figured out how to use the small leftovers to create some flower decorations. 

      and finally I end up with the one, the right one for her, and look how beautiful she seems.

Purple Juliet cap

     Lately I've been playing with my cork blocks and trying new forms with the felt, this procedure it's called free blocking technique and the possibilities are endless.

Celebrating 3 years of creative adventures

OSLO it's not only the shop where you can fins darabil's work among other 32 creators, it's also a plataform that makes possible our creative adventures, a place where an alternative world becomes possible.

Tomorrow we celebrate our 3th aniversary; if you are in Barcelona you are all invited!
15 August 18h

Working process - Fascinators

There are several steps in the creation of a fascinator; think in a design, create a mold to build the scheletor, dry it, cut it, wiring...

It's a delicate work that takes several days; I enjoy every single step and you can apreciate that in the final piece. You can find my latest works in the shop OSLO of Barcelona and you'll have them avalaible in my Etsy shop so soon.