Made in Newcastle @ Grainger Market Enterprise Event hosted by PNE Group

Missing MiN? Then fear not….

From 11am till 3pm on Tuesday 28th June we will be selling our many and wondrous things at the “Grainger Market Enterprise Event” hosted by PNE Group

Come and support us at our inaugural outing since the end of our 6 month pop up adventure at 79 Grainger Street.

We will have lots of lovely things on offer, from sensational homewares, cards, illustrations, photography, jewellery, textiles, unique handmade gifts, fashion and accessories to name but a few. So pop down and say “Hello” we have missed you all xxx

Goodbye 79 Grainger Street and thanks for all the fun.

Way back in December of 2010 we looked around an empty shell of a shop on Grainger Street, trying to find a new home for Made in Newcastle. We had peered into its windows many times, having fallen in love with the staircase and the large space at the back, not to mention great location.

Potential sparked and crackled off the walls. The weather was cold but a warm glow came from within 79 Grainger Street as we got to work transforming it into our new home.

It was a miraculous transformation, in as little as 10 days we brought the shop into being. We tamed the horror of the fridge on the first floor, found new ways to make floors and ended up with a cosy spot to hide and make during the long Winter months.

It's been a whirlwind ride. There's always been something going on at 79 Grainger Street, a regular hive of activity for all involved. Spring brought a nice fresh look to the shop, it was so nice to see that we picked a spot that the sun would sit on for most of the day.

During Spring we got many visitors to the shop, some new friends, some old. Some fury, some frilly.

It's hard to believe we were in there a whole six months. It went by so quickly. It felt even faster than when we were in 22 Nun Street for those short three months. Time is a funny thing. We've come a long way, we've all grown a bit in our own way.

Goodbye 79 Grainger Street. I will miss you, you crazy, messed up, brilliant shop. We will all miss you. Thanks.

Nearing the end

Today sees the last day of the inaugural Newcastle Fashion Week. Its been a MEGA event with lots of exciting things going on all around the city and will hopefully go some way to putting Newcastle on the Fashion map. I guess what we really hope is that this event will help encourage independent designers to start/keep their business in Newcastle and help indy shops (the few that there are in the city) thrive.

As we say goodbye to Fashion Week, we also say "so long" to 79 Grainger Street. On the 31st May, in only 10 days time, Made In Newcastle will be shutting up shop at 79 Grainger street. We've been there for 6 MONTHS and can scarce believe it, the time has gone so quickly.
Those of you who have been following the MiN project since its birth last year, will know that foremost it is an empty shop project and we can only be based in a premises for a temporary period. Ideally we would love to stay in a place on a permanent basis and have a space which offers affordable workshops as well as the gallery and shop. The reality is though that the price is too high and we just can't afford it. This city needs more independent shops though and its something that the MiN collective feel strongly about.

We will be looking for a new base and in the meantime we'll continue to do stuff online and run events around the city, just not from the Grainger St property. You can keep up to date with all our antics on the blog and on our website.

Over the last 6 months at the 79 Grainger premises, its been a pleasure having your support and we're very grateful to Thomas Cook for letting the space to us & giving us the opportunity to showcase the city's artistic talent. We also must thank Newcastle City Council for the financial support they have given us.

Just one last thing to say, before we shut the shop on close of play 31st May - our advise is:
"H'way and geet yourself doon there, quick like"!

Ncstl Fashion Week Guest Designer

Yippee its Friday!!

The guest maker post today is about Rochelle Laine. A recent graduate from Norwich University College of the Arts, Rochelle is now the proud owner of a first class BA Honors Degree in Textiles.
Through the years at University Rochelle has grown into her own style of working, which involves using a lot of mixed media including C.A.D embroidery, laser cutting and weaving. Recently she has been using real fur and leather to create heavy textured pieces.

Rochelle loves to be innovative and push the boundaries of current textile practice. She has developed an in depth knowledge of colour and fabric structure and the use of smart materials in her developmental work helps her to accomplish her design ideas.

Rochelle tells us that throughout education she strived to make an impact with her practical work which has helped her become more aware of the textile design industry and enable her to engage in a sustained and focused period of creative work.
To find out more info about this talented graduate designer visit her blog: http://rochellelaine.blogspot.com/ or the East Durham Artists Network website: http://www.edan.org.uk/

At the moment you can view her work on the walls of the shop gallery space and Rochelle has also included some of her outfits in the showcase.

Ncstl Fashion Week Guest Designer

Another fashiony day is upon us, which means another delightful post about one of our wonderful guest makers. Today its the turn of Kathryn McKelvey, who's work is currently adorning the walls of the MiN gallery space.

Kathryn did a fashion degree at Newcastle Polytechnic and after graduating began work in the fashion forecasting industry in New York city as a designer/illustrator.
Nowadays she makes her living as a lecturer at Northumbria university and a writer, or rather creator of fashion books for publishers John Wiley & Sons. Some of her works include 'Fashion Source Book', 'Illustrating Fashion', 'Fashion Design: Process, Innovation & Practice and Fashion Forecasting'.



















Kathryn's illustration process begins as a hand drawn image created using an unforgiving fine-liner or ballpoint pen. She scans the drawings, creates her own textile designs and adds colour to the the drawings digitally, utilising backdrops from her own photographs and creating special effects using illustration applications.
The prints are then hand finished using techniques such as gilding to give the illustration a slightly more hand made feel and unique effect.

Come into the shop & feast your eyes on Kathryn's gorgeous work which is on sale at a very reasonable price and will be on show for the rest of Fashion Week.

To keep up to date with all her ventures why not follow her blog: www.kathrynmckelvey.tumblr.com