Inspiration

I did't have to look far for inspiration for the 'Kitchen Classics' pattern set.    I have long been a fan of enamelware and tea kettles and coffee pots in particular.  Jay at Planetutopia has beautiful pictures of her retro shop stock on Flickr and these were what I looked at to perfect the shapes for my patterns.  She has generously given me permission to show some of her pics here.

This is such a clever little tea kettle designed by Kaj Franck (shape) and Esteri Tomula (pattern/decoration) for Arabia, echoing the traditional round bellied style of a Japanese teapot and all the charm of bright 1950s1960s enamel.  I do have some of their ceramics including a Esteri Tomula vase and plate found in the days before prices rocketed.  The shape is so inviting, it makes me want to warm my hands around it!

I dream of finding a coffee pot like this at on my vintage shopping trips, a coffee pot designed by Antti Nurmesniemi.   You can see how the shape relates to the finished paper piecing pattern.  I love the clean lines, the easy to hold handle, the lack of fussiness, a great bit of classic design.  

Maybe one day I will have these sitting on my shelf.  Meanwhile I'll just look longingly and sew them instead!