Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 5 i Gathered

TRENDS 1. Cosy up It's time to pull all your warmer clothes, tights and coats out of summer storage and get reacquainted! Do a little audit of what you have, what fits, anything that needs mending and anything extra you might need for the season. The shifting of months brings a fresh perspective and that applies to your wardrobe too. Get excited about how you can accessorise with your warmer garms such as scarves, hats and mittens. 2. Make comfort food Some people love planning a week of meals at a time, others among us like to see how we feel in the moment, but whatever camp you're in, we can all get excited about a warming feast to round off the day. Start planning some hearty stews and casseroles…

MINDFULNESS If you go down to Anston Stones Wood today, you may be in for a surprise. For this limestone forest near Sheffield, UK, is used as an open-air studio by James Brunt (jamesbruntartist.co.uk). On any given day, unsuspecting walkers might chance upon his hypnotic designs. Under the yew, beech and ash canopy, beside brooks frequented by woodpeckers and blue kingfishers, he creates patterns out of sticks and leaves. The concentric circles and spirals he fashions appear to be both a natural part of the landscape and otherworldly, like woodland crop circles or rings left behind by fairies. “I've always been an artist, but I never felt fulfilment until I started doing this work,” says James, who studied Fine Art at the Byam Shaw School and worked in galleries in…

CREATIVITY There is a simple pleasure in snuggling up on a cosy sofa with a soft, warm quilt wrapped around you on a blistering winter's day, with a hot chocolate in hand. But despite all of the most experimental and out-there fashion trends that have passed through the modern world, there's yet to be a wave where wearing your blanket outside of the house – no matter how comfortable it may be – is considered cool. That is, until the quilt coat “Quilts are for the home,” says Taiga Bentley, founder of quilting brand House of Taiga. “The bed, the couch, the crib, the shelf – that's where the quilt lives.” “My designs actually became more special and interesting because of the found textiles i was using.” The quilt coat,…

TRENDS 1. Puffball skirts Of all the 80s revivals, the bubble skirt was not on our bingo card. But here we are, the silhouette-distorting bottoms are back, with the mini skirt version in hot demand. The puffball actually first emerged in the 1950s on the Balenciaga and Pierre Cardin catwalks, when volume was the new big thing. The length was longer though and the look more modest. Enter the 80s party look with above-the-knee puffballs in satin, neons and tartans, a brief 00s resurgence defined by barely-there incarnations donned by the likes of Amy Winehouse and Girls Aloud and now today's version – brat-inspired and silly with the focus on fun. 2. Japancore Harajuku style, kawaii nail art, mochi, matcha and sushi – a brief scroll of Pinterest shows we're…

TRENDS Colour helps us make sense of the world, but when it comes to our home or work environments, nothing can really prepare us for the often-daunting selection of options available. Even for the most creative people, it can be all too easy to stick to something ‘safe' or bland. Yet colour has more of an impact on our lives than we might initially think: “Imagine having to spend every day in an extremely small room with dark walls and a tiny window,” explains interior designer Melinda Kiss (keyholeinteriors.co.uk). “It wouldn't take long before you'd start feeling lethargic… this sums up the impact colours can have on our daily lives.” Whether you're in a rented studio apartment, tiny terrace or something a bit more spacious, selecting a colour palette should…

MINDFULNESS Intuition is a sense of clarity from deep within, it is direction and purpose. Emotionally powered and tapped into every day as we navigate life, there is a confidence in following it, the self-belief to follow a path based purely on a feeling. It can be how discoveries are made, new adventures begin, chances are taken and even lives saved. An inner voice, a pure connection, an honest and often swift response. It is immersed in our background, circumstances, relationships and skills, but also something extra. The exciting element of intuition is that part of it feels special and quite separate from our rational minds, adding a magical element to our human existence. The science part Dr Emma Svanberg (@mumologist) is a perinatal clinical psychologist from London. She says…

CREATIVITY You will need: • Brown corduroy fabric • Polyester stuffing • Thread • Knitting needle/dowelling • Scissors • Gold seed beads • Pins There are some foods we love so much, the idea of snuggling up to them is totally acceptable. Whether you go for salty or sweet, this giant pretzel will liven up your sofa – or your wall or your door, if you hang it as a wreath instead. Top with sprinkles or seeds, depending on your taste buds. 1 Start by making one long fabric tube. Fold your fabric lengthways and cut the fabric into two long strips, each measuring 150 x 10cm. 2 If the fabric needs a press, do it now before you start any sewing. With the fabric right sides (RS) together, pin…

CREATIVITY “We're naturally disposed to go for the instant hit.” Everything we need to know about managing money is summed up perfectly by Mr Micawber in the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen [pounds] nineteen [shillings] and six [pence], result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.” Or, to put it another way, spending more than you earn will only lead to trouble. It's the simplest of concepts, yet each day millions of us break that golden rule – our outgoings galloping ahead of our income. Sometimes this is unavoidable – we all have unexpected expenses that can push us into the red (an expression dating from a time when accountants would write negative figures in red…

TRENDS Everyone experiences periods of change in their lives, from moving house to starting a new job. Some people sail through these seemingly unfazed, while some spend the whole time like a pressure cooker about to blow. How you react is all down to your approach to control and how you handle the stress when things don't go as you planned. YOU ARRIVE FOR DINNER AT A RESTAURANT AND REALISE THAT YOUR TABLE RESERVATION HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED. DO YOU: A Wait for the next available table. B Speak directly to the manager about the mishap and negotiate a discount. C Complain bitterly before storming out, and continue to moan about it for the rest of the night. “Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the…

MINDFULNESS “The fear is also excitement, and both want to make sure I am safe and happy” The first thing I notice is that this place doesn't smell like home. I breathe deeply into the unfamiliarity. The air filling my lungs is warm and spiced, and this conscious in-and-out breath brings my attention to the pack on my back. It feels closer to me since arriving. I note that we're in this together now, and I feel an upwelling of fondness for the weight of things that are reassuringly mine. Now, I will find an ATM, I will wish I could eat (but feel too queasy with uncertainty), and I will find a bus. The first test of any solo adventure is whether I can make my way on public…

MINDFULNESS My favourite books as a child transported me to fantasy worlds. Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree and CS Lewis's Narnia series proved that the logic of science and the limitations of real life need not apply in fiction. They were tales written to take us to different places, far-off lands and bring us back again. Same but different, an escape from the everyday. “Narrative therapy techniques help clients uncover the dreams, values, goals and skills that define who we really are. These are the buried stories that can be rewritten” When I was young, I accepted the way stories ended, because it didn't occur to me to challenge the authors I admired. But what if you don't like the way a book ends? From the age of five, my friend…

CREATIVITY We're used to seeing, creating and buying upcycled furniture, but when it comes to clothing, how many of us will turn to something we already own as a starting point for a new project? Yet with hard-hitting documentaries such as Stacey Dooley's Fashion's Dirty Secrets on BBC and Netflix's The True Cost shining a light on the environmental impact of our shopping habits, many of us are feeling inspired to make some positive changes. And the best thing about it? Our wardrobes are the perfect place to start. One person really championing this cause is freelance sewist, blogger and founder of The Refashioners, Portia Lawrie (www.makery.co.uk). As she explains, the best thing about refashioning is that it can be as simple, or as complex, as you make it: “I…