The Crafter's Way 137 - What's On

 Here is this week's Messenger column - What’s On



There is so much happening over the next couple of weeks, lots to see and do across the region and a little further afield. So grab your diaries and make a note of these dates.


Between Spaces is an exhibition of works by students from ARTstART Contemporary Art Program. Earlier in the year I featured Carol Bisset’s program which encourages artists to develop their own ideas and learn how to process images. The Exhibition is being held in the Redcliffe City Art Gallery, 470 Oxley Ave, Redcliffe from 27th May – 11th June. Opening Night is Thursday 27th May from 6pm.


Artisan is opening their second (m)art design store at South Bank on the Wednesday 26th May. (m)art South bank will be the place to buy exceptionally designed and crafted ceramics, glassware and textiles. With its ever-changing display it’s sure to be a place that you will visit time and time again. You can find the store at Shop B13, 166 Grey St, South Bank.


Something for our younger readers, on Saturday 29th May there will be a Harajuku Party at the New Caboolture Library from 1pm – 5.30pm. How does this fit into the Handmade genre? Included in this event is Cos Play, short for costume play, is a form of performance art where participants wear costumes they have made. So if your efforts to encourage your young person to start sewing have so far fallen on deaf ears this event might be just the spark they need.


As part of the Moreton Bay Regional Art Awards there will be an Art & Craft Market at the Strathpine Community Centre on Saturday 29th May from 10am – 3pm. Artists from across the region will selling everything from cards and jewellery to paintings and textiles. For more information contact the Pine Rivers art gallery on 3480 6941.


On Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th May the Mountain Quilters will be holding their annual Quilt Show at the Peachester Hall, Peachester. I will be there with my fabrics and threads so pop up and say hello. This quilt show is eagerly awaited by the quilting community so why not come for a drive and enjoy the creative talents of this community.

Custom Dyeing

 As a general rule I don't custom dye for people. The time involved in getting the exact shade just isn't worth he time and effort. But when my friend, Pauline, from Furry Friends Factory asked if I could dye some fabric for her adorable kits I couldn't say no.

The fabric on the bottom is the original colour. The piece on the top is the sample I was trying to match. The fabric is cordaroy. It was soooo heavy to lift when laden with dye.My muscles got a good work out.

This is the fabric after dyeing. Not a bad match. It's actually a little greener than it appears. Once Pauline says 'OK", I'll do the second piece. Still not in a hurry to make a habit of custom dyeing though.

The Crafter's Way 136 - Book Review

 Here is this week's Messenger column - Try Something New

The Moreton Bay Regional Council Libraries have a wonderful variety of craft books to borrow. Many of these books are recent releases. These books all came from the Pathways Library. Check with your local library for their opening hours.



Making Teddy Bears by Paige Gilchrist (745.59243 GIL)

I used to think that you were either into teddy bears or not. This book reminded me that while we may not be inspired to make our own teddies we all love to look at them. This book has an easy to read history section. In this section was picture of a teddy bear popular in the late 50’s & early 60’s, The Wendy Boston Bear. My older sister had a much loved one which we all shared. When her daughter was born I hunted everywhere for one only to be met with blank stares. When my niece was two I finally spied one in a large department store. The staff must have thought I had gone stark raving mad with excitement. My sister’s is called Wendy Woo and my niece’s is Wendy Two. For this memory alone I loved this book. It has some great patterns as well.


101 Bears to Make by Nancy Tillberg (745.59243 TIL)

If the first book inspired you to have a go at making your own bear then this book will take you to the next level. Part One covers “Making a Teddy Bear”, it covers all the basic skills and equipment you need. Part Two explores the “Creative Touches” to personalize your bear. Finally Part Three outline hints and tips for selling your bears. Beautiful photos accompany clearly written instructions.


How to Organize Your Scrapbook Workspace by Memory Makers (745.593 HOW)

This book is full of affordable and simple storage solutions not only for scrapbooking but for any creative pursuit. The book steps you through an initial assessment of your needs before offering suggestions for organizing your space. If you have found yourself overwhelmed by clutter borrow this book before embarking on your next project.

Since I wrote this for publication the urge to make teddy bears has visited me. See my etsy store.

Indecision

Could the weather be anymore indecisive?

This morning we have had rain.

At the same time the sun has been shining. This is no sunshower. It has been bucketing down. Not sure if these photos actually show our brilliant sunlight.

Evereybody knows how much I hate it when it rains on dyeing days but today it has been particularly annoying. Our trusty dryer is having a hissy fit. The belt that drives the fan broke which caused it to overheat. When it overheats it stops. This is what it is supposed to do, APPARENTLY it prevents fires. I didn't really care about this logic though. Alan came to the rescue and  replaced it temporarily with a rubber band. So for now instead of being on the wall it is taking up bench space. I'm very lucky to have such a handy husband, otherwise I would be drying fabric well into the night.

Creative Kids

For the last couple of days I have been doing Dyeing Workshops with the Grade 5 kids from Good News Lutheran Primary School.

Every hour another group of 14 arrive and start learning about colour.The activity is more about learning how to mix colours than actually dyeing. Dye is just the medium we are using. I don't think they do a bad job for 9-10yr olds. They have created the secondary colours directly on the threads. No pre-mixing.

It's a slow process,everytime somebody adds some colour the group has to stop to take a photo. Trying to get a clear shot of their work is often impossible. At the end we have some pretty groovy threads, a not too messy dye area and have had a lot of fun along the way.

The Crafter's Way 135 - Stitching on Paper

 Here is this week's Messenger column - Stitching on Paper



I haven’t gone mad. Here is a tutorial for stitching on paper, reusing brown paper bags. You can mount the finished piece onto canvas, use as a book cover or include in your paper crafts.

You will need Brown Paper Bags, White Gesso, White stranded Cotton, Sharp needle, Tracing paper 9optional), pencil, acrylic paint in Burnt Umber and Gold, foam paint brushes, old rag.


1. Crumple your bag up, the finger press flat.


2. Paint the Gesso onto one side of the bag. This strengthens the bag and gives you a surface to draw your design.


3. Using the pencil draw your design, you can trace if you wish. Keep the design simple, do not include too much detail.

4. Thread the needle with all six strands of cotton. If you don’t have white you can use a pale colour. Take care with your stitching as you can’t unpick.

5. When the design has been stitched paint the bag with a couple of coats of burnt umber. Make sure that you cover all of the white gesso. Check up against the stitching. Let it dry.

6. (a)Paint small areas of the bag with gold paint.

(b)Let it partially dry then wipe off with old rag. Continue doing small areas until the bag has all been highlighted.While the gesso has strengthened the bag slightly it is still a fragile surface. Take care that you don’t tug on the thread causing the bag to rip. Also be gentle when removing the gold paint. When you have finished you can gently iron the reverse side of the bag. This will remove some of the creases leaving you with a flat surface to glue onto. You can also vary the paint colour. Pink and gold looks quite effective. Have fun.

WOW!

Finally starting to gather my thoughts following the Melbourne Stitches and Craft Show. I only took two photos. We were simply too busy with classes, seminars and sales to remember. I even resorted to delegating photo taking to Class Particpants and they also got caught up and forgot. Never mind.This is the empty site. Empty that is except for Alan.

And this is the site as we have  unpacked and placed stock on any available flat surface. After lunch this display was rearranged to make better use of the light.

Melbournians turned up in droves to attend the Kumihimo classes. Many booked in for the Disc Class before returning in the afternoon to attend the Plate Class. I must admit that I was very surprised by the number of attendees at the daily free seminar on Teaching Craft. I sold out of the  modified book during the second day. As I write I am printing out more copies for the orders I took.

 Late last year when we were planning the interstate trips Alan was a little hesitant. After attending the Melbourne Stitches & Craft Show he is now planning the world tour. I'm thinking Sydney first!

Thank you to all our Melbourne Customers and Class Participants who helped make  the show so enjoyable!

The Crafter's Way 134 - Retreat to Craft

 Here is this week's Messenger column, Retreat To Craft.



Have you ever thought about having a crafty holiday? Have you dreamt about indulging in your passion and enjoying the company of like minded people? A craft convention offers you such an experience. Flick through the pages of your favourite craft magazine and you will see heaps of advertisements for such a break. Then you notice they are interstate. You start to add up the cost of accommodation and airfares and you realise that your craft holiday is destined to stay a dream.

Well start planning because this year Koala Conventions celebrates the10th anniversary of their Brisbane International Embroidery, Textile and Creative Arts Event. This event has come a long way; their first convention had 20 students and 4 workshops. This year’s convention will have 88 workshops on offer. Participants come from all over the world and range in ages from 18 to 90 years of age. Many of the Participants return year after year, to meet up with old friends in a warm family environment. New faces are warmly welcomed and made to feel at home.

Many Conventions require you to nominate one workshop that you will attend for the duration. Koala offers a different option, ideal for people on a budget or where time is a consideration. Participants can attend for a single 2 day workshops or the entire nine day event which features banquets, local tours, free evening presentations and much more. You can even attend multiple workshops if you choose.

With a huge selection of superb two or four day workshops in; hand embroidery, knitting, crochet, textiles, felting, doll making, patchwork, millinery, machine embroidery and framing I’m sure that you will have no trouble justifying a short crafty holiday close to home. The Brisbane Event is held 3rd -11th July. If you would like a free colour brochure pop in and pick one up from us or email: koalaconventions@tpg.com.au or phone (07) 4093 9474

Photos from top to bottom: Gary Clarke,Jan Kerton, Robyn AlexanderThis year Koala Convention has 28 of the best Artists, Tutors, Authors and Designers from Australia, England, South Africa and Hong Kong. Wendy Wilson from Koala says, “Our team of tutors are great personalities as well as true experts in their fields, and take the time to help all their students, in a relaxed and fun filled atmosphere. There is always lots of laughter coming from our classrooms throughout the day.” With Tutors of the calibre of Phillipa Turnbull, Gary Clarke, Alison Cole and Jane Nicholas you are sure to learn something new and interesting.

The Crafter's way 133 - Fashion Unleashed

 Here is this week's Messenger column, Fashion Unleashed.



I’m not sure that readers understand the lengths I will go to source material for this column. No Crafty subject is too hard or out of bounds. Nothing will stand in my way. So when I received an invitation from artisan to attend the upcoming opening of their new exhibition, Fashioned, I took up the challenge. The invitation stated that the opening would be accompanied by a fashion parade highlighting the exhibited works. I decided that this topic was too important to the Craft World to rely solely on the press release, a firsthand look was required. Well, somebody has to do it.

Off I went notebook and pen at the ready. I dropped my sister at the door and went to park the car. I didn’t get very far before the car’s immobiliser had set itself into lock. Why, who knows but it’s not the first time but I can guarantee it is the last. Pulled into a car park, went to call the RACQ. In this short time the car’s wheels had been clamped for illegal parking. By the time I had negotiated them not to tow it and paying $200 for the privilege the fashion parade was over.

So it is back to the press release. Fashioned showcases adventurous Queensland talent. Each year artisan hand-picks our most exciting and innovative graduate work from leading art and design institutions to assemble a groundbreaker exhibition in the Unleashed series. This year we see fashion mix video installations, typography, hats and creations that are inspired by some of the great art movements of the last hundred years.

Artistic trends from fashion of the Edwardian era are explored by ex-fashion model Tovah Cottle. Robyn Taggart explores the aesthetic of early 20th Century Modernists like Mondrian, while Lauren Elise Clarke channels one of the great abstractionists, Mark Rothko. Lauren says her work has been developed from the “atmospheric compositions of stacked and floating rectangles…and Rothko’s signature palette of dark hues.” The men in our lives haven’t been forgotten. Jeremy Gillis’s “Modern Dandy: The Perfect Gentleman” is a collection which aims to modernise the dandy aesthetic. After all, Baudelaire stated that “A dandy aspirant must have no profession other than elegance, no other status but that of cultivating the idea of beauty in their own persons.”

By all accounts, (okay it was only my sister’s) the fashion parade was worthy of a Parisian runway. You can still see these beautifully crafted clothes at artisan, 381 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley. For more info http://www.artisan.org.au/ I suggest catching a train.

Busy Week

My first job this week was to get onto the sewing machine. I made some headbands and scarves before finishing off my bag.

Apologies for the slightly out of focussed photo. As I was fixing photos I accidentally deleted the better image. 

Once we were in the shop we needed to send the stock for the Melbourne Stitches & Craft Show Alan is double checking the boxes aren't overweight. 

I prepared the braiding plate for demonstrations while at the show. I will do a little on the plane to get it started.

I wrote a tutorial for a "The Crafter's Way" column. It will be published while we are away.

Stitched our new stitchery design as a Christening present. Here I'm preparing it for framing. Hopefully I will get the shop 'copy' completed while I'm away.

And I've just now left it pegged until the glue dries. A few more last minute jobs to go and I think we are good to go. Famous last words? I hope not.