The Crafter’s Way 181- As Fete Would Have It

This week’s Messenger column.

As the weather cools many schools start planning for their annual School Fete. The call goes out to parents to create items to sell and use as prizes. Even the most creative and crafty parent finds the extra demand on their time stressful so I have collated a list of blogs where you can find some simple, inexpensive and eye catching items. Many of these activities you will be able to enlist the kids help with. I’ve started with Alisa Burke’s blog http://alisaburke.blogspot.com/search/label/tutorials because her site is full of wonderful and fun crafty items. In particular check out her upcycled fibre coasters and upcycled pot holders. Both are made using recycled denim jeans and other assorted scraps.

Over at Happy Together http://ohsohappytogether.blogspot.com/2010/10/playful-pumpkins.html you will find a quick tutorial on how to make fabric pumpkins. Display as a decorator item or alternatively stick a couple of dressmaker’s pins in and sell as a pin cushion. This site has other tutorials also worth checking out.

The blog, Hungry Hippie http://1hungryhippie.blogspot.com/2010/09/sew-it-wire-hanger-makeover.html also has multiple tutorials but this one is my pick for a fete item. Basic sewing skills are needed to transform a simple coat hanger into something more eye catching. This is my favourite inclusion. Mother Huddle has a tutorial for a pinwheel hair clip http://www.themotherhuddle.com/tutorial-fabric-pinwheel-hair-clip/ Quick and simple to create. Price them right and they will sure to walk off the shelf. I can recommend this tutorial from personal experience. I have made myself one of these fabric business card holders following The Crafty Cupboard’s Tutorial http://craftycupboard.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-business-card-holder.html

With schools teaching children about sustainability this tutorial should go down a treat. Elizabeth Abernathy guides you through making a recycled plastic necklace here at http://www.elizabethabernathy.com/2010/02/recycled-plastic-necklace-tutorial.html

With these simple projects this years craft donations should be stress free.

SOLA – Industry and Business Building

On Monday the 6th June Sola presents a day of Industry & Business Building workshops.

Love for sale: how to get your
craft ‘market ready’ with BrisStyle ,incub8r and Bleeding Heart.
Do you handmake a great craft product and want to get it out to the marketplace? Get some good advice from representatives from BrisStyle, incub8r and Bleeding Heart.

when Monday 6 June | 10-11.30am
where Bleeding Heart, 166 Ann St, Brisbane City
cost Free No bookings required.

Click to buy: selling your craft online
Selling handmade craft online is a huge business. Find out about the avenues available including local operators like Ladybug Markets, the worldwide phenomenon of etsy.com and launching
your own shopping basket through your blog.
when Monday 6 June | 12 noon-1pm
where Bleeding Heart, 166 Ann St, Brisbane City
cost Free | No bookings required

How to Teach Art and Craft with Trish Goodfield (that’s me)
Do you teach art and craft? Would you like to? I will
show you how to develop the confidence to share your passions. Learn how to tailor classes for different venues, technologies and personality types while avoiding all the legal and business pitfalls.
when Monday 6 June | 2-3.30pm
where Bleeding Heart, 166 Ann St, Brisbane City
cost Free No bookings required

Can you making a living as an
artist/artisan/crafter? with Art Workers Alliance & Biznes Babes
What tools do you need to make your living as an artist, artisan or crafter? Bizness Babes and ArtWorkers Alliance both have great experience in helping to get your small business idea off the ground.
when Monday 6 June | 4-5.30pm
where Bleeding Heart, 166 Ann St, Brisbane City
cost Free | No bookings required

Networking get together
We finish off our craft ‘industry day’ with a casual networking session. Our special guest speaker is Biggan Ryd-Dups of Biggan Designs. Her juicy story takes us from Sweden to Brisbane in a colourful life-long love affair with dyes, knitting and design.
when Monday 6 June | 6-7pm
where Bleeding Heart, 166 Ann St, Brisbane City
cost Free | Bookings essential: sotla@brisbane.qld.gov.au

Saviours of The Lost Arts

Are you CRAFTY? We need your HELP!

The Brisbane craft celebration, Saviours of the Lost Arts, is back and we need help from crafty persons! We want to make this year’s program bigger, brighter and better than ever and to do that we need to get lots of crafty people to share their skills and love of craft. We need donations of small crafted items and donations of your time to come and craft in public. If this sounds like you, read on….
YES, I CAN MAKE IT TO KING GEORGE SQUARE ON WEDNESDAY 1 JUNE TO DO CRAFT IN PUBLIC!

Great! If you knit, crochet, tatt, stitch, loom … as long as you can do your craft sitting on a cosy lounge, we want you to be part of our live craft installation. We’ll have couches, chairs and rugs on which you can sit, chat and do your craft in full view of the general public. We want to convert as many Brisbanites to craft as we can in one short day. If you can drop in to the square for an hour or so between 8am-4pm, let us know via email: sotla@brisbane.qld.gov.au or if it gets to the day and you find you can come, just turn up with your craft in hand!

JOIN US FOR MORNING TEA! WEDNESDAY 1 JUNE

We want to say thank you to all the crafters that make Brisbane so vibrant. Be our guest for Morning Tea in the Craft Fair Tea Garden in King George Square at 9.30am, Wednesday 1 June. RSVP sotla@brisbane.qld.gov.au

OH NO, I CAN’T MAKE IT ON THAT DAY

Never mind! If you can’t make it on the day you can still have a little piece of you in King George Square. We are calling out for donations of small crafted items to include in our decoration of King George Square. We would specifically like:
•             Any kind and any size of flowers (crochet, knitted, stitched, paper etc)
•             Triangular shapes (around 15cm sides) to use as bunting (crocheted, knitted, stitched, paper etc)
Donations can be dropped off at the following locations by May 31:

Tangled Yarns | Studio A / 9 Chester Street, Newstead,  4006
Opening hours: Mon, tues, wed, fri – 9:30am - 5:30pm, thurs 9:30am - 8:00pm,
sat 9:00am - 4:00pm, sun 10:00am - 2:00pm

Threads and More | Shop 7, 637 Sherwood Road, Sherwood, 4075. 
Opening hours: Monday - Sunday: 9am – 4pm

Bleeding Heart Gallery and Café | 166 Ann St, City
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 7.30am – 5pm

These crafty donations will be installed for the Craft Fair and then available for passers by to collect as mementos of our craft celebration.

YES, I CAN VOLUNTEER AT ONE OF THE COMMUNITY CRAFT BASICS WORKSHOPS AND SHARE MY SKILLS!

Sign up as a volunteer at one of our community ‘crafty basics’ workshops. People will turn up to learn the basics of knitting, crochet and sewing. Bring knitting needles, crochet hook or needle and thread and share what you know or just come along in craft in good company.

Become a craft saviour! If you can make it to any of the below workshops email us at sotla@brisbane.qld.gov.au

Crafty Basics for Busy Bees – Brisbane Central
Thursday, June 02, 2011 | 6-7.30pm
Bleeding Heart, 166 Ann St, City

Crafty Basics – Brisbane North
Saturday, June 04, 2011 | 10am-12pm
BCC Library CHERMSIDE

Crafty Basics – Brisbane South
Sunday, June 05, 2011 | 10am-12pm
BCC Library GARDEN CITY

Crafty Basics – Brisbane East
Friday, June 10, 2011 | 3.30pm-5.30pm
BCC Library WYNNUM

Crafty Basics – Brisbane West
Saturday, June 11, 2011 | 1pm-3pm
BCC Library INDOOROOPILLY

GET ALONG TO WORKSHOPS, MAY 31 – JUNE 12
Don’t forget to book in for workshops and reinvigorate your creativity. There are some great workshops on offer.

SPREADING THE WORD
Tell your friends and family about the workshop program and the Craft Fair. The more the merrier we say!
Use this link to view the whole program: http://bit.ly/saviours
OR go to: www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/live
OR pick up a booklet at your local BCC Library
OR request a booklet by emailing sotla@brisbane.qld.gov.au

Tutorial – Market Apron

I  have planned to make myself a new Market Apron for a little while now. I had found a simple pattern here and bookmarked it. The best laid plans …. when I went to make it I couldn’t find it. So I decided that I would just have to come up with something myself. I bought this Colorado skirt from an op shop for 50 cents. My sister loves their clothes so the plan was to replace the drawstring and give it to her. I had it sitting waiting for over 12 months and hadn’t done anything so I decided to turn it into the apron. Starting at the hem edge I cut along the side seams. As I was making this up as I went along I left myself a little bit of wiggle room with the seam allowance. I didn’t cut through the waistband. Here the back has been completely removed leaving the waistband intact. I measured up from the bottom and cut off  the excess length. I wore it into the shop last Sunday to check if it was going to work. I discovered that I hadn’t cut off the ribbon that you hang the skirt from. Also the bottom edge had a tendency to flap. Both problems could be rectified eventually.But first some embellishing.   I couldn't live with plain beige but decided against dyeing it. I started adding some hand stitching.

It is a work in progress. The good news is that I will be able to use it as I go. I’ll post a pic when it is all done.

Beautiful

I was in a rush the other afternoon to visit Mum before visiting hours finished so I parked in the bottom car park and sneaked in the back way. When I got out of the car I was immediately greeted with the most beautiful aroma. The path is lined with rose bushes, all in bloom and recently refreshed with a gentle shower. I paused long enough to snap a couple of shots so I could share them with Mum. Apparently the gardener isn’t supposed to cut the flowers but he has brought Mum in a couple that have ‘dropped off’. This one was my favourite.

The Crafter’s Way 180 –Embroidery Preparation

Here is this week’s Messenger column.
I received an email from Melissa who lives at Kipparing. Melissa wrote, “I’ve been teaching myself embroidery but my Stranded Cotton always end up in a tangle and knots. I cut them short but still end up in a mess. What am I doing wrong?”
Melissa is not the only Embroiderer who has this problem. The length of your thread is only one part of the solution. Stranded Cotton is a thread that is made up of 6, sometimes 8, individual strands. You can choose to thread your needle with all 6 strands or only use 1. The choice is based on individual preference, the finished look or the chart/pattern requirements. If in doubt I usually start with 2. Even if you are choosing to use all 6 strands you still need to do this next step. It is called stripping. Carefully separate 1 strand from the rest and gently pull up, releasing the thread from the rest. Lay it down noting the direction of the uncut end. Repeat this step until you have the required number of strands. Re-align the strands; make sure that all the ends are the same. Stripping ensures that your threads are smooth and will result in less twisting of the thread.
A lot of embroiderers are unaware that threads have a grain or a right way and wrong way. A practiced finger can feel the difference however an easier way to identify the grain is to have a look at the cut ends. If you look at the image of the individual strands you can see a fraying at the end. This is the wrong way. Thread your needle from the other end.
If your Stranded Cotton has been stored on an card then you may find that you have square kinks in your thread. Thread has a memory, and these kinks will continue to cause tangles and knots. Before stripping hold the end of the thread firmly by one hand. Place the thread between thumb and finger and run down the length of the thread. Repeat this several times. Threads will relax and will be ready to use.
Melissa, I hope this helps your knotty issues. If you have any craft questions please email me at trishalandesigns@bigpond.com

Op Shop Find Refashioned

Popped into the op shop on the way home last weekend and found this vest. It has these amazingly detailed panels. It also was covered in grubby stains. I wanted to dye it but first needed to remove the stains. Overnight in some Nappysan and they were all gone. Next morning I popped it into some of Dylon’s Tulip Red. I also want to add some further embellishments so no more photos until its all done.

Lessons I’ve Learnt 17 – Are We Having Fun Yet?

Ask a stall holder at any market, “Are you having a good day?”, many will answer, “no'”, “not really”, “be better if people were spending” etc.

A Lesson I’ve Learnt is not to evaluate the value of my day by other peoples actions. I can’t control other people’s moods, tastes, spending habits, manners and attitudes.

What I can control is how I react to it.  If you were to ask me if I was having a good day you will hear “Yes”. A good day to me is; if I meet somebody new, have laugh, chat to the stall holder next door, learn something, teach something and the list goes on.

Customers are attracted to people who are relaxed and happy. Conversely they sense who is in a Grumpy Gus mood and avoid them. So the next time somebody asks how your day is going, put a smile on your face and say SPECTACULAR. It will change your mood and the customers immediately.

The Crafter’s Way 179 – Craft Book Review

This week’s Messenger column is looking at some of the Moreton Bay Regional Council Libraries  wonderful variety of craft books . Many of these books are recent releases. These books all came from the Redcliffe Library.

The Encyclopedia of Scrapbooking Tools & Techniques by Susan Pickering Rothamel (745.593ROTH)

This book is a wonderful resource not just for Scrapbookers but for Collage Artists, Card Makers, Journallers,and Photographers. In fact, if your chosen art/craft uses paper you will find something new within the pages of this book. As it is an encyclopaedia the entries are alphabetical however the description is more in depth than a traditional dictionary or encyclopaedia. Throughout the alphabetical listings you will find indepth tips, full technique descriptions and photos. My favourite part of the book was learning about the Artists, there are interviews with Paper Designers, Collage Artists, Layout Designers, Thematic Designers and many more. I learnt so much about paper arts that I didn’t know before. I can’t wait to try out some of the new techniques.

Get Spun by Symeon North (746.12NOTH)

This is a step by step guide to spinning art yarns. The author does encourage you to develop some basic spinning skills before embarking on creating art yarns however she has written the instructions for the complete novice. The book includes tips for spinning traditional fibers such as wool and silk, instructions for dyeing a variety of fibres, using non – traditional materials such as plastic bags. Each section is accompanied by clear photographs and step by step instructions. Get Spun is a technique book so you will not find any projects to use your new yarns in. This is not a negative. The book covers the techniques thoroughly.

The Hat Book, Creating Hats for Every Occasion by Juliet Bawden(746.92BAW)

Like many people I loved seeing the hats at the Royal Wedding so I grabbed this book when I spied it on the shelves. Hat making is hard and can be an expensive craft to establish yourself in. This book bypasses all of that and gets you started on making simple yet gorgeous hats from the beginning. Using the crown from old or discarded straw hats the author shows you heaps of ways to create stunning hats for any occasion. For the more confident would be Milner there is an indepth discussion on the anatomy of the hat, tools & equipment and materials. Next time you have a Hat Occasion have a go at making it yourself.

Colour Therapy

I realized during the week that I didn’t have many ‘greens’ left in my Eco Dyed Threads. In fact I had none at all in rayon. I grabbed my blues and yellows and started mixing.While they were doing their thing I grabbed some Sun Dyes  and a silk off cut. I purchased these for a children’s class I started around 3 years ago. They go a loooong way. There was no real plan here. I just painted colour on, the secondary colours were mixed directly on the fabric. When I started I also didn’t have a plan for what I was going to use for a resist. This is the security screen we slide into place when the back barn door is open. It was the perfect size. End result. Now, what to do with it?

Embellishing my Life

I’m still having plenty of time to indulge in hand stitching so I’ve been doing some more faux crazy patchwork. I start out with a piece of my Eco Dyed fabric.

Then embellish with my Eco Dyed Threads. Destined to be another angel.

Vintage Linen – Eco Dyed

In between dyeing fabric for quilters last week I managed to sneak in some Vintage Linen. Mum bought a couple of metres of cream linen many years before she got married, so it is at least 50 years old. I’ve recently had quite a few requests for hand dyed linen so this is my market research. No prizes for guessing this is my favourite. This colour combination is always popular in the cotton so we will wait and see how it goes in linen. You can never have too much orange in your life. Sold a couple of pieces today so will wait for the feedback from customers to see linen joins the ranks of our Eco Dyed Fabric.

The Crafter’s Way 179 – Glove Stitch

This week’s Messenger column is a tutorial on how to do Glove Stitch.

I’ve recently been making pincushions, using up scraps of fabric and threads. I commented on facebook & twitter  how I was assembling them using glove stitch. This started quite a flurry of comments wanting to know what glove stitch was and how to do it.

Glove Stitch is quite literally the stitching used to assemble gloves. It is a strong and neat stitch used to join layers. As it is more a functional than decorative stitch I prefer to use a coordinating thread. However to add clarity to the images I have used a contrasting thread. Similar stitches are Bosnian Stitch and French Glove Stitch.

The layers can be sandwiched together (Fig 1), butted together (Fig 2) or at right angles (Fig 3).

Here is a quick tutorial. Secure the thread at wrong side of top layer. Bring needle up at (A).

Insert needle into bottom layer at (B).

*Bring needle up on top layer at (C).

Insert needle back into bottom layer at (B).

Bring needle up again on the top layer at (C).

At this point (C) becomes (A).

Insert needle into bottom layer at (B)>

Repeat from *

Dyeing is Good For The Soul

After weeks of dealing with Mum’s health issues and with no end in sight I decided that what I needed was some colour therapy. So today I ignored the goal list (except for the dentist appt) and played with dye.

My adventure almost came to a screaming holt when I realised that I would have to mix the dye bath. I didn’t have any already sitting waiting. Stocks replenished, now for the fabric. I had some undyed Cotton Lawn, some undyed Vintage Linen, silks and blends.  I haven’t gone mad and mixed colours in the same tub. Some of these fabrics already had a base colour. The orange and green fabric was originally yellow. This tray is a  mix of Cotton Lawn, Linen and Silk fabrics. mmmm. I like this colour blend. I was really enjoying myself. I had run out of trays and needed to switch to buckets. I had just enough fabric left prepped for one more bucket. We’ll see how the Vintage Linen goes. I might do a range of Eco Dyed Linen if it proves popular.