BrisStyle - Craft Roadshow

The creative gals from BrisStyle are at it again. This time they are taking it to the streets in their Craft Caravan.

Join in 2 fabulous Creative Networking Nights. Local Crafters and Craft Organizations will share their creative journey and ideas at 2 venues; May 16^th 6pm – 9pm at St Augustine’s Church Hall, Hamilton and again at May 17^th , 6pm – 9pm at the Sandgate Town Hall. Both of these events are free however bookings are essential. Please contact brisstyleevents@gmail.com

If you can’t make either of those dates you catch the BrisStyle Craft Caravan at the Racecourse Rd Carnival, Sunday 3^rd June at Ascot.

Made with Love Part 1

My very own poster.

South Bank Really went all out with the decorations.

It was a very welcoming area to do the activity.

Love these decorations hanging from the ceiling.

Lots of fun for people of all ages. I’m back again next week; Saturday afternoon then again on Sunday mornings. Booking here

BrisStyle’s Eco Market

It’s that time of year again when you get to see what the wonderful eco-crafters from BrisStyle have created.

This annual event has fast become one of the city’s must do markets. Every item for sale at the eco market must meet BrisStyle's strict eco-criteria, guaranteeing ethical shoppers can purchase unique and exquisitely made creations without putting a strain on their wallets or our earth's precious resources.

Sponsored by local eco fashion Mag, Peppermint and supported by Reverse Garbage and the Brisbane City Council this niche event will showcase the wares of those BrisStyle members who live; craft, stitch and dye by the mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle.

Along with these amazing handmade wares, there will also be a selection of vintage, collectibles and crafty de-stash items all from the collections of the BrisStyle members.

What: The BrisStyle Indie Eco Market
When: Saturday November 12  2011. 9am- 2pm.
Where: St Augustine's Church Hall and grounds, Racecourse Road, Hamilton

The Crafter’s Way 199–Get Crafty

During the month of October there are plenty of opportunities to get crafty. Whether your interest lies in shopping for handmade, visiting exhibitions or getting directly involved there is an activity or you.
Carol Bisset is back and holding a couple of classes across the region. Carol is holding two Life Drawing Classes on the 16th October and 13th November in Redcliffe 9.30-3.30. The cost is $65 each which includes the model fee. Carol is also holding a mixed media workshop at Rothwell. This workshop will suit beginners. Carol will cover glazing techniques to create depth in a painting, surface preparation, ways to create texture in a work and much more. For more information please contact Carol on either carolisset1@hotmail.com or ph 0437012477.

BrisStyle is set to turn the Racecourse Rd Precinct pink in support of National Breast Cancer Month. The BrisStyle Indie Mother and Child Market is set to add its own pink twist to this very important cause with a very sweet little event filled with balloons, bubbles and lots of gorgeous locally handmade wares for both Mums and Bubs. The cutest, quirkiest and most adorable clothing, toys, sweet art, nursery accessories and much more will make this your one-stop-shop for everything a growing family needs and a great opportunity to get in some early Christmas shopping. The market is on Saturday October 8 2011. 9am- 2pm at St Augustine's Church Hall and grounds, Racecourse Road, Hamilton.

On Friday 14 October 2011 at 10.00am the Bribie Island Community Arts Centre is hosting the Food for Thought program. Experienced web seller Samantha Gilkes, will introduce you to the world of online selling and will specifically look at "Etsy" and "MadeIt".

Until the 29^th of October you will be able to visit an Exhibition of Art and Craft by the Members of the Artisans Guild. Open Monday - Friday: 10.00am - 3.00pm    Saturday: 9.00am - 1.00pm at the Artisans Guilds Art and Craft Gallery Old Bay Road. For more information please contact Jacqui Ferguson, Vice President / Publicity on Ph: 4019 717 596 or jackeith@netspace.net.au

You have one more chance to learn “The fundamentals of building a sustainable arts practice” from Jo Wooler’s Fundamentals Series. With a choice to attend either a Friday or Saturday morning session, Jo's workshops focus on crucial key elements that are so often over looked at the beginning of building a sustainable arts practice. “This year’s series will have vital information from my 2010 workshops and include new insightful ideas and methods of creating a sustainable arts practice”, says presenter Jo Wooler. The last 2 workshops this year are - Social media (21 & 22 October) and Establishing professional relationships (18 & 19 November). For more information contact Jo Wooler on Ph: 0407 807 786 or email artistinitiative.com.au

Kids Kumihimo

August is Craft Month in Brisbane City Council Libraries. A friend of a friend asked me to conduct a Kumihimo Class at the library she worked at. She organised for me to have their large display case for the entire month as well.

The display case certainly generated some interest, the class was fully booked out. We even convinced some young teenagers who were at the library to study to have a go before they hit the books. Ok, that wasn’t hard.

This little girl was, at 5 years, one of the youngest in the group. I talked her through 2 sequences of moves and she was off on her own. After about 20 mins she took her disc off to the children’s play area and continued to braid.

Most of the children were older and managed to make 2 different structures before our time  was up. Hopefully we now have a couple more kumi enthusiasts in our midst.

The Crafter’s Way 185 – Wood Carving

This week’s Messenger column

I recently met Radha Pedersen, a self taught wood Carver, at an exhibition. I was drawn to his work, not just because it stood alone in a room full of textile art and paintings but because his carvings have breathed new life into something so often discarded.

Radha grew up on acreage and enjoyed being surrounded by nature. Initially his work reflected his interest in nature and realistic form. More recently Radha has been focusing on portraiture, “Taking the self taught route I kept practising and learning, studying art and anatomy books etc. I really enjoy exploring the variety and uniqueness of individuals.”

Having spent years honing his craft Radha is now ready to start sharing his skills and knowledge to help others develop their skills. Radha doesn’t believe you need any previous experience in art or carving. If you have an interest and passion you can learn wood carving. “You never know unless you try, there might be a hidden talent somewhere that is waiting to be released”, believes Radha.

To facilitate this wood carving classes are kept small with a maximum of six people per class. The classes are perpetual which gives the Participant control over how far they wish to develop their skill. The classes are conducted in a relaxed atmosphere focussing on where each individual is at rather than trying to move through a project to a set time frame. Radha says, “The main purpose of my classes is to teach people how to see and construct in 3 dimensions which is the main factor of sculpture whatever the medium”.

Radha is currently holding classes at Eagleby/Beenleigh, half way between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Currently he has a Tuesday and Wednesday evening class 6 -9. Radha is hoping to start two- day classes on Wednesdays. People can register their interest via email at info@radhapedersen.com.au

When Radha is not teaching he continues to create his highly sought after commissioned pieces. If after visiting his website: www.radhapedersen.com.au you decide that you would like to learn more about his woodcarvings you can follow on www.facebook.com/RadhaPedersen or phone (07) 354725794

School Holiday Sewing Classes

It is School Holiday time again and smallthingsMade will be running Term 2 School Holiday Sewing Classes over a few days.

Classes will be held at the Ithaca Presbyterian Church Hall located behind the Church at 100 Enoggera Terrace Red Hill.

The timetable is as follows;

Mon 27 June 10-12noon

Young Sew 1: Brooches ages 6+

Young Sew Geeks Gadget Covers ages 6+

1.30-4.30pm

Young/Teen Sewing 1: Petite Skirt ages 10+

Tue 28 June 9.30-12.30pm

Adult Sewing

1.30-4.30pm

Young/Teen Sewing 3: PJ Pants ages 10+ NEW CLASS

Wed 29 June 10-12noon

Young Sew 2: Softies ages 6+

1.30-3.30

Beginners Knitting ages 10+

Tue 5 July 1.30-3.30

Beginners Knitting ages 10+

For more information and bookings please visit www.smallthingsmade.blogspot.com

The next session of Young/Teen Weekend Sewing Classes will be held Saturday 16, 23 & 30 July.

Adult Sewing Classes are held every Tuesday morning from 9.30-12.30. The next session of Saturday afternoon Adult classes will on 6,13 & 20 August.

Felt Magazine

Felt magazine is one of three textile magazines printed under the banner of ArtWear Publications. In the current edition they have included a review of my book, How to Teach Art & Craft.

If you are wanting to teach you can grab a copy here.

Kumihimo Kids

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had visits from some of the kids from the Term 1 class. They had all finished their first ever braid done on the plate. I decided to get them back and show them how to make a headband. This Emily, at 11 years old she is the oldest of the group. This is her braid still on the plate. We took them all off and gave them a good steaming to straighten out some of the edges.Here is Emily wearing her kumihimo headband.  I quickly managed to snap a couple of the other braids.No time for setting up the lightbox or trimming stray threads. The girl who made this one used her school colours so she can wear it with her uniform. For their ages these kids did a brilliant job. Before they left I got them all to start a zigzag braid. Can’t wait to see them completed.

Saviours Of The Lost (Japanese) Arts

In today’s Sunday Mail on page 72 I feature in an article on ‘lost’ Japanese arts. Also featuring Melanie from Kimono Reincarnate, a fellow Brisstyle member, the article is promoting the Brisbane City Council’s Saviours of the Lost Arts festival. Tomorrow, Monday 6th June I will be holding a session on How to Teach Art & Craft at the Bleeding Heart Art Gallery. Starting at 2pm the talk will cover topics from my book of the same title.

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

Craft Punk

Sydneysiders are in for a treat this weekend, 30th April – 1st May. The Powerhouse Museum is holding the first in a series of quarterly craft weekends. The weekend is packed with hands-on activities for all ages. There are drop in workshops which are free with Museum admission. The other textile workshops that have an additional charge plus require booking.

You can learn to knit contribute to making a blanket with Wrap With Love Inc.  On display are some beautiful hand knitted blankets made bysome of the many Wrap With Love Inc. community volunteers. You can join members of the Lace Guild and lace-making Museum Volunteers who will show you the basic techniques of Bobbin lace making, tatting and crocheting. 

In the Children in the loop! Zone, join hands-on activities for families and children including knitting, lace-making and paper weaving (suitable for ages 4 and over). Also for younger ones is Discover Lace, learn about bobbin lace with some of the Museum’s talented Lace Volunteers and make a small piece of lace in shape of a fish to take home!

You can also try your hand at making a Zipper Mouth monster with Colette Guanta.For more information and bookings visit the Powerhouse Museum

Mess Maker

This week started out with me tidying and culling my messy and disorganised home studio. The road to tidiness is never easy, there is a point where the area always seems worse than it was to start with. I pushed on and had a break through.

The week is also destined to finish with a big mess. This time a much more enjoyable one. Yesterday’s Children’s Classes started out as planned.Chairs, tables and dye at the ready. On Sundays this area is a thriving food barn. During the week it is empty so I do my dyeing classes there. There is plenty of room and I can hose it out afterwards.  We had a few spills. This young fellow spilt the red, luckily it was not on him or his clothes. Looks innocent doesn’t he. This is his first attempt at a space dyed thread.When it was all over at 5.30pm I simply couldn’t face packing it all up and starting the clean up. So I left it until this morning. I should keep this post as a screen saver as a reminder of why I should not do that. This is halfway through cleaning up, buckets stacked everywhere. I haven’t touched the threads yet, they are still sitting on the washing machine. I then had a brainwave, I would make a whole lot more of a mess. I would make some merino top paper. I have teased out the tops and placed onto the netting before adding soapy water then glue mixture. It is now drying, I hope, on the line. I didn’t think this through. The forecast is for showers. I hope they hold off at least until the pongy wet wool smell disappears. I have a plan for this paper, not an urgent plan but a plan just the same. You will just have to patient to see what I do with this lot.

Beads + Braids

This morning I had another Children’s Class. Last week we made some paper and fabric beads. This week we began painting and embellishing them. This all went very smoothly until  I brought out the PearlX Powder. Now I should have known better than to let 7 & 8 year olds loose with the direction “a little goes a long way”. My suggestion of ‘dipping’ became ‘rolling in’. They did eventually get the hang of it, glueing then lightly dipping the end into the powder. They loved the way the colours looked when put over another. We then started adding them to their Kumihimo Braids. An 8 year old made this braid. Great job. The 7 year old who made this braid deliberately changed the braiding sequence throughout the length giving the finished bracelet an unique look. Next week we move onto Cross Stitch.

Children's Class Update

Week 3 of the 8 week program has just finished. Our first two weeks were Kumihimo. This is the first time any of the children have done kumihimo. In the hour and a half they all made 2 different braid structures. One of the girls, 8yrs, went home and made me this braid using eyelash yarn. The second week I introduced them to adding beads to their braiding. I have adults who freak out when I suggest using beads. These kids took to it like a duck to water. This week we started bead making. some of the kids found this a little trick. We all persevered until we found a tool that suited them all and before long they were rolling and gluing paper, fabric, aida cloth and ribbon.

Next week we are going to make some fabric charms and add some embellishments to their beads. Hopefully I  can snap a couple of images before they run out to show their parents.