Time for some action

 After spending the WHOLE school holidays working like a mofo, hearing about all the leisurely activities folks got up to, this week I finally got my chance to immerse in something just for me.

I've had this pattern for so long, last winter I tried making a panel but I only had wool, and for summer I figured cotton would be better, so I ordered some from Bendigo Woollen Mills. I am such a sucker for a capped sleeve, so I'm making the lovely blue number on the right, in my usual colour of navy (how I love thee).

Here's my progress so far, it is quite time consuming, as lacy work tends to be, this is the centre back panel. Ironically this will not be ready for the current summer, but we are planning an OS jaunt in June, so there's my deadline sorted!
 

I must say that I have had no creative time on the couch for a few months, every night I've been online monitoring media, and it is hard to get back into crafty mode. It feels a bit like I'm shirking some urgent task of supreme importance, but no - time for some crochet action.

Watching Season 2 of Girls, freaking out about the 'shirt' Hannah wore in Episode 3, also watching Clone Wars Season 5 with Leo, we are on our Star Wars bender for the year, I'm so glad my son is as obsessed as I am!

What are you guys making? Easy projects or time consuming madness? Do share!

Bits and pieces

 A lot going on in the studio these past weeks, retailers needing their Xmas stock, coinciding with a craft stall at school this past Saturday, finished off with a BIG sewing job for Steve.

These Xmas Owls have been sent off to Craft Vic and Artisan.

Likewise these Xmas gift tags, using old postage stamps from all over the world. I love seeing all the different imagery, there are some great Xmas stamps out there, mostly from Europe and the US.

Recycled plastic mayhem! I have got all my school pals scavenging through their cupboards etc for colourful plastic. None of us can go to the supermarket again without closely examining the colours of the bottles, lids and containers.

We have been assembling components into rings and bracelets with a flower motif, using a split pin to hold everything together. The bracelets have press studs set into the ends.

This was loads of fun, and we will be making more in different designs for boys. I really enjoyed cutting the components and getting everyone to assemble them, I seem to have a compulsion to poke holes into things and join them to other things!

Take this keyring, for example.
Old circuit boards from electrical goods, use a heat gun to knock off all the resistors etc, cut into smaller pieces on the bandsaw, sand the corners off, drill a hole, attach a split ring and keyring clasp - too easy!

 My beautiful studio helper. Holy crap she has grown! She is very chatty, and good at using scissors.

Satisfaction

 Here's where I'm at! My uppers are almost assembled, I just have to put the lining and zips in and then I'm ready to last them. Gulp, that bit is always daunting, no matter how many pairs I've lasted, I always get nervous at this stage.

 

 I embroidered the second panel in record time, here they are top to tail, don't they look awesome? They are quite heavy and plush, I ironed them to keep them a bit more streamlined, which felt a bit naughty, I'm sure you're not meant to iron embroidery.

My delightful tin of yarn will no longer be my constant companion.

 Stitching the uppers makes me feel so happy, it's like the best jigsaw puzzle coming together to make a whole. It's one thing to draw a crappy sketch and imagine what it will look like, but to get to this stage, grinning from ear to ear and doing a happy dance, is such a buzz.

Today I'll get the lining and zips in, get the stiffeners made, make some minor adjustments to the last shape and attach the insoles which I made ages ago. Might have time to last them before school pickup.

More soon!

Argyle Argy Bargy

 Sure enough, stitch by stitch, my diamonds have been taking over this piece of canvas.

I can't quite estimate the hours, must be about 30 so far, but it is very satisfying to see one finished. I laid some of the upper pieces over the top in the studio the other day, and I'm really looking forward to sewing them together and getting lasting.

Now for one more! Don't forget that shoes come in pairs :)

The lergy and the muse

 

 The small girl brought home a virus from daycare. We have all been afflicted with the entire range of wintry symptoms, with the added bonus of loads of night time coughing keeping us all awake. Our humidifiers are running constantly, there are rivulets of water running down our windows from the humidity. I really wish we could go to Cairns and eat tom yum soup and get lots of sunshine.

 For a few days she just sat on my lap in front of ABC Kids, all day long. It didn't help that she had an ear infection, plus molars coming through. My world shrank to the walls of our house. Amongst all of this Sam and I have so many deadlines, meetings to get to, or to cancel when Hazel is home from daycare.

 There are so many things on my hand stitching list: knitted gnomes for daycare, a cardigan for Hazel, embroidered boot uppers for the Needlework Needleplay show in August, and these embroidered brooches I've been planning and sampling for a workshop later in the year. I've been getting in as much stitching as I can, in the car while Sam is driving, on the park bench while the kids play in a briefly sunny window, constantly on the couch in the evenings. My TV viewing is all about Game of Thrones, Mad Men, West Wing and Treme, my current projects will always remind me of these shows.

 I'm also applying for a few grants, which require a lot of succinct writing, support material, and searching for co-funding and sponsorship. It's taking up a lot of time. There are not enough hours in my day!

 Each day Sam and I reach a point where we are exhausted and fed up with the relentless routine of small children; the MESS, the reading bag, the mealtimes, the getting them to bed, the night waking, and the inevitable co-sleeping. We look at each other and say 'how are we meant to be creative, to skillfully make things of beauty during this constant chaos?' There is no answer for this, we simply have no choice, shit happens and things are unpredictable, not just for us.

BUT we did get to see Prince again, which was so darn fine, I wish I could see him every fortnight. I tracked down some great tickets on ebay, you can see how close we were to the stage. The camera police were super-vigilant in our area, I only got to take this pic because The Artist wasn't on stage at the time. Bloody great show, I lost my voice for a few days and am still exclusively playing Prince tunes around the house.

I hope that you're all faring well, getting things done, keeping warm, eating good food. I'm wishing for  a bit of sun to dry my laundry, a grandparent to look after the kids for a while, a personal assistant to write emails and submissions for me, and a chef to whip up some inspiring food that will clear my sinuses.

Yeehar!

I'm having a Eureka moment right now!

Needlework Needleplay

Wow - a new project!

I'm in cahoots with an awesome bunch of ladies, we are preparing for a group show in August featuring the use of embroidery. Carly Altree-Williams is the bandleader who has brought us all together, she has started our very own blog, and of course I'm urging you to visit.

Needlework Needleplay is the place to go, complete with our very own header designed by the fabulous MaricorMaricar. Here's our blurb.

Needle Work Needle Play brings together nine contemporary Australian textile artists and craft practitioners who use embroidery in innovative ways working in a wide range of mediums including drawing, soft sculpture, portraiture, footwear, jewellery, and installation to explore the contemporary uses of embroidery. Featuring the work of Carly Altree-Williams, Cat-Rabbit, Evie Barrow, Emma Greenwood, MaricorMaricar, Alison Munro, Gemma Pobjoy, Demelza Sherwood and Haeli Van Veen.

 

I'm first cab off the ranks with an artist profile, I must say it's lovely to see my words and my work all together. I often get a bit frustrated that I can't create all day every day, but when I see what I have been making over the years, I get a bit of a glow inside. Slowly but surely I'm amassing a body of work that ticks all the boxes for me. I hope that it ticks your boxes too.

 

I'd love your feedback, my blog stats tell me that 316 of you visited yesterday, many from the US of A, please leave a comment to say hi, it'd be great to meet you! 

Kokonuti

I have slowly unpacked my bags from Craft Vic, everything is back in it's place and I have a Queen in my studio, standing proudly in the finery which Maryann and I made. It's strange to go from seeing Maryann everyday to not seeing her at all - I MISS YOU LADY!

So here are the finished wedges, called Kokonuti, pronounced similarly to Coconut Tea, which is the ceremony our Queen was dressing up for. The wedge cover is woven pandanus, commonly used throughout the Pacific, with ribbon stars threaded into the weave. The insole is covered with pigskin suede, soooo soft, the strap is woven from leather strips and green satin ribbon, with studs made from a shiny red seed that I will find out the name of. The toe stars are also leather, and the sock has a cute detail of some Samoan shell stamps. How's that for an alliterative sentence?!

For more amazing pics of our final days at CV, including one of me looking angelic wearing a flower wreath go here. Thanks to Kim for all the pics and to all at CV for their support and giggles.

Phew!

Out of the frying pan into the fire - that's how we roll.

From one busy artist parent to another, our family deadline for Sam's show is tomorrow! He's been up all night for days, weeks, months, and is flying to Sydney in the morn to install his show at New Albion Gallery.

I have been kidwrangling with the help of my awesome Mum, they are off at the Museum as I type. It's so much easier with an extra adult around, we don't want Granny to go back to Adelaide but I fear that this weekend she is departing :(

More projects simmering away, I'll tell you more soon, now I need to go and monitor some media to bring in a bit of much needed $$.

New Week, New Work

Today was busy for Maryann and I, we both got into our separate grooves and for a while there was no chat, just concentration and crafting. Here are Maryann's manicured hands getting busy on the sash for our Queen.

May I just say that we have been discussing this sash for so long, and it's fantastic to see it taking shape. The weave is quite complex, the materials are all different, so Maryann has her work cut out for her, keeping it all neat and even. That's her specialty.

I found my groove out on the freezing fire escape, where I choose to do my glue sniffing, and accidental peeking into the neighbouring apartments. I love love love covering insoles, wedges and heels, it's like wrapping up a present.

Maryann's homework over the weekend was to weave these tiny ribbon stars into the wedge cover. Gorgeous. Now my homework is to prepare and attach the sole, insole, sock etc.

Tomorrow and Weds I shall be in for a short day, Miss Hazel will be coming with me as I am sans babysitter. Big thanks to Granny Col for helping so far.

I am hoping that Hazie will sleep in the pram, tucked away in the store room behind our studio, although the music from Adele Varcoe's tent is fairly overpowering, it's sending us bonkers!

Day 2

Working on a pandanus basket with a perpendicular weave.


The fabulous Grace getting started on a pair of earrings. 'Scuse the blurry photo, she was a flurry of fierce weaving, all action!

I loved how Grace was anchoring the work using her legs and feet, when it got too long she put more tension on. Clever.

When I'm with these women I can feel the pacific sunshine :)

Almost done with the freaking hand stitching. Maryann added crystals to my crocheted neckpiece and voila, we have crossed one item off the list!

Materials and crucial items (chocolate, thermos of gunpowder green tea). I love that our messy desks, and floor spaces are telling a story, and that we don't have to clean up each day.

In other news, Hazel locked my Mum out of the house today. Apparently dear Granny ran 1km to Sam's studio to alert him to the situation, they raced back in time to rescue her as she teetered on a kitchen chair, trying to reach something.

I almost wish that they hadn't told me! How freaky, having to leave her here on her own...

PS. Blogging every day is taxing. Pip Lincolne, how do you do it?

Day 1

Maryann getting her weave on. She really gets in the zone - no laughter, no talking, just head down weaving. I can hear her brain working when she's like this.


Queenie almost done, layers and layers of lace. I may never handstitch anything again, I literally spent all day tacking lace onto a slip dress, wearing a thimble and feeling old school.

She's a bit of a voodoo doll at the mo, but will be finished early tomorrow, and then I'll crack on with some shoemaking.

Maryann's visitor count is way higher than mine, so come on down and improve my stats!

Install

How to fit all of this (and then some) into my car, and then lug it down to Gallery 3 at Craft Vic?



Packing for these open studios can be so frustrating, trying to replicate my studio in another location, it's often a case of just bring EVERYTHING and see how it goes.

Unfortunately bringing everything means that I spend 5 hrs faffing about at the other end, pulling things out of my suitcases, milling about, chasing my tail.

Maryann seems to have her car boot permanently stuffed with goodies, so she can pick and choose. Thankfully we are getting better at the milling about, tail chasing et al.

As of tomorrow we are in situ, getting busy with our hands in the best possible way. Things will get moved about, many things will be works in progress, and we hope that all of you can drop by and hang out for a while.

On the Hazel sleep front, good news. I've been camping out next to her bed, at first reaching in and patting, then progressively moving my mattress further away and just shushing her when she wakes.

Girlfriend sleeps from 7pm till 3-4am, and then again till 7ish. Bliss - no crying - lots of love - camping out rules. I am still in her room but am hoping to be in my bed this week. Fingers crossed she's learned the fine art of sleeping. Isn't is amazing how much more you enjoy your kids when they sleep well?!

Listening to: Ennio Styles' Stylin' 500 Compilation. Free download y'all, it's a winner.

It has begun!

August is the month for Craft Cubed, Craft Victoria's annual festival of all things Craft.
It's a huge month, with so many in-house shows and workshops, plus numerous satellite shows and affiliated stores doing pop ups, open studios etc. Have a look at the program and book in a few visits!

As you can tell from the above (crappy) pics ( I blame the fact that I was toting Hazel on one hip), Maryann and I have top billing in the window, alongside the illustrious pairing of Alexi Freeman and Tessa Blazey. These guys are highly polished, providing the ultimate contrast to Maryann and I, who seem rather organic, textural and riotously coloured in comparison.

We have a long list of pieces to tackle for our residency, and are acutely aware that not all of them will be finished by the end. However, we are determined not to stress, it's all about process and sharing after all.

Funnily enough I have no mojo for the shoes at the moment, I'd rather sit down on Maryann's mats and crochet the beautiful dress I have planned. One reason for this, I think, is that shoemaking is so darn technical, requiring machines, hand tools and toxic glues, it seems rather antisocial in a way, almost the opposite of the way in which Maryann creates her work.

Perhaps I will take a leaf out of her book, and change the way I would normally make shoes, so that the project really influences my method. Stay tuned for updates, we don't take up official squatter's privileges until Aug 22nd.

DMT DONE!

OK, I have blatantly thieved Lucy's photos from The Design Files, but it is hard to get around and take photos when you are tied to your stand, and especially hard to take photos of yourself making shoes.

So here we all are, after 4 days I am exhausted but exhilarated after meeting so many people, having some great conversations and managing to do a bit of work.

Milly Flemming, the multitasker extraordinaire.

Beloved Maryann, I missed her on Sunday as she was running a workshop at Harvest.

Leah Jackson and Andrea Shaw.


Oh it's me!

Emily Green in all her colourful glory. Her beads remind me of Makka Pakka from The Night Garden.

The glossy-haired Elizabeth Yong of Primoeza.

And lastly, Lucy got it right when she proclaimed the Notemaker stand the best. I concur.