new work

granny circle christmas decorations

crochet edge vintage french postcard

These new treasures and more will be at the BrisStyle city hall market tomorrow and in the shop soon!

brisstyle indie market

I'm loving the new design for the BrisStyle city hall market by the super cute and talented Ella Mobbs.

It's this Saturday!

I'm working my hands off prototyping some new Christmas goodies, there might even be a sneak peek  at the market on Saturday :)

BrisStyle indie Market
Brisbane City Hall
Saturday 14 September, 9am-3pm.

More info here including music line up and fellow marketeers.

Recycled fabric weaving at Redfest

Redfest is the Redlands Spring Festival, a music and cultural festival at the Redlands Showgrounds with loads of activities including a sideshow alley, fireworks, a lantern parade and the world famous strawberry eating competition!

On the Sunday I’ll be running a basket weaving with fabric workshop. All materials will be provided.

Recycled Fabric Weaving Workshop

Sunday 8 September, 12-1:30pm

Redfest (in the Gallery)

Cleveland Showgrounds

Long Street, Cleveland

See you there!

using the stash

crochet jars

I have developed what could be seen as a really bad habit of loading up on yarn from op shops this year knowing that either I will use it or it will go into the Brown Owls stash. This, along with my new found addiction to finding eco friendly yarns, has led to a huge pile of yarn almost as tall as me in the corner of the lounge room aka sculptural installation aka the naughty yarn corner.

crochet bowls

And so for the last month I figured with the BrisStyle Eco Bazaar looming I'd get my hooks out and use up as much thrifted yarn as I could.

crochet bowls - not sure if these ones will make it to the stall

Have I made a dent in the yarn pile?
Not yet. I may have accidently added to it... oops!

treasure collectors for beach walks and bush walks

Is my hand cramping and feeling permanently bruised on one side from too much crochet?
Yes! Not to mention the crochet callous. If anyone has any suggestions other than a good hand massage and putting the hook down let me know!

These goodies and loads more eco friendly wares will be on my stall at:
BrisStyle Eco Bazaar 
Saturday 7 September, 9am-3pm
Queensland Museum Whale Mall
More info about the market and all activities can be found here.

Plus Country Boy will be there and between the two of us we'll be manning my stall and teaching loom weaving as part of a Brown Owls meet up, all are welcome. Details here.

See you there!

valuing process: little deer creations

In my own craft practice process is really important to me and I'm always inspired by fellow crafters who put time and effort into making their wares from scratch.

Dyani Evans, the eco crafter behind Little Deer Creations and I share a stall together at the BrisStyle Twilight Markets but it was only this year while scrolling through my instagram feed that I was truly blown away by Dyani's craft process. The careful selection of colour and pattern in the magazine pages to be upcycled, the cutting, intricate rolling and varnishing of each individual bead is not only amazing but also quite unique in a sea of crafted objects both online and at markets.

In Dyani's own words:

"I mostly use handmade papers and pages from magazines, but I've also used junk mail and business envelopes as well. Each strip is tightly rolled using a special tool, which is similar to the ones used in quilling, to form the bead. The ends are sealed with a little dab of glue. The beads are then given three coats of sealer to make them water-resistant."

"I love the simple beauty of paper beads. There is so much variation in colour and texture depending on the paper that's used to make them. When I use magazine paper to make my beads, I'm never quite sure what the final colour and pattern will be, and I love that element of surprise and discovery as the bead is rolled and the pattern emerges."

"I guess there are two main reasons why creating my own beads is important to me. Firstly, it fits with my passion for recycling. I love that I can create something beautiful and functional from scrap paper that may otherwise just be discarded. Magazine paper in particular is too glossy to use in my paper-making, so I'm pleased that I can use it to create beads instead! The other reason is more personal and relates to my feelings as an artist. To me, "handmade" is more than just assembling a few pre-fabricated components. It's about creating something from scratch. Something unique that reflects the maker, that captures a little of the heart and soul that goes into making it. Using my own handmade beads allows me to put more of me into my work, and I can proudly say "I made that"."

Dyani will be at the BrisStyle Eco Bazaar this Saturday 7 September from 9am-3pm at the Queensland Museum. You can also check out Little Deer Creations here and the Facebook page for more of Dyani's amazing handmade paper adventures, her thoughts on crafting an eco life and inspiration for incorporating more earth friendly materials in your own making.

Thank you Dyani!

weaving a world: textiles and the navajo way of seeing

An important part of using my hands, heart and mind to make things is having an understanding of the cultural background of different techniques and materials I use and, where I can, passing what I learn on to others.

I love researching as much as I love making, for me the two go hand in hand as a learning process and provide an underlying respect in my own making and for those makers who have gone before.

In developing the recent loom weaving meet up for Brown Owls I read a book that really brought everything home to me about what handmade means and how culturally important process is. Weaving a World: Textiles and the Navajo Way of Seeing by Roseann S. Willink and Paul G. Zolbrod is a beautifully told story of Navajo weaving.

Elders of the Navajo Reservation in eastern New Mexico provide an analysis of the patterns in individual weavings. It’s an amazing journey of symbology in weaving and the importance of asymmetry and chaos. What I loved most about this book though is the cultural importance of weaving in everyday life, the songs, prayers and ceremonies that accompany the process of weaving; the tiny what we may call ‘imperfections’ barely visible but intentional and filled with so much importance; the handing down of process, prayer and stories to future generations.

There are many beautiful weaving stories told by the elders in this book, one account that really touched my maker’s heart was this:

            ‘… if a feather falls from a bird in flight and is caught before it touches the ground, the feather becomes a symbol of deliverance and should be woven into a rug.’  (p. 56)

Weaving a World: Textiles and the Navajo Way of Seeing

By Roseann S. Willink and Paul G. Zolbrod

1996, Museum of New Mexico Press

If you’re in Brisbane you can borrow it here.

The next Brown Owls loom weaving meet up will be at the BrisStyle Eco Bazaar, it’s free and all are welcome including kids. More info can be found here.