Felt-tastic!

I love felt, no really, I LOVE it! We're not talking those crappy polyester squares you buy from craft shops either, we're talking beautiful hand felted objects made from 100% wool. Felt is made using moisture, friction and heat - this causes the fibres to shrink and interlock...ever had a wool jumper end up in the washing machine by accident? I'm a tactile creature and love handling felt objects - like cosey slippers and those little felted beads in colours that look good enough to pop into your mouth. What is it about felt that is so darn appealing?

This recent trip to the USA has me running into all sorts of felt exhibitions. The first one was at The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.

The exhibition is held in is a huge mansion with a stunning garden. They showcased the ways in which felt is made: I liked the Mongolian felters - they drag rolls of wool prepared for the felting process behind a horse to get the friction needed for the fulling process! There were also amazing fashion pieces (dresses formed with no sewing - just felted), furniture that looked like the felt was draping like silk, and a conservatory completely covered on the inside in huge net curtains with hand felted motifs all over them (process called Nuno). My favourite pieces were the 'urchin-poufs' by Christien Meindertsma that were knitted with dyed, felted New Zealand wool - each pouf contains the wool from one entire sheep! Apparently you receive an identity card with details and a photo of your ewe!

The second exhibit on my felt fantasia trip of America was better than I could have hoped for! The Fabric Workshop and Museum is listed in the top 10 museums of Philadelphia but not one that most people have heard of. The artist Triton Lowe had only one piece on show...it was on the 6th floor...my friend and I got hushed into a small elevator with the attendant...the doors opened and we stood with mouths agape...I didn't realise they meant THE ENTIRE 6th floor!

Mocha (as he is called - Mocha Dick), is a Sperm whale of 52 feet and is made from industrial felt, cut out using a pattern and 'stitched' together using long zippers. This whale dress then covers an inflatable balloon (of sorts) which was also designed by Lowe. The barnacles are also felt pieces that have been stitched on. There was no touching, no photos - sure thing (lucky there were two of us - one to keep the attendant busy while I snuck a few snaps (top picture is from this artblog)!

Travelling and Unravelling

A little while ago I took advantage of the super-cheap flights over to the US and booked myself a trip for three weeks to visit friends and have some creative thinking time away from my day-to-day life.

Finally the time has come for me to pack all of my summer clothes and packets of Tim Tams, as I leave this Sunday! I fly via LA to NYC (picture above by Kat Macleod), so I'm planning a few days of mooching about the big apple with two lovely friends, taking photos, visiting studios - then hopping on the cheap Chinatown bus to Philadelphia (I spent 5 months living there last year)!

The last time I got one of these buses it said on the front that it was going to Cape Cod - although I was told emphatically by some woman waving bus tickets at me, that it was heading to Philly. It was 9.30pm, we were all standing on a dirty Chinatown street corner on Manhattan Island - who were we to argue - everyone was in total confusion. The man next to me kept falling asleep on my shoulder. It's a weird, slightly exhilerating, feeling sitting on a bus not really sure where you're going to end up! Haha - feels like the way my life is at the moment!

It's good timing then that Susannah Conway's Unravelling Ecourse starts Monday July 13th - so right at the beginning of my creative break! This gives me the time to be totally selfish and really focus on reconnecting with who I am, look back at where I've been and work out where I want to go next...maybe it will be Cape Cod after all?

Virtual Tagged

Not since school have I been 'tagged' - such fun! Thanks to my BYW (Blog Your Way ecourse) classmate and fellow Brisbanite Steph from Bondville for tagging me this series of questions to find out more about moi! I'm going to go international and pass this tag on to  a Philadelphian pal - when I think of Philly I think of Philadelphia cream cheese, so this tag goes to Tenaya from Madame Fromage!

Simply answer the questions below, and if you like, replace a question with one you have made up. Here goes:

Q whats your favourite colour?

Red, I am always attracted to accessories in red and usually have at least one pair of red shoes kicking about - wearing it makes me feel good.

Q whats your favourite clothing in your wardrobe?

It would have to be the new red swing coat (from Target - shhhh). I recently wore it to the ballet and felt very theatrical :-)

Q whats your dream job?

Owning my own store and crafting workroom for classes - a place where fellow crafters come to for supplies, inspiration and community. I would have it filled with items I have come across on my travels (I wanted to be a buyer for Terrance Conran) and local talent that I want to promote and share with others. Everyone who walked through my door would be treated like my extended family and they would leave smiling and laughing and hopefully inspired! Sigh.

Q whats the last thing you bought?

I just picked up some purse frames which I ordered online.

Q what are you listening to right now?

People typing, I'm at work in the lab - not the craft lab - the science one!

Q whats your favourite ice cream?

I'm actually not much of a fan (I know, I know, I'm a freak - I would rather biscuits and cheese anytime, anywhere). But if pushed, it's either Caffeine City (of old LeScoops fame) or green tea.

Q whats your favourite fruit?

Lychees. I had a boyfriend once who worked in tropical agriculture research and part of his job was to collect seeds from lychees...I got to eat a lot of lychees!

Q what inspires you?

People's creativity.

Q whats on the walls of your bedroom?

Star lights from Ikea which I have dangling down my wall like a curtain - I love them.

Q who is your favourite artist?

I have a total art-crush on Kat Macleod - love the mix of fashion illustration and collage.

Q Something about yourself that might surprise people.

I represented Australia at the World Beach Ultimate Championships in 2007 in Brazil - we got a bronze medal and won Spirit (which is like 'best and fairest').

Q describe your personal style?

I guess a little quirky sometimes...depends on my mood really. I love wearing things that I have discovered or made and then having someone comment on them - then I get to tell them all about the creator/designer.

Q what language would you like to learn?

Espanole! Ole! I have quite a few Latin American friends and loved Spain when I visited - however, I am really, really, crap at languages - I figure I'll need to move to a country in order to learn the language.

Q what is your favourite quote (for now)?

"I have learned that to be with those I like is enough" - Walt Whitman

Q what is your favourite magazine?

Frankie is so, so great and inspiring. I also like Brisbane freebie mag MAP Magazine.

Q if you had $100 what would you spend it on?

Craft books - or maybe some Ink & Spindle fabrics.

Q What is your current obsession?
Blogging - I only started my blog about 4 months ago so I'm trying to get up to speed - I spend hours being side-tracked by amazing blogs!

Q what are you wearing today?

Q whats for dinner?

I have a hankering for Vietnamese spicy beef soup - two chillies please.

Q what would you eat for your last meal?

Breakfast/brunch - bacon, poached eggs, slow roasted tomatoes with homemade pesto drizzled over the top, cumberland sausages, portobello mushrooms and thick toasted grainy spelt bread. Freshly squeezed orange juice and a double shot flat white - gosh I'm hungry.

Q what do you think of the person who tagged you?

I met Steph (of Bondville) 'virtually' through the Blog My Way ecourse (run by decor8's Holly Becker) and was actually quite envious of her wonderful blog as showcasing Australian Design is something I've always been passionate about - she does an awesome job!

Q if you could have a house paid for and furnished anywhere in the world what/where would it be?

Hmm, perhaps Barcelona, in a light filled space with an inner garden sanctuary. Si!

Q if you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour where would it be?

Philadelphia, I would open a bottle of wine and catch up with the friends (new and old) I have there...I'd expect dancing in the street!

Q what are you going to do after this?

Get back to my real job - sigh - running protein gels today.

Q what are your favourite movies?

I like quirky, independant films. 

Q whats your favourite book?

This book gave me alot of inspiration when I moved back to Brisbane after 18 months in the UK. Long story short, I never thought I would be living in Australia again, but here I was, so I bought a small 1 bedroom flat and was sitting in it alone, sad, broken hearted and heard a review on the radio about a book by Barbara Feldon (played Agent 99 in Get Smart). She had lived alone for over 20 years and wrote a book called 'Living Alone and Loving it' which gives a bit of insight into her private life and also some life skills on self empowerment. While I have always wanted to live alone (and I have done for 3 years now and do indeed love it), I really needed a bit of extra support that first year and Barbara's book was like talking to a good friend. I must write to her one day.

Q do you collect something?

Ceramics - I have a collection of little tea cups/bowls from all over the place - mostly Australian ceramicists but I bought a tea cup in Japan and also some pinchpot pieces in America. Two ex-boyfriends had mothers who were ceramicists - weird ha?

Q what is your pet peeve?

Motorists not being more aware of cyclists - I cycle to work daily and consider myself a pretty sensible and experienced rider. I have been hit only once so far but there have been many near misses by people who are basically just driving too fast in a built up area and taking miscalculated driving risks...makes me mad just thinking about it.

Q whats the most important rule for life?

Be kind to yourself and appreciate the people who are in your life.

Results: Ultimate Craft

Righto - it's been rather quiet on the Craft Laboratory blog front hasn't it? Is it the weather? The day job? Too much crafting (if only)? Nah - it's my other love - Ultimate Disc - AKA the game played with a frisbee. I could go on for days, days, about this game - but this is not the time or place for that. I did want to share some crafty goodness with you though. Last year my team (Sultry) was going to Nationals and my frisbee partner in crime (Yam Yam) and I were in charge of organising team gifts (prize given to the player we thought was most valuable on the opposing team). We came up with these - frisbee shaped heat packs - to soothe those sore muscles after playing 5 days of Ultimate games.

It was a brilliant concept - frisbee shaped and made using calico, felt, rice and a lot of love! We cut the calico into rounds a little bigger than your hand. It took a few nights of careful cutting for the felt lettering and then another night hand stitching them all on (we had a team craft night - some team mates have never forgiven me). If I had more time I would have hand embroidered the wording on the back but alas - it was written on with a Nikko pen (such regret). The calico was then sewn around, leaving a gap for filling with barely or long grain rice (enough so that you could mould it). The gap was then stitched up and hey presto!