craft laboratory

Finding and Keeping

2009-11-03T23:10:00.010+10:00

Last weekend Brisbane held it's first Finders Keepers design market in the old museum. I love the old museum, I work near it and so get to gaze at it every day. This building is rather gothic looking and I remember being taken there as a very small child - it was like a junk shop of grand proportions, dusty cabinets displaying stuffed animals, collections of insects and, what looked to my young eyes, just a heap of stuff.

The museum moved to it's new home at the Cultural Centre in 1986 and it then became the home for the Queensland Youth Orchestra, and other performing arts and music groups.

The building itself has undergone a major renovation over the past few years and it's great that they are holding public events in it's lovely big rooms. I could go on about the market itself, but actually I wanted to focus on some of the images I took of the inside of this grand old dame.

On the wrong side

2009-10-23T18:54:00.010+10:00

There used to be a very sweet retail store in the Valley called Super Fun 5 that stocked all sorts of indi-hip and random assortments of clothing, bits and pieces, and bric-a-brac (must find out where that term comes from). I saw this very cute bookbag in the window.

The clever designer had used her zigzag stitch to create a great piece of art.

Apparently it was a young girl from the Sunshine Coast who sometimes sent stuff to the store to sell - that's all I was able to find out. I have hung on to this book bag, with it's ink stains from de-lidded pens, coffee splatters and the odd moth hole and today I decided it was time to frame it and display. My flatmate and I agreed that the 'wrong' side of the stitching is perhaps the 'right' side as it gives the gazing damsel much more emotion...or something.

I have several design friends who often make things showing the 'wrong' side of the fabric. Have a look next time you're choosing fabric - sometimes the way it's woven or the shift in colour might be exactly what you're looking for (especially in denim).

Speed Queen

2009-10-21T23:27:00.007+10:00

One of the features of my new abode is that we don't really have a washing machine...well, we do, but it apparently has, let's say, electrical issues. So this afternoon I made my way to the laundromat - it's at the end of the street, so I didn't have to drag my bag of dirty wares too far.

Why are these places so eerie? Is it the lighting? The lack of decent reading material? The plastic seating? The fact that everyone walking past can see you pulling your underwear out of a bag and trying to shove it quickly into the machine?

Well, I came prepared peeps, I had something good to read (new Frankie magazine), a cup of tea which I made before I left home and then there were the other people in the laundromat to amuse me. Like the two young guys thinking that rolling up your sheets into a tight ball and putting that in the machine was going to somehow magically wash them perfectly...why were they wrapped up into a tight ball to begin with...not worth dwelling on is it?

Also, the machines were all called 'Speed Queens'...I like it!

Results - Kristen Doran Kitty

2009-10-19T19:21:00.008+10:00

The newest edition to the family is from Kristen Doran's Kitty pattern. It's also the first thing I've made since moving into my new abode! I like my new place, it's an old cottage in West End, lots of character with its wooden floorboards, high ceilings and friendly flatmates!

But back to my moggy friend - I used some of Kristen's hand printed fabrics this time and like the effect embroidering the face has on this softie. He'll be hanging out with us (along with the bunny) at the Selvedge House stall at the Finder's Keepers spring/summer market being held at the end of the month in the Old Museum.

Craft Crush 3: Megan Guise

2009-10-06T18:59:00.006+10:00

Megan Guise is only 22, super talented and lives all the way over in Western Australia in Perth. She loves drawing, Frankie mag, tea and homemade baked goods and basically everything we do. She's also got many projects on the go it seems and did her first solo exhibition earlier this year!

I first saw Megan's sweet paper doll illustrations in our favourite mag Frankie. For a limited time, you could send her a photo and she would turn you into one of her super cute paper dolls! Too hard to resist, I knew the exact photo - one taken of me in a crazy chinese shop in Philadelphia - I had spied a lovely red parasol and was trying to look beguiling - yeah right - anyway - here is my transformation into one of Megan's paper dolls (number 36 to be exact) - I just knew I was going to adore it! I especially like looking at all the other 'dolls' in the series and wondering what their real life alter egos are like. I wonder what project will be next?

Where do you get your fix? - Reverse Garbage

2009-10-03T13:42:00.013+10:00

I know, I know, I've already harped on about this place - but seriously - they're on a craft vibe! I blew in there today - another hot Saturday in Brisbane - and they had set up a display of rolls of laces, buttons, fabrics...ok, so most of it isn't to my tastes - but, someone in craftland might be desperate for a heap of brown buttons for instance! There seems to be lots of fabrics - so get in and have a rummage if you're in West End Brisbanites!

Anyway - my really big find was a fantastic table which has a little handle at the front which you turn to raise or lower the height - brilliant! Plus, it's a really great size for cutting fabric on, laying out patterns etc - so I snapped it up (it was cheap)! Apparently an old warehouse was being cleaned out and they had four of these tables that they had no use for so just dropped them off. I think I might try gluing a 1 meter steel ruler on the edge (for fabric measuring)...or I wonder if I can find a cutting mat big enough to stick down on it?

Results - Kristen Doran Bunny

2009-10-03T08:31:00.007+10:00

All week I had been itching to use my new machine which arrived Wednesday...OK, so for half a week I've been itching - a Janome DC3050 (DC stands for Decor Computer..apparently). My lovely friend Madame Fromage encouraged me to christen said machine with a new name.

Decor Computer - not very inspiring is it...a bit point dexter.

Hmm, Decor...Decoy? Destroy?

Decor Computer...if you put this into an anagram maker it comes out as 'Come Corrupted'...

DC...as in Washington DC (went there for work once - amazing monuments...politics-corrupted fits in with the anagram above)....Washington?

I like it, my new machine can be a boy, surely! Washington it is!

Right, now I need to actually use Washington to make something - what better than one of Kristen Doran's softie kits! I have had this kit sitting here for weeks waiting to be tried - it was easy peasy (great for beginners) and I decided to use other fabrics than the ones given in the kit for the arms, legs and internal ear bits and practiced my hand stitching in the tummy bit (liking french knots). You'll note the MASSIVE spool of white thread my new bunny is perched on - things are getting sewing serious when you buy the biggest spool of thread you can find.

Can you remember the first thing you made with your sewing machine?

Pay it forward

2009-09-30T13:02:00.012+10:00

It's both a sad and happy day for me. Sad because my Mum's old machine, the Elna Contessa, is on its last legs and totally let me down when I needed her most (week leading up to a market stall - grrr). So after trying to find someone to service it in a hurry (no luck), I have finally conceded that I may as well put that $100 towards a new machine...and it arrived today!

But that's not the only happy news. I can't just throw Contessa away and selling her seems wrong. So the other happy news is I think I found someone to take Contessa and give her some more love than I have the patience for.

I happened upon a woman on Gumtree who put the callout to anyone wanting to donate machines to her as she is going to teach teenagers in her area (Canungra) how to sew and then give them the machine that they learnt on at the end of the course! What a brilliant idea! She doesn't have a blog or website and is just wanting to help out the teenagers in her area. I'm hoping she can get to Brisbane to pick up Contessa and get it serviced cheaply. I'd love to have a photo of her new owner and the things they have made with her.

If anyone has an old machine that they don't know what to do with and would like to also donate it to a worthy cause, you can drop me a line and I will give you the details.

Where do you get your fix? - Alternatives

2009-09-18T08:25:00.006+10:00

So, to date, we've been walking through the crafting/fabric options in the inner city of Brisbane and in previous postings have had a look at multinational companies and independent stores, now we're onto alternative finds.

Op Shops/Thrift Stores/Garage Sales:

These places are a golden opportunity to find something unique to reuse, recycle, repurpose...for the good of the planet and your soul...also your wallet - second hand things are cheap! I usually look for nice cotton print dresses that might not be to my styling or a few sizes too big and use the fabric for handmade goodness. It's a pity Brisbane doesn't have much of a winter as we don't really ever see second hand cashmere jumpers (sweaters) in these parts - which is a shame. Most of the remnants in Op Shops are old curtains or horrible, horrible home furnishings - but I did happen upon a great hand printed piece of linen once which I thought was a score! These places are also great for finding an assortment of buttons and knitting needles, which for some reason are always lurking in a glass jar on top of a shelf - mostly tiny, tiny gauge needles though - must have been alot of baby knitting going on at some point!

Secret sell offs:

Thomas Dixon Ballet Centre - this is the Queensland Ballet school which is situated in West End (on Montague Rd) and used to be a shoe factory which was built in 1827! Anyhoo - apparently every now and again they sell off costumes, embellishments, left over fabrics etc from their productions. Has anyone ever been to one of these?

Reverse Garbage (Montague Rd, West End):

OK, now this one is not a secret but is a great find and I may have to swear you to secrecy after reading this. Reverse Garbage was set up to take unwanted surplus, waste or remnant supplies etc from businesses and sell them to the public for very, very cheap prices. This place is awesome for artists and weekend DIYers as it has anything and everything and it's random, changes daily and is lots of fun! I saw a basket of plaster cast feet once (from a podiatists) and picked one up to have a better look - it had my family name written on the bottom - SPOOKY! I bought it and put it in the garden as some weird outdoor art sculpture. Of relevance to us, they also get fabric remnants/scraps from local designers and manufacturers (Sacha Drake to name one) - sometimes you get heaps of black lycra...but sometimes you get some amazing linen, or lovely pieces of knitted cotton...as I said, it's random. There are also Reverse Garbage places in other Australian states - does this happen in the USA, Canada or Europe?

Where do you get your fix? - Independants

2009-09-09T08:06:00.006+10:00

Peppermint Stitches:

This little shop opened about a year ago and I only found out about it at the Stitches and Craft show earlier in the year. It is situated on Sylvan Road in Toowong and is run by a mother and daughter (I believe). Now this store has wall to wall fabrics - literally - they are everywhere you turn, and not horrible rolls of it either, but the neatly packed rectangles that quilting fabrics come in. Most of the fabrics look to be fairly contemporary quilting patterns with Amy Butler, Heather Bailey etc getting a good showing. They are priced between $22-26 (AUD) per metre and you can purchase as little as 20cm widths (great for crafters). Also they have a billion fat quarters. To be honest my main criticism is that there is so much that it's overwhelming and the fabrics looked to be grouped by designer, not colourway. This is great if you know what you're after - but having things in colour groups can be visually easier to navigate - but that's just my preference (I'm old and get confused easily). Peppermint Stitches main focus looks to be quilting and cross stitching/embroidery. There are a few patterns for bags, some craft books, and some classes on quilting and cross stitching. All in all - the service was very friendly and I'll definitely be crossing the river often to wade through the huge range of fabulous fabrics.

Gardams:

I remember when Ewan Gardams was on the Queen Street Mall (I told you I've been around a while). It was on several levels and was an Aladdin's cave of fabrics, apparently it's been in operation for over 70 years (no, I'm not that old)! They then moved to Adelaide Street, and for the most part was OK - over the years I have picked up some great fabrics, but things started to slow down, the 50% off sign annoyed the hell out of me and only ever applied to a small section of fabrics - which I think actually never sold so were in fact the same fabrics on sale for the past 5 years. Anyway, I digress, Gardams stocks mainly higher end fine fabrics and recently moved to Indooroopilly (down the road from Spotlight). Staff are always friendly and helpful and will cut small slithers of fabric off rolls, staple them to a card and write the details down for you! Splendid!

Sckafs Fabrics:

Inside Indooroopilly shopping town - bottom floor - Myers end. This place has been around forever it seems. It sells dress making fabrics on rolls, buttons etc, etc, etc. Fondest memory was being taken by a friend (you know who you are) to a special sponsored night that promised secret techniques and unusual stylings, but basically involved showing a lovely group of seated ladies how to embellish a plain T-shirt - by bedazzling the bejesus out of it with rhinestones, lace, sequence etc. We then got to eat cubed cheese and drink weak cordial - awesome. I did manage to buy some lovely cotton fabrics though.

Others that I know of but have not visited:

Patches (Indooroopilly)

Tangled Yarns (Newstead) - wool/knitting

Funky Fabrix (Mitchelton)

plus heaps of quilting stores that seem to be tucked away in the outer suburbs.

Introducing Gilbert and Sullivan!

2009-08-31T08:45:00.006+10:00

Remember when I attempted my first giraffe softie? - He sort of ended up with some unfortunate mutilation in the nether regions (first attempt on the right)...

...but battle on I did and after a little advice from the creator (Louise Papas of Audrey and Maude) I finally got around to a second attempt - easier this time and I worked out some of my mistakes (and made new ones) - but really, who in their right mind would say awful things about a child's toy? I think I prefer the bigger felt eyes with the eyelashes stitched on (the other ones are needle felted).

All tied together

2009-08-28T08:26:00.008+10:00

I have a great friend who I met in the lab (the science one) who is one my inspirations. Over the years, she went from an enthusiastic student to slowly realising by the end of her PhD that research science was not for her - time for a change...my lovely friend started a pastry chef apprenticeship and is as happy as choux pastry (? not sure what that means really but sounds right)!

The fabulous tie quilt pictured was made by Tegan's clever mum! It's fantabulous and made from thrift store silk ties tirelessly collected (what a brilliant idea)! I like to think of it as a tangible reminder of the networks that hold us all together, each tie representing a person who has come into your life: all different, some a little odd, some older, some a bit moth eaten (hehe) and all stitched together to form a lovely community to cover you and keep you feeling content and warm.

When Craft Goes Wrong

2009-08-27T07:48:00.012+10:00

When Alfred Hitchcock made a scary movie about birds - he was onto something! Actually the damsel with the slightly prosaic look in the Bluebird sweater is a little more Doris Day than Tippi Hedren. Ah Patons, 'Strikes the right note' again - enjoy friends, enjoy!

Where do you get your fix? - Multinationals

2009-08-25T18:25:00.002+10:00

So my question is this, do you have a favourite crafting/fabric shop near you and if so, why do you love it?

After about a month of non craft related activities (ie - travelling and work responsibilities), I was in the mood to peruse fabrics and notions, yep, I was itching to do some stitching (hey - great name for a shop!). I live close to the centre of Brisbane (Australia), and don't really have an all-time favourite place to go - the internet offers so much but I thought I'd give a personal view on the craft/fabric options close to me, because sometimes you just want to have a good old fashioned browse rather than clicking away with a computer.

Lincraft:

The closest place to me to pick up bits and bobs is good old Lincraft in the Myer Centre. Now, I've been around for a while, and Lincraft used to be great, no really it did - it used to have heaps of great fabrics and the staff were a bit like the ladies in the David Jones underwear department - a little stern, but by george they knew their stuff. It also used to bustle. These days Lincraft seems to have lost the joy for me. I don't really look at their fabrics or knitting wools and it always appears very empty and a little sad - perhaps it's the lighting? Having said that, I'm glad it's still there in the city as where else am I going to get last minute tartan polar-fleece fabric for a dog coat project? Also, the staff I have come across are really pleasant and helpful. Good for craft emergencies and basics (sewing thread, buttons, elastic etc).

Spotlight, Spotty, Spotlight (said in a hushed whisper):

Hmmm - well - maybe I need to say nothing at all...but I will! This place reminded me of...dunno, something chaotic though. There were piles of fabrics everywhere - and that was just beside the cutting tables. Maybe there had been a saturday morning rush of mother's making outfits for daughters? After wandering around in some sort of lint daze I found what I wanted - wedged in tightly underneath a whole lot of flannel, sparkly nylon and brightly coloured polyester. The sight of me and one other customer trying to yank this prized roll of fabric was akin to Arthur extracting the sword from the stone! I was triumphant - sweaty - and amused the sales staff - that place is cheap...need I say any more? G0od for stocking up on basic notions, wadding, calico etc. I did find some cute summery cotton for a steal too!

Department Stores (Target, Kmart, Woolworths, Big W):

My first ever job was working in the Manchester department of Kmart - I loved it (well, better than being on checkouts). We stocked dress fabrics and curtaining by the metre, knitting wool and all sorts of notions. We had to know how many lengths of disgusting net curtaining was needed for a window, what sort of hooks were needed and how to cut festoon fabric (don't ask). When did all this disappear? Doesn't anyone want cafe curtains in their kitchen anymore? These days there's a very small section of notions shoved between the sheet sets and boomerang pillows...disappointing, but understandable I guess. I suspect they'll do away with it all so keep an eye out for the clearance sale.

Easton and Pearson Retrospective

2009-08-24T22:54:00.002+10:00

I was fortunate enough recently to sit in on a Q and A session with Lydia Pearson and Pamela Easton (of Easton Pearson) at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). What I love about these two women is that they are so passionate about what they do yet are still down to earth (love the pineapples). They keep their workroom in Brisbane and with a sense of cheekiness they discuss their crafty take on fashion, talk about artisan's rights in India and hint at the craziness that is Paris fashion week. The exhibition itself is a wonderful showcase of their collections over the 20 year history of this creative partnership.

Things I learnt: that they commission alot of embellishment work with artisans in India. Most of the embellished work is done to shape - which means they basically have the pattern traced out onto the base fabrics and the artisans do the embellishments exactly to shape - so there is no wasting of the artisan's time or workmanship. This means that there are not many rolls of fabrics being produced and there is very little wastage. Also if a garment is to be heavily ornate, they'll often use a very plain base cloth - even calico has been used, so that the hand work takes centre stage.

The Workroom space in the bit where kids get to play and adults get to be kids. You're provided with a cardboard cutout doll (male or female)...

...and you get to fashion them some new clothes from Easton Pearson printed paper and clothing templates that you can use as is or 'modify' to your tastes!

Once you're finished you can display them on a lit up catwalk! I wonder what Anna Wintour would make of it all?

National Science Week

2009-08-24T21:05:00.000+10:00

August 15th - 23rd in Australia was National Science Week! The Craft Laboratory is paying homage to this auspicious time of the year by bringing you examples of science I have come across in my recent travels.

Exhibit A:

Subscription leaflet for Inside Out (Australian lifestyle magazine - or as a friend once called this style of magazine... 'lifestyle porn').

Exhibit B:

Theater space I walked past in Philadelphia - actually I'm kind of grumpy about this as I have made a logo for the Craft Laboratory based on the periodic table and little sciencey flask...I've decided that I'm still going to use them - just goes to show... great minds think alike :-)

Exhibit C:

Two page spread of science-related geek chic in Ready Made magazine!

Exhibit D:

Another bit of flasky goodness with a lovely ceramic bird by Have You Met Miss Jones. Great interview with the artist (Jennifer Jones) about how she set up her business on the Living Creatively site!

Results - Toots Baby Bib

2009-08-23T11:48:00.008+10:00

Ok, ok, ok, ok...it's been an awfully long time between chats - my fault, but there's a good reason for it - I promise! But for now I wanted to share with you a finished item - yes, it's true, I got off my ass and actually made something I had sketched out in my notebook!

You may remember the screen printing class I did at Thea and Sami's studio a little while ago. Well the little 'Toot' train was my first design, and it just seemed to me like a good idea for a baby's bib - luckily so many of my friends are getting pregnant!

I decided to do a little embellishment first with some little pieces of felt and embroidery yarn. Next was to draw a rough pattern from another bib I had lying around (for those that know me well, this is a weird admission). Originally I was going to use velcro for the neck enclosure but I only had some black stuff - which I thought was not really appropriate - maybe if the bib had more of a rock-n-roll feel about it ...hmmm, there's an idea. Anyhoo - I had some cute craft ribbon so I had to adjust the pattern on the fly.

I also had to do an emergency visit to Spotlight (cringe) - I'll talk more about that experience another time. I wanted to have a soft and absorbant material on the back (for wiping mouths) and originally was looking for some single sided terry towelling (to reduce bulk), but ended up with a double layer of white flannel. I hope Emma (and her little man - due in less than two weeks) like it...even though there is alot of dodgy sewing - I wish my old machine (Elna Contessa) had a slow speed - easier for negotiating curves :-)

Things to do next time: different coloured topstitching; possibly more embellishment (was thinking about stitching a cloud of smoke shape around the letters), although all the stitching might look a bit crappy after vomit, food and a lot of Nappysan soaks - any other suggestions?

Felt-tastic!

2009-07-21T06:05:00.010+10:00

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

2009-07-06T11:19:00.009+10:00

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

2009-07-05T01:05:00.001+10:00

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

2009-07-02T23:13:00.007+10:00

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!

Men in Craft

2009-06-27T10:41:00.002+10:00

The Little Market at Avid Reader

2009-06-24T12:35:00.007+10:00

I have been meaning to get to this craft market for ages and ages (years actually) but always seem to miss it. I live in West End and love The Avid Reader bookstore - it's an independant venture started by a couple of locals a long time ago - in that time it has moved location once and has opened a cafe in the back - it's always had the same, great inviting atmosphere that a lovely bookshop should...it's also open late (I love a bookshop browse at night).

Anyhoo - The Lovely Thing Makers are a local loose collective who hold a little craft market in the back courtyard of Avid Reader on the last Friday of each month (5.30 - 8pm) - so THIS FRIDAY (note to self) - I'm meeting my blog friend Ellie (from Red Seed Studio) there. I can't wait!

Screen printing with Thea

2009-06-20T16:22:00.015+10:00

I met Thea (of Thea & Sami) at the Stitches and Craft Show earlier this year. I got to see a demo on screen printing and once I knew she was doing workshops at her studio I was keen to sign up! I was determined to have designs sorted and be 100% prepared...oh well...I did manage to remember to bring my ideas book at least so I had a few ideas to work from.

The train and birdcage had been jotted down during the week but the 'science' girl is an idea from a tattoo I saw on the web somewhere...I love how they all turned out!

Thea was awesome, apart from instructing us all in the art of screen printing, she gave us information on what inks to avoid buying, what to look for in second hand screens, and contacts of good places for supplies (which is very generous of her). She also was wonderful in her encouragement and in problem solving any design issues we came up against. She's taking a break from workshops for a little while - but look out for when she has them again!

Melbourne Design Market

2009-06-15T10:38:00.026+10:00

While I was in Melbourne I was lucky enough to stumble across the Melbourne Design Market which was held in the underground carpark at Federation Square. I was like a kid in a candy store - so much cool stuff, so little money, but I did my best and managed to talk to lots of creative types and click some photos...and buy a few keepsakes. So what did I spy?

Fabrics:

Melbourne screenprinting outfit - Spacecraft - was selling wall hangings, floor cushions and other homewares made with their hand printed fabrics. I also visited their store space in Gertrude Street. In their studio they have one print table with a backing cloth on it, this gets saturated with ink from the print ideas and colours that they use and gets replaced every few months - it's these backing cloth paintings are wonderful to view. They had a wonderful print on their window of a stack of books - but alas - they haven't printed this onto material...I suggested they may like to...hint hint!

Ceramics:

The State of Design Festival store had a variety of great products including very cute ceramic hot water bottle vases, 'house' plates as well as recycled plates cut into the shape of butterflies - gorgeous. They also had a range of mirrors in the shape of animals, balloons and children jumping and playing.

Gregory Bonasera designed an Elk vase I bought almost 10 years ago, it was great to accidently meet the man behind my treasured piece (and the story behind it) and see what work he has been doing since - I particularly liked his ceramic pieces of bones - kinda creepy but you can't help but pick them up (or maybe that's just me).

Sandra Bowkett creates delicate and beautiful little bowls and cups with polka dots, paperthin spoons which look ready to dip into a caddy of earl grey tea and ceramic brooches - I liked the insect decal drawings too (it's the scientist in me) and couldn't resist buying one of the tea cups to add to my collection.

Clever Stuff:

Lego Zip Drives: I saw these originally about a year ago in a design magazine and bought one so I was glad to see they are still available and getting out there. They come in different sizes (1, 2, 4, and 8 Gb) and colours (red, blue, pink, yellow, green, clear and black). This company (Zip Zip) also sells very cute ipod lego speakers. They're geeky hot and never fail to get a reaction from boys like - 'that's the coolest thing I've ever seen'...yeah - good for the crafty chicka's ego!

The Keep Cup: These Australian designed and manufactured reusable hot beverage cups sold like hotcakes - two sizes were available and you could choose the colour of cup, lid, preference band and the top sealing plug. Everything pops on and off, is microwavable and dishwasher safe. Estimated lifespan is four years and they are totally recyclable. I'm off to the States soon and will be taking mine to spread the word. I think we'll be seeing these everywhere.

Kearnsie: Funny, clever pieces by Lisa Kearns. The 'Hello' badges - inspired by working in customer service, the eyepiece scarf toggles and the cute knitting needle rings and bangles all were too cool for school!