Craft Conference: Day 2

I sprung out of bed this morning ready for day 2 of Danielle in Craftland. After bimbling about at home, checking emails, indulging in the fact that I wasn't off to the lab, I decided to arrive just before my first class so that I could try another West End coffee place on the way to the convention centre - West End Coffee House (no website).

I arrived at the show in time to miss the massive lines (yay), and walked straight in and over to the Incubator section to meet more indie crafters and see what else I was going to buy! I have a definite obsession with tea cosies and was drawn to the most fabulous creation - very tropical - very Queensland - a very sweet and tangy pineapple by the very cool local ladies from Biddy Bags. These ladies are more than just cool craft - they're a social enterprise connecting socially isolated nanas and matured aged ladies through craft and social networking. Of each item sold, over 50% goes to the lady that created. They have profiles of these awesome nanas on their website - check it out!

I then checked out (and bought) some fab screenprinted fabric by Pippijoe (Melbourne) - I've seen this on Etsy - but it's so much nicer to look at fabric close up - it's gorgeous...no idea what I'll make with it yet.

It was time for the first class of the day - An Apron in 1 Hour is a free for use pattern devised by American Jona (pronounced John-uh) Giammalva. This class was run by the very magnetic Louise Stuart of MadebyMiffy. Louise was one of those people that you have an instant connection with as she's sassy, fun, up for a laugh, passionate about what she does but also very down to earth. This was made evident by two woman in the class (Jan and Jill - look out for them on Louise's blog) who ended up showing us a really cool way of doing the apron waistband which hides all the seams. Louise was totally up for changing the way she taught the class and took photos for reference and to post on her blog...it was what I think we all like about the craft community, the sharing of skills and ideas in a supportive environment (plus we had such a laugh). The apron was a total success and I'm planning to buy another kit or two for friends! In addition, there is an online community called Apron Nation which is a place for you to post photos, get free patterns, advice etc all do to with aprons...I'm joining!

Hot on the heals of the apron class was a sock knitting class (from the toe up, on circular needles)...it's scheduled for an hour so I'm not naive enough to think I'll end up with a pair by the end of it...but after one hour, a good deal of the class hadn't even mastered the art of casting on - what the? I was extremely Craft-strated (frustrated by craft). It seemed teaching people how to cast onto both pins of a circular needle simultaneously was trickier than Jean Withers of Yarns Galore anticipated. Thankfully Jean gave us some web references (knitty.com) and after sitting at home in front of the computer, I am on my way to creating some lovely socks...hopefully...I may have to put a callout for help - stay tuned.

Blogcards given out: 2

Craft Conference: Day 1

It was a slightly cool autumnal morning in Brisbane - I grabbed a coffee from BlackStar Coffee and made my way to the Convention Centre (near West End - so about 20 minutes walk from home)...I was excited by the anticipation of what was to come - inspiration, lots of incredible crafters to meet, I was feeling a little overawed. I arrived to what I guess sounded something akin to a chicken farm - the deafening noise of clucking, gaggling, tutting and a sea - a sea - of grey hair, comfortable shoes, sensible trousers and women called Maude...I was quite possibly the youngest person in line by about 15 years (I exaggerate)!

I was entertained by the surrounding conversations by women who had driven from places in regional Queensland like Gympie and Rockhampton. I wondered whether I could gain craft knowledge by osmosis. These women are hard core crafters of a different generation and I evesdropped into their conversations on the pros and cons of hand verses machine embroidery and how Tuesday's quilting group is not quite like it used to be. We all waited patiently to be allowed into the main auditorium. Welcome to the 2009 Stitches and Craft Show!

The first section I happened across was The Incubator - ah ha - THIS is where all the hip, happening young crafters and blog divas are - I started to feel at home. The people putting on the show (Living Creatively) made this space to showcase indie crafters they identified by trawling the blogs and markets of Australia. This will be my favorite part - I can see that already. The first stand I came across was for Mixtape - an awesome little zine out of Melbourne which is quickly gaining a cult status in contemporary craft circles. After having a chat and recommending a good place for coffee in town (and cheap movies) I made my way to the ladies of Ink&Spindle - oh - all the fabrics I have been swooning over online were right in front of me (see below)...I was their first sale of the day - I have promised to send photos of the precious things I'm going to make.

The first of the workshops I had booked in for was to learn how to hand carve my own stamps. It was run by the delightful Holly McGuire at Two Cheese Please in Melbourne. On arrival we were each given a little pack containing instructions, carving rubber and tools and began drawing our designs and carving rubber! Holly's instruction was great and everyone carved and chatted and ooohed and aaahed at how splendid everything turned out. I did two designs - a coffee pot and a bird - and saved one piece of rubber for later (I have a plan!). I really liked how the stamps are a bit rustic and almost childlike...and easy peasy to carve!

After grabbing a quick coffee (double-shot flat white - not bad either), I then raced over to see Thea Samios (in action below) from Thea & Sami demo screenprinting your own designs - and hats off to Thea as it's a sticky business working with paint (2 colours), a screen and a small bucket of water! Thea showed how you can design onto and use contact to then stick onto a silk screen and do small, repeat two colour prints. I want to book in for one of Thea's weekend workshops soon!

The second workshop was run by the dynamic duo (Sam Messina and Ellie Beck) of Red Seed Studio. Myself and Holly (from Two Cheese Please) were the luckiest girls alive as we got both Sam and Ellie to ourselves for 2 fantastic hours of stencil work! Firstly we had to draw something that could be used as a stencil...no pressure...about a month ago I drew a stylized drawing of Australian gumnuts - time was ticking so that will have to do! We got to transfer our drawings onto contact paper, cut out with exacto blades and then hand stencilled onto a great hemp bag, cotton fibre cards and another hemp fabric. There was also time to make a quick stamp. The time passed so quickly as I felt like I was hanging out with old friends, chatting, laughing and being creative - a great experience. Thanks guys!

Blogcards given out: 5

DIY Blog Cards

Today I decided to try my hand at designing some little cards to give to people I meet at the Craft Conference - you know - for networking purposes. Clearly there is no time to design something amazing (I can't draw), and get it printed on gorgeous card stock as The Stitches and Craft juggernaut starts this Wednesday, I'm going to have to resort to a bit of DIY. This has been inspired by reading a blog I came across in an ecourse I'm currently doing (more on that at a later date). Thanks Ashley of 31experiment for the inspiration!

The laboratory I work in has a small room dedicated to throwing (literally) all of the catalogues we get given by scientific sales reps. Catalogues for plasticware, petri dishes, flasks, cytokines, microbiology media...you name it, we probably have a catalogue for it. Some of these span back 10 years and a lot of companies either aren't around anymore or have been taken over and so everything is out of date. I decided to do a little cleanup and get a bit eco and rip the covers off them to reuse for my blog-card backing and recycle the rest of the catalogue.

The result is below - I thought I would just have my blog details on one side (in the same font as my blog heading), stitched on with the help of Contessa 120 (my trusty sewing machine), plus a little button handstitched on for extra cuteness. When you turn over the back is something scientific (from the catalogue covers) - each one will therefore be totally unique - I feel sheepishly proud!

Craft Conference 2009

So, the Stitches and Craft Show is arriving in Brisbane next Wednesday (runs from April 29th - May 3rd) - I'm calling it a Craft Conference - and frankly I've never been this excited about any science-related conference I've had to attend and present at over the years...yeah - totally in the wrong profession!

I spent a good deal of yesterday working out a timetable in Excel (nerd alert!) so that I could schedule in all of the workshops and demonstrations that I spent highlighting the day before - it's a complicated process and I had to make sure things didn't clash! I'm planning to do daily round-ups of what I see, who I meet and highlight general crafty-goodness (plus take agazillion photos), and more importantly, I am going to give you a rundown of each of the worshops/seminars I attend, here's a list so keep an eye out...funnily enough they are calling the workshops 'Craft Labs'...I better make some fast blog business cards for networking!

Wednesday April 29th

• Hand carved rubber stamps (workshop): Presented by Holly McGuire of Two Cheese Please, we will learn how to make our own hand carved rubber stamps.

• How to screen print your own designs (demo): Thea Samios of Thea and Sami will demo screen printing on fabric.

• Hand printing and design (workshop): Sam Messina and Ellie Beck of Red Seed Studio will teach a range of different hand printing techniques (look out Lotta Jansdotter!) and we will complete three projects to take home.

Thursday April 30th

• Apron in an hour (workshop): Louise Stuart of Made by Miffy teaches how to make an apron in an hour. We get to choose a kit from the range of Miffy fabric combos and make a very cute looking apron.

• Socks toe up on the Magic Loop (workshop): Jean Withers of Yarns Galore teaches in an hour how to figure 8 cast-on and begin knitting socks from the toe up on something intrigingly called the Magic Loop! This is for my friend Louise who wants to learn how to knit socks...I will teach you Lou when I visit Philadelphia in July!

• Textures, tucks and techniques (demo): new techniques and embellishment ideas in quilting. I've never quilted, but would love to learn - will have a look at this to see what's what.
  

Friday May 1st

• Sling Bag (workshop): Kylie Shepherd of Thread Den will teach how to construct a sling bag, all materials will be provided and it's supported by Brother so I guess that means using some nice sewing machines (sorry Contessa 120- I'll still love you).

• 5 easy steps to picture framing (demo): Trevor Penny of FrameCo will demo tricks of the trade and cost saving measures for framing. I have so many self developed black and white prints that need framing!
  

Saturday May 2nd

• Upholstering a bridge chair (demo): Adrian Padgham rebuilds the seat of a bridge chair with the traditional method of upholstery using jute webbing, coil springs and padding. I've always thought about using some of our gorgeous hand printed Australian made fabrics to upholster found furniture...put that on my wish list of things to experiment with.

• Home based craft business (seminar): Bianca Van Meeuwen of Ink&Spindle will cover tips and advice on starting a home based craft business - I can't wait for this! They will cover blogging, photography, marketing, online sales, pricing, wholesaling and approaching retailers.

• Photos on fabric (demo): Kathleen Stone of Australian Country Quilts demos fabric that you feed through any printer - I've known about this for a while but haven't seen it done.
  

Craft Crush 1: Spool Sewing - Philadelphia

When I was a little girl I dreamt of being a florist, when I was leaving high school I really wanted to go to art college and pursue photography, all of my life I have been collecting and coveting gorgeously handmade things...so how the heck did I end up being a scientist? It's a good question and one which becomes harder to justify the older I get.

I recently spent 5 months in Philadelphia (USA) on a research fellowship and while the trip itself was scientifically successful, personally I saw it as a watershed moment in my life for other reasons. I was staying with a friend in South Philly and as I walked to work I stopped dead in my tracks - I had come across the most gorgeous little shop. I was peering through large windows into a white room, on the walls were shelves containing the most delicious fabrics, arranged in a rainbow of colour...and there was a book in the window that had a squirrel tea cosey on the front cover...I had myself my first Craft Crush. I had stumbled across Spool, which is run by the most delightful Laura.

In that 5 months I attended several great weekend sewing classes (see the two A-line skirts pictured - Amy Butler Barcelona skirt pattern and the tote pattern is free from the Spool blog), spent hours browsing fabrics and chatting, more hours in the sewing room out the back at the 'open sewing' sessions and even attended the Friday night Stitch Parties. Apart from teaching me the joy of sewing, Laura also inspired me with her wonderful openness and friendship (yes, she listened to my crazy stories) and gave me the encouragement to pursue a new creative lifestyle.

So this post goes out to my friend Laura - and if you're ever in Philly - pop in for a chat, a browse and take a class!

PS. The wool shop next door, Loop, is also awesome and run by a very lovely man called Craig!

Me and Tess

An update - after a slight struggle (and a bit of language)...and skype advice from my wonderful friend Ritz - Contessa and I have made peace!

Oh happy days! After mucking about with the top tension...the bobbin tension...then putting that back to where I found it, changing the bobbin thread colour so that I could see if that was really the problem...I then basically did as Ritz advised and took off the metal plate and found one menacing piece of thread which seemed to cause all the trouble!

Contessa-tastic

Mum dropped off her beloved, and slightly neglected, sewing machine this morning. It's a brilliantly named Contessa 120 - distributed by Elna. I've had a love-hate relationship with this machine over the years...I want to love it, it's just that it hates me back - why Contessa, why?

So, as I'm in my own apartment now, I'm hoping this will fool Contessa into thinking I am not me, and it will have great tension and not eat material. I like the weight of it and the thought of getting use out of a machine that's been banished to the back of the cupboard is good for the soul...

Question: What sewing machine do you use? If it's 'vintage' do you have any tips?

Craft Rescue 1

I have a confession - I'm a little obsessed with the OpShop down the street from where I live - it's like an Aladdin's cave, packed to the rafters with years and years worth of people's declutering decisions. Many a Saturday morning is spent having a 'quick look' and it usually results in me finding something crafty (I have many, many rescued knitting needles). See latest example...

I've always loved a tea cosey, not the material ones that pop over the whole teapot - pfft - there's nothing 'cosey' about that - it's like putting a cover over the budgie cage...well, maybe not, but in my humble opinion figure hugging knitted or crocheted is the way to go!

Brooching a subject

I made these little Animal Cracker brooches a while ago - yes I was obsessed with cocktail animals (who isn't?) and every time I wore one I was delighted by people's reactions - smiles, nods of approval, giggles, gleeful memories of messy nights out.

Interesting facts: there is only one species of giraffe: Giraffa camelopardalis. I love the fact that the word camel is in it too...the word 'brooch' is not to be confused with 'broach' (apparently).

Bibliography

In the Craft Lab the Bibliography is the place you find all references to sources, inspiration and books that are just nice to flick through - usually starting at the back and moving towards the front (I've always done it that way - not with novels though). I found this tasty tidbit at my local independant bookstore - The Avid Reader.

A Year of Mornings: Stephanie and MAV are two divas who live 3191 miles apart - they embarked on a year of each taking a picture of their morning and sending it to each other...these got collated into this very lovely book. The photos are gorgeous - great for flicking through and getting inspiration for blog photos! They also have a fab blog and a new book (A Year of Evenings) coming out later in 2009!

Publish or Perish

So, a career in research science is by no means an easy one - quite often the phrase most bandied about is "Publish or Perish" which basically means you're only as good as your last publication and so if you're not publishing, things are going to get pretty sticky in the petri dish of life for you.

I got to thinking that the world of blogging is similar - what is it that keeps you coming back to a blog? If you're not updating, surely your followers will go elsewhere.

Here at the Craft Laboratory, I've decided to experiment with how I introduce topics. Like a scientific manuscript, there'll be sections entitled Aims, Hypotheses, Materials and Methods, Results, Conclusions and the all important Bibliography...stayed tuned!

Start the blog off right...

Well, I've been umming and ahhing and driving friends crazy for years - so it's time I stopped pussy-footing around (thanks Mum) and actually start *doing* something with my obsession with arts, craft, photography and things that make you go 'ooohh that's cute'!

So this is my start - a humble blog - my Craft Laboratory - to map out my musings, my ideas, and of course give props to all the creative friends and divas out there being amazing and inspiring!

So let's start it off right - a decent breakfast to get us through...splendid! Cheers for the home-laid eggs Jodes - what is it about chickens that just make you smile? (I like imitating the clucking noises - go on have a go).