Temora Retreat date correction

The planned retreat at Temora will be on the weekend of 7th and 8th November. For more information contact Sue at the address previously given

Meg's inspiration in Melbourne

A report from Meg about interesting exhibitions for those venturing to Melbourne in the near future.

I have just got back from wonderful holiday in Melbourne & surrounds. Aside from the "David Bowie Is" exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Images, which in itself is perhaps not relevant, the costumes are fabulous. Bowie worked with Japanese designer Kamsai Yamamoto and Alexander McQueen; truly stunning to see in the real (so to speak). acmi.net.au is the relevant website for the centre.
I also took in the Miss Fisher's costumes as part of the Festival of Phyrne currently in Rippon Lea (www.ripponleaestate.com.au) . The costume exhibition is on until 30 September 2015. Further link - missfisherexhibition.com.au
I have attached one of my favourite snaps from my phone. No flash allowed but you could snap away to your hearts content & there were fabric samples on some of the exhibits to allow touching!

 

 

 

From the Phyrne Fisher costume exhibition

Exciting workshops ahead

Two great workshops to look forward to:

• Wendy Saclier’s bag using boro technique - an old Japanese technique to make something new from  pre worn clothing giving a patchwork effect.  It can be embellished in a variety of ways.

•  Christine White - some use of reverse applique with additions.  Another exciting workshop with Christine.  One not to miss!

 If you are interested in any of these activities, please contact the workshop coordinator Sue Chapman at susan.chapman.cc@gmail.com

How we deconstructed and reconstructed

The deconstruction/reconstruction day on 18th July was enjoyed by all who attended.  Whilst each participant had their own ideas they also tapped in the ideas of everyone there!  The saying re ‘many heads’ is certainly true! Everyone was well on the way to completing ‘new’ garments.  Sarah was even well on her way with the second! 

We hope to see lots of 'new' garments  at the next meeting!

Carol's jacket

Vera's storage solution

Gillian's creation

Thanks Sue for your photos and notes.

A treasure trove of patterns

Have you seen this wonderful site of antique patterns? To quote from the website - This ongoing project is an effort to scan craft pattern publications that are in the public domain, to preserve them, so we can keep our craft heritages in our hands.

The Yahoo Group connected to the site describes the project in this way -  "We publish scans of books on all kinds of crafts - needlework - lace making, embroidery, crochet, knitting, dressmaking, macrame, quilting, tatting, weaving, basketry - along with beading, bookbinding, calligraphy, carpentry and woodworking, glass, mechanics, gardening, cooking and other crafts."

The patterns are free under Creative Commons conditions which you can  check on the website.

The publications and patterns listed are vintage and out of copyright. Even if you don't wish to use one of the patterns, it is a fascinating site from a historical perspective.

Winter 2015 Newsletter

The latest edition of our Newsletter is available for members. You can download it by logging in to the members section of the website.

This is another great read with a interesting articles about a variety of exhibitions around the country, planned workshops and other Association activities.

Autumn newsletter now available

Our Autumn newsletter for 2015 is now available for members on our website.

To access it, you will need to log in by clicking on the grey box in the top right hand corner, and then type in your username and password. (If you have forgotten either, please contact Chris on bergin@webone.com.au, and she will try to reset your account for you.) Then click on Newsletters on the left hand panel.

It is another great edition with a number of amazing photos of the recent workshop with Christine White and various exhibitions that members have attended, as well as other informative articles. Thank you Chris for putting it together.

If you have any thoughts about the newsletter, please leave a comment below.

Reminder to Members

Please remember that it would be helpful if you could bring your items for the Fashion Parade on 9th May to the meeting this week. The electronic forms should also be returned by the meeting. This will give Sarah and Lynne time to sort out the entries , match models and plan the running sheet for the event.

Please make sure that all of the items are clearly tagged in the correct format.

You still have a few weeks to work on those articles for the bazaar.

Lots of patterns- many of them free

This is a great site for interesting patterns if you are looking for ideas - https://www.youcanmakethis.com/.

It has ideas for clothing for adults and children, bags, quilts, jewellery and more, and includes sewing, knitting and crochet. It is a real treasure trove of patterns from very simple to quite complex.

The patterns are downloadable so you can instantly start a project if your fingers are itching!

More wonderful inspiration

Here is another wonderful site bursting with so much information about textile art  - http://www.textileartist.org/ . Its purpose is to inspire, summed up by this statement from the site:

"We want TextileArtist.org to be an invaluable resource for stitch artists and practitioners working with mixed media techniques, including embroidery, print, crochet, appliqué and quilting. But we also want to include those of you who aren’t necessarily artists yourselves, but have a passion for the diverse medium of textile art or enjoy experimenting with fiber and fabrics as a hobby.
TextileArtist.org is a place to be inspired by some of the world’s most prolific textile and stitch artists; learn from the best, find out what’s going on in the world of textiles and promote events, exhibitions, talks, workshops and book releases."

Tickets now available for Fashion Parade!

Our Fashion Parade and bazaar will be held on 9th May at 2:30pm at the Curtin Uniting Church Hall, Carruthers Street, Curtin.

Tickets are $20 each, which includes afternoon tea. Members are urged to order their tickets promptly by contacting  Kim via email kim_mayne@hotmail.com or by phone on 0402569779 (you may need to leave a voice message throughout business hours). Tickets for members, friends and guests will be allocated first, before being offered to the public.

A great afternoon is promised with wonderful garments and other items to view and to purchase, with a delicious afternoon tea included.

Screen printing ideas

If you are looking for ideas for screen printing, Lynn  Krawczyk from Smudged Textile Studio (http://smudgedtextilesstudio.com/) explores this technique in her "52 Screen Printed Squares" project on her blog (http://smudgedtextilesstudio.com/52-screen-printed-squares/).

Each Monday she posts a small square she has created using a screen printed design. She describes the fabric, paint and other equipment she has used. To date she has used thermofax screens, but the techniques are also obviously applicable to silkscreens.

What is especially interesting is the way she uses different colours, and the ways in which she layers the colours. If you are looking for some great ways to extend the techniques you use, this blog may give you some ideas.

Looking for inspiration?

If you are looking for inspiration, or just enjoy looking at beautiful things, try this website - It is "Folt Bolt - the colourful art palette", a collection of amazing artworks from around the world.

It is regularly updated with wonderful examples of all sorts of artistic endeavour, including clothing, jewellery, accessories, embroidery, textile art, mixed media, quilting and beading.

Well worth a visit!

Playday postponed

The Denim and Devore Playday planned for Saturday 21st March has been postponed. A new date will be advised for later in the year.

Are you ready for more creativity?

With our first workshop of the year so successful, it is time to look ahead to the next creative opportunity. It will be the Denim and Devore Play Day on 21st March, offering two very different activities.

Denim possibility

• Denim re-creation: - Turn your old jeans or op shop finds into amazing creations limited only by your imagination. Use the pockets, zips, seams and buttons as decorative elements on jackets, aprons, book covers, bags, pillows etc.

• Devore - dyeing with Alter-Ego dyes: - Scarves, made of two different fibres, will be dyed with two different colours in the same dyepot using Alter Ego dyes. All materials will be supplied and there will be an additional materials fee to cover this (payable on the day).  $20 for members; $30 for non-members

Devore scarf dyed 2 different coloursat the same time

The cost for the day will be $20 for members and $30 for non-members, plus the cost of materials for the devore dyeing, for those who choose to do that . 

If you are interested, contact Jenny at jenny.whte@gmail.com

CLOTH gathering

Our first CLOTH gathering for the year will be on Thursday 26th February.

We will meet at The Millhouse Cafe at 57 Collett Street (on the corner of Collett and Morisset Streets) in Queanbeyan at 12 noon. Parking is available at the nearby Riverside Plaza or the parking lot behind Coles as shown on the map below.
 

After lunch we will go to the OzQuilt Australia Wide 4 Exhibition at the Q Theatre. We have seen previous OzQuilt Exhibitions at the Q and they have always been of a very high standard and most inspirational. If you would like to read about the current Exhibition, click here.

It is a 7 minute walk between the cafe, and The Q, and of course, an easy drive. This is a great social way to kick off another creative year for members and friends.

February meeting

Our first meeting for 2015 last night set the scene for a busy creative year ahead with much discussion and a wonderful array of diverse articles for "Show and Tell". Much attention was on the Fashion Parade and associated exhibition and bazaar to be held at the St James Uniting Church in Curtin on 9th May with many members showing completed garments already.

Some of the items for 'Show and Tell'

 Due to the generosity of the family of a late member, there was a table of books, fabric yarn and patterns, many vintage, for sale. More items are being organised for later sale - a wonderful opportunity to top up stashes!!??.

The meeting activity of designing templates from a picture or pattern was well attended, and many will no doubt apply their new knowledge to garments made in the workshop this coming weekend.

Not only are ACTTAA members very creative with textiles, they are also very talented cooks and there were a number of delicious quiches and salads  for dinner - a great way to start a night of socialising and creative endeavours.


Members are reminded that the next meeting will be the AGM on Wednesday 11th March . There will also be the normal activities such as an activity and dinner. Most positions on the Committee need to be filled and indeed must be filled for the Association to continue.

Welcome

Welcome to our new blog where you can keep up-to-date with the activities of the ACT Textile Arts Association, a vibrant group of talented creators interested in the possibilities of textiles.

 For more information about us, also visit our website.

Please bookmark this page, or better still, subscribe to the page to get updates as they are posted.