No longer a UFO

After 20 years, Helen has finished her hand quilted bedspread. Well done Helen.

A great Exhibition

Just a few days left for our current and very successful Exhibition at The Q in Queanbeyan. It will be open tomorrow 10am to 4pm and on the Saturday 10am to 4pm on 2pm.

Items on display showcase printing, dyeing, embroidery, felting, quilting and related arts. In addition the bazaar offers a wide variety of the handcrafted articles suitable for gifts.

"Come to our House"

Our Exhibition, "Come to our House" is now on at The Q Exhibition Space in Queanbeyan. Opening times are from 10am to 4pm on weekdays and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays until 5th November.

The focus of the  Exhibition this year is the display of houses made by members which highlights a diverse range of textile art materials and techniques, including dyeing, embroidery,beading, felting, and fabric manipulation.

A Fashion Parade of garments and accessories made by members will be held in conjunction with the Exhibition at 11am on Saturday 29th October, and items are available for sale throughout the duration of the Exhibition. Further details are available at http://www.theq.net.au/come-to-our-house/.

Items for sale at the Bazaar

 Here is a sample of what you will see at The Q.

Exhibition nostalgia

 As we are preparing for our Exhibition in October this year, it is inspiring to look back on some of our past Exhibitions and remember the remarkable pieces we have seen over the years.

Check out these events, remember and smile.
2007 Exhibition - Poles Apart
2011 Exhibition - Arabian Nights
2009 Exhibition - Heaven and Earth

or check out the 2008 Exhibition - "The Reef " on our Facebook page

Come to Our House

After a few years break, we are ready and keen to hold an exhibition of members work again.

It will be held at The Q  in Queanbeyan from 26th October to 5th November, with the opening at 5:30pm on 25th October.

Canberra Quilt and Craft Fair

We have a large space at the Craft Fair again this year, and are able to showcase repurposed denim and wool garments as well as other articles members are working on.

Many thanks to our volunteers who have helped set up and manage the stand over the four days.

Calendar of events 2016

August	3 August – Committee meeting 10 August – General Meeting – activity - 11-14 August – Canberra Craft and Quilt Fair – EPIC 18 -Trip to Bowral for Southern Highlands Textile Group Exhibition
September	3 September – Jo Hollier workshop at Belconnen Arts Centre – Eco dying and printing 7 September – Committee Meeting 14 September – General Meeting - activity
October	5 October – Committee Meeting 12 October – General Meeting - activity 24 October – Bump in for Exhibition at The Q ,Queanbeyan 25 October – Exhibition Opening night 25- 4 November - Exhibition
November	4 November Bump out from The Q 2 November – Committee Meeting 9 November – General Meeting 25-26 November – retreat at Temora
December	7 December – Committee Meeting 14 December – General Meeting and Christmas Party

Show and Tell

At our last meeting, we had a range of interesting pieces to admire.

Jenny's wonderful shibori pieces

Alyson has created a variety of new tea cosy designs

Examples of needle felting items created at the Temora retreat.

Too late for this year....but maybe next?

Have you ever thought of embroidering eggs? Me neither, until I came across some amazing examples including these by Inna Forostyuk, a Ukranian embroiderer.

 
Mary Corbet's  website is one of many that will take you through the process with wonderful photos and tips and techniques.

Have you ever wondered?

Have you ever wondered about the origins of yarn bombing?

This is an interesting short TED Talk video by the textile artist Magda Sayeg about how the yarn bombing phenomenon started.

It includes some great examples of the art around the world

Such a great day!

Our first Playday of the year was held recently at the Waramanga venue. With plenty of space and a convenient kitchen we were able to dabble in three different activities: 'AlterEgo' dyeing of devore , Shibori and other techniques with Genesis Liquid Radiance paints, and brush techniques for fabric painting.
This was a great opportunity for exploring, learning and having fun with great results at the end of the day.

Sue made a welcome visit to the group and here she is
explaining the process of devore dyeing at the beginning of the playday.

The action in the kitchen,two-tone dyeing of devore  scarves.

Robyn Dhowed us a variety of ways to use the versatile Liquid Radiance dyes,
but especially  a form of shibori, where the items were placed over plastic tubes.

Liquid radiance dyed items drying in the sun to take advantage of the photosensitive qualities of the dye.

Lynne drawing with Derwent Inktense colour sticks
while Dell practises some of the water colour style
brushstrokes from Alyson’s demonstration.

Anne and Meg  trying out some fabric painting
brush technique

This was a very successful day due to the efforts of a number of members. A great thank you to Sue for her organisation of the day, to Lynne for organising the venue, to Alyson, Robyn and Sue for demonstrating and sharing their knowledge, and for all the participants who were willing to try new things and share their successes and failures.

A great start to 2016

2016 is off to a great start with our first meeting the year last night. As usual we had delicious food, the opportunity to borrow from the library, and to socialize and share creative ideas.

 Dell, Elvie and Meg brainstorm options 

for reconstructing Meg’s silk top from the late 90’s

The forthcoming Playday, the Exhibition planned for October and the AGM in March were discussed, and the usual reports presented. Sue, our workshop co-ordinator, has planned a diverse range of workshops for the year so there will be lots to look forward to.

The creativity and skills of members were on show with the reveal of the items from "Reuse", our Summer Challenge. Many of the items made will be perfect for our Exhibition later in the year.

Two items had shrunk in their owners' wardrobes, resulting in 'insertion reconstruction'!

  

Sue’s favourite organza shirt had the problem solved with black inserts, a few black ribbon roses and a new collar which connects the two colours.

 Alyson ’s woollen pinstripe skirt from the 90’s was split on a zig zag design line and widened with the insertion of a different pinstripe fabric, top stitched into place with a light grey thread.

Denim was a popular choice for recycling or restyling. Dell presented a series of imaginative potholders made with denim pockets, and Gillian's dress used pieces from a myriad of denim garments. Meg showed how denim made a robust peg bag.

Bette’s  denim skirt embellished with buttons and kantha stitch,

 and Phillipa’s hat made from a denim yoke and recovered corduroy.

 Carole’s  denim shirt given a Versace makeover.

Two bags from Bette - reconstructed denim jeans and rescued felted vest.

 Sue’s work in progress.....

An Alannah Hill top with the lacy lining becoming a feature on the outside, and with new sleeves made from lace bought at last year’s “Bring and Buy”. The skirt is also being reconstructed - previously long and about to get some lacy additions.

Our next meeting will be the AGM with guest speaker, Christine White.

Membership fees due

A reminder to members that our annual fees for 2016 are now due. Please download the membership form from our website - www.actextiles.org.au/forms.html and follow the instructions for payment, or take the membership form to the next meeting and pay the Treasurer directly.

We look forward to another exciting and creative year ahead.