Textile Art Exhibitions and Christmas Sales

Last week I said I was not ready for Christmas. This week I don't think I ever will be - not this year anyway. While I have been distracted this week from Christmas preparations, it has been worth it. A very talented textile artist friend Wendy Scott had the opening of her solo exhibition, Rainbow Journey, at Timeless Textiles Gallery on Thursday night. I really recommend that you take the time out to see this one - a magical visual journey of colour, excitement and pure joy. The exhibition is open until 7 December at Timeless Textiles Gallery, 7 Beaumont Street, Islington (Newcastle NSW) - just a 2 minute walk from Hamilton (NSW) Railway Station. Congratulations, Wendy - it is an absolutely beautiful exhibition and a wonderful testimony to your artistic talent.

Wendy Scott and self portrait

We are very fortunate to have opportunities to exhibit and see great textile art here in Newcastle. The next textile art exhibition opens this Thursday night at Wallsend Library and it will be the annual exhibition of NCEATA - Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists. The exhibition is entitled "Archi-Textiles" inspired by architecture - there will be some really innovative textile art on display I am sure. I am delivering my contribution " East-West" this afternoon. It is the first time I have used paint, digital prints and hand made foam printing blocks as well as stitching in a piece of work - not sure about it, but my husband likes it...

East-West : exhibition piece

What an exciting week ... this Saturday is also the annual Handmade Treasures Christmas Sale for charity. This year, the recipient of the profits will be a local and global charity " Give Love to Children" which supports orphanages in the Philippines and provides free health services to disadvantaged children here in the Hunter. Already beautiful work from my lovely sewing friends has arrived - here is a preview of the great gifts you can buy at Saturday's sale supporting local artists and artisans and a very good cause.

table napkins and appliqued place mats

hand sewn quilts

embroidered cushions, patchwork pouches, Christmas cakes

colourful aprons - for children, men and women

appliqued and embroidered sewing bags and babies'wear

I am looking forward to a great day. If you live nearby, I hope you will come to see these hand made treasures and lots more... I have heard this week that the Hunter East Timor Sisters will also be bringing their hand woven tais, many of which have been made by village women in East Timor to raise much needed funds for teacher scholarships to East Timorese young women.... At least I will have my Christmas shopping done after Saturday...

Christmas Countdown 15 : Christmas Tree #11 - Disposable

Plastic cups https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/christmas-stem-ideas-kids/ Advent Blog : Day 11 - Disposable We are all so much more conscious about ridding our landfills and oceans of plastic waste. For Christmas, here is a way to use up some of those disposable items which seem to multiply at holiday parties and celebrations, or perhaps you have just been saving them up for a creative use.... Who would have thought coffee pods would make such stylish Christmas trees ? ... Add caption If you don't have one of those machines, then perhaps you have coffee on the run - Starbucks or Nescafe ? from https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/369858188126737920/ Nescafe cups https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/72761350208620530/ The disposable cups don' t have to be brand names to work well as materials for Christmas trees. Taking an engineering approach to plastic cup trees seems to be the answer for a more ornate result. from https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin

Countdown to Christmas 20 - Fruitcake song!

There are many songs about fruit cakes - not all of them referring to the Christmas cake we know and love.It is really surprising to learn via Google that there are 89 listed songs with references to Christmas cake or fruit cake - not all of them complimentary. Probably one of the most famous folk songs about Christmas cake is Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake (a favourite sung by The Irish Rovers). This first recorded comical Christmas song was written by C Frank Horn in 1883 in Pennsylania, as a variation of an Irish folk song, 'Miss Mulligan's Christmas Cake' . The chorus might give you the hint that Miss Fogarty's cake was not for the faint hearted or those who suffered from a weak stomach. Chorus : There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that work up

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as wrapping str

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Search This Blog