Skip to main content

March Madness


 'Mad as a March Hare" ... so the saying goes - describing the  excitable behaviour of hares in March.
I must admit I am feeling a little "hare-brained" this month with so much happening.
The first big March event was the culmination of 'Spreading Wings' the community art project I coordinated for International Women's Day. The concept was to work collaboratively to create a fibre sculpture in a series of free textile art workshops. Eight workshops were held and over thirty people participated, learning textile art techniques and contributing to the sculpture. The unveiling was held on the eve of International Women's Day. The following photos tell a little of the story...
Sculpture framework -  the beginning... 
Workshop Preparation 
Happy workshop participant 
Busy workshop participants

The "unveiling" : Happy International Women's Day!

Then the next day off to Hervey Bay, Queensland to lead a Wise Woman workshop. What a keen and talented group of doll makers and welcoming hosts,  so it wasn't all work 
Wise Woman workshop in Hervey Bay. 
Wise Women Works in Progress 
Sightseeing in Hervey Bay with my generous host
Postscript: The bird sculpture was named Adelina ( Spanish name meaning 'noble and winged') and was auctioned with the successful bid being announced this week.  The proceeds of the auction will be donated to support the work of Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo who is a spiritual leader and teacher of young Buddhist women.  (Learn  more about her life in the biography and film, Cave in the Snow). 
Thanks to all contributors to the project which in turn will help so many more women in less favourable circumstances than ours. 
The project was sponsored by Timeless Textiles and Newcastle City Council with support from the Rotary Club of Wallsend-Maryland, Huntington Estate Wines and LamboArt. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

12 Days .... festive or not?

Days 5 & 7 - the Gold Rush Era Stamp Series   It seems so long ago now since we were celebrating Christmas and New Year.... hope you enjoyed a great festive season. I took some time out, not doing much at all but I did set myself a little challenge of doing some tidying up which meant spending a little time each day using scraps of fabric and paper  to create something a little playful or as the mood took, useful!  Unlike the long projects I usually undertake, this was a 12 day project ( 12 days of Christmas ) - completely random, but finishing half done projects or recycling.  For example the first photo shows some collages  I did on days 5 and 7 to use a postage stamp release, the Gold Rush Era series, first issued in Australia 1981 ... yes I probably have had it in my stash since then!   Completing some other little projects was very satisfying .... On Day 1, I assembled a folded  paper folk cube from a kit my daughter gifted to me las...
Post a Comment
Read more

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 w...
3 comments
Read more

Too Precious to Waste

 Stitched tea bags/ old doily "tea lights" - Wilma Simmons  More than a year ago, a decision was made.  The annual exhibition of NCEATA ( Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) 2015-2016 will have the theme "Mottainai". Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto ( もったいない事 ? ). As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." [2]  A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that ...
Post a Comment
Read more