The Joy of Having Time....

Earlier in the year, I enrolled in a creative embroidery course. This means that each month, I receive a parcel in the post - fabric and threads with an instruction to create an stitched design according to a theme and/or type of stitching. Inevitably, I run short of time - stitching right up to the last moment, and sending off my completed assignment by Express Post for it to reach the Guild Headquarters on the day the assessors meet.

NSW Embroiderers' Guild

Last month, no parcel came and my completed assignment from the previous month was not returned. I thought perhaps because I had two incomplete assignments still on my work table at home, my assessor decided I wasn't to receive another until I had finished and handed in the outstanding two. totally understandable! So I worked hard to complete them.... still didn' t make the last post on Friday!

Theme - Bottles, Technique - Distorted Applique

Theme - Seed Heads Technique - Texture

So I decided not to let that enemy 'time' beat me.... my new plan was to travel to Sydney , take my finished assignments with me, apologise for my lateness, and hope I could locate my missing piece of work and receive last month's assignment. All went well - caught the train at 7.45am and arrived at the Guild Headquarters by 10.15 am. Oh no - my assessor was away, but all was not in vain . I spoke to others, found my lost work (together with my last assignment) thanks to a little sleuthing from the course coordinator, It all happened within fifteen minutes of my arrival and as I had planned to take a train home at 12.15pm,,,, I had time to spare!

Goldwork - lost and now found!

So with the luxury of having time, it was easy to enjoy morning tea with the creative course group - chatting to the packers of the kits, and some of the assessors and understanding how the course actually operates; early lunch at the Love Life coffee shop next door and then even time to wander and take some photos.

Embroiderers' Guild Headquarters

Love Life Coffee Shop

Concord West looks just like a main street of a country town and I was so impressed with the cleanliness of the street and the inviting area near the station to sit and just take time to look at passers by, or enjoy the sunshine - which I did.

Concord West - quiet main street

What was even more positive about the whole day was that I used public transport which ran on time to schedule, and not a single hiccup regarding changing lines either way - and all this for only $2.50 fare, at least $10 cheaper than posting my assignments!

Railway Station, Concord West

Bilby Infatuation

Wrapped wire and fabric bilby sculpture : Wilma Simmons 2016 Over the years I have been fascinated with the plight of the bilby and it has inspired quite a few of my cloth creations... With long pinkish-coloured ears and silky, blue-grey fur, the Bilby has become Australia’s version of the Easter Bunny. Unlike the rabbit, bilby numbers are falling rapidly. There were originally two species but the Greater Bilby is now commonly referred to simply as ‘the Bilby’ as the Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura) is thought to have become extinct in the early 1950s... Bilbies are nocturnal, emerging after dark to forage for food. Using their long snouts, they dig out bulbs, tubers, spiders, termites, witchetty grubs and fungi. They use their tongues to lick up grass seeds. Bilbies have poor sight and rely on good hearing and a keen sense of smell. To minimise threats from predators they’ll mostly stay within 250m of their burrows, but sometimes roam further afield depending on the food...

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

Background Information: Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap. 2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...

Non-Committal Collage Anything Goes

Have you heard of non-committal collage? I hadn't until one of the other participants of the 100 Day Project started doing this each day and showing the results.... Here are Peggy's rules : 1. S elect 9 scraps of paper from collage box/stash 2. Make three different compositions using each scrap at least once. (some pieces can be used more than once) 3. Do not alter the scraps of paper in any way. 4.Do not use glue. 5.Take photo, disassemble and return scraps to box. I thought this would be a fun and quick exercise to do for Tag Tuesday's theme , Anything Goes... so here are my "non-committal collage" tags.... Did you spot the nine pieces? Would you like to suggest some titles? And I repeated the exercise before putting back the 9 scraps of paper, so these are different items. Hope you will try this exercise - it is lots of...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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