Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

#SeptTextileLove #STL26Day6 ‘Experiment’ Plastic recycling has still not been resolved, and while reducing the amount of plastic that comes into our house has been minimised , some plastic wrappers seem unavoidable … Cutting plastic into strips and experimenting with it as thread is rather satisfying . This stitching on recycled hessian was made with wrappers from bread and paper towel and some abandoned gold thread .  

  #SeptTextileLove #STL26Day5   ‘Caring’ … so much of what textile artists do involves caring - for the environment , for others, for our own health and well-being , for social justice, for our art … today I’m advocating caring about sourcing our materials . I use lots of embroidery thread and it is sometimes tempting to buy cheaper imported threads than the ones I really love to work with, - hand dyed right here in Australia by a small    family business . I looked at one of the omnipresent online ads with its    incorrect spelling and the suggestion that bulk is better gives strong    hints about the ‘quality’ and the price makes me wonder about the working conditions and rights of those who produce and package the thread?    I care that the people who make the materials I use get a fair wage and work in safe conditions. I also care that the quality of the materials I use are the best I can afford and have the least negative impact on ...

 #septtextilelove  #stl26day4  … Story-telling … making ‘art dolls’ gives wonderful opportunities to tell stories … This matriarch’s story  is intertwined with the cicadas which form  part of the soft sculpture  and emphasises what appears to be a contradiction about nurturing life and inevitable death... Cicadas spend years underground as nymphs feeding on root sap, emerging en masse as winged adults for a few days, perhaps a week, to mate and lay eggs in tree branches, then die, leaving the eggs to hatch into new nymphs that burrow underground to restart the cycle.  The dormant underground phase of the cicada’s life can be from 2-17 years! In my interpretation, this forest matriarch offers a safe place for cicadas to lay eggs, only to cause their own demise … but the continuing life cycle is ensured. 

  T oday's prompt for  #SeptTextileLove #stl26day3 is " Colour’ . I love coloured threads, and sometimes I just like to look at my stash of embroidery threads, which are organised in colour hues. However, there are times when one colour is enough… How do you spell colour ? color? #SeptTextileLove26 seam collective

#STL26Day2 ‘Hand or Machine’ … Why not both? Two small stitched works in my stitched garden series, (left - free motion machine stitch ; right- hand stitch). Which do you prefer ?  #SeptTextileLove 

  A last minute decision to join #septtextilelove26 … so here I am #stl26day1 … Wilma from Newcastle, NSW , Australia , stitching in my garden - my favourite way to spend the day.  I love working with textiles and found objects and as I get older, I enjoy and appreciate the gentle calm of stitching even more . #septtextilelove #empresswu seam collective #SeptTextileLove — 2026 edition! What began back in September 2017 has grown into something truly special — a welcoming textile community that comes together every single year! What makes #SeptTextileLove truly stand out? It’s the connection! Every day, we at seam go through all your wonderful posts and choose three to highlight and celebrate. It’s the conversation between participants, t— and it all comes together in our final prompt on Day 30: “Your favourite post from another participant” — a beautiful way to lift each other up and wrap up the month together. All of September: one textile prompt a day. Respond to as many o...

  Last month, I was interviewed by Sian Goff , textileartist.org and here is the resulting article  Member Spotlight: Wilma Simmons  Stitching stories of strength When Wilma Simmons retired at 55 after a career as a high school principal, she made herself a promise: whatever came next would be creative. Two decades later, that promise has grown into a practice rooted in storytelling, sustainability, and a deep respect for the women who came before her. Based in Newcastle, Australia, Wilma has become a fixture of the textile art world, a longtime volunteer at the Timeless Textiles Gallery, a two-time solo exhibitor, and a member of Stitch Club almost since its very first year. Talking with her, it's easy to see why her work resonates: every piece carries a narrative, and every material has been chosen because it means something. Wilma Simmons , Thorax with Eucalyptus. Wilma Simmons , Wall, inspired by Ana Buzzalino. From clay and jewellery to cloth Wilma's crea...