Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

For most embroiderers, the idea of stitching  and relaxing under the warming winter sun in the historical courtyard of Timeless Textiles Gallery sounds very appealing. Then add the other elements of  enjoying the company of like minded people, a lovely morning tea, and a fun project, with materials supplied. That sounds heavenly... That's  exactly what  the series of short textile art workshops, "Courtyard Creatives" are!  I recently caught up with Cathy Jack Coupland , award winning textile artist at Timeless Textiles. She was preparing for her "Courtyard Creatives" workshop on 3 September.  In this workshop, 'Pumpkin Patch',  Cathy  evokes the vibrant colours of a pumpkin patch.  The warm colour palette Cathy has chosen for this project  (see the sample pictured above) is a perfect antithesis to  grey winter days. The oranges and yellows exude energy, optimism and joy.  What fun it will be to learn how to make suffolk puffs...

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 8 March 2020 FEARLESS FLOWERS MARKET This International Women’s Day, the Wednesday Group will be co- hosting the 2020 Fearless Flower Market and auction. All proceeds from this market/auction will support the Pink Meets Teal initiative, raising money to support Ovarian Cancer research. Join us at Timeless Textiles Gallery (90 Hunter St Newcastle) for a free morning tea, live music, fun and, of course, fundraising! for the last 12 months, the Wednesday group at Timeless Textiles has been creating beautiful handmade flowers for the fundraising and we have been supported by many textile atists and groups all around the country and overseas. “Every cent from the market goes to a charity – this one is the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) for Nikola Bowden’s research, which is very cutting-edge about ovarian cancer treatment options.” “There will be music, food, and a celebration of being women; everyone is welcome!” – Anne Kem...

And the winners are .... Congratulations to all the artists who participated in this competition - every brooch is very special . Special Congratulations to the winners. Thanks to Jen Florey who had the difficult but happy job of choosing winners from such a fine selection of beautiful miniature art works.

Now Open: Brooching the Subject #3 2019 Brooching the Subject is a competition and exhibition of textile/fibre art brooches.   This year we are welcoming submissions from all fibre and textile artists online.  Find our competition details and submission portal online now.  Submissions close soon. The actual brooches are not needed yet, but the details of the submission are   https:// timelesstextiles.com.au/ brooching-the-subject-2019/ Entries close end of February , so  please  submit your entry today! UPDATE - closing date extended to 8 March  Image: Brooching the Subject #2 entries from 2018

Mandala XIV - hand stitched mandala - Annette Tubnor  Classic theme inspires Newcastle artists ...   Source :  Timeless Textiles website  The artists and makers who are members of the Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists (NCEATA) were challenged to respond in  “Black and White” for a new exhibition opening this month at Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles Gallery.  Black and White Art Works  by Ruth Spence, Anne-Marie Kelly and Karen Murray  For many of the textile artists, who typically love to explore the richness of colour in their work, the  “Black and White” theme led them to previously uncharted territory. Wilma SImmons said the NCEATA artists had worked creatively with the black and white palette.“When black and white take centre stage, an artist’s message, and their emotions, shine through” she said. “Stripping out colours adds clarity and depth to their chosen subject.” Detail of "Is it Just Black and...

Art work : Jette Clover  Artists cross borders in new exhibition Borders are confronted, interpreted and defined by nine textile artists in a new exhibition opening at Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles Gallery in October. The Crossing Borders exhibition displays the results of a masterclass taught by Danish fibre artist and teacher Jette Clover. Conducted over nine months, the masterclass encouraged the students to explore the literal, political, cultural, symbolic and psychological meaning of a border.  They experimented with techniques and materials to visually express borders through lines, seams, folds, shadows, colours, and textures. A border makes distinction between adjoining elements and spaces, and can either separate or link those elements and spaces. In everyday usage, border most often refers to a physical obstruction. It is associated with cultural and political diversity. Borders often mark language barriers and can create feelings of inside/outside and us/them...

"Remembering" - Wood, Clay and Cloth Sculpture : Wilma Simmons  Thank you to all who voted in the  recent People's Choice - Brooching the Subject Competition  held at Timeless Textiles Gallery ( Newcastle NSW Australia) . Special thanks if you happened to vote for my entry, 'Remembering',  a wall brooch pictured above. The winner with the most votes online was a beautiful felted piece, another wall brooch, entitled "  Papevero (Italian Poppy) " by Becky Williams. Papevero : Becky Williams from  https://timelesstextiles.com.au/past-exhibitions/ The competition in the gallery was judged by renowned Queensland artist, Sylvia Watt - Here is  a video of what Sylvia decided and  said about the brooches...  1. Water Guardian : Alysn Midgelow-Marsden ; 2. Amelia : Judith Bee ; 3. We are Connected - Trudi Nisbet  All of the brooches can be viewed on the Timeless Textiles Gallery website here . Congratulations to all the artists ...

It was  very exciting  to celebrate  International Women's Day 2018 with the launch Timeless Textiles’ new community art project, “Out of the Wood” for International Women’s Day 2019. Here is the launch live...  “Out of the Wood” is a creative mixed media community project using recycled timber, textiles and fibres to create small works of art, to raise funds for a community organizations supporting the homeless. Building on the success of previous art and fundraising projects like   “Letting Go “ and ‘Flying Free” , participants are invited to come together at Timeless Textiles ( 90 hUnter Strret, Newcastle NSW , Australia )  on Wednesdays, 10.30am - 12.30pm to work collaboratively, share ideas, learn new   textile art techniques and be inspired and inspire others.   The Wednesday workshops are free and lots of fun and the basic materials are provided.   Special thanks to Round 2Timbers Pty Ltd for the donation of the t...

STITCHED UP is now in its third week of exhibition and breaking all records of visitors - such an overwhelming response - so it is inevitable that a few people have had their photos taken with Wednesday's children,  the stick doll installation.... First of all, Ben, a member of the amazing installation team at The Lock-Up. Thanks for taking such care installing 'the girls' - the digital laser level worked wonders and did I hear you talking to a few them?  Ben from the  installation team The Lock-Up  Wednesday's children up on the wall.  Then, of course , my own family - not all positive critiques, but you can't win them all!   Many of my friends have been really supportive.... they have even visited a few times. Here are some of my Rotary friends on the opening night. Members of the Rotary Club of Wallsend-Maryland - Clarice, Cia, Sandy, Wilma, Christine   Unexpected visitors even dropped by las...

"Heartbroken" by Nancy Crawford ( Canada)  Stitched Up  is an exhibition featuring 24 contemporary international and national textile artists on show at  The Lock Up  from Friday 23 June 2017 until 6 August 2017. It coincides with the 150-year anniversary of The Newcastle Industrial School’s opening; and is resulting from a partnership between The Lock Up and Timeless Textiles galleries. Stitched Up is co-curated by Anne Kempton (Creative Director Timeless Textiles Gallery) and fibre artist Wilma Simmons, both from Newcastle NSW. .  This exhibition conceptually provides a  voice  for the 193 girls who attended the Newcastle Industrial School, translated into contemporary fibre art. "Memory Cloths " (193) by Anne Kempton, Australia  The title  Stitched Up  is very apt in two ways… Firstly, each of the artworks has been stitched – mostly by hand for many hours – capturing the story of ‘The Girls’. The artists hav...

2017 IWD event Newcastle  It has become a tradition in Newcastle ( NSW Australia) that International Women's Day is celebrated in style at   Timeless Textiles Gallery  , with a message of peace, community and compassion and  a public stand against violence. Over the  years, we have made artistic fabric birds to raise funds for women's refuges; stitched 500 metres of white ribbon to raise funds for the anti-violence organisation, White Ribbon;  held free community workshops to create a huge fabric footpath mural; stitched prayer flags to support a women's project in India  and made a giant bird which was auctioned to supply tertiary education to underprivileged women in Nepal. This year, 2017  the focus  at Timeless Textiles was again strengthening a community against violence - the One Million Stars to End Violence Project. Thanks to Anne Kempton, gallerist and the Newcastle Star Weave community , today's event was truly a celebr...