lunch bags!

I saw this great cloth lunch bag tutorial on whip up today and had to have a go....

As my back yard might illustrate it certainly isn't outdoors weather!!

Anyway, good day for sewing! So the instructions are very clear, I have made reversible bags before so that made it easier for me.

I used materials from my stash...workshop leftovers, op shop scores and gifts from friends.

 The buttons were one recycled timber button made from silky oak and a kids plastic necklace pendant, part of a stash from one of my mums crafty friends.

I made the loops for the buttons out of crocheted yarn scraps.

 I know that my boys will use the green one but I think the yellow will be mine ;o)

happy creating,

xKate

Tree brooches..

I have had some lovely feedback about my brooches lately. It is so special to know they are loved- I love making them too. It's a very eco friendly process, I hand felt recycled woollen clothing, cut out small shapes and piece together and embroider a picture on each one.  I used to do little plans first with drawings and paintings but now I make them up as I go and pull out the stitches if they don't look right...it's fun and peaceful all at once. These are my latest and are available at

-Reverse Garbage in Woollongabba,

-Cultiver in Ipswich,

-Village Life market, every Sunday 8-12, Northey Street city farm, Windsor

or this Friday 10-4 at a special market at Bleeding heart cafe and gallery on Ann Street,  Brisbane

Take care folks, xkate

Materialistic exhibition pieces

 Hello, thought I'd share my Materialistic exhibition pieces for you lovely readers who can't make it along. 

This is a medium sized sculpture made with driftwood branches, collected at my local beach and bound with some coloured threads. 

 The nest is attached to one of the three pieces of wood and is constructed out of linen thread, wool, doileys, buttons, shells, embroidery cotton and was made using free form crochet and embroidery techniques. I made it so it can be played with and arranged differently, it could even be added to.

In a similar vein are a few nest sculptural brooches- obviously scaled right down!

This little bird brooch features some wool felt and a scrap of antique kimono. The kimono piece is the red silk on the tummy of the bird and has some lovely gold paint on it. It was a tiny fragment left over from the works I made for the Hanasho Gallery 'Reincarnated Kimono' exhibition held in April of this year.

I will update with the rest of my pieces soon. 

If you are able to go along you'll find so much more than just my work on display-there are some truly gorgeous and unique homewares, accessories and cards created by some very talented locals...the commission of sales goes to Friends of the Earth too :o) 

xoKate

wren

Making up a bespoke bird brooch for give away winner-spectacular fairy wren blog writer Robyn...it's all stitched in soft browns and creams. The bird she chose is commonly known as a blue wren, but the female is brown and it's really called a fairy wren. She has the most beautiful photo of one on her blog banner...so sweet.

So, anyway, I don't want to spoil the surprise for Robyn which explains why you can only see the back. But also the reverse side of embroidery fascinates me...such vitality and chaos, the backs are all 'Jackson Pollock' (expressionistic)...

I'm trying to work some more of this 'energy' into my style somehow-capturing something of the dynamic between order and chaos in nature and bird life.

My latest works have been accepted for the 'Materialistic' exhibition opening in September at Reverse Garbage, so I will share some in progress shots closer to the show opening for those of you who aren't locals. Check back in for the update with the finished brooch piccy once it arrives safe and sounds with Robyn, okay! :o) happy creating,

xoKate

koala bag

Oh,I really, really love how this turned out.

It's a reversible bag made out of a vintage koala print linen tablecloth-beautiful but a little stained. It was part of a small cherished collection of vintage tablecloths entrusted to me to make into some special items. It was a good challenge to work around the marked areas by selectively cutting the fabric and 'hiding' stains with pockets!

I made a skirt (scroll down to june 30th to see it) and this reversible bag. The other side features a gum tree blossom and doiley pocket...

Happy creating, xo Kate

hello creative spacers! Been such a while since I have had the opportunity to get on here...I've been studying permaculture, growing a market, making some big changes to my life and of course CREATING!

The brooches above are my latest attempts at using recycled felt to create trees...they are all feeling a little to me like they are at the idea stage rather than finished pieces but I am liking the flow of them...

And this is this weeks main piece-as you can see it features lot and lots and lots of crochet bobbles! It's a hip/kidney wrap, shoulder wrap and cowl scarf all in one! As you can see in the following gloriously bad photos-taken with the aid of the mirror!

(note to self-I really need a photo buddy for portraits)

The wool I used was a scrummy thick 12 ply yarn from Cascade-it's called 'ecological yarn' I don't know the actual finer details and am hoping it really is eco friendly but at the very least it is un-dyed and minimally processed(it smells really lush and lanoliny and was a dream on my hands)

I made it up as I went along, feeling very strongly the need to make my work really stimulating and challenging lately-I have been pushing my boundaries and trying to rely less on patterns and more on my knowledge of stitches...it's good to have a bit of a repertoire of stitches and techniques to play with!

Happy creating sweet folks!

xkate

reincarnated kimono artworks

I have two artworks ready for the Reincarnated Kimono exhibition which is opening on Saturday at Hanasho Gallery, West End.

I am torn between them both, one is very minimal, the other very full- I like them equally. They are all ready to be hung (today!) and as I am still undecided which to use I am going to take them both, see which one suits the space better. Failing that I will ask Melanie to pick one, so please 'wish me luck'- it's the first time in years since I have exhibited anything and just between you and me I am nervous

xKate

re incarnated kimono

I am flattered and excited to have been invited by lovely Melanie from kimono reincarnate to create an artwork for the reincarnated kimono project. In essence the project involves 15 local Brisbane artists reworking pieces from 2 kimonos into original artworks.

The exhibition will take place in Hanasho gallery in West End for the month of April. I will have to steer clear of some of my favourite blogs for a while so I can get my piece finished in time and so that I don't see anyone else's work- I can't wait to see what each of us does but want it to be a surprise when I see works for the first time!

xKate

whale of a time

Its been awhile since I have had a chance to blog...it almost feels new to me! And maybe thats because I freshened up my layout and have added some new tabs up top there too. This was because of some *helpful* feedback about people not being able to find my dashrobin things...

I hope this makes it a bit easier?

Anyway, I am back because I am excited to share my new dash robin whale design drink bottle carry bags...I designed these to reflect the beauty of this big gorgeous bay I live in, blue and green and added some whales for fun. It's hard to imagine looking at the bay from the shore that far out at sea they travel past, on migration each year. When I have been lucky enough to see them they are a spectacular, majestic sight.

The water tote bags are made out of recycled blankets and knitwear. Usually I find some items or are given items which may have been accidentally shrunken partially in the washing machine or perhaps have been damaged by moths. I wash them-really thoroughly- at least twice. Not because they are dirty(they never are-people are pretty good about giving me only fresh things) but as part of the felting process. Then I air dry them in the sun and then...here's where the fun starts....I start to chop and sew!

These have been such fun to work on, my kids love them and I hope others big and small will too! The first 'batch' of them are in stock at Reverse garbage, which is having its re-opening celebration this Saturday...find all the details here.

Reverse garbage in Woollongabba is one of my favourite places in all of Brisbane-for years now it has been such a brilliant resource for my dash robin goodies. My favourite 'must buy' purchase is probably their large cardboard storage barrels. They are excellent for storing fabric stashes(but none of us would have a problem storing our crafts supplies would we? ;o) but are also good for toys, clothes, magazines, tools, anything! The brown cardboard surface is perfect for customising with painting, drawing or applying decoupaged fabric or paper...

I will be heading in to the celebration around lunchtime so say hello if you are there!

Or you can catch me on Sunday at Village Life-I will be finally setting up a stall again-it feels like its been so long since I have set up there too, but it's been wonderful to spend more time behind the scenes with new and existing stall holders, I am excited to see many of the producers setting up stunning websites-here's one of my favourites luvyabubba!

Anyway, if you come along on Sunday you can meet Michaela and see her sweet dolls and also get a bit crafty yourself. I am offering *free* crochet lessons-I will be providing a hook for your use and cotton yarn, and I will be showing you how easy it is to make yourself your very own wash cloth!

seeyou round,

xo Kate

cushion making

Hello! These are my newest cushions. I sewed them this morning from op shopped/thrifted crochet lap blankets, large old holey wool blankets and large cushion inserts.

(The inserts were even new in packets, found in an op shop for $2 each- just days after I had decided I wanted to make some-serendipity!)

They will be great for lounging about on...I totally love the green and blue one-my favourite colour combo is blue and green...what colours do you love together?

xKate

creative spaces here

let us belong

Hello,

I am so excited to share a lovely gift I received this week from lovely Cath, who makes beautiful items-she also has the cutest store names; chunky chooky and my bearded pigeon. Isn't this the sweetest cushion?

I love the spirit of inclusion in the message and the simple bold graphic, thanks Cath.

Would you like to learn more about the facts about refugees? This site is a great place to start. I have been heartened to hear some beautiful stories of community spirit- some of Brisbanes' newest arrivals have been lending a hand during the floods. One small example is the charming Sri Lankan community members who cooked up delicious curries to feed volunteers-beautiful!

And speaking of community spirit this doll has been sent off to 'hope softys' appeal. You might have seen my first attempt back a post-I wasn't 100% about it but sent it together with this one for the children who have been flooded out of their homes. You can find out to have some crafting fun and help brighten a littlys day here...

xoKate

Hello! I am feeling full and lazy because I have been enjoying some yummy pain du campagne bread today. I picked up a loaf from Sol bread which is my fave bakery chain in Brisbane, they have shops in West end and New farm, a stall at Northey streets Sunday market, and maybe even more places, not sure?
Anyway, they make all sorts of breads, but specialise in sourdough. By happy coincidence my taste buds specialise in sourdough :o)

I stopped in quickly after dropping off some brooches and toys to Echoes Giftshop, in West end. Echoes is inside the premises of Reverse garbage and to have your work stocked there you have to use at least 75% recycled or reused materials. They take work on consignment(yay-no upfront fees!) and proceeds go back into their organisation to fund their education programs.


These brooches are a good example of the kind of thing I am interested in; re-purposing high quality materials. These are discs of thick clean white felt, used in the transportation of glassware, afterwards instead of ending up in landfill, these are collected by Reverse garbage. I purchased them from their shop front, decorated them with embroidery, stitched a brooch backing onto them and now they have returned to the premises, in the gift shop for sale. The only thing I have not yet found are recycled brooch pins. If anyone has any leads on this I'd love to hear of them, as my aim is to use only recycled items.

I am happy to have been able to create this 100% recycled baby cloud toy. I filled it with ordinary polyester stuffing offcuts from an upholsterers, which are again, from reverse garbage- clean, fresh and totally usable.
The bird symbol was a fine red woollen jumper, felted, and the white material is again, reverse garbage offcuts, from clothing manufacturing. Even the sewing thread is from reverse garbage!
I love using stuff which was otherwise destined to become rubbish-it really feels great, and seems so useful. Why do we continue to buy new materials, and manufacture and import so much stuff when we have vast stores of things, overflowing, cluttering up homes and businesses?

There are some things we have to buy new of course, but lots of crafting supplies, I suggest we simply buy new, without really considering the impact, source, workers who've made them ,etc, etc...
Anyway, I feel so passionate about this but will stop now to hopefully avoid becoming a 'ranter' !
Before I sign off I thought I'd show you my new glasses, picked up just today-how strangely comfortable they are to wear! I thought they'd be heavy and hurt my nose as I have never worn glasses before, but they feel great...what do you think?
My goofball son is pulling a face to show what he thinks of them, he told me, "you look good in them" after a pause, he amended it to 'not really good, but good."
Hope you're having a really good week,
xkate

Did you go to the Christmas market ? Wasn't it sweet?
From my perspective, turning up and setting up, and not having any other responsibilities on the night when I have my kids with me is fantastic.
The spaces are allocated and the tables all set, I just have to put out my pieces.
And littlest one even helped stock my table by whipping up some quick paintings.
He sold this one last night and a few more today and was stoked to make enough to get a book ('Roll over pavlova' ) with the proceeds on the way home.



I created these new birds yesterday-lambswool felt from upcycled knit wear, red linen vintage fabric on the back, filling from reverse garbage and recycled yarn wings!
Even the floss embroidery thread (eyes) was scored from an op shop-so pleased to be able to get some great high quality materials, locally and give them a new use. They are sort of chick/partridge like and they are lovely to hold and to prop against each other. I am not too humble to admit I really love them!

Can you spot them amongst the spread of goodies here? This is the pop up shop Chrissy, Sam and I created today, outside lovely Michelle's nook shop. Along the front here is some apron decorating-it seems the love of old aprons goes hand in hand with crafting, between us we have quite the collection! It all looked very pretty!


We enjoyed ourselves and all left for home with some spending money and some swapped treasures- some dash robin bird brooches and a toy cat were exchanged for a gorgeous whale water painting print from Jettas nest (Sam)and fabbo necklace and ring from my nostaligic feeling (Chrissy)
I love swapsys' at markets!
hope you're enjoying your weekend,
xkate

finding the right home...

I made this little doll a couple years ago and she faithfully came along to nearly every market I attended since. Last Sunday at the latest Northey street Village life market she was picked up, looked over and not put back down. She finally was matched to the right person...and what a sweet feeling it is to see something you've made go to someone who cherishes it.

I am completely cherishing my latest purchases too. In fact I was practically having a photographic love affair with these little babies today!
I always seem to bring home wool and feel a bit excessive and worry about having materials that are totally surplus to my needs, but in this instance of spontaneous shopping I have no regrets at all. Not-ta one!
These precious Fauve fibres have found the right place with me.
I don't really know what I'll make yet, but boy, it has to be sooooo special!

This green toned one is 10 ply and is amazing to touch...it's from a bluefaced Leicester Aran, which I was told is the 'poor mans cashmere'...I don't know much at all about the various sheep's and wools but, wow, I agree because it feels perfectly luxurious.

This amazing skein has silk spun through the wool too-I love looking at all those tiny flecks of light and dark, so rich and luscious....

The gorgeous smaller orange toned one is delightfully fine and is going to be perfect for making some new flowers. When I bought these yarns they presented to me were in this beautifully screen printed bag...sigh. Maybe I need to coin a new term for this-its not really retail therapy, maybe 'market therapy' ? Any other suggestions and importantly any ideas for projects with my new yarns!?
xkate
for more creative space outs go here

spring blooms

Can you tell whats been inspiring me lately?

Such gorgeous blossoms!
another Jacaranda fan here...
...what an amazing tree!
xoKate
P.s-small lot (only 3 made-so far) of brooches available via here now

sweet nothings...

the last steps of making a softy always amuse me-the incomplete toys look so wacky!

err. actually the complete toys kinda look wacky too ;o)
xKate