Textile Art Exhibitions and Christmas Sales

Last week I said I was not ready for Christmas. This week I don't think I ever will be - not this year anyway. While I have been distracted this week from Christmas preparations, it has been worth it. A very talented textile artist friend Wendy Scott had the opening of her solo exhibition, Rainbow Journey, at Timeless Textiles Gallery on Thursday night. I really recommend that you take the time out to see this one - a magical visual journey of colour, excitement and pure joy. The exhibition is open until 7 December at Timeless Textiles Gallery, 7 Beaumont Street, Islington (Newcastle NSW) - just a 2 minute walk from Hamilton (NSW) Railway Station. Congratulations, Wendy - it is an absolutely beautiful exhibition and a wonderful testimony to your artistic talent.

Wendy Scott and self portrait

We are very fortunate to have opportunities to exhibit and see great textile art here in Newcastle. The next textile art exhibition opens this Thursday night at Wallsend Library and it will be the annual exhibition of NCEATA - Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists. The exhibition is entitled "Archi-Textiles" inspired by architecture - there will be some really innovative textile art on display I am sure. I am delivering my contribution " East-West" this afternoon. It is the first time I have used paint, digital prints and hand made foam printing blocks as well as stitching in a piece of work - not sure about it, but my husband likes it...

East-West : exhibition piece

What an exciting week ... this Saturday is also the annual Handmade Treasures Christmas Sale for charity. This year, the recipient of the profits will be a local and global charity " Give Love to Children" which supports orphanages in the Philippines and provides free health services to disadvantaged children here in the Hunter. Already beautiful work from my lovely sewing friends has arrived - here is a preview of the great gifts you can buy at Saturday's sale supporting local artists and artisans and a very good cause.

table napkins and appliqued place mats

hand sewn quilts

embroidered cushions, patchwork pouches, Christmas cakes

colourful aprons - for children, men and women

appliqued and embroidered sewing bags and babies'wear

I am looking forward to a great day. If you live nearby, I hope you will come to see these hand made treasures and lots more... I have heard this week that the Hunter East Timor Sisters will also be bringing their hand woven tais, many of which have been made by village women in East Timor to raise much needed funds for teacher scholarships to East Timorese young women.... At least I will have my Christmas shopping done after Saturday...

May I Present Mrs Chalumeau...

Finally Mrs Chalumeau takes a bow …She is a Pearly Queen … 695 buttons on the doll and 10 on the journal.(I think – could be more). I would like to thank Paula from Antiques and Collectables here in Hamilton, Newcastle and Raku Buttons ETSY seller for supplying me with about 500 of the vintage mother of pearl buttons, and the rest I had in my stash. I think they look great on my pearly queen, but I am truly tired of sewing on buttons. It made me think however, how many buttons must be on the elaborate clothes of the real pearly Kings and Queens! I drew my inspiration from the lovely lady pictured here, and the following description from Wikipedia. ... A Pearly King ( feminine form Pearly Queen) is a person dressed in a traditional Cockney costume covered in mother-of-pearl buttons. These costumes were treasured heirlooms, hand made and sometimes representing much of a family's wealth. .... This doll is all cloth – a little different from most of my other dolls which generally h

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 wrapping str

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

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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