ASG Industry Day

ASG Industry Day today at Niagara Park. As always there were 3 excellent speakers who enticed us with their skills and knowledge. Firstly Larraine Jenkins presented a range of helpful tips for general dressmaking, including lots of products to assist in the process. She recommended some products from Judi's Studio in Orange. I purchased a new sleeve pressing board to replace my old constantly collapsing one. I already had the pattern weights and clapper from Judi's - great products and she does mail order.

Out with the old ....

Then we had Marina Lindsay - a fibre artist from Sydney. Marina showed us her embellishing techniques (needle felting) and her lovely range of embellished items. Then she demonstrated another favourite of hers - the couching foot - which was great. I have dabbled with the embellisher previously, but my most recent experience involved lots of broken needles, but after today, I feel that I could give it another go - it is a great technique.

Feeding specialty yarn through the couching foot.

Finally, Maureen Locke Maclean from the Central Coast gave us a presentation of her Shibori techhniques where she uses natural indigo dyes - a process that is just amazing!! She also uses the embellisher machine - not so much to "felt" fibres to another fabric - but to give interesting effects to a fabric alone. I am constantly amazed at the talents of people like our three speakers today - I can totally appreciate their time and skills to produce work that has developed via their passions over many many years - and we are so lucky that they share their enthusiasm and ideas with us!!

School Based Projects

And sew it seams that I must apologise for the break in transmission - not exactly sure what happened - but here I am with more pics about stuff I make ...... Revisiting some projects from the past, from things done at school (me as teacher not me as student).

 Mixed Media Wall Hanging - a seascape that we did at St Philip's Christian College, Waratah, taught to me by Jan Cummings.This was a great project. It started with a rectangle of calico to which the students added overlapping leaf shaped pieces of fabric graduating from dark to light colours - representing the ocean. Then they added some "glitz" tiny snippets of sparkly fabric and allsorts of other fancy yarns, then a layer of black tulle was added and then they stitched by machine over the whole lot in wavy lines - many many rows of stitching - excellent for building up machine confidence without the fear of making a mistake.

 After that the piece was embellished with seaweed made using Solvy and machine embroidery, and organza leaves curled and heat set, and hand stitching more seaweed, maybe even an octopus.  We also made sea creatures using Polymer Clay and they were hand-stitched on. Add some borders, backing and binding and there you have it!!

 Later, I took some of these techniques to a group project at St Paul's High School, Booragul. This was a quick little project at the end of our unit - using the same idea of overlapping materials with tulle and then the students machined it all together in a postcard sized piece. I then bound them altogether for a wall hanging. Each student's name is attached to their piece of art. Individually they look pretty ordinary, but collectively they look impressive. And here it is outside the Principal's office.

Finally, I'd like to introduce to you my new little friend, Big Louis. British Shorthair 4 months old, currently quarrantined from Miss Maggie (very jealous Border Collie), we're hoping for a happy union in the coming weeks.

Australian Sewing Guild NSW Industry Day - Kirry Toose

Three posts in one day!! At least I'm consistently inconsistent - anyway - WOW !!!!!!

My mind was blown away by this amazing person yesterday ...
My friend Nic and I went to the Australian Sewing Guild's NSW Industry Day at Simplicity at Revesby, Sydney - (where patterns were available for $5 each) and the lovely Rosemary from Chic Fabrique had lots of yummy fabrics available ...... I also met Sharon in the flesh - and you wouldn't believe it, but we both grew up in the same town and went to the same high school!!

Anyway, Kirry Toose was the main speaker - she is a Textile Artist extraordinaire .... my words and photos will go nowhere to doing her any justice - you just have to see it and listen to her to be fully aware and appreciative of her talents and amazing techniques.

You name it - she does it ...




She had lots of wonderful recycled suits that really inspired me .....
Sew, Kirry is a "local" - she lives at Cowan, NSW. There is an invitation to one of her Show and Tells from the Guild: Tues 10th August, 2010 at Wyong Council Auditorium, 9.30am to 12.30pm Cost $10 - contact Barbara (02) 49905091 if you're interested. You WILL be blown away!!!

Monica Poole and Elaine Lye

I am a member of the Australian Sewing Guild, and while I am usually unable to attend their Neighbourhood Groups, I do like to attend their Industry Days. Yesterday it was at Niagara Park, Central Coast, NSW. Monica Poole from Moonshine Designs was our first speaker. Monica has a fashion industry background, but has worked on Patchwork Patterns and designs - especially Quilt-As-You-Go designs - she is now venturing into fashion patterns. Her work is just lovely! Her output is impressive! She has been using the Texture Magic or Shrinking Sheet products to add texture to some vests ....




It's been a little while since I've done a quilt - and yes I purchased a couple of patterns - sounds like a good autumnal project!
Sandy Curtin was the next speaker - she has an amazing collection of fabric, buttons and bits and pieces for sale - her new shop is in Whittingham near Singleton.
Her hubby sells old farm machinery and she looks after vintage textiles - what a combo!

Elaine Lye was another speaker. She was very cool and had a very interesting story - TAFE teacher and world traveller ..... her work is amazing - she is a textile artist in the true sense of the word! Here is a Shibori jacket, that must have a gazillion different techniques in each little patch - the more you looked, the more you found .......

She was prone to buying tablecloths as she travelled and then made them into jackets and embellished them .....
She doesn't throw anything away - here is a little bag made from fabric strips knitted together.

Here is Elaine ....
And finally, here is one of her great necklaces - I might have to look into doing some classes with her!



Elaine is one of the tutors at the next Guild Convention in Ballarat - the convention has a most impressive line up of classes - i can't go this time, but hopefully one day!