Next Session and Kraftbomb

I'm going to Kraftbomb this Sunday - aiming to get there around 12:45pm (it finishes at 2pm). I think Hannah and Anissa are joining me,  so come along too - the more the merrier.

Also a quick reminder about the next PCE session: this Wednesday, 7:30pm at Barnett. Hopefully the weather will come to the party too. It's very hard to leave a cozy house in a SW squall! Fortunately the hall is not too bad once the heaters kick-in. See you there!

Up-cycled Booties

I'm keen to make a pair of slippers for Lenny using some stashed felt and leather, so I've been trawling around the net looking for, you guessed it, free patterns. There's a reasonable number out there, such as Tacky Living, Oh Helene and Stardust Shoes. I recently had a go at making up the latter pattern but I'm not completely happy with the result (I'll post a pix soon).
While on the net I stumbled across these cute slippers...

They're made from 'up-cycled' jerseys which have been felted. Next time I'm in the Sallies I'll have a better look at the knitwear and have a go at making some in all my spare time. May even make some for myself.
Anna B

Don't forget about the kitchen...

We had a lovely children's dinner party at Anna Shattky's on Thursday (thanks Anna - Lenny had a ball). While there Anna mentioned that she and Tasha are planning on making some Sauerkraut at a PCE session; brilliant idea! Of course cooking is one of THE original crafts and the hall's kitchen is there for us to use. I understand that Anna and Tasha have participated in a food fermentation course, something I'd like to learn more about. 

Here's a link to a podcast about a pickling-mad woman in The States which whetted my appetite for all things fermented. Her Kombucha looks amazing too.

Anna also recommended the above book to me, which includes a lot of recipes for fermented foods and fascinating ideas about what/how we should be eating.

The Barnett Hall kitchen area could be used for all sorts of crafty things: fabric and wool dying, felting, balm and salve making, candle making, preserving, soap making etc etc. I encourage you to put it to good use.
Don't forget that our next session is this Wednesday (18th Aug - 7:30).
Have a good weekend.
Anna B

Kraftbomb

Forgot to mention Kraftbomb... it's on the 29th August (Sunday), 11am - 2pm, at the Grey Lynn Community Hall. Is anyone keen to come along with me? It's a fun outing with yummy food, and with the playground in the Hall grounds, it's very child-friendly. And afterwards we can refresh ourselves at the Gypsy Tea Room across the road (not so kid-friendly).
Anna B

Start Saving...

Thanks to Claire for the heads-up on the impending vintage textile fairs - there's two of them coming up. The first is at the Coatesville Hall on Thursday the 19th of August. Apparently it starts at 6pm but I can't seem to find any more info about it. Can anyone fill us in?
The second is the Auckland Vintage Textile Fair, on the 12th of September at the Alexandra Park Raceway, Epsom. It's being held in the Tasman Room. I'll paste the flyer below, or click the link above for more info. I've heard that it's a great place to gleam some gorgeous fabrics for not too much $$. Of course I need more fabric!

Perhaps we could get a crew together and go along - anyone keen?
Anna B

Purler of a site...

Here's another website to drool over...
http://www.purlbee.com/

While there's a number of 'ad-posts' there are also some great projects to make and helpful tutorials.
The patterns for these hats (newborns) was a recent project they posted up...


Nice to see some hats for a baby that aren't loaded with fou-fou bits and in lolly pop colours.

Hope you find something you like at Purl Bee.
Anna B

Session # Three

Hi all, thanks for coming out for the third instalment of the PCE. I know that you are all very busy people so Hannah and I appreciate you coming along. Thanks too to Norma for bringing her table loom. I hope you can bring it along another session Norma as I didn't get the chance to really check it out - too busy talking sewing.

Sue and Clare did some mending - sensibly getting it out of the way before starting a new project. The $30 sewing machine seems to be working well for that sort of thing.

Hannah worked on another knitting project (vest?)...

I started a duvet cover for Lenny using a tootie fruity Scandinavian print.

Tasha continued with her knitting - with a wee re-fresher course from Norma.

Sarah is making a cute knitted owl with felt and buttons.

I'm a sucker for owls so I'm keen to see how it's going to be put together. I had a flash-back the other day to a book I had as a child - "The Happy Owls". It was one of my favourites at the time but I haven't thought about it for years. Did anyone else have this book? I'd like to find a copy for Lenny - although with a nil vehicle count it may not be his cuppa - sigh.

Happy crafting - Anna B

Beautiful FREE Patterns

Just came across a beautiful website with some great free patterns. Yay - I like free patterns! Click on the link...

pickles.no

For some stylie patterns...

I've checked out the About page and it's put together by 2 friends who live in Norway.

I have a whole raft of craft sites I regularly visit - will add some links in the next few weeks.

If you have a website to recommend please let me know and I'll add it.

Anna B

Big (Craft) Day Out - Review

What: Craft Out West

When: 24^th - 25^th July 2010

Where: Waitakere Trusts Stadium

What we saw: Lots of Grannies, acrylic throws, cheap and nasty knitwear. A few quality handcrafters.

What we liked: Miniature knitted dolls, teddies, cartoon characters and tea cosies- amazing!-(see first image below); One crafter was selling good value-for-money handcrafted dolls and toys (second image). We loved her use of old scraps and remnants (including some left over billiard table cloth); It was good to see someone selling crocheted cotton dishcloths; One charming older couple were selling some good quality handmade doll beds, pushchairs etc.; A few stalls were selling vintage toys/cloth/tablecloths/teatowels/fabric; There was a friendly, fun vibe and it was a nice touch that the proceeds of the entry charge were going to the West Auckland Hospice.

What was missing: Pacific arts and crafts- would’ve loved to have seen some tapa cloths, tuvaevae, or weaving; We were disappointed no one was selling patterns or wool remnants. Where can you get cheap bags of leftover wool these days? And where was the Granny Chic? We were hoping for inspiration from other young crafters looking back to older patterns and reinventing them, making them contemporary and stylish. Two elderly women were selling beautifully crafted baby blankets, they used funky colours but they were all acrylic- what a shame!

It was a fun afternoon but there weren’t very many young people around, either behind or in front of the stalls. We were left with the impression that craft out west really needs to be revamped. Perhaps we should take it upon ourselves to do so!

What: Auckland Art and Craft Fair

When: Saturday 24^th July 2010

Where: Art Lounge, New Gallery

What we saw: Craft in the design/art sense of the word.

What we liked: Much of it was very slick, humorous and trendy, some of it was beautiful, but there was nothing in particular that struck us as exceptional.

What was missing: Once again, there were no Pacific or Maori crafts. There was some work using textiles, but almost nothing in the home textile craft tradition. It would seem that the dichotomy between domestic craft and art/design craft objects that Rosemary Mcleod alludes to in her Thrift to Fantasy – Home Textile Crafts of the 1930s – 1950s is alive and kicking.

Perhaps the KraftBomb at the Grey Lynn Community Centre on Sunday 25^th (and the last Sunday of every month, next one Sunday 29th August, 2010 11am-2pm) or the Devonport Craft Market at Devonport Community House on 1^st August (and the first Sunday of every month, next one Sunday 5^th September) might prove us wrong. Surely there are many other crafters (or consumers for that matter) who appreciate and value, as we do, the tradition, the history and soul that handcrafted, individual objects bring when we place them in our homes.

Hannah