Crafty 1930's Patterns

Hello!

Did you know you can search crochet patterns and images at the national library archives?
I think the've been updating thier online archives and there are searchable vintage Australian Women's weekly crafty tips and patterns. They go way back to the 1930's and have ideas for d'oyleys (as they spell it!) patterns for crocheted puff sleeve jumpers and other very lovely retro crafty things things.

Please let me know if you find something really marvelous in your searching travels!

tales of textiles

Weaving Workshops - Sydney

Are you into weaving? This workshop sounds great!
Visit WeAve Parramatta's facebook page for more info, and for updates about upcoming events.

Crochet Picture Frames

How sweet are these little crocheted picture frames? 

You can find a picture filled tutorial here.

image from here

Janice Jakielski - Addressing and Redressing the body

Have you seen these incredible stitched headpieces? Janice Jalieski has no formal textiles training and she believes this gives her freedom to explore beyond rules and boundaries. Her work is inspired by her grandmother's circa 1930's hat collection and explores themes of communication and connectivity.

"I am also drawn to the labor of embroidery, 

I can easily lose myself when embroidering 

and hand sewing, the repetition becomes a 

form of meditation." - Janice Jakielski

So many gorgeous details, fine embroidery and beautiful colours...

Do you like to indulge in the labour of stitching too? do you find it meditative?
I find there is something endlessly satisfying about creating things.

images from here
want to read more? there is an interview with janice here

Etsy Find: All my friends Crochet Necklace

via

Some BRIGHT crochet on a Thursday!

Wow!

Craft Talk

Sydney Crafternoon :: Now with Sunshine!

It's been faaaar too long since our last blog post! And so much has happened :: our crafternoons have moved from the cosy & wintery Pocket Bar to *sunshiney* Centennial park. Now we can bring delicious baked things to share, warm our backs in the sun, and stretch our legs on the endless grass. Picnic crafternoons feel so much more relaxed...

There are so many crafty things happening in Sydney this month (and next) from a BIG Crafternoon in Hyde Park for Art & About to the Sydney screening of the documentary "Making it Handmade". Pop over to our events page for dates and links and what have you.

What have you been up to?

crafty cards

Ooh! look at these lovely crafty cards from upon a fold, perfect to post to crafty friends.

find this cross stitch one here

and this knitting girl one here

sew-shi

via the independent uk

Fence Art

yes, that's right fence art- people are doing wonderful crafty things with fences. They are quite inspiring.

There is this amazing fence lacework

sweet woven yarn love hearts

plastic cup installations or "cuprocking"

Who knew ugly hurricane fencing could become so pretty and colourful?

Crafternoon Featured on Eat Drink Play

At our last crafternoon on a nearby couch, Ms Darlinghurst was enjoying some cheese and wine with friends. Curious about a circle of people stitching in a bar she came over to introduce herself and ask us a few questions. Her blog eat drink play documents her journey 'round Sydney's east, as she and her friends "trawl through bars, clubs, cafes and restaurants embracing old favourites and discovering new hidden gems."

This is what she wrote about Crafternoon:

Crafternoon at Pocket Bar

June 22, 2010 | Ms Darlinghurst

I have a phobia. It’s strange, it’s embarrassing and it’s legit… I am afraid of wet wool. Just ask the EX-boyfriend who surprised me with a wooly jumper and glass of water one morning.
So you can imagine my trepidation when I sat down at Pocket Bar on Sunday for a casual cheese and wine afternoon and saw a group of knitters…
Panic sunk in as soon to be tea cosy’s dangled dangerously close to full glasses of mojitos.
Deciding it’s time to face my fear I approached the group and was introduced to Alex, founder of Crafternoon. She was lovely enough to put her knitting needles down and have a quick chat.




When did Crafternoon start? In June 2009. Today is our 1st birthday.

 What inspired Crafternoon? It was inspired by ‘Stitch and Bitch’ in Chicago only Crafternoon leaves out the bitch. It’s a great way to meet other crafters over a cup of tea, offering a supportive place to stitch, create and learn.

Does everyone know each other? No, people have just met through the group and become friends.

Who is welcome? Crafternoon is open to all. Most people knit or crochet, however any cafe friendly crafts are welcome…

How often do you meet? Once a fortnight.

Why Pocket? It has good food, yummy cocktails and a really nice relaxed atmosphere on Sundays.

How can people get involved? Check out the Crafternoon Blogspot for upcoming meetups and other crafty business.

When is the next event? Sunday July 4th, 2-5pm at Pocket bar, 13 Burton St Darlinghurst.

awesome bottle cosies

from edge of urge

Make it - Mini Zine

Have an occasion to celebrate (or not...) Make a Teeny Tiny Zine! it's fun and relatively easy...

I used photoshop and just divided an A4 page into 8 equal rectangles using 'guides'.
Then design away!
This zine was for our crafternoon group so i wanted to include info about upcoming meets, silly puns, a contact list, and a make-wish-list.
Print!
Then fold and cut it as recommended on this handy dandy How-Tuesday video:




Ta DA!

July Swap - Potholders!

lovely image from here

The July Swap is open to all Sydney Crafternoon Members
*You MUST be able to attend the Swap Party on Sunday July 18*

Sign up BEFORE JULY 1 (RSVP here)
Have your Pot holders finished and read to swap on JULY 18

THE RULES:
:: Each participant is required to crochet/quilt/knit/sew 2 potholders.
:: Your pot holders must have a little loop at the top so they can be hung up.
:: Make your pot holders as lovely as possible, use beautiful yarns or fabric, colour combinations and patterns.
:: Keep the purpose in mind...use natural fibres as they are more heat resistant and less flammable, and consider padding or using multiple layers. We don't want yarn that will stick to either a pot or a hand when heated or exposed to flame!
:: Wrap your pot holders separately and attach a little note with your name and care instructions or a message...
:: We will swap in a lucky dip kinda way (as we did with the mug cosies) at the swap party.
:: Have fun making!


INSPIRATION :: PATTERNS :: IDEAS
Please add any helpful links you find in your travels around the interwebs

fun ideas for craft collectives

It's been one year since our first crafternoon!
To celebrate our first birthday we met at our favourite cosy venue for mini zines, afternoon crafting, lucky door prizes, crepes, tea and fruity frappes.

Do you attend a crafting group or collective?
Or maybe you run your own on the other side of the world? (If so, Please say hi!)
either way, here are:

14 ideas to make craft groups more fun, connected, happy and awesome-er:

:: go to a crafty book launch
:: start a flickr group
:: hold a spring crafting picnic
:: organise a swap party
:: crafty daytrips - visit country town
    op shops, knitting shops and cafes
:: make mini zines
:: visit a craft show together
:: organise a craft crawl
:: knit stuff for charity
:: make something collectively
:: meet up with people from other groups
:: have an exhibition of your work
:: have a collective etsy store, to sell your wares
:: start an art project together

Got any ideas for us to try? I'd love to hear about them...
Happy Crafting!

Celebrate all things handmade!

This evening, parties took (and are taking) place all over the world. The Sydney Etsy party at Notebook Photographic studios was a lovely evening of fun fabric crafting, friendly faces and delicious food.

We all left with new twittery/blog writing crafty contacts, hand made flowery brooches, patchworky hexagons, goody bags, smiles and bellies full of cakes (mmm lamingtons...)

It's great to celebrate all things handmade, and I am constantly amazed by how lovely and friendly all you making folk are!

Crafty Artists - Louisa Bufardeci

Aussie Artist Louisa Bufardeci embroiders lovely patterns made from the transcripts of telephone conversations. 

 fun idea and quite pretty, no?

xo 

Knitted brains...

This scientifically accurate knitted brain really is something else!

xo

Perfect winter antidote...

 images from Nordic fair isle knitting patterns

The second week of winter is getting rather chilly here in Sydney.
And...cosy crafting events are the perfect antidote (aside from staying in bed and eating warm apple crumble...)

So get out your diary, because these wintery, noteworthy events are happening in Sydney over the next 2 weeks! Yippee!


World Wide Knitting Day - Sydney Event
(organised by pompom)
Saturday June 12
1-5 pm
Abraham Mott Community Hall,
Argyle Place, Millers Point (The Rocks)


Yarn in the pub
(organised by Brown Owls)
Wednesday June 16
From 5:30 pm
Madison Hotel, Surry Hills


Etsy Craft Party
(organised by Corrie on Meetup)
Friday 18th June
6:30 pm
Notebook's photographic studios in Alexandria
$20 pp
more info to come...


Crafternoon #20
It's our first Birthday!
Sunday June 20
2-5pm
Pocket Bar,
13 Burton St, Darlinghurst

Happy winter crafting!

Vintage Crochet Hats

Hope you enjoy this selection of Vintagey crochet Hats on a Tuesday....

Most of them are available as patterns if you are so inclined to make one!
(just click the link below each image)

 

The Beehive and Halo hats are from Babydee on etsy 

This is my personal favourite...

This lovely popcorn beret pattern is available here

or perhaps you're feeling a little floral?

This floral creation features in a booklet from 1937  

"Colourful accessories to crochet and knit"

Or, for a real statement piece, how about a striped crochet turban? Quite spectacular!

Happy Tuesday People!

xo

Crafty Artists - Nike Savvas

This is the first of a series of posts profiling visual artists who incorporate wool, craft, sewing or embroidery in their work:

Do you find inspiration in Nike Savvas' lovely geometric woolly intallations?
(Her exhibition is on at Breenspace gallery in Sydney until Sunday - 6th June 2010)

 Nike Savvas (pronounced 'Nikki') is an australian artist and her current work Sliding Ladders  is inspired by childhood algebra and geometry, op art, craft, colour theory and sun gazing among other things.

"wool is warm soft crafty, furry and lowbrow"

I love the effects of the overlapping colours...have you ever made something by with two kinds of yarn at once?