Come for a walk...

Hi, Feel like a walk through GoMA? I took lots of photos (where allowed) on our Tuesday visit. Four exhibitions to see and worth a look. It's quite amazing that we don't have to travel far to see wonderful and inspiring art work...it comes to us. As much as I'd love to go to paris and Japan etc to see some of these works it probably won't happen for a long time, so for now, here's what I saw at GoMA.

Below -Yayoi Kusama - Japanese artist.


This room was amazing to walk around, along with the inflated spotty shapes below.

This is one of the children's activity rooms (Holly has worked in here). It is called The Obliteration Room, and you can see why.


Below is part of the Pip and Pop Exhibition. All in minature, pastel lolly coloured, and quite fantastic. Made from icing (cake decorating), folded paper, modelling compounds, plastics etc. I took this photo from above looking down into the room. Kids can lay on cushions and view some of the suspended works from below.

Some elements light up and twinkle. It's a whole little world and very magical.

The Matisse Exhibition was wonderful, I'm so glad I got to see his work. Truly prolific artist. The Drawing Room is another area of the Exhibition worth taking some time in ( not allowed to photograph anything to do with Matisse). The area is set up in keeping with the time and includes drawing materials ( digital as well as traditional) and plenty of beautiful stimulus. There is a lovely violinist playing and the atmosphere is amazing.

This was how I spent Tuesday.
Hope you are able to visit yourself or at least sit back and enjoy the view with me.
Take care
Deb

Two in a row!!

A lovely friend in Brazil has sent images of dolls made from my patterns and I wanted to showcase them as she makes them with such skill and care...and beautiful fabric choices. Thanks Angela.

A proud mum moment! Holly's dream job is about to start and she is very excited. She will be working at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane at the Children's Centre. Her first exhibition job will be for Pip and Pop's "We miss you magic land". The exhibition looks amazing. Next, we just have to wait for an offer from QUT and she is off and running. Holly has done all the hard work and completed her senior studies, applied for a Fine Art & Visual Art course, had her interview and now awaits results I guess. Meanwhile it is nice to have her company and imput during the holidays.

A beautiful apron made especially for me. What a lovely gift. The fabric is really smart and the styling is perfect...I love retro! Thank you Amie. I would love a dress out of this fabric.

If you are experiencing cool or cold weather in your part of the world I'd love to be there too. I hate the hot weather and it is humid as well as just plain hot here at the moment. Hubby has some insulation batts to help in the studio and I have pestered him for air conditioning as well. Just have to afford the power now! How nice it will be though. I think it might be a good trade off, more time in my studio means more peace for him:)

Making Pizza for dinner tonight.

Take care

Deb

This month

So much activity this month. November is flying away and I haven't recorded anything as yet. Thinking back it's been a month of preparation. Preparation for new projects, study, Holly's future and everything else in between.

Parcels have been arriving regularly...I think a couple delivery vans know the address quite well.
One such buy was my cute little bias machine. Okay, I guess it's not essential, but it was sooo cute! I saw it last year at the Melbourne trade show and decided I didn't want to cart it home on the plane. It works really well and very happy with it. The tray/extention table at the back of picture belongs to a deluxe rotary cutter that I also purchased. Now, the jury is still out on that one. I thought as I get sore wrists cutting with a normal rotary cutter it would be a good addition, but I can't seem to get a really straight cut which is vital if cutting for a quilt. I'm told it takes practise, will wait a little longer and see. If anyone has experience with this and can offer some advice I would be most grateful!
New triangle templates for my nursery quilt.

Oh, and I love wrapping parcels, so I have new string...loved the colour so that arrived too.

Nearly forgot! New tags.

And..my first clothing pattern has arrived. Olivier is my model so a few trials will be made over the holidays ready for grading. I haven't mentioned he'll be trialling the dress pattern yet...but he is only two so I don't think he will complain. Eagerly awaiting the rest of the patterns. Always dreamed of making childrens clothes especially when they can be good for us and the planet.

When I mentioned delivery vans heading my way, I wasn't kidding. Fabric, fabric and more fabric in readiness for the kids clothes has arrived. I love beautiful fabric and these are truly beautiful to look at and feel. The woven denim below is gorgeous, ethically & enviromentally manufactured and will be so comfortable to wear that I can't wait to get started.

Some interesting facts: hemp fibres are 25 times more durable than cotton; a low impact crop; breathe well, absorbs moisture and naturally resistant to damp, mould, mildew and bacteria, moths and silverfish. And best of all ( I have fair skinned kids) 100% hemp is 95%UV resistant.

This 100%hemp is soft and looks amazing. I have hemp/cotton blend t.shirt fabric also. Will be testing our screen printing and applique designs on these.

For now,

Deb

Pattern draw & feathered friends

Congratulations!! Leandro please let me know where you would like your pattern sent. Hope you enjoy the making and result. Thanks everyone for participating. I'm only new at facebook but it is a great way of keeping in touch or to ask a question etc. A fellow doll maker has suggested kits so that the same fabric can be used and I'll work on that one. I usually need more hours in the day and helpers to make up advertised kits, but of course if I'm asked for them I will do my best (thanks Wendy).

These little guys have been preening and posing for their photoshoot all day. The species I believe is "delectibilus exquisitis" very rare and only one of each kind in existence. These beautiful birds are now available exclusively from the Wattlebee shop. Made locally by a very talanted artisan and sold under the Karrot Juice label.

Characteristics: Divine plumage and detail, light as a feather...sorry for the pun, and quirky stances.

Oh ! does my bum look big in this?

Back to dolls...Harriet is the latest soft doll sculpture on offer. These dolls look really cute on a sideboard or shelf and would make a great little companion in a sewing or childs room.

This is just a quick post as we are back to school Tuesday and I have tons of stuff to get ready. I had so much creative fun this holiday that I'm not really ready to go back yet.

Take care

Deb

What's New

2nd week of holidays...going too fast! We had beautiful weather at Rainbow and the boy's went out fishing. Lots of walking, wiggling toes in the sand, reading and sleeping. The later was interrupted a little when our two little boys arrived for a short stay. It was a wonderful surprise and we loved spending time with them, but, I'd forgotten how much energy is required to keep on your toes around a 2 year old.

Finally able to launch our groomies...what are they? Holly is wearing one in her hair. I wanted to use some of the lovely Gypsy Bandana fabric and I think they work well. Holly has certainly been road testing them and they passed with flying colours. They have rubber coated wire that allows them to be twisted in place and are pretty comfortable.

We made short versions too.

and while we were on a roll...some felting. I love wet felting as you all know and combined with gorgeous sterling silver I think these drop earrings are a nice addition. They weigh nothing and feel beautiful on.

My latest news is something that I'm pretty excited about as it is an important part of who I am and what I would love to incorporate into Wattlebee. I have always played around with sustainable, eco and consumer friendly fabrics and ideas, whether through reusing, hand crafting and making items that are long lasting as well as beautiful or alternatives to mass produced items. Printing with non toxic dyes/inks and using natural fabrics will be our next endeavour in a small range of children's clothes. Creating with fabrics that breathe, don't contain pesticides and are produced ethically and sustainably in my mind will be so rewarding. Being able to produce something that could be cherished and then lovingly handed down in the old-fashioned way is my ideal and I think the world is slowly turning back to this.

updates on this soon!

happy sewing ,

Deb

Beach calling

Thought I'd share a little more on the gelatine printing as we all use our products and techniques in different ways. (Bev)The fabric samples I showed previously have all been printed with fabric inks...such as shown here. They are water based and non toxic. They spread and intermix really well.The ink is runny but not too much and spreads well. Don't mind the gelatine plate it is looking a little worse for wear.....I threw it away shortly after as I hadn't kept this one in the fridge.

I rolled out the ink with a brayer which gives a good even coating.

I did use acrylic paint straight from the tube/bottle when I did some printing on paper but you need to work quickly and clean up straight away. I prefer the fabric inks. Hope you try it as it is lots of fun. I used my fabrics as feature panels on some IPOD cases during the week and it really makes something quite unique combined with commercial fabric trim.

This was the cake I was worried about as it was for Holly's friend turning 18, but all went really well. It was a Disney themed party with everyone wearing costumes based on a Disney film...Holly was a pirate ( Pirates of the Carribean). Our fav Op Shop was a great source as we found a jacket that I altered and trimmed with gold braid. All in all a great night I'm told. And yes, the cake was yummy. Holly's friend loves birds ( and pink) and was really pleased with the decoration, it also fitted with the disney theme perfectly. Oh, we made 4 doz cup cakes to surround the cake. Looked really pretty.

Yes, the beach is calling. It is the end of another school term and we are all ready for a break. The family have all had variations of cold and flu. I have had the flu and a sore back has had me walking around at right angles and feeling miserable, so a little peace, fresh air and sunshine should work wonders.

Olivier has turned two and he has a little party tomorrow to celebrate. More cup cakes!!

Take care and I hope you have a lovely week too.

Deb
ps. Not sure how to drive it yet but I'm on facebook so come and say hello.

Print some fun

Have you tried gelatine printing? So much fun can be had with a little edible gelatine & water. You can buy ready to use plates that last a long time, but I just made one using 2 tablespoons of gelatine to every 1 cup of water. Dissolve gelatine in half the amount of cold water first then add other half of boiling water. Pour into flat dish and allow to set. Doesn't need to be in the fridge to set but keeps for 2-3 weeks in fridge afterwards. Carefully separate gelatine plate from mold, lift out and place on flat surface ....I used a small sheet of glass from picture frame. Roll, paint or spread dye, acrylic paint etc on gelatine plate. Fine detail can be obtained from feathers, thread, torn paper etc placed on top. Cover with paper or fabric and press smoothly with hands. Lift paper/fabric and you have a wonderful print. You can over print...just have fun. Try google for more info if interested as there is a lot to read by some very interesting artists.

a small sample of my first efforts.....

I used netting from an onion bag for this detail.

top and bottom ring of a cone of overlocker thread for these.

my messy collection.

I think I may use the squares to make unique little phone cases as they can be matched with plain fabrics to really showcase the designs.

One last show and tell...

This is "The CAKE" that has been an all consuming project for the last week. I made a white chocolate mudcake so that Holly could decorate it for her teacher going on maternity leave

(it's a little girl so pink was planned). I think she did a great job for a first effort.

We have another go at making one for the 18th birthday party this weekend.

Take care

Deb

Colours of the rainbow

Well not quite but certainly beautiful and certainly the perfect thing to brighten up a miserable day weatherwise. It's drizzly rain and howling wind. Typical August weather I suppose. Did I mention it was cold? I know we are spoilt in Queensland but it has been a cold winter.
Back to colour....I have been playing with my felt and along with this great Gypsy Bandana print ..... ( and my trusty glue pen) which I don't normally use on dolls but has proved a great help.

Some scrunched, tea-stained muslin. Such a beautiful mellow colour and great texture. I have come up with this.

I'm so happy with the results.

Just wanted to say also that I am always ready and willing to share doll making tips or help with projects etc, so please ask or alternately, use this site to share any tips you may have, we all love to learn.

I'm thinking hot chips (naughty!) or soup for lunch....and then back to finishing the instructions for this pattern.

Deb