April 2012

Annual WoW shipping photo!

WoW! Another WoW entry has been shipped off - number 4!

6 solid months of work completed – or is it? One never really knows if it is quite finished or not! We usually do the photo shoot only a week or two before entering it – this time we were re-shooting the day before packing! It’s usually the only time you get to see your garment altogether on a real live person, and see it in action. This being a particularly large piece, I couldn’t even have it set up on a mannequin during the process, so only really saw it properly 2 times. Only just completed, I would have liked more time to play with it and see what it can do, and make sure it was the very best it could be. But, my time is up, and I trust the WoW team to explore her potential from here.

It's nice to know that whilst all the preparation was going on here, last year's entry Fimbria Figura is enjoying the foyer of the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Wellington!

Tidying the studio downstairs felt great – getting ready for new projects after so long working on the one thing! (Sadly, others could not see the tidying, and said it looked like normal!) I have several other deadlines pressing on me now, but I’m kind of glad I have them, or I might feel a little lost! I also have TAFE – this term we are re-creating patterns of fabulous designs by Alexander McQueen and some Japanese designers. Such a challenge! So absorbing! This is the toile of the McQueen piece we started on last week (made by teacher Chris Twine). It took us 3 hours to draft the bias-cut draped dress – how long is the amazing ruffled top going to take?!!

One of the projects I’m working on is self-inflicted – well, aren’t they all?! Lovely Nan whose White Gum Wool I used in Vilte’s workshop asked if she could use my dress I made in that workshop in a fashion parade in Tasmania to help promote her wool.  She is launching the White Gum Wool label the first week of June at the Campbell Town Wool and Sheep Show in Tasmania . I was very flattered, but didn’t consider the dress to be good enough, so have jumped at the opportunity to create more work in this new style, and have offered to make a collection of dresses and wraps, shrugs, maybe even a headpiece or two! I will get as much done as I can for Nan in June, and ultimately hope to create 5 full pieces as a bridal collection for entry in the Flair Fashion Design Awards the month afterward.

I’m not sure how I stumbled across it, but all of a sudden last week I was on the Fibre Arts Australia website, looking at a workshop with the amazing felt artist Marjolein Dallinga. (She had the fabulous entry ‘Skin’ entered in the ‘Under the Microscope’ section at WoW – a truly amazing and beautiful piece.

'Skin' by Marjolein Dallinga

I remember seeing it and saying “I wish I’d made that”. For me it had everything – it totally answered the section theme, and was a beautifully made and skilful work of art at the same time. A few emails later….. and we now look forward to next years’ SvenJen adventure – yes, Svenja & Jenelle will be off to Ballarat in April 2013 for the annual felting odyssey – whoo hooooo!!

Last week I had a wonderful package arrive from Mandie Chandler at the fabulous EGMTK. It was such a treat amongst all the WoW chaos, giving me hope and inspiration for future projects. Based on the project I did at Vilte’s workshop, I decided I needed some tencel tops (so shiny!) some wool burrs (gawdjuss lumps of wooliness) and some fleeces! So crinkly – so sheepy!

Corriedale fleece

Ohhhhh, can’t wait to play with them! Unfortunately I didn’t get to do Vilte’s second class, ‘Wild Fibres in modern couture’, but I have seen some of the work in this style, and can’t wait to experiment with beautiful curly and fluffy fleeces! I also discovered another felt artist working in a similar style –  Charity van der Meer. 

Charity van der Meer's felted dress

So of course, now I need to shop for more things…. more chunky fleeces for one! I’d also love to find some beautiful silk yarn like this, which I believe Vilte spun herself….perhaps I finally have an excuse to buy a spinning wheel?!

So, life continues – busier than ever!

Happy creating, folks! Hope there is colour and fluffiness in your world this week.