how long is a piece of string

CRAFT FIND OF THE WEEK

Well this weeks craft find comes straight from the good people of Golden Hands, perennial favourites of all lovers of 70's style craft. imaginatively entitled Pictures with Pins, it lets us in, DIY style on the "exciting new craze which is catching on fast". Well at least it was in 1974 when this particular edition was published. As we mentioned yesterday, handmade life thinks it high time for a revival and we'll be the first in line picking up the materials needed to start said revival at Bunnings come Saturday.

According to the intro "You don't have to be a dab hand with a paintbrush to create a picture these days. It's so much easier to do it with a hammer and nails and a reel of thread. Try this on a rainy afternoon, or (once you've hammered in the nails) while watching television in the evening." Excellent! What can be better than a craft project you can knock over during a matinee movie, football game or repeat episode of the West Wing.


It also includes a complete zodiac pattern guide for those who are astrologically inclined, as well as string art classics like the Goldfish, Sunburst, Butterfly and Peacock, although the "Passer-by" on page 34 and "Moon Buggy" on 33 just had us both bamboozled.

string me up

SHOW OF THE WEEK

Taking inspiration from construction sites, city skylines, and basic geometric shapes, artist Catherine Hockey has attached string and rope directly to the Westpace Gallery wall to create an installation aptly called 'Strung Out'. By creating the 'skeletons' of these familiar shapes Hockey is able to play with the viewers perception of the two and three dimesional image.

We remember with fondness the string art of our childhoods - those 2d wonders that could be found adorning many a 70's living room. It's amazing what you can do with a bit of mdf, little nails and, well, a piece of string. Who'd of thought that's all it took to make ye olde pictures of a sailing ship or a sunflower? It's time string art was revived and we are happy to let you know it's looking fresher that ever.

Catherine Hockey has taken it to a whole new level of sophistication that is probably beyond the reach of hml staffers. Mind you, we have been inspired to make it a string themed week, so who knows what Thursday will bring...

Catherine Hockey: Strung Out. until the 22nd of July

Westspace Gallery

shhhhhhh it's a secret

THIS WEEK WAS ABOUT

the shape of things to come...

ready willing and able

SHE MADE THEM HERSELF

RAMONA: It's been crazytown for me this week. I have found myself and my little business Words and Pictures caught up in the too-cool-for-school-world of the National Design Festival. I'll be rubbing shoulders with the supa groovers this Sunday at Readymade Market (Fed Square Carpark 10-5). I normally just make greeting cards but I went all fancy pants and made some badges too (hundreds of them in fact) and Beck was determined to get a swelegant photo of me proudly showing my wares. Yes that's me holding them like they're the first bowl of cherries at the market. I was planning on making toys too but as you can see I didn't get too far. The stripey socks were for the handpuppet last week, maybe a sock monkey next week who knows...

I'm sharing a stand with Irene (Iggy and Lou Lou) which is very exciting. There are loads of other exciting stallholders too. If someone (please) can come and mind my shoppe for 10 minutes I can wizz round to see Third Drawer Down's amazing table as well as drool at the deliciousness of Succulent Designs, Jessie Tucker, and Penelope Durston and dozens more. It should be a fun day out. Do stop by to say hello!

To find out more about the Design Festival you can check out the website at the

National Design Centre

Don't think that Beck Jobson hasn't been busy too. She took some amazing photographs for an upcoming project that we can't show you just yet. So you'll just have to put up with photos of my silly mug instead.

very cross stitch

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

We like anything that undermines people perception of hobby craft. We've discoverd there are alot of angry crafters out there using their talents to provide political commentary. It's a way of venting the spleen and ending up with a nice cushion or wall hanging at the end of it.

We're most impressed with Julie Jackson and her website Subversive Cross Stitch. She's called her project 'anger management therapy' and now shares it with the rest of us in the form of pithy cross stich kits that you can admire and then order to DIY. She hasn't shunned the traditional floral or bunny motifs, it's just that she's added delicious phrases like 'go fuck yourself' and 'fuck cancer' that are at once hilarious and shocking too. But it's good to have a sense of humour - as on says 'Life Sucks and then You Die'

Subversive Cross Stitch

strike!!!

CRAFT FIND OF THE WEEK

Well we managed to miss what apparently was great show by the Embroiderer's Guild last week while we were busy with our hands up felt puppets. So while commiserating over another "there are just too many festivals in Melbourne" mishap we started thinking about our own embroidered craft collections.

Previously we had revealed a strong mutual fetish for cross stitch and ceramic animals so we thought it high time to come clean about another obsession shared - bowling. Let's face it, it's hard not to love a sport that includes natty shoes, pearlescent glitter balls, embroidered theme shirts and condones the chowing down on fries between frames.

With this in mind we decided that my Noelene Sibbason "maggies" bowling shirt had the craft find of the week gig stitched up - literally.

this is not rubbish

SHOW OF THE WEEK

This week we are going to travel over hill and down dale to get out to Manningham Gallery for the opening of an exhibition called Debris. Why you ask? In such cold wet weather, when the roads are slick, the air icy and hot soup's waiting for us in the staff canteen it seems crazy to drive to the outer suburb of Doncaster on a Wednesday eve just for art.

Pish, we say!

This isn't just any art. This is, and we quote the invitation, 'Art that recycles and recontextualises everyday objects and materials through processes of assemblage, (re-) contruction and installation'

Sound amazing to us. And we are intrigued to see what curator Edwina Bartlem has come up with . Includes work by Hannah Bertram, Julia de Ville, Mary Louise Edwards, Mandy Gunn, Donna Marcus and Lucian Perin.

This week also sees us visiting the studio of designer Emma Davies, building a shop for hml goodies (a virtual one of course) and making more of the alphabet for Morphe II soup.

Busy busy busy always busy....

Debris 5 - 29 July
Manningham Gallery
699 Doncaster Rd
Doncaster 3108