Australian Homespun — June 2017

(Jacob Rumans) #1

PIN INTEREST


SALAMANCA STITCHES
Tasmanian textile-art group Stitching and Beyond
really means it when they say ‘beyond’ – they
experiment with all kinds of textiles, from 3D pieces
to embroidery, painting, eco dyeing, mixed media,
wearable art, felting, traditional quilting and more.
You can see the members’ creations at the biennial
exhibition, ‘Out of Hand’, at the Long Gallery and
Sidespace Gallery on Salamanca Place, in Hobart.
It’s on from July 28 until August 8 (the off icial opening
is at 5.30pm on July 27). If you want to know more,
details can be found at http://www.stitchingandbeyond.com.
Roll bag by Roza Brinkworth

It’s been an almost-instant international
success! Trixi Symonds, of Coloured
Buttons (www.colouredbuttons.com), only
started her ‘Sew a Softie’ event last year,
but it is already a real winner. And it’s just
about due again now. So get needle and
thread ready for softie stitching throughout
July. We’ll let Trixi tell you more:
“I’ve been teaching hand sewing to children
for more than 20 years and, during this time,
two things always stood out to me: (1) how
much children enjoyed the experience of hand

sewing; and (2) how beneficial hand sewing
is for them – in all sorts of ways.
“In addition, I was often approached by
parents asking about the possibility of teaching
an adults’ class, so that they could learn to sew,
as well. This got me thinking about how I could
get mums and kids sewing together. My solution
was to write Sew Together Grow Together, a
collection of simple, step-by-step instructions

for hand-sewing projects specifically designed
for parents to make with their children.
“Creating a project together is a great
excuse to turn off theTV, shut down the
computer and put away the smart phone,
allowing a real-life connection of a deeper
kind and a shared experience of creation.
‘Sew a Softie’ was really an extension of the
book idea – an attempt to encourage more
parents to sew with their children. Softies are
fun, simple to make and give lots of scope
for creativity, so they were a good fit.

“The essence of Sew a Softie is to show
people that hand sewing is not only fun,
practical and highly creative but really really
simple to learn to do, and that people without
any previous sewing experience can make
fantastic softies with their children. This really
is something that even young children can do,
and when they see what they can create, they
fully understand what they can achieve.

“This year, I’m planning to have ‘Sew a
Softie’ tutorials, workshops and teach-your-
friend-to-sew activities scheduled throughout
the entire month of July.”
Getting involved: There are heaps of options,
from creating a simple-to-sew softie tutorial to
post online, organising a community workshop,
or teaching a friend or neighbour to sew using
one of the great softie tutorials featured on the
‘Sew a Softie’ tutorial blog hop. This year,
Trixi’s also having ‘Kid Ambassadors’ who will
be joining in and making a softie with a friend.

Everything that’s scheduled is listed on
http://www.sewasoftie.com, and readers can register
their interest there, too. Trixi loves seeing
photos from diff erent events, so don’t forget
to snap and upload all your toys and dolls.
Email [email protected] or join
the ‘Sew a Softie’ Facebook group to share
photos of your creations, ask questions and
stay up to date with what’s happening.

‘SEW A SOFTIE’


MONTH


This reall y is something that even you ng children can do...

Free download pdf