These First Months...

Pressing the pause button during moments like these.

Grabbing small opportunities alone to recharge, read, write and make. (Thank you sleepy baby)

Seeing family and friends love our little bundle as much as we do.

The camaraderie of motherhood. This occasionally feels like we're all stuck in a baby-trench sharing cigarettes, sleep-deprevation and getting through it while grenades are being thrown at us fairly constantly (cigarettes are of course metaphorical... But the odd glass of wine and coffee are pretty good replacements)

Wondering if our baby thinks his mother is an iPhone camera... Just can't get enough of his little face!

Being inspired by poet and advocate Hollie McNish for public breast-feeding in the UK. Thank goodness Australia doesn't mind a bit of skin! It'll be interesting to see what it's like on our overseas trip.

Being amazed at the fact I'm still me, after all this new stuff and momentous change and motherhood.

 

Front Porch

Fiona Lenord is the beauty behind Australian label Front Porch. From her home in the mountains she collects and repurposes all kinds of textiles from local op shops. Along with her pretty amazing mum they are whipped into shape and given new life as dresses, cushions, ponchos, and my favourite, wool blanket bunting!

I was lucky enough to work with Fiona when we designed prints for homeware textiles. Her eye for colour and pattern is the best bar none, full stop.

To find her, just visit The Front Porch Facebook Page where she holds online sales between peddling her wares at Sydney and Blue Mountain markets.

 

Images by Fiona Lenord & Family. 

 

Productive Waiting & Textile Design Inspiration from Nature

If you are a follower of my Instagram feed, you may already have seen the creative flurry happening at our house this week. I'm not sure if I've mentioned that NP and I are expecting our first child - in fact the mystery person was due last Friday! It's times liked these when I thank my lucky stars that I can fill my time with making and napping very happily. I've even been able to squeeze in some work for my Masters of design remarkably.

The Moreton Bay fig fruit seem to encapsulate the storing of memory, patiently waiting to drop from their home in the sky after a storm or strong wind. Seeds are released and awakened, just as memory can with the right triggers.

So far I have used them to naturally dye silk and wool, resulting in a beautifully soft neutral tones. Their rounded forms have been translated into bulbous felted textile pieces. The magnificent tones are the basis of a new colour palette.

And now a watercolour repeat design has emerged...

Thank you fig fruit - you are marvellous distraction.

 

Feeling Fuzzy on Facebook!

Feeling Fuzzy has finally made a second home over at Facebook. I'd love you to join me if you are a Facebook-er - just go over here and "like" the Feeling Fuzzy page. I will have more regular updates and will let you know whenever there are new posts on the blog - a good way to keep track as you might have realised my blogging is best described as spontaneous.

I hope to broadcast local textile events (Sydney, Australia based) and news that I come across and share my textile friends' happenings

xx

Dear Plastic's Next Adventure

 

Yumi & Taka from Dear Plastic

Everyone, my dear friends Yumi and Taka from Dear Plastic, are planning their next big project and they need our help!

They have been accepted into The Takehara International Art Exhibition + Residency, taking place in a historic town of Japan. The two week residency is a great opportunity for them to develop new work, hold workshops and participate in the Bamboo Festival for two weeks in April and May this year.

They are amazing an amazing independent team based in Melbourne and are the hardest working and passionate artists I know. We are very lucky to have quite a few of their pieces in our home and I can't wait to see what comes from this next period.

Yumi & Taka have just started a Pozible campaign that will hopefully allow them to get to Japan. You will find out more about their plans at the Pozible site. They have some fantastic rewards to thank their friends for their help. I can't say enough how energized one feels after pledging to such a great project!

Dear Plastic's floating mini crystal mobile.

Dear Plastic's floating mini crystal mobile.

Dear Plastic's Craft Victoria window exhibition Jan 2013: Mountain God + Crystal Queen.

Mountain amulets from our Mountain God + Crystal Queen exhibition, Jan 2013.

Matsuzaka Tei, Japan.

All images from Yumi & Taka's Pozible Campaign Page.

 

Alex Falkiner: Textile Maker and Colour Connoisseur

If you are in Sydney in the coming weeks and require an injection of joyful colour and texture, I prescribe a visit to any of these exhibitions or workshops Alex Falkiner (aka Alfaky) is involved in. Or if in need of a quick top up, go over to her website and Instagram feed as soon as possible!

Alex Falkiner's felt, crochet & grosgrain necklaces. Photo by A. Falkiner.

Alex Falkiner's studio and baskets. Photo by A. Falkiner.

Alex Falkiner's rope and felt necklaces. Photo by A. Falkiner.

Alex Falkiner's Baskets. Photo by A. Falkiner.

Prescriptions can be filled here:

 

The Curio Collectors Cabinent, Gaffa Gallery
281 Clarence St, Sydney, NSW
7th - 18 March 2013

Knit | Knot | Weave, Gallery Lane Cove
164 Longueville Rd, Lane Cove, NSW
4th March - 1st April 2013
* A few of my talented friends - Paula do Prado and Brook Morgan are also in this show!

Workshop: Knot and Twist: Fabric Necklace Creations with Alex at
85 Dunning Ave, Rosebery NSW
Saturday 6th April

 

Gathering Figs for Natural Dyeing

Yesterday I visited my favourite Moreton Bay Fig tree to collect a bagful of the fruit that falls to the ground. These little figs are beautiful in colour, ranging from deep aubergine to bright bright green. They have become important totems for my research, representing place and repositories for safe keeping.

Usually when busy down on the ground scavenging for figs, someone comes along to ask what I'm collecting... I say I'm going to use them to dye fabric. Some people get quite interested and talk about other plants they know of that are "tinctorious" (a word I made up but relates to the Latin word tīnctus,  past participle of tingere  to dye, color, tinge).


I've been boiling these figs up in my old aluminium pot and letting their colours alchemise (another made up word) and embed into pieces of silk. The softest colours evolve .. darker if left to soak for longer. 


A fruity smell, which I hoped would be delicious, but is actually quite pungent, comes from the pot. I leave it on the stove until I've had enough of the smell, then out the door it goes to sit.

If Wilton is with me he has to be very patient and wait until I've gathered enough. It's usually much easier if he's back on the couch at home.

I keep forgetting to re-boil the pot every couple of days, so I've had a bad case of growing mould. Hopefully this isn't too toxic!

Coral & Tusk Update

Lucky me! My very perceptive mum gave us our very own Coral & Tusk Cushion! She did some excellent detective work when we were last in Moss Vale visiting the lovely Made by Others store. Apparently I picked this guy up in the store and my mum took note. It's looking lovely on our upstairs couch.

 

Coral and Tusk

Good morning friends! This morning is a porridge and chai kind of morning, with rain and wind and heavy skies in Sydney. I have big plans to get some things made today, the weather making it easier to be indoors. However I've just heard that rivers are flooding in other NSW areas, which can never be very good.

Have you seen these little creatures from Coral and Tusk? Quite a few of these are in my virtual shopping cart, with the hope of at least one making it's way to our home!

The way the studio operates reminds me of when I worked as a commercial textile designer - lots of chat and cups of tea... Their video shows how lovely the Coral and Tusk Workroom is...

 

 

 

Coral & Tusk from Coral & Tusk on Vimeo.

Designer Stephanie Housley gives a sneak peek into the delightful world of Coral & Tusk, her line of pillows and accessories. See her imagination come to life as embroidered drawings in her beautiful Brooklyn showroom/production studio.

Please Meet: Heather Wyatt from Releaf Paper

I've had a morning tweaking my blog, which was mostly inspired by a lovely experience I had over Christmas.

I was searching for a small, hand-made gift for friends and family and had tagged Releaf Paper in my Etsy favourites. Heather's work had caught my eye for two reasons - her beautiful lettering style, and one of her pieces uses my favourite Mary Oliver quote.

We had quite a few conversations back and forth, and I could tell that she loved her work as much as I do. Her desire to make each of her pieces as best it could be resonated with me deeply.

A few weeks later, after I had received my orders a surprise landed in my mailbox - a small grey moleskin notebook inscribed with Feeling Fuzzy. It is a treasure... sitting on my desk, reminding me to be one hundred percent heartfelt in all I do.

And so, with Heather's very kind permission, I have re-jigged my Feeling Fuzzy logo with her beautiful lettering... much cosier and gentler in appearance.

I thought I'd ask Heather a few questions as I really love to hear people's "behind the scene" stories. You'll see her answers are as well considered and thoughtful as her work. Thank you Heather for sharing your story with me }  } }

The surprise moleskin by Heather from ReLeaf Paper.

Can you tell us a little about what you do?

Sure! The whole concept around Releaf Paper was born out of two passions: a love for all things eco-friendly and typography/calligraphy. I started Releaf after my husband gave me a calligraphy set for Christmas and, after finally taking it out of the box, realized this was more fun than I expected! I wanted my calligraphy to be accessible and fun, not stuffy and stiff. I wanted it to be something that would catch the eye but feel comfortable at the same time. The paper I chose had to be something that I loved, which helped me turn my love into a small business. When I get to sit down and put pen to paper, I am truly in my happiest moments.

How did you get started, what inspired you to start "lettering"?

My first solid inspiration was my good friend Catherine who just happened to be my 10th grade English teacher. Her business, www.calligraphybycatherine.com, never ceases to amaze me. She never set out to be a mediocre calligrapher but the best there ever was. This makes me approach my love of lettering differently, causing me to treat it almost as a reverent prayer rather than just a hobby. I want to improve, always, but have fun doing it just as she does.

What is your current inspiration?

Currently I am inspired by song lyrics, poems, artists like Emek, Katie Daisy and Pen and Paint on Etsy as well as pinterest boards that feature broad ranges of typography and lettering. Right now my favorite song lyrics are those by Death Cab for Cutie and Mumford and Sons.

What have been your favourite projects to date?

Oh gosh. So many. I penned a first dance lyric for a couple’s one year anniversary that was so sweet and then also a large version of the Mary Oliver quote for someone’s wall. I love putting together place cards for weddings because the text is so flowy and dreamy. Honestly the little notebook I made you was one of my favorites! Gray paper and white ink is so lovely.

You have used one of my favourite Mary Oliver quotes upon your moleskine journals: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” How does this inspire you?

I think about my children when I read this quote. How I want them to explode like firecrackers in this life instead of sailing on through it. I think about this business and how I want to become as precise as I can be while smiling all the while. And I think about how the life we create is so temporary and precious as Mary writes. How every moment should be savored and enjoyed, jumped into with both legs. This quote has always made me want to be more, do more and enjoy the time I have to do it.

One of Heather's lovely books, adorned with Mary Oliver's famous poetry.

Rose Coloured Glasses

 

I was just looking through my Instagram Posts (@feelingfuzzier) for the last two months and it seems pink and red have featured in quite a bit of my food shots. Hmmm... What does this mean?? Maybe nothing, but I like to ruminate upon such things on a Wednesday morning.

 

xx

Letters from my Grandma

 

 

This Christmas I gave my country-grandparents a job to do. Contained in a box were 10 pre-stamped and self addressed envelopes and notecards. Their task was to jot me a note once or twice a week during the month of January. In return, a matching letter from me.

 

I wasn't quite sure if this gift would pan out, but so far our correspondence has been surprisingly regular. There's nothing like getting something other than bills and advertisements in the mail, particularly when hand-written with funny anecdotes and musings from my very clever grandma. So far she's told me stories of black cockatoos and bush fires.As yet she hasn't let my Pom-Pom (grandpa) write any of the notes... Perhaps I need to get him his own set of cards.

 

Textiles Meet Up

Happy New Year Friends! I'm finding the days whizzing by already and it's only January.

My year spent in midst of my Masters of Design has resulted in lots of thoughts and ideas percolating, ready to be put into making action over the next couple of months. Another splendid outcome is a small arrangement of textile-inclined people that I've begun to spend time with. I've always wanted to be part of a textile collective - and this one is of the highest calibre.

Yesterday was the first catch up of the year, which was planned around a visit to the Dank St Gallery in Sydney, and supplemented by excellent coffee and cake. Our conversations floated around possible future collaborations, making-tips and other odds and ends, and left me feeling ready to tackle some creative problem-solving.

Alex lives here. Paula lives there. And I'll have to find out where the others reside and update this list.

Here are a few shots of Bridget Kennedy's work that we stumbled upon - a beautiful collection of beeswax rings available to peruse and take home for a small donation. Mine now reside on my glove-mould.

 

The Depot GalleryJust help yourself why don'tcha 23 January - 2nd February 2013An installation of 10,000 rings by Bridget Kennedy. 

Materials - zinc, silver, lead, coal, gold in beeswax