Feeling Fuzzy?

Morocco Travels

2011-11-12T10:00:00.001+11:00

Our photos from a week of travelling in Morocco. We stayed in riads (traditional homes transformed into hotels) in Marrakech, Fes, Chefcheoun & Tangier, with trips to Casablanca, Rabat & Volubulis.
A feast for the senses - visual & culinary magic

Istanbul: Patterns & Colour

2011-11-02T07:18:00.001+11:00

Istanbul: Patterns & Colour, a set on Flickr.

Thanks for such encouraging and lovely words about my felt rug! I'm happy to report it's 75% finished and waiting for our return from overseas to complete it.

NP and I are traveling through Europe this month, starting with 4 days in Istanbul. I keep pinching myself that we are actually here. It's been months in the making!

So far it has been a visual feast of pattern & colour. Accompanied by an amazing amount of delicious apple tea...

Here are some little beauties we've discovered so far.

Making a Felt Ball Rug, Slowly.

2011-08-21T18:18:00.000+10:00

Last November I made the grand purchase of 8000 felt balls from a very industrious Etsy Seller.

I'm sure like me you've seen those nice squishy Felt Ball Rugs in catalogues this year?

I thought making my own would be a fun project for the house. Almost 10 months later and I'm proud to say I'm half way through threading my 8000 balls into a rug that when I put down on the living room floor NO ONE will be allowed to tread, lie, roll or touch. Practical, huh!?

It's been a bit of an ordeal, though I find the process once I have a spare hour or two quite cathartic, something like the action of Rosary Beads, though I guess I'm praying to the felt god to get me through this one!

I just popped over to the Hay Studio site to see there Pinocchio Rug, and looks like they've come up with some nice new designs too...

Photo 1: Taken by E Peters.
Photos 2-4: From the Hay Studio Website.

How to Make Carpet Art, A Tutorial

2011-08-21T17:49:00.000+10:00

Step One: Poor lovely glass of red wine to drink while perusing the web on a Sunday night.
Step Two: Sweep arm for no real reason, catch sleeve on wine glass
Step Three: Knock wine glass from table to floor, making sure wine spills across beige carpet in the largest surface area possible.
Step Four: Yelp and cry out to anyone else in the house while preventing dog from running into wine spill.
Step Five: Google how to get wine out of carpet.
Step Six: Husband/Partner/Flatmate must run to get Saxa Table Salt from kitchen cupboard and proceed to tip salt in strange patterns across wine spill.
Voila, your own Carpet Art Piece!
NB. Wine still not completely out of carpet, need to go get carpet stain remover, but a lot less creative than the above technique!

Our stay at Seafarers Cottages, Currarong, NSW.

2011-07-02T18:18:00.001+10:00

South Coast Long Weekend, a set on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Our trip to the South Coast was a little while ago, and finally I've posted pictures of the glorious time away with friends. Such good memories!

Some of these photos were taken by our dear friends Olivia Kemp and Chase Colby.

The cottages we rented can be found here and are located in Currarong. I can't tell you how lovely they are to stay in!

Dog friendly too, though Wilton brought home some nasty paralysis ticks, so make sure your pets are well treated for ticks before you go at least 1 week in advance.

Highlights of the weekend included excellent food, mega game playing, walks and chats along the shoreline and getting cosy with my boys on the couch.

Hopefully this is the first of many trips away with such high quality people!

South Coast Weekend...

2011-05-25T17:24:00.001+10:00

South Coast Weekend!, originally uploaded by Feeling Fuzzy?.

This is what I've been looking forward to for a loooong time...
A weekend away with friends to the lovely South Coast of NSW. Bliss!
Time to pack!

A Weekend in Bundanoon

2011-05-16T21:17:00.002+10:00

Weekend in Bundanoon, a set on Flickr.

A weekend spent with my mum pottering around the house, crisp morning walks and catching up with old & new friends.

Grower's Markets, Pyrmont

2011-05-16T21:10:00.002+10:00

An early morning Saturday morning at Pyrmont's Growers' Markets. Armed with coffee from Single Origin, we braved the crowds to taste and gather deliciously fresh ingredients!

Felicity Gleeson's Pop Up Shop

2011-05-01T17:25:00.001+10:00

If in Sydney CBD this week it would be silly not to go to this:

Restyled Still Life

2011-05-01T17:03:00.002+10:00

Along with the blog's spring clean, our house was given a major spit and polish over the weekend.

My favourite part was re-setting the top of the credenza.

The still life includes: an old glove mould found on Etsy, an embroidered picture brought back from China by a work friend, old photos, a little artwork by Amber and Me, given by Yumi.

Can you see the half eaten Lindt bunny left over from Easter? He is nibbled away at each day!

Scone, NSW

2011-05-01T14:09:00.001+10:00

Scone, NSW, a set on Flickr.

Both our meeting & wedding anniversary fell on the same weekend this year... NP and I met on the Thursday night of the Easter weekend, and we were married on the Anzac Day weekend.

This coincidence called for a romantic road trip away - we chose Scone in the Upper Hunter Valley region, mostly because of a little place called
Canter Home, which was where we stayed. Was blissfully relaxing - along with an occassional bike ride and bush walk...

Via Flickr:
Venturing out and about...

Anniversary Pie

2011-05-01T14:00:00.003+10:00

Anniversary Pie, originally uploaded by Feeling Fuzzy?.

Celebrating 3 years of marriage with a home made Steak and Guinness Pie!

Walking with Wilton

2011-05-01T14:00:00.001+10:00

Sunday morning Walks, originally uploaded by Feeling Fuzzy?.

After all this week's rain, Wilton was knee deep in watery grass - a lovely green ocean for doggie paddling!

Wendy Sharpe Exhibition

2011-03-13T18:36:00.000+11:00

Wendy Sharpe

Self Portrait with St Marks 2009

One of my high school art teachers did a great job at introducing powerful female artists, one of which was Wendy Sharpe. I don't think I appreciated this education until later... ie. today... when I saw Sharpe's exhibition at the S.H. Ervin Gallery at Observatory Hill, Sydney.

The above image isn't in the exhibition, but it expresses so many aspects of her art that I now love. The riotous glowing electric colours glinting off jewellery, buildings, faces. The fantastic wardrobe (stockings, tu-tu's teemed with trainers, floral vintage dresses). And the feeling of wanting to be more deliciously voluptuous rather than less (a rather novel feeling in this culture where willowy and lithe bodies are revered).

The body of works that most excited me were titled "Model Red and Green Light Series" 2010. They are on small linen canvases portraying beautifully rotund women reclining and relaxing in the most technicolour hues. Sadly I couldn't find any images online to share with you, but hopefully this might encourage a trip to the gallery to see them for yourselves...

I hope this portrait shines some light to those friends in Japan during this scary time. Thinking of you muchly.

Sending Love to Japan

2011-03-12T12:15:00.002+11:00

hug, originally uploaded by Camilla Engman.

I hope all your friends and family in Japan are safe and sound. I was so relieved to hear that Yumi and Taka were okay in Tokyo. I hope the tremors stop soon and with it the apprehension and worry of another quake.
Illustration by Camilla Engman.

Wildbirds & Peace Drums

2011-02-17T20:02:00.000+11:00

If you're in Sydney on the 8th March this band is playing at The Church on Chalmers. They are lovely. And they're film clip reminds me of Yumi's watercolours.

Oh! And they are performing Bjork's Human Behaviour from her Debut Album, which could most possibly be my #1 favourite album of all time...

Ack! And here they are busking!

However I think this might be my favourite song...

Okay, enough of that! I have dinner in the oven and must tend to it!

Valentine's Day Family Portrait

2011-02-15T21:37:00.003+11:00

A surprise trip to The Sydney Observatory to see the stars, fish and chips at the beach, holding hands with my beloved and chasing Wilton... a perfect Valentine's Day for me!

Be My Valentine...

2011-02-11T18:34:00.001+11:00

My beloved and I take turns in planning little Valentine's events for each other - this year I'm the lucky one to get a treat - hurrah!

I'm particularly fortunate that NP is the world's leading surprise expert (WLSE for short) so I'm looking forward to what he comes up with... last year (even though it wasn't his turn) he sent me a bunch of fruit flowers dipped in chocolate from this nice place... everyone in the studio was quite happy to help me enjoy them!

I came across this amazing team in a magazine (which, I do not know) - The Sydney Picnic Co. If I was in charge of Valentine's day this year I'd ring them up and immediately order one of their amazing hampers... yum! They look so good! Hop onto it pronto if you want to take them up on their lovely Valentine's Hamper...

All images are from the Sydney Picnic Co Website

That was yesterday...

2011-02-06T20:01:00.000+11:00

Sunday night sipping tea and doing a bit of work on my quilt while listening to this excellent album by Vertiver. In under 5 hours the temperature in Sydney has finally dropped from mid 30s to a very liveable 17 degrees. Phew!

Yesterday morning I snuck over to Wylies Baths for a dip and already the crowds had begun to gather around the water's edge. Last weekend I was sitting in the exact same place with my two very dear friends, one who is now travelling the globe for a year. I was sad not to have them both with me.

Never-the-less it was a beautiful way to begin the weekend, despite the scorching heat.

There are few more photos over at my flickr page...

Hold still Wilton!

2011-02-05T07:33:00.000+11:00

Ólöf Arnalds at The Sydney Festival

2011-02-03T18:18:00.000+11:00

I look forward every year to the Sydney Festival... it's just the best mix of inspiring acts of creativity. If anyone is thinking of visiting Sydney make it January when the festival is on!

My favourite this year was Ólöf Arnalds at the Speigeltent for 3 different reasons...

I went with my lovely friend Yumi from Dear Plastic
The tent was just magical on a sunny Saturday afternoon
Ólöf has such a lovely presence on stage and sings songs about her best friends which resonated with me quite a bit. Especially this one where she outlines the very best points of her 3 pals.

I also got to see Beach House at Angel Place (dreamy), but missed out on Kitty, Daisy and Lewis because of a rotten summer head cold. Boo! I heard it was great though.

Don't Slip WIlton!

2011-01-28T08:00:00.000+11:00

Big River, LIttle Wilton

2011-01-27T08:00:00.001+11:00

Wilton found a rainbow...

2011-01-25T15:15:00.001+11:00

Work In Progress: Tram Timetable Quilt

2011-01-22T15:13:00.000+11:00

During the Christmas holidays I began a quilting project that has been in my head since last October. It's been partly inspired by the popular tram rolls that you can find here and at various other places.

For NP's birthday last year I found an old Tramway Time Table that we would have caught if we had lived in our area 50-ish years ago. My grandma tells me that it was the very same tram that she caught when she lived in Sydney as a young woman.

Happily the trams are being restored to the area over the next couple of years, so I thought this project would be a nice connection to our family's past and present.

I finished my first piece last week, and hope to make a piece each week.
It's a nice feeling to be making something like this...

Introducing Mr Wilton!

2011-01-20T08:00:00.000+11:00

We've adopted a lovely doggie from a shelter... he is a sweetie!

Bondi Dragon Cloud

2010-12-22T20:04:00.002+11:00

Bondi Dragon Cloud, originally uploaded by Feeling Fuzzy?.

This morning a great big long cloud moved over Bondi Beach... hipstamatic helped quite a lot with the photo I took...

Flower Bombs by Yumi & Taka!

2010-12-22T07:25:00.000+11:00

It's been a little while since I last visited the Feeling Fuzzy? blog, but this new video by the Dear Plastic team made me feel I just had to share this with anyone who might still pop by occasionally!

Dear Plastic is Yumi & Taka, two of my very creative friends who run workshops and encourage people to think about how making can be done in a sustainably friendly way!

Yesterday they put up a new video about their recent Flower Bombs which you may have seen if you'd gone along to the recent Sydney Finders Keepers Markets or the Kaleidoscope Art Markets that are on right now...

All images from the lovely Dear Plastic Blog!

Hello!

2010-09-26T16:46:00.002+10:00

I've been particularly busy with birthday celebrations over the last couple of weeks! I had some lovely times with friends and family. One of the highlights being my grandfather (better known as Pom-Pom) singing me happy birthday on the phone as he has done for 31 years.

A few highlights have been:

A mysterious key from NP leading me to my

surprise birthday dinner at Quay.

A night at the football with my family.

Gifts from my dear friends Yumi and Kirst.

Luncheon at Chowder Bay with the girls.

Eating my Dad's famous Pavlova

(featuring my sisters Hannah and Amy).

Wow! That was a whole lot of good eating and fun times!

How lucky am I??!

Thank you everyone for making my birthday so very excellent!

Great news!

2010-09-26T16:28:00.000+10:00

Thank you everyone who helped out our family-friend Danielle by voting for her video. We were so excited to hear that she came 2nd place and has been awarded $1500! I can't wait to see where her amazing equestrian abilties will take her next...

Newspaper Poetry

2010-09-10T16:13:00.001+10:00

I sent this to NP this week - it fell perfectly into my lap after a morning doing the bathroom dance together! Just replace "relationship" for "marriage" and I think he's on to something!
Go see more over at Austin Kleon's blog...

St Johns Rd, Glebe. Thursday evening.

2010-09-10T09:53:00.000+10:00

Love at First Sight

2010-08-24T19:39:00.035+10:00

If I lived in New York Purl Soho would be my official second home. Perhaps my first home? With all mail redirected to the Purl Soho shop. I think what really needs to happen is open my own shop with all sorts of nice crafty things in Sydney. I wonder if anyone would be as interested in this as me?

Fortunately for the time being they have an excellent website and blog that has lovely projects like this little-person's play-mat. My thoughts are that this should not be restricted to children alone - A tad unfair...

The project can be found here and the fabric (which I'm considering whether to put into my shopping trolley) can be found here (the dot fabric I can't seem to locate on their site... anyone found it?). Enjoy!

Come back weekend, I miss you.

2010-08-23T20:18:00.002+10:00

We had our first weekend free of house inspections and auctions and the sun came out to celebrate with us! These are a few things we did that I enjoyed:

Going to the local school to vote and frequenting the sausage sizzle.
Collecting the artwork we had bought last month from Yumi Takahashi's and Cecilia Heffer's exhibition and bringing them home to live.
Perusing our new Gleebooks bookshop up the road
A day at Black Wattle Bay playing frisbee and eating good stuff from Sonoma.
Riding bikes in the sun through the back streets of the inner west (right up until said bike keeled over and died very dramatically)
Sharing a Fiesta plate of Churros
Being inspired by Katie's amazing hand-crafted gift cards made from recycled fabrics.

Lunch time conundrum solved...

2010-08-23T19:38:00.001+10:00

Thanks to Deb at Smitten Kitchen for solving this week's "what shall I take to work for lunch?" debacle!

1001 Journals...

2010-08-21T10:52:00.001+10:00

As a kid I was an avid journal writer. My first proper diary had a lock and key and was called Igly... the ins and outs of a 12 year olds life can be quite funny to read... sibling warfare, favourite TV shows, hierarchy of friends and their ever changing positions - first best friend can quickly plummet to the bottom of the list over very minor issues.

I think I kept a journal on and off until about 5 years ago, which coincided with meeting NP, working a full time job and a realisation that over-thinking stuff doesn't help very much. Recently some of my old diaries have re-surfaced while packing boxes, making cleaning up about 300 times longer than it should be... I can't help but crack the spines of these old books and take trips down memory lane...

I'm sure for lots of bloggers these kind of spaces are substitutes for their journals. I'm often amazed at how open people are with their private thoughts on such a public space. There's always a line where I start feeling a little uncomfortable about how much I give away on Feeling Fuzzy? and I wonder if it's not enough or too much... I think I'll just trundle along and not worry too much about it.

Do you remember the 1000 Journal Project? It started a while back with journals travelling the world in a beautiful piece of collaborative artwork. I remember signing up knowing that there were slim chances of ever actually being sent or finding one.

Bird Textiles sent me an email last week about a new project called 1001 Journals, where individuals and groups can start there own travelling diary. So now there is a chance for everyone to join in!

All you do is register, find a book that is "Open" or "In Progress" and put your name on the list. I can't wait for it to arrive in the mail box!

Ode to Dully Hill

2010-08-19T08:14:00.000+10:00

This is Dulwich Hill, as captured by Louise from 52 Suburbs. D'Hill has been our stomping ground for quite some time and as Louise mentions, there is change in the air for our little area... Gleebooks for one, the light rail proposition as well. Who know what will arrive next!

One of my favourite places to go is down to the Cooks River for bike rides or walks. Over the weekend I sat and read my new-ish Dumbo Feather and listened to some kids making a movie that I think was about invading aliens… I wondered if they could be the next generation of directors or actors in the making?

On the way home an amazing dark cloud settled over head and brought a 10 minute storm. Only 20 minutes before the sun had been shining so of course I had nothing but a tall tree to stand under (probably not that safe considering the likelihood of lightening)! That smell of fresh rain while surrounded by nature was a refreshing experience, despite getting quite soggy.

Sold!

2010-08-15T20:51:00.000+10:00

This weekend NP and I sold our little apartment at an auction... an exciting moment! It's actually been lots of fun cleaning and styling our place ready for people to come and see. Buying fresh flowers from Seed and making the bed are two of my favourite things to do.

Now that we are really moving, I'm getting a some pre-emptive nostalgia... we've had such a great time living in this sunny place and I hope the next owners get to enjoy it as much as we have.

This is a shot of the driveway graffiti I did before I was an EP... I wish we could take it with us.

Vote for Danielle!

2010-07-30T00:11:00.001+10:00

NP's family knows an amazing girl called Danielle Weymark who I've been lucky enough to meet a few years ago. She's a passionate equestrian. Passion that just makes you tingle. I'm not a horse lover but watching her videos make me wonder if I'm missing out on something amazing!

I was really excited to hear that a video about her horse-riding has been entered into a competition called "Focus on Ability". If she receives enough votes she will win prize money that will hopefully help her get to the Paralympic Games.

Go to the Focus on Ability website to see "If Your Heart Wears Thin" and cast a vote for her. You can also see some great footage of her riding here and read her story at the Violet Foundation site here.

Voting closes Midnight 30th July AEST!

Image: Taken from here.

Paper Flowers Around the World...

2010-07-29T22:19:00.000+10:00

One of my favourite illustrators, Anna Emilia, has a lovely example of how to use tissue-paper flowers as gift-decorations...

Cecilia Heffer: Lace Narratives

2010-07-27T21:32:00.000+10:00

Hello Friends,

You may have noticed this blog has been a little on the thin side in terms of any substantial writing... sure, a few music suggestions here, some hipstamatic shots there... but I think we can all agree this makes not for a particularly interesting read!

(Please tell me otherwise... perhaps you'd rather me short and sweet?)

Tonight despite an avalanche of University marking that is cascading from my inbox, I feel it is deeply important that anyone in Sydney over the next 3 weeks make a concerted effort to get to this exhibition.

I'm assuming that you who read Feeling Fuzzy? are quite keen on art, textiles, craft and the importance of beautiful things in life, yes?

I think you will appreciate at least 20 minutes gazing at the incredible textiles of Cecilia Heffer hanging in the beautiful Damien Minton Gallery in Redfern.

Exhibition Details:
Wed 28 July to Sat 14 August 2010
61-63 Great Buckingham St Redfern
02 9699 7551
Opening Hours: Wed-Sat 11am-6pm

PS. Number 46 is coming home with me!

Images 1 & 2: Feeling Fuzzy?
Images 3 & 4: Damien Minton Gallery

Sophie Toulous

2010-07-24T17:26:00.000+10:00

I agree with Currie from Arrow and Arrow, Sophie Toulous' artwork is glorious!

More Music: The Wilson Pickers

2010-07-14T21:59:00.000+10:00

When a great album cover matches the music inside...

Music: Nicola Watson

2010-07-13T21:53:00.001+10:00

I like this girl's new album "Clear is the Coast". She is from Melbourne and I hope she comes to visit Sydney soon. One of her songs was playing on the radio on the way home from Yumi's Exhibition... it was a perfect way to end the night.

Christmas in July...

2010-07-12T21:50:00.001+10:00

Hosted by my mum at her house in the Southern Highlands... friends, scrabble, pie & crepes are all essential ingredients.

A bush-walk after rain...

2010-07-12T21:45:00.001+10:00

Yumi 's Magical Opening Night!

2010-07-09T09:22:00.001+10:00

Congratulations lovely Yumi on such an amazing Opening Night! I was lucky to arrive at the gallery a little before most... seeing such magical body of work set to twinkling music by our friend Jerome gave me the shiniest & happiest feeling.

Blair has created a beautiful video (above) of the night... I think he's captured the floating essence of Yumi and her work.

Sweetness catered the event, with squishy and very special marshmallows, little lemon tarts and macaroons on 3 tired plates.

Thank you Yumi and Taka for giving us this beautiful exhibition!

Yumi's Exhibition!

2010-06-29T17:42:00.002+10:00

I am very proud to announce Yumi Takahashi's new exhibition, opening on the Thursday 9th July at 8pm and running for 2 weeks at the Kaleidoscope Gallery in Paddington, Sydney.

Yumi is my lovely and talented friend - we collaborated last year on our Souzou project and she was inspiring to the end!

She would love to see lots of people at the opening so tell anyone you know that might be interested... I will be there, enjoying the beauty of Yumi's dreamy and contagiously beautiful artwork.

xx Emma

Tweedy Sunday

2010-06-27T15:58:00.001+10:00

A fantastic morning cycling the city streets in our tweed get-up! NP, Pat and I met bright and early at Town Hall and then made our way down to the Opera House, back up into the city, and to a park in Alexandria. We had some funny looks and hoots from people... the lycra-clad speedies thought we were very odd-looking!
Can't wait for next year!

You can see more photos here!

The Sydney Tweed Ride is this Sunday!

2010-06-21T13:43:00.000+10:00

Oh this is going to be fun! A tweedy-bike ride from Town Hall to Alexandria... finally my bike is in 100% working order and it's time to get out and mingle!

Let me know if you are going too... Thanks Pat for the heads up... see you there!

Tweedy!

2010-06-21T13:40:00.003+10:00

TweedRun09 042, originally uploaded by tiglen.

Sydney Tweed Ride

2010-06-21T13:40:00.001+10:00

Sydney Tweed Ride, originally uploaded by Will..

Tweed Ride in Pink!

2010-06-21T13:39:00.001+10:00

tweed_0096, originally uploaded by niftydandy.

Next on the list...

2010-06-02T17:37:00.000+10:00

I think it's always nice to expand on creative experiences... ceramics has done wonders for pracitising wabi-sabi spontaneous creation. I'm hoping next year it will be the cello.

Immersion into this new field has included listening to lots of Yo-Yo Ma (especially his Bach albums) and Zoe Keating (a contemporary cello player).

Today I found these lovely experiments by George Showman. A soon-to-be architect exploring gesture and mark-making while playing the cello.

If you have any other cello-tips let me know...

Treasure...

2010-05-27T20:13:00.003+10:00

This bag is my friend Sophie's - her grandma made it. Sophie comes from a long line of very creative people, and she herself is an amazing artist and designer!

Chocolate Vessels

2010-05-26T20:07:00.001+10:00

Well... terracotta, not chocolate, but they certainly look like chocolate when on the wheel!

The Zine Fair

2010-05-25T20:06:00.000+10:00

I had such a nice day rugging up and going to visit the Zine Fair at the MCA on Sunday.

My favourite zines were Yumi's (as seen in second photo), Ebony's, Lee Tran Lam's and Mechelle B's "Hairy Tales".

Cloud Cookies

2010-05-23T22:37:00.004+10:00

First step into rediscovering creativity... Cloud Cookies!

Recipe from here.

Trust the Process

2010-05-23T21:38:00.002+10:00

The past couple of months have been ridiculously busy and more seriously, creatively strained.

I've found myself feeling anxious and wrought over things that usually come so easily. Which in turn makes me travel further down the path of feeling quite horrible and not at all myself.

Serendipitously a book called "Trust the Process" by Shan McNiff found me while perusing the shelves of the Berkalouw Book Barn in Berrima.

I don't usually do well with the "self-help" genre... but this one has had me contemplating and pondering on the magic of the creative process. Things like:

"the total process of creation is permeated by hidden turns, elusive searches, and subtle appearances"

and

"It requires an inclination to step into the unknown as well as the ability to persist when there is no end in sight. The ways of creation are often paradoxical. When you think there is nothing going on, something comes to you, and when you want something desperately, it's never there."

Reading this book is helping me enormously to figure out how to get through those times of complete uncertainty, doubt, and negative thinking that often strikes during my making process.

My luck at working in a textile design studio where painting, drawing and other such things are an everyday occurrence has somehow affected my ability to create spontaneously, with abandon. Working to a specific brief within a certain amount of time can be a very satisfying process, but I'm wondering if it's taking its toll?

This blog describes my symptoms perfectly:

"Most projects hit a wall for whatever reason & frustration takes over. Symptoms include, but are not limited to: negativity about self/work/client, general crabbiness and a desire to throw the whole project down the drain. It can be pretty paralyzing.”

I hope this isn't sounding too dire! I'm on the path to getting back my spontanaiety! I wonder if anyone has a similar problem - how do you get through those difficult periods?

Fox Fella by Amy Blackwell

2010-04-20T12:38:00.002+10:00

work in progress, originally uploaded by amy.jpg.

Cooler weather always makes me craft-crazy... have you noticed the same?
See more of Amy's work here and here!

Pickles...

2010-04-19T18:46:00.003+10:00

My friend Max always passes on the very best finds online!

Her advice to me was to check out this lovely Norwegian shop and blog. If you are needing some new balls of wool for this season's knitting projects they are having a little sale on their Abuelita Merino Wool! I wonder if they post to Australia? Oh! And orders outside of Norway get another 25% off?! Hmmm... This is sounding quite wonderful!

I'm not sure about you but my fingers are itching to get back into some pearl and plain... I've just picked up some nice Peapod Blue Sky Alpaca/Silk from Threads and More and have cast-on about 6 different times now - I just can't seem to decide what kind of pattern I should use... indecisive! Garter? Double Rib? Moss??? Or something more adventurous? I'm making a tube-y kind of scarf, one you twist around your neck, but wanted an interesting texture... if anyone has some inspiration let me know!

My Kind of Alphabet...

2010-04-19T18:22:00.000+10:00

I don't need any more cushions...

2010-04-13T10:23:00.000+10:00

but I quite like these...

Find them at Karen Barbe's shop... and here is her very nice blog too!

Funny French...

2010-04-07T09:24:00.000+10:00

Kat Mcleod twittered this link last night and I think it must be shared with the world... Two French boys replicating French Fashion Blogs in their own special way...

Le Petit Echo Malade

Ceramics

2010-04-02T20:36:00.000+11:00

Alex Roman

2010-03-28T22:33:00.000+11:00

I really hope you have a spare 12 minutes to sit and enjoy this beautiful film... Like Chloe suggests, "...watch it full screen! And turn your sound up!"

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

See more at The Third and the Seventh

Ceramics Moment

2010-03-12T09:14:00.002+11:00

We had a GREAT night at ceramics yesterday... quite exhilerated still this morning! We made beautiful big pieces - it's quite nerve racking, at every step something could go wrong... but we had beautiful success...

Topiary Love

2010-03-10T10:02:00.002+11:00

Last week I read ii-ne-kore's post on her love for topiary and in a bizarre twist of coincidence I found these little beauties in my neighbourhood... it made my day!

Promises Promises...

2010-03-04T12:36:00.001+11:00

So my long promised Pyjama Bag Tutorial is still in bits and pieces scattered across my computer and camera... it's still on my agenda but somehow other things have pushed in front - there's nothing like a queue jumper to get my goat!

In the mean time I have some photos of my 30th birthday picnic from last September and my paper-cut inspired invitations... we had it at the park opposite Little Marionette, my favourite cafe where they take your orders and deliver it to your rug! My favourite at the moment is the Mushroom and Feta on Toast.

Hope this makes up for my neglect just a little bit?

xx

Image 1 & 2: An invitation I designed inspired by Paper Cutting and Circus Typography

Image 3 - 5: Hanging Paper Flowers

Image 6: A lovely present from Yumi.

Photos by my friend Phoebe McEvoy & Myself.

Week 3: Ceramics Class

2010-02-21T16:48:00.000+11:00

I would quite like to say these are my own ceramic pieces, but I had wrapped mine up before I grabbed my camera. Luckily Tatiana let me take some photos of her work in progress... she is quite prolific! Mine are a bit stumpier and wonkier than these little gems!

Stormy Weather

2010-02-21T16:36:00.002+11:00

The conversation between water and sky is always one I want to eaves drop on... the light and colours they share are so wondrous and changeable.

NP and I got to go up to Hawks Next last weekend with my sister Hannah and her girlfriend Lauren - these are 2 photos taken 1 hour apart. The storm passed over quickly without a drop of rain so we continued our late afternoon dip. Even more magical was NP's dolphin sighting off the coast... a special moment.

Photographer: Uta Barth

2010-02-13T08:55:00.001+11:00

I've liked Uta Barth's photography since my University days... I've been meaning to share some examples of her work with you for a little while now!

Ground #38, 1994.

Ground #78

Field #8

Untitled (nw1) from nowhere near

You can find further writing on the artist here and here.

All images from Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.

Ceramics...

2010-02-05T07:30:00.000+11:00

I've just started an evening class learning ceramics so Feeling Fuzzy? might have a bit of a pottery-bent for the next 9 weeks...

Here is some work that I quite like... I think it might take a while to get anywhere near the likes of these!

First 3 Images by Alex Lixfeld. Last Image from the Dos Family (Patric, Sophie and Iris's house in Stolkholm).

Esther Flemming

2010-02-02T13:02:00.002+11:00

I've been lucky enough to meet the amazing Esther Flemming - a talented up-and-coming textile designer completing an internship at our studio at Sheridan.

She recently graduated from the Textile Design Course at TAFE and we snapped her up after seeing her end of year exhibition work. Her prints are inspired by her travels - bright colours and quirky motifs make me feel like I'd quite like to be on holidays! She's applied them to beautiful sun-chairs often found at European beaches. Her background in graphic design definitely enhances her ability to conceptualise ideas and be experimental within a brief. As well as being quite talented she is just a lovely girl to work with.

If anyone is in need of some amazing prints or a talented new designer you can contact Esther here.

All images provided and owned by Esther Flemming. Thanks Esther!

Hello there!

2010-01-29T18:59:00.002+11:00

My name is Emma Peters. I am a textile person. You know... fabrics, colour, pattern, texture.

I've worked in the textile industry for seven years since leaving University. I have a dog named Wilton and a husband named NP. We live in Sydney, Australia.

Feeling Fuzzy? is the name given to all my creative thoughts, ideas and makings that form my textile practice. It's been all sorts of different things over the past seven years - felting classes, an Etsy shop, local market stalls and lots more.

More changes to the Feeling Fuzzy? moniker are underfoot for 2012. I'm setting sail from my full time textile design job to embark on a journey of research, making and teaching. Splishing and splashing my way through the wonderful world of textiles. Joy!

I am starting my Masters at the Collage of Fine Arts, UNSW which I'm sure I will write quite a bit about on this blog. I'll also be teaching in the Design Department on a more regular basis, always an inspiring jaunt!

I always like to give lots of credit to any image or thought that goes into this blog. Please let me know straight away if you'd like anything removed.

Thanks for poppping by!

xxx Emma.

Colo(u)r Me Katie

2010-01-28T22:40:00.000+11:00

This is one sweet cookie... thanks Design for Mankind for spreading the love!

Swap-meet

2010-01-26T11:56:00.001+11:00

I have just joined Dinosaur Toes "get to know me knick knack exchange"! I've never taken part in a blog-swap before, they always look like a lot of fun and I'm feeling quite excited about making a new friend. Would you like to join too?

Today is Australia day and I'm getting that long-promised Pyjama bag tutorial ready for you...

Image: Danielle from Dinosaur Toes

The Creative Process Explained

2010-01-23T12:31:00.000+11:00

The new semester begins at COFA soon and I'll be taking the 2nd Year Textile lectures and studios!

I saw this little video this morning at Share Some Candy and I think I'll play it at the first lecture... thanks to Oh Hello Friend for leading me to their site!

Rethink Scholarship at Langara 2010 Call for Entries from Rory O'Sullivan on Vimeo.

Haiti

2010-01-22T17:21:00.005+11:00

"Natural disasters will continue to occur,
thank goodness compassion is limitless."
- Olivia Kemp

I've been wondering what to say about the horrible situation in Haiti... I'm not entirely sure how to express my absolute sadness for such huge loss and destruction. It's so hard to wrap my head around how the people of Haiti might be feeling. It is unimaginable.

My friend Olivia had this little note at the bottom of her post about Haiti which I thought was quite beautiful. She has put together a great list of places that you can refer to on her blog if you are wondering what you can do to help.

Texture by Les Brumes - a very generous and talented artist.

Camilla Engman

2010-01-19T08:00:00.001+11:00

This book arrived in the mail last week and it has made me SO happy...

These images are from the Camilla's blog - publishers of lovely books and magazines. You can find more of Camilla's work here and here and here! She has a very sweet little dog and a lovely studio she shares with Elisabeth Dunker.

Studio Violet from UPPERCASE gallery on Vimeo.

I heart Auckland!

2010-01-17T11:14:00.000+11:00

NP and I have just returned from our whirlwind trip to Auckland. A happy coincidence occurred where I was needed to go over to NZ for work and NP was able to come along for the weekend! And an even happier coincidence was that my sister Lucy and her partner Rob have been living in Auckland for the past year and a half!

Some highlights included:

The beautiful black sand beaches
Amazing food especially Coco's Cantina - delicious!
Great coffee and cafes (my favourite being Dizengoff on Ponsonby Road)

The most exciting moment was finding a store which stocks Mina Perhonen's last season's range at HALF PRICE! I shrieked as I realised what I was looking at and couldn't leave without just a little piece of MP joy... The store itself was lovely - called Hepburn and also on Ponsonby Road. I chatted with the owner Fenella and met her little girl Biba (she had just woken up from a nap and was a bit grumpy). Fenella told me that buying from Mina Perhonen in Paris was a delight... warm and friendly with a tea ceremony to make the experience even more lovely. MP has just gone up 10 notches in my mind. DOn't you think it's so nice to hear that businesses you admire behave in a human way?

So here are some picture of our trip - some of the photos (the good ones) were taken my talented sister Lucy...

This Decade in Pictures

2010-01-09T18:46:00.004+11:00

Inspired by The Decennial Life Super-Story Face Book Group (thanks Pat!) I put together a mini album capturing certain moments of the past decade - quite cathartic really... plus I don't tend to take photos of the bad times, so it puts a rosy tint on everything which can't be bad!

Let me know if you decide to make a little album too... I'd love to see what you come up with!

Follow the link for notations and a closer look...

Today

2010-01-08T09:47:00.000+11:00

I'm slowing emerging from a week's worth of tonsillitis... there's nothing like being out-for-the-count to appreciate the small things in life!

Today I...
} Enjoyed a sweet and delicious plum.
} Watched one of my most favourite movies.
} Found this very interesting site.
} Discovered this new collection of fabric.

What did you enjoy today?

And does anyone know what to do with squishy looking plums?

Making Flowers for Leah

2010-01-07T19:39:00.000+11:00

I like these...

2010-01-05T20:11:00.000+11:00

Chopping boards by Fine Little Day.

Two in One

2009-12-29T09:15:00.001+11:00

Another great thing about these little pyjama bags is they are not only a nice gift, they need no wrapping - a very good thing when you're up sewing at 2am Christmas Eve and need to get to bed!

Tutorial will be coming your way shortly...

Music: Jonathan Boulet

2009-12-29T08:57:00.000+11:00

The past couple of months has been a musical drought... usually I can trust our friend Patrick to send me some tunes my way - he's generally very up-to-date with these kinds of things but it seems old age is slowing him down. Sad really.

However, I came across this Sydney artist last week while being featured on Triple J.

I quite enjoy his track 321 which you can listen to here. Enjoy!

Pyjama Bag

2009-12-28T10:56:00.001+11:00

This Christmas I made my family pyjama bags... this one was my prototype and I ended up simplifying the pattern so I could make them in the Christmas rush! I filled them with little goodies (primarily lovely Aesop balms).

I might pop up a tutorial in the coming week month (!) so you can make your own!

PS. The lovely yellow fabric is from Denyse Schmidt's Country Fair range... mustard was a big colour for me this year! I bought my fabric at My Place in Bowral when visiting my mum. You can order fabrics from their site too...

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-23T13:46:00.001+11:00

I had a spare few seconds at work this morning so I made a Peggy Doll Christmas Tree for NPs mum. I designed Peggy earlier this year for Sheridan's Junior range... I have to say it's one of my favourites... I've tucked a sample of it away in the garage along with all my other archived designs mush to NPs dismay... I come from a long line of hoarders!

A trip down memory lane...

2009-12-11T20:42:00.000+11:00

This afternoon we went for a ride down to our local river for the inaugural bike ride... I turned 30 in September and my beloved NP gave me a bike that I got to pimp up with a Brooks leather saddle, matching grips and wicker basket taboot!

Coasting down a hill on a sunny day is wrapped up in my fondest childhood memories. My Pom-Pom (grandpa) taught me how to ride on the farm when I was a little one - the patient hours he spent on the dirt driveway keeping me upright!

We're very lucky to have Cooks River quite close to where we live in Sydney - today it was looking its best with the water lapping the river banks... apparently in the "old'n days" people came from far and wide to swim in Cooks River, but today it's quite a mess... I even spotted an old cash register once, stuck in the mud when it was low tide!

Moomah

2009-12-07T18:56:00.002+11:00

Simple Song wrote about Moomah recently and reminded me that I'd love to share this beautiful idea with all of you!

This would be a project I'd love to be involved in one day... my mum spent a huge amount of time with me creatively playing and making - I had the advantage of having my mum all to myself until I was 3 and my first sister came along. I think that special time was one of the most formative experiences in my life. I can't imagine not having craft, art and imagination in my world every single day.

Flower Garland...

2009-12-06T18:33:00.002+11:00

Yumi and I visited the Sydney Flower Markets on Saturday morning - we were there with the early birds and picked up amazing flowers for our friend Kirsten's birthday party... the theme being Spiegeltent... Kirsten was a perfect pixie in the flower garland I crafted... Happy birthday Kirst!

Yosigo

2009-12-04T08:55:00.001+11:00

Yosigo shot the front cover of Spoonful and I think you should take a look at these...

Hello Spoonful!

2009-12-03T21:01:00.000+11:00

My dear friend Jerome has just told me about a new publication that sounds particularly exciting.... it's name is Spoonful and I might share with you some pictures and text...

"The first ever issue of Spoonful is finally out!! Packed with an overwhelming selection of ways to inspire, feel contentment and recover from failures, Spoonful 01 is guaranteed to make a highly satisfying & soulful little stocking stuffer, perfect for Christmas, Birthdays, Chanukah (you can spin a dradle on it!) & that general everyday business of just being alive.

Importantly - Spoonful is just that, a taste, short and sweet, so that it can be read on a train ride - and not create any more pressure or require large chunks of time to consume it. We're all so busy nowadays with life, the universe and everything that perhaps what we need is a bite-sized piece of inspiration, easily consumed and yet still satisfying :)

Spoonful is a tiny bit smaller than A5 (so that you can carry it around with you), printed on 100% recycled & unbleached stock, (so it's totally friendly :) and well, it will come out every so often, so hopefully it will always be there, just in time to remind us that everything will be okay."
It is currently available for purchase online here and here! And you can find out a little more about the makers of Spoonful here!

I'm looking forward to recieving my copy in the mail!

The Andy Warhol TIme Capsule

2009-12-01T19:00:00.001+11:00

This is fun!

Fendi Baguette

2009-11-30T19:23:00.000+11:00

Unlike this blogger, I love the idea of customising your own Fendi Baguette... or any baguette for that matter!

Susan Hefuna

2009-11-30T19:18:00.001+11:00

I quite like Susan Hefuna's drawings and photography...

Sonic Fabric

2009-11-25T09:26:00.005+11:00

A friend was telling me her 3 year old son found a cassette tape recently and wanted to know what it was... I wonder if cassettes will ever be as collectable as records are today?

Alyce Santoro makes cassette tape fabric that you can listen to... fancy that!

Knitting takes one step closer to cool...

2009-11-25T09:23:00.001+11:00

at Wool adn the Gang. They have some simple yet effetive knitting tutorials here, And how cute is the narrator!

COFA Annual 2009

2009-11-23T22:13:00.001+11:00

NP and I popped along to the preview of the COFA graduate exhibition tonight. Ive been teaching a class of Fourth Year Design students and it was great to see all their hard work on show.

I have to say that the sculpture department was a highlight this year, in particular Rosie Deacon's work. An amazing little world of creative hoarding!

The Annual is on until Sunday 29th November at the COFA Campus - Cnr Oxford Street and Greens Road, Paddington.