here and there {naturally dyed yarn}

I'm still around, somewhere. here or there.

Happenings:

It's Wednesday. Life has less structure being a homeschooling family. I'm trying to see if we can work some structure into our days, but it's not naturally me; so perhaps it won't happen. Maybe time will tell.

There is much full-ness at the moment. Making and planning and organising and preparing for two markets this coming weekend - one at the Tweed River Art Gallery on Saturday, and the other at the World Environment Day festival in Knox Park. Both in my home town of Murwillumbah. 

I must admit that these rambly days work well for the way I work - I can dabble with bits here and there. Putting some silken threads into dye pots and tending to them over the days, bit by bit. Not requiring more than that from me. 

I'm so pleased with the colours that came out of the dye jars yesterday. There's more there still soaking up the colour. I'm hoping that people will enjoy these as much as me and use them for crochet or embroidery or simply as lovely string for tying presents.......

These are the silk yarns before dyeing, and then after. The purple is from a red cabbage dye batch, and the yellowish / brown is from tea. 

The most best thing about these yarns is that they are not tangled. I have taken time and care and space from receiving the skein and wrapping them into smaller lengths to keep them from tangling. This is good for me - and also in my mind an indication that I am untangled / not tangled (somehow?? Well, it works for me anyway). 

The weather has been rainy and sunny and in between cloudy and cold.

Where have you been lately friends? How are things treating you? 

E xx

tomorrow - come to the Gallery Artisan market

Can I tell you that I'm really excited to be setting up for this market. I'm headed in this afternoon to hang out at the gallery and organise all the tables so all the stallholders can come along and set out their lovely tomorrow early tomorrow morning. 

Then you can come along, at the reasonable hour of 10am, and look at all their goodness and loveliness and amazingness. You can buy some too! Yep - bring along your pocket money and take home some handcrafted wares; all made by local artists, craftspeople, makers. {Cash only}.

I'm still frantically sewing and making, and stupidly planning new products (yep!!). I think this is the most dis-organised I've been personally, for a market. But that's ok - I'm good at making it look good and pretty on the day! Come along and hold me to that.

Enjoy your weekend my friends, here's to some sunshine. It's the other side of the Solstice now, so we're spinning back the other way.

*the image on the poster is by my good friend Jo Olive.

pinwheels & sticks at World Environment Day

This Sunday we'll be having lots of fun (and hoping for the sunshine) at the wonderful World Environment Day Festival in our local town.

Us Hey Makers have been asked to present not one but two fun arty - making - crafty type activities. With all things recycled and natural and collected and gathered, we'll be there with supplies to make sweet little pinwheels. Come along and add them to the 'windfarm'! Of course, it's a silly and fun little statement on wind power.

We'll also have a pile of beautiful sticks gathered and collected from our forest floors. Dan and Justin will be on hand to help you with the making of a community art expression of space and linear viewpoints. I really can't wait to see how this evolves throughout the day with people adding their stick or twig or branch here and there across the park area.

Please come along, if you're local or even a short drive away. The whole day is a much needed fundraiser for our local Environment shop - The Caldera Environment Centre. This is the longest running, constantly opened, volunteer run environment centre in Australia. They celebrated their 21st Birthday last year. I think that's an amazing testament to the spirit and dedication of people in Caldera.

Full details can be found here. Come and say hi, won't you. {We'll also have our badge making machine, and some of our market stock for your to look at - lots on sale as well}.

threads - kinda sorta really lovin' these

just made some little pouches using bits of fabric scraps. oh - don't you just love fabric scraps!!!

and messy stitches. how can you go wrong with messy stitches, raw edges, and that delicious peachy-pink thread on the natural hemp.

but boy-oh-boy. super super lovin' it on the grey-ish pieces.
i dyed these pieces in a solar-dyeing bottle of rust and eucalyptus. um - love love!

i'm off back to my solar pots to add these natural linen and hemp pieces into some coffee and some red cabbage. can't wait to see how they look after a few days / week in the dye.

these little pouches are for my crochet stones - little nests, safe carrying places. these will be available for sale at the Sew & Tell market this Saturday. i'm so excited to launch my rock collection (small as it is at the moment, due to those cut fingers and big bandaids!!).

come and check them out, won't you?

Sew & Tell - counting down the days

There's a new market happening soon. It looks like lots of fun. There'll be so many excellent stallholders, some I know, some new. I can't wait. I'll be there too with lots of things. Come and check it out, won't you - if you're around.

It's at the beautiful (I've been told) A  & I Hall in Bangalow. Have a day out in the lovely town after the market, or head over to the beach after or drive around the glorious mountains and valleys and countryside.

Sew & Tell Market - handmade and hand-me-down. Saturday 26th May 10am - 4pm.

Make sure you say hi!

{images with thanks to Sew & Tell}

Christmas Market at the beautiful Tweed Art Gallery

We're having a market at the Tweed River Art Gallery this coming Saturday. I hope you can come along to see the new bits and pieces we've been working on.

Sam and I got to handpick all the stallholders, so let me tell you - they are all talented artisans whose work you'll totally enjoy seeing. I plan on doing all the Christmas shopping there! (The rest I'll be handcrafting myself, of course.....).

So - come along. The view alone, from the gallery verandah is spectacular, and there are some excellent looking exhibitions on at the moment, that I can't wait to see myself.

PS - if you'd like to join our mailing list to receive news about this sort of thing, and other happenings (on a very irregular basis!), please join our mailing list over here.

{a handcrafted holiday} Pop-Up Market

When we moved into our new studio, both Nina and I said we wanted to have an open studio day - for fun, and to show off our space and also, really, I do love being a hostess (with the mostess!). Well, that didn't happen (due to markets taking over our lives, and then Nina dashing off to have the adventure of a lifetime in Vietnam). 

One day while chatting with a few of my crafty friends, I decided that I would actually like to indeed have a little open / pop-up day. With the collection of some of my favourite local crafting.making.designing.talented peeps, we're having ::

Please come along for an afternoon of friends, food, music and some of the best {handcrafted}shopping you'll have this side of Christmas. I'm so excited to be hosting this event, and getting just the teeniest bit scared that there's still no music, or coffee van (if you are local and know someone who would fit the bill of making great coffee or playing/singing beautiful and lowkey music, please send me an email redseedstudio@gmail.com). Visit our facebook event, and invite your friends and family to come along too. Bring the kids, as we'll have a special area set up for kids crafting and fun.

The lineup includes ::

KW Ceramics, of Udessi fame. 

{Who'll be having a hugh studio sale on the day, with samples and seconds of her ceramics}. 

 Renee Treml

Edward and Lilly

Giddy Girl Designs

 Peppermint Mag
 

 Kimono Reincarnate

Red Seed Studio

& Nook Shop, Lotus Flower Designs...... and more.

Hope yo see you there!

after the market....

These are some photos of our stall at the Finders Keepers market this weekend past. We had a lovely, very tiring weekend. Great people watching - all those pretty bright-young-things showing off their legs! The flowers we arranged on my op-shopped bookshelf (taken from my front room at home), got a lot of attention. I wouldn't be surprised to see them popping up on some other blogs, as there was a few photos taken (one sweet couple left us a little flower from their own bouquet). All the other props were from Sylv, Lea or my house.

As you may notice, we changed the whole stall around after only half an hour on the first morning. {A tiny bit of watching, showed me that it wasn't the best lay-out and people were looking at the clothes racks without coming into the stall. I always like to be able to say hello to everyone}.

I'm still a bit at a loss as to what to think about the reactions to my launch fashion collection. I do think that it wasn't the best customer base for me to show my pieces at. So, that's something I'm really going to have to rethink (as I did think it would be a good place). All feedback we received was very positive, and made me feel good about it - and everyone who tried something on looked really good, and it fit them in a flattering and comfortable way, while still being pretty and show-offy. That's exactly how I designed my range, and it was good to see it all on a range of women and find that all the styles and cuts worked as I had designed.

So - with the market over now, and the house + studio (+ our family life) yet to be set back to normal, I'm already planning and starting to think out the next steps. The new collections, and designs, cuts styles products........ I think that's the way it has to be, but it's also the way I am. I put so much into getting this all ready for Finders Keepers, and now I'm ready to move onto the next collection. Just need to find someone to enjoy the process of marketing the current collection! (Sylv? Lea?)

I want to say the biggest ever thanks to :: 

+ My sweet lovely beautiful sisters, Sylv + Lea, who helped all weekend at the market, and stayed up late sewing buttons and cutting fabric circles for the button making machine. Who kept me positive throughout the weekend, and supported me (when I felt like I may have a tiny bit of a break down in our cosy make-shift change room).

+ Sylv, who continued to help me screen print, and talked through designs and fabrics. And modeled everything for me, so perfectly and beautifully. And so much more.

+ of course Sam, who always helps me out, even though sometimes it's not as obvious to me in my stressed.freaked.out.caffeined.overworked.overthinking frame of mind.

+ and Sam's parents, who put their holiday off for an extra day to look after the kids. Always thankful. 

+ Sam's brother + sister-in-law for driving especially out of their way to lend me their mobile eftpos machine (of so needed in this age of technology).

+ all the positive feedback + support from you all as well. And my friends who popped in to see me at the market, and during the weekend before. Thanks thanks thanks. 

Okay - hopping off my podium now.

After the market we all slept in for as long as possible.........

The lighting was quite low in our room, and my digital camera doesn't like minimal lighting, and I don't like using flash. Hence the graininess of all the photos.

Finders Keepers {the secret is out}

Now that the announcements have been made, I can finally let the secret slip that I've been not quite mentioning for a few weeks now. I've been talking about this big design market, but haven't been able to say which one until now. 

So - YAH! We'll be at Brisbane Finders Keepers in a few short week's time. 

I'm super excited about being part of this excellent market for many reasons ::

- because I'll be launching my very first fashion collection.

- because I'll be spending the whole weekend with two of my sisters*, which in itself is going to be just.super.duper.fun and giggly.

- there's so much hand picked talent and design/art/craft/maker skill at these markets; it's a real pleasure and privilege to be part of it.

- the Old Museum, at Herston, is such a wonderful.beautiful place to spend a weekend.

- there'll be so many excellent.interesting.beautiful people to chat with.

- people watching at Finders Keepers is super fun.

- I'm excited about styling my market stall - clothing will be different than homewares and textiles (there'll be that too, but the clothes are the feature).

- and many other reasons.

Apologies in advance if the next few weeks turns into market chit chat. And major stress out! I may need your help to keep me in control, to offer me advice and assistance, to soothe my brow and remind me to breathe and have a cup of tea. And mostly to keep telling me that it's all fun, and that whatever I can do is all that I can do. And that I'm not super woman, so there's limits to what I can design and make. 

I'm going to start the market chatter with a little request for help......

I'm still trying to decide on whether I should only have my fashion collection there, or should I also have cushions, tea towels, little zippered purses, etc, etc etc (you know those little things I like to make the night before market day - don't even bother telling me you haven't done it!). Please tell me what are your favourite items that I make, that you've spotted on my blog or online shops (things you remember** you may have seen...). I'm keen to hear your thoughts on what you like best - colours, designs, etc. 

*For those of you keeping track, or trying to keep up, with my sister (and the sibling count). I have two sisters and one brother. My younger sister, Sylv, is the one in the photos of my fashion collection, and who I talk about most often as we live nearby to each other and our boys go to school together. She'll be with me at the market stall. The other sister mentioned isn't my 'blood sister', she's a 'relation sister' (the mother of my nephew; my brother's first girlfriend, who spent a lot of high school years at our house as a friend and sister; who I love chatting with, and hanging out with, and have much in common with, and who just happens to look like she could be our 'blood sister').

I have another sister, my oldest sister, who is currently having a wonderful time in the UK (and nearby fun little places to visit). Hi to all my sisters and brothers - blood or relation or friend.

**Unfortunately I don't have a full website at the moment, as it's being rebuilt, and I also don't have all my products on my online shops - so everything isn't easy to look at. And I've been pretty slack lately in loading all my new things onto Flickr. Hmmmmm........ so, I realise I'm asking a pretty hard question here; which means that any answers are totally awsomely appreciated!

reasons to go to Melbourne

I just realised that applications have already opened for the first ever Melbourne Finders Keepers market. This month has just rushed by me, I've lost track of the date.

So - for all you crafty designery types out there, head on over to the Finders Keepers site to find out more about how to apply.

Or otherwise, go along as a looker/customer for some seriously fantastic things to look at (and take home....). 

For me, going to Finders Keepers in Melbourne is just another wonderful reason to get back to that great place that I didn't get enough of last time! So, fingers crossed I get choosen from the vast talent out there.....

{must get working on the new range, and back to the fingers working instead of being crossed, hey}.

*hey look - the artwork is by the ever smiley, sweet and super-duper talented Lauren Carney. We got to meet her at the Brisbane FK last month (and came home with a so-sweet brooch, which I haven't shown you yet, have I?)