Bridging moments

Terrific Trev took me to Sydney for the January "long" week-end - to see the Picasso exhibition at the Gallery of New South Wales, to scour Oxford Street, the sales, the city arcades, to visit the markets, and to dine wonderfully at hand-picked venues. He is the king of travel planning, and I am a very lucky crafter as a result.

Before we left we walked along the Harbour Bridge feeder road, overlooking Circular Quay, to the foundation stone above The Rocks. The bridge was opened in March 1932, a week before my mother was born, so that was a bit of a moment as she, and the bridge, turn 80 next month.

And she is eternally grateful that her parents decided NOT to call her 'Sydney Bridgette'.

This week-end I have my first market - the very special Heavenly Harvest in the grounds of St Mary's Church above the southern reach of our very own Story Bridge.

If you have a fondness for Jane Marple's village of St. Mary's Mead, or the Parish of Didley, this is the market for you! You can take tea in a pot with its own eccentric cosy accompanied by home-baked scones seated high above the river on the Kangaroo Point cliffs, rifle the jumble, browse hand-made wares, take a self-guided tour of the church, and go home with farm-fresh fruit and vegies, sweet treats and great bread. It's a bit of a hike, and far from extensive or over-crowded, but that's part of what makes it so special.

And the site fees and other funds raised go straight to the restoration fund for the church.

My other bridge moment coming up is an exhibition in which I'm participating of paintings and other works inspired by our very own Brissie icon, the Story Bridge - not as monumental perhaps, but in its own way as structurally impressive as its southern cousin. I have contributed ten bags and pouches - no paintings on this occasion because I simply ran out of framing time, but thematic sewing is lots of fun, challenging to start with but in the end self-perpetuating. The exhibition opens on February 14th at the Robyn Bauer Studio and Gallery, Paddington (the Brisbane one) and includes work from ten artists.

Enjoy a Fabulous February!

Hair today...

Hair-dresser day!

I am off to spend the morning with Breah, Alyssia, Violetta, and Cinnamon (at La Moda), which is something I've done consistently for years, ever since I stopped being someone who didn't have a regular hair stylist and thought the whole dependancy cycle ridiculous. Then I found out Breah did my hair better than anyone else - cut it, coloured it, styled it - and I became hopelessly dependant.

Anyone who grew up with frizzy hair will empathise...anyone who grew up with frizzy hair through the Sandy Shaw/Maryanne Faithfull/Jean Shrimpton era will now have their own Breah, a GHD, and quite probably a keratin treatment thing happening. Like me.

 

This is a lovely book that I saw at Mary Ryan's at Milton a few weeks ago, which I want to go back to buy. Not that I want to replicate a Lucille Ball poodle do, but we're watching series 4 of Mad Men on DVD at the moment and you do start to hanker for french rolls and beehives...to go with accepting a more mature body shape and concentrating energy on finding a look to flatter! Yep...foundation garments and great make-up might be the way to go...

wimcee will be at St Mary's, Kangaroo Point, again this Saturday, from 10 am until 2 pm, for 'The Sounds of Music' Festival in the church which will celebrate St Mary's birthday. Market stalls, including Gino and his fruit and vegies, will be dotted around the grounds of the lovely church, and as usual proceeds from site fees etc. will go to the church's restoration fund. 


I'll be the one with the fresh cut and colour.

Aprons: a journey!

Making aprons is where I started with wimcee in 2007. I used gingham and added ruffles and frills and deep pockets, with extra long, extra wide ties to make a big bow at the back, but the first aprons were already over-the-top, using a slightly mad combination of prints and a liberal application of pom-pom braid and rick-rack. Not a lot changes. My aprons are still much to the same formula; I've tried different techniques along the way to gather and attach frills and to secure the apron and improve the fit, but the look is much as it always has been...aprons with attitude. 

 




Why?



I grew up in a 50's/60's environment, at a time when there was a great deal of spoken and unspoken conflict about a woman's role in the world. My childhood was populated by some interesting, intelligent and gifted women who nonetheless subscribed to a view of society as male-dominated. This may have been confusing, but it was all certainly interesting - the dynamics were never dull!








My aprons are part retro reference, part social dialogue - no answers, just questions, with certainly some humour but also a great deal of affection thrown into the mix. Not everyone gets aprons, but if you do then I hope that mine will sing to you!

wimcee has aprons for sale, and all the usual accoutrements as well, online at etsy and madeit, as well as personally at not one but two lovely Heavenly Harvest markets at St Mary's, Kangaroo Point, in September and the Mamma's Market at Buderim later in the month, so watch this space for more details!