Winter in Brissieland!

This lovely shot, not just of wimcee's market stall but also of the idyllic setting St Augustine's provides, especially in winter, comes courtesy of Bristylette Sandrine. Such was the July BrisStyle indie Designers Market - wonderful weather, green lawns, delightful shoppers, exceptional colleagues, seamless organization  from the volunteer BrisStyle committee.

My next market is my first Billycart Market, a hugely successful hand-made only market from southern states that this year is extending to Queensland. This takes place on July 30th, 9am - 2pm, at northside Sandgate - can't wait!

Also looking forward very much to holding some workshops with the newly opened piece together , a sewing studio, meeting place and retailer in the Woolloongabba Antique Precinct, rubbing shoulders with some of the funkiest stores and swankiest cafes in town...lots of fun to be associated with this venture, and with the creative brains behind it all, the lovely Tammy!



Loving having a few weeks off from the markets to play around with some new fabrics and new ideas. I have just delivered new pouches to Hanasho at West End, and I'll be contributing to their special fundraiser exhibition during the first week of August, so do please visit and support this very worthwhile cause - there will be a great many donated items and all funds raised will got to help the Japanese earthquake victims.

And, finally for this post, a peak at some of the new brooches I'll be dropping into my little cube at Bleeding Heart gallery-gift shop-cafe on Ann Street in the city.

Until next time, 

see you later alligators!

To market, to market...

Two months and one week and a bit since our break-in and I have my replacement camera...it's just neck-and-neck as to whether the a.w.o.l. vehicle comes home before the new laptop arrives. Much techno catch-up in store!

On Saturday morning (9th July) BrisStyle goes back to its Hamilton home with the first day-time indie designers market for the year, in the hall and grounds of St Augustine's church at Hamilton. This is a beautiful venue, especially in the Brissy winter sunshine, and there will be a host of hand-madees lined up to thrill with hand-crafted hotness. Check it out in detail here . 

I have stock with a few very select retailers around town now - Hanasho at West End, Bleeding Heart Gallery in the city, the Collective Store at Wynnum, and now at piece together studio in the antique precinct at Wooloongabba - so while I'm feeling a bit over-stretched at the same time the impetus is there to come up with new fun pieces to take to market. Having a ball with fabrics, putting together new aprons, new cushions, new bags, new children's clothing...!

On Sunday morning wimcee sets up in the white tents of Portside's Boutique Market , on the river, also at Hamilton - also a lovely place to be on a fine winter's day. I have been involved with this market since it's early days in the marquee at Everton Hills and seen it grow into filling a significant role in the market fabric of Brisbane.

So - back to the sewing machine in order to be ready for a busy week-end - hope to see some of your friendly faces at either or both market-places!

Asset-less!

Not really - one only has to reflect for about 2 seconds on the lot of so many locally affected by floods and cyclone, not to mention further away catastrophes this year - but a little robbery at home has left me without my laptop, my camera, and our second set of wheels, which did feel a bit personal at the time and has kept me on my toes for the past 6 weeks chasing up bits and pieces of insurance claims. (Photograph your techno treasures, reader dear, and then keep the photos somewhere other than on your laptop!) Did anyone say: "back up"? One moves on, but it's hard to blog without images, so I'm going to resort to my pinterest boards to liven up this post.

Pinterest is a site for cyber pin boards - collections of images. For someone who makes a full time occupation out of collecting images in hard copy it's one of my favourite down-time past-times to go on a hunt for a new pinboard on pinterest, my own or someone else's. My latest has been 'fibrication' - things crocheted or knitted, for example:

the knitted wedding party from Elizabeth Anne Designs

Check out Pinterest for further collections of images from across the world.

News for wimcee is that I will be joining the wonderful collective of hand-madees again at the BrisStyle indie Designers Market, the first day-time market that they have held for 2011, on July 9th. Get all the details from BrisStyle at BrisStyle on Facebook

One of the beautiful resin necklaces from BrisStyler,  Strat Designs, who will be at the July BiDM.

And immediately following the BiDM, Piece Together will be launched on July 11th, a wonderful initiative from some of Brisbane's super sewers and craftees, which will offer sewing and crafting workshops for all levels as well as a gift shop and gallery space, and embracing the lost arts of handiwork combined with an environmentally friendly ethos. Wimcee will be providing workshops in bag-making and embellishment, but there will be a range of opportunities to learn skills and develop interests at piecetogether 

Insurance front suggests that I may be getting my camera back shortly so hopefully back to more reliable blogging soon. Apologies in the interim!

To market, to market - Adelaide style.

Adelaide, Adelaide, ever-lovin' Adelaide, as any Guys and Dolls fan will remember - city of churches, home to Hans Heysen, capital in the land of the Murray's mouth, ghost gums, picturesque villages with German names, a million or so cellar doors, grape vines horizon to horizon...wimcee's Easter get-away. 

The pier at Glenelg on dusk, Easter Sunday

And apart from a cook's tour of most of the above, plus some wonderful meals, not one, not two, but three different Easter week-end markets!

The first in Adelaide city was the famous Central Markets - unbelievable fresh produce, Chinese cabbages three times the size of what's available to us in Brisbane, and chrysanthemums the size of entree plates - plus cheeses, cold meats, fish, and so on and so forth, all of amazing quality. This was reflected to in the fruit and flowers sold from street stalls in Rundall Mall.

The second was really, not to mince words, a pretty miserable excuse to charge the public an entrance fee and the stall holders who knows how much for a four day event, and left me feeling sad for everyone involved (except the organisers).

But the third was vastly different. Located in historic Port Adelaide, the Fisherman's Wharf markets are an enormous collection of dealers in antiques, bric-a-brac and collectibles on a scale I've yet to come across in Queensland. Interspersed are some handcrafts - crocheted wooly hats and granny square quilts of awesome authenticity - a whole shop of handcrafted doll's houses, with and without furniture, as well as coin shops, metal toys shops, military regalia and uniform shops, extensive collections of old linen and lace, and books to bursting. I had about 20 minutes allowed to me and I felt I could have spent days exploring there!

Vintage aprons!!

Now THIS is a market.

Wimcee's next markets will be in early May - more about those shortly.

From Boutique to boutique!

Dear Reader,

I have found one of the nicest hand-made outlets in s-e Queensland, The Collective Store of bayside Wynnum, and wimcee is now in store with the lovely Leonie, the owner and manager of the collective. Thanks also to the BrisStylers for the tip via their blog a few weeks ago. 

I got lost (nothing new there) on my way to deliver my little load of stock this morning and ended up driving in north from Manly along the esplanade, with the sun playing on the bay and boats bobbing in their moorings - so contageously contented.  Love it! Always want to move to be by the water when I see it like that, not mad school holiday coastal resort living, but sleepy sea-side village-like. 

If you are over that way, Reader, drop by and visit because Leonie really has been very selective about what she has - wonderful hand-made craft, and a huge range of different genres and forms, all screaming care and quality.

My next market will be the launch city market at Bleeding Heart early in May, but more of that in another post. Have a wonderful week!

Window shopping to match the week's mood!

Etsy shopping that reflects this week's Kimono Reincarnated Project opening with a smattering of offerings with a Japanese theme...

Luuurve Japanese craft and sewing books...

Japanese Craft Book

From DramaofGiftedChild

...have just made a little padded jacket for a one-year-old out of the crocodile and hippo cousins of these elephants....

Japanese, Large Elephants on Grey, FAT QUARTER

 From Sweet Dearly Loved

...super-cute capri pants...

Size 2 Japanese Print Capri Pants

From AH4649

...and some very Japanese-like bagging

Japanese Robot Artist Tote Set in Linen

From Henry and Zoe

The Reincarnated Kimono Project plus Boutique to go-go!

Thursday night is the Artists' Night at Hanasho at Brisbane's West End, for the Reincarnated Kimono Project. The inspirational and exciting project of the lovely Melanie from Kimono Reincarnate, this has brought together a group of artists/crafters in a collaborative project that involves each in producing a special piece or pieces using they exquisite vintage Kimono fabric that Mel has provided.  Although the exhibition has been open to the public since Saturday I have yet to view it or see more than a few hints of what's been provided from the other participants - I am, to be quite frank, just a bit scared about how my work will stand up in such illustrious company. However, Thursday is V-day (for V-iewing by me) with no where to hide, and, now we're told, a speech to deliver!

Not sure about that one...I have much to say about working on this project - what really blew me away in dissecting the fabric was how totally universal colour and pattern really is, way beyond our fairly closed concept of  cultural, chronological and geographic differences. But whether I can stand up and talk about this remains to be seen...! The exhibition will run for all of April, so if you are local do drop by and have a look.

Then, on Sunday, my first big 'marquee-market' for the year, at Boutique Markets Portside, Hamilton. Being on a bag-roll so to speak, more bags ready to go at Portside, each embellished with charms and created from some really special fabrics; but also aprons, quilted jackets, birdie brooches, children's skirts, soft toys, woolly hats - the usual spread of chic unique from wimcee. Looking forward to being back amongst it, catching up with stall-holders and shoppers alike! And hoping for less cyclonic and more sunny autumnal conditions!