Just a few things for Open Day preparations.

Some volunteers will be at Fibrecraft House to accept your works for the inside stalls.  Please take some time to come in and check off your items with the volunteers at the hall.  We will be there on Friday 25 May between 1am and 4pm and on Saturday 26 May between 9am and 3pm.

The Fashion Parade is going ahead.  Please attach a note to each item with your name, fibre, time it took to make and any other details you’d like to include for the commentry.  As well as garments we’d also love to show your beautiful blankets, woven rugs, baskets, bags and the like.

The cake stall and the morning teas will be in the same location at this Open Day so donations of yummy cakes (wrapped and priced) and goodies for the morning teas are welcome.

Finally, we need just a few more donations for the raffle.  Can anyone out there bake a cake, drop in a bottle of wine, donate a piece of craft?

Please email or call me if you have any queries at all.

Amanda (hagardner@bigpond.com | 0413700004)

The National Relay Service (NRS) makes a huge difference, every day, to the lives of thousands of Australians who are Deaf or have hearing or speech difficulties. It is an Australian Government initiative funded by a levy on the telecommunications providers. It gives people the opportunity to communicate by phone more easily with businesses, professional services, friends and family and access emergency services. It also enables carers and health professionals to contact patients in their homes if they have difficulty with hearing or speaking on a regular telephone.

Communication is vital to maintaining people’s confidence, independence and general wellbeing.

The talk will cover such areas as:

• What is the NRS?
• How it works
• Equipment required and how to obtain
• Cost and other benefits to customers
• Emergency situations
• Training and Support
• Provide resources

This promises to be a very interesting and informative talk, we hope to see a great turnout!

WORLD TEA COSY COMPETITION “BOILS” AGAIN!

(Launch: September 2011 – Closing: 30/06/2012)

Gossip anyone? The tea is in the pot, the tea cosy is keeping the tea hot, chatter and friendship flow through the spout!! Are you now steeped in romantic & nostalgic memories??

The Tea Cosy capital of the world, Miles (in Queensland, Australia) is again seeking the world’s best tea cosies, following the great success of the 2005, 2006 & 2010 World Tea Cosy Making Competition, which attracted entries from Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland, U.S.A., South Africa, New Zealand & France. There will be 4 categories:

• Knitting and/or Crochet
• Embroidery – (quilting etc. hand or machine)
• Novelty – any medium textile (soft or hard)
• Colour Themed – Pink (Breast Cancer) or Red(Heart Foundation)

The winner of each category will receive $200, with an extra $300 to the overall winner, therefore, the champion.

This competition is an initiative of M.A.I.D. (Moving Arts Into Dogwood) through a partnership between the Miles Regional Arts Council Inc. and Western Downs Regional Council.

Entry is FREE – all cosies remain the property of Miles Regional Arts Council: no tea cosies returned unless prior arrangement with Ann.

Entry form is available from our website www.milesrac.org : If unable to access this website; please draft your own entry form, which must include NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER or EMAIL, & CATEGORY.

Tea Cosy (cosies!) to be sent to

Mrs Ann Gibbons
“Mirrabook”, MILES 4415, Queensland
Australia.

All entries to reach Miles by 30th June 2012.

For more information, contact:

Ann Gibbons on (07 4627 1707)

A selection of tea cosies is presently finishing a year long tour of Tasmania. This same collection toured Queensland, for 2 years, per courtesy On Tour Exhibitions with the Queensland Arts Council.

CALLING for ORIGINAL (or COPIES) OF VERY EARLY PATTERNS (pre-1966) SEE ENTRY FORM FOR MORE INFO.

LET’S KEEP THE ART OF CRAFT ALIVE…
Tea Cosy Entry Form 2012

Joan Apthorp and Jenny Woodrow knitting with Kelly Higgins-Devine at the 612 ABC Brisbane studio. Photo by Chris Welsh.

A few weeks ago, our wonderful members Jenny Woodrow and Joan Apthorp knitted on the radio!

Here is Joan’s article on the experience:

Some members of QSWFA got wind of a project on ABC Local Radio – 612 ABC Brisbane – to knit a gigantic scarf to encircle their new building at Southbank. This seemed to us a fine opportunity to spread the enthusiasm for knitting – and to promote our Group while we were about it.

So Monday 16th April saw Jenny Woodrow and Joan Apthorp front up at the ABC studios. We signed in and were given official Visitor tags, and then Christopher Welsh, the producer of the afternoon show, fetched us up to the “knit pit” on the first floor. Others had been there before us, and inroads had been made on the three gigantic balls of acrylic yarn, red, white, and black, being knitted into scarf lengths. We exchanged the ABC’s straight needles for our own circulars, and then spent two hours knitting happily, now and then conversing with Kelly Higgins-Devine, the host of the afternoon program.

To get enough scarf to circle the building will take lots more knitting. If any of our members would like to do a stint, you could contact Christopher at the ABC, by phone or email (<Welsh.Christopher@abc.net.au>). They’d also welcome knitting done at home; they’re making strips 40 sts wide, in 8-ply yarn, on 4mm needles. Perfection is not required! And you can use any colour you like.

Once the scarf has done its bit to warm the ABC building, it will be cut into smaller sections and used to make blankets for the homeless.

You can listen to the radio programme featuring Jenny and Joan online.

1. What’s your name and where are you from?
Lindel Jayne Kielly nee Gaskell, born in Cairns but have lived in many states of Australia and overseas. Have been back in Brisbane for over 30 years.

2. How long have you been a member of QSWFA?
Hmm I would have to check the files, perhaps four years or so.

3. What crafts do you enjoy, and how long have you been doing them?
Oh dear that is quite a list. I have dallied in quilling, cut and pasting for little kids books, beading, jewelry making, sewing, knitting, crochet, cross stitch, spinning, weaving and felting. I have been “crafty” for a long long time. It runs in the family I think. I have cousins that are very artistic with painting, sculpture etc. I love the feel of creating something that can be worn or used. My aunt was a milliner and dress maker. Her work was beautiful and her attention to detail amazing. My mother made our clothes and knitted jumpers for us as well.

4. What is your finest crafting moment?
It makes me very happy to produce an item like a beanie or scarf for a cold friend. I have a good friend who has four little kids and they love a new beanie each year. They are amazed that we can discuss colors etc and without going to the shops and then have one delivered. They have watched me crochet and love to see how I make what they are going to wear.

5. What, if you have one, is your worst crafting moment?
The first pair of socks I knitted. It made grown knitters cry laugh and then cry again. Definitely a “what not to do” illustration. Hopefully the next pair will be able to be worn and not just laughed at.

6. What do you love about being a member of QSWFA?
I love the variety of things that people are interested in working with. I love the friendly helpful people who take time to show me how to do things. So much fiber, so many ideas – so little time. It is one of the main reasons I retired early. I have yet to make much of an inroad into my stash of fiber in what used to be my spare room. Soon, I hope soon. The one good thing about being married to a fellow fibreholic is that some of the stash is his, so no ugly comments about not being able to get in and out of the room to easily.

Open Day is nearly here and now we really need to get the word out to the public!

All stall spaces are completely booked out and we have even squeezed in a few more stall holders so it would be great to have a large number of people coming to the market to enjoy the day.

Please take the time to download and print out a few copies of the flyer to distribute to your friends, work and craft networks.  Slip the event into your conversations and remind people what a great day it is.

QSWFA have a very limited budget for advertising Open Day so we rely on members to actively spread the word!

Finally, the sign up sheets are on the notice boards in the hall.  Please put your name down early so that we can ensure we have enough people helping on the day.

Thanks so much for all your hard word getting ready for this event.  Let’s hope the weather is as lovely as it has been the last few days!

Amanda

1. What’s your name and where are you from?

Hi, I’m Betsy. I’ve lived in seven cities in four countries (most of them before I was 13), but I still call Brisbane home

2. How long have you been a member of QSWFA?

I joined the group when I was about 14, with my mother, Karen. We found the group shortly after moving to Brisbane – we were already knitters and spinners (well, my mum was, I really just dabbled). I was the youngest regularly attending member for some time, and have been attending Night Owls since we joined, sometimes regularly, sometimes not so regularly. I also like to go to Saturday meetings when I’m able.

3. What crafts do you enjoy, and how long have you been doing them?

I can’t remember learning to knit, though I took it up seriously about the time I joined the group at 14 (about 10 years ago). Similarly, I first learned to use a drop spindle when I was about 5, but began seriously spinning at 14. I’ve always dabbled in lots of crafts – papercrafts (especially origami) when I was younger, and fibrecrafts since joining QSWFA. I know the basics of weaving and felting – just enough to get myself into trouble. I love tatting, and don’t do it nearly as much as I would like. I’m also slowly teaching myself bobbin lace. I’ve tried crocheting a couple of times but am still trying to learn to decypher patterns. There are so many fascinating crafts out there, I want to try them all!

4. What is your finest crafting moment?

I’m hoping it will be very soon, when I finish the lace dress I’m knitting. I started it in August (it’s had a couple of time outs), and am finally nearing the end! It’s made from 1ply merino yarn, and it will be the largest thing I’ve ever made.

5. What, if you have one, is your worst crafting moment?

That’s a bit of a hard question, as I’m generally in it for the process of crafting, not the resulting item, so mistakes don’t generally bother me. But I have thought of one… incident. I like to spin silk caps/hankies on tiny dropspindles. It’s good fun. I usually leave the yarn (or thread) as a single, but this one time I had a gorgeous blue-purple hankie that I wanted to ply on itself. I spun half the hankie, took it off the spindle and wound it in a ball. It took me about a week to spin the second half of the hankie.

That weekend was our annual Mapleton camp, and I took it along to ply. I pulled out the ball of the first half, and couldn’t find the end of the thread. I spent a whole afternoon looking for that end, I had my ball of silk thread stretched out all over the floor of the hall, and various other people helped look throughout the afternoon. Eventually I gave up and broke the thread. I plied the yarn fairly successfully after that… except the only other end I found was the other side of where I had broken it. There were no original ends!

Proof that silk has a mind of its own, and a silk single should never be left unsupervised!

6. What do you love about being a member of QSWFA?

All the different crafts, and all the amazing things that people make. There is always something new and exciting, always something new to learn, always someone happy to teach you!

Plans are coming along well and all outside stall spaces are booked up.  Stall spaces have been moved around to fit everyone so there will be some stalls in unexpected places!

We have Rebecca and Donald with some great music, two raffles this year – one with a prize of a beautiful quilt from a generous donor.  The revamped Emporium will, as always, have beautiful fibres and supplies.  And of course, all the amazing art and craft created by our members will be on display.

Your help with making this day a success is sincerely appreciated – it takes a lot of work to get Open Day up and running but it it definately worth it!

Please call or email Amanda to volunteer your services or put you name on the sign up sheets on the display board in the hall.

Works by QSWFA Book and Paper Group

Not to mention the reduction in papercuts for our poor old paper folders!

If you’re interested in getting your Clippings via email, please contact the office with your email address.

Here’s your opportunity to tell us what you think.

We’re looking for new and exciting topics to present in the Morning Talks. We’ve got some great ideas for the coming months, but we’re always open to suggestions and are keen to hear what you’d like to, well, hear!

So if you have any topics you think might be interesting, leave us a comment! Don’t worry about trying to line up a speaker, we can do all the legwork, we’re just interested in what you might like to see in a talk.