Last weekend at Craft Lab we had a large number of people visit the Mining Exchange in Ballarat. I demonstrated skills by splitting NZ flax into a fine “flax floss” and stitching it onto a chicken wire framework to finish a double basket. I also invited the audience to contribute to brainstorming the theme of … More Craft Lab – one weekend to go!
A parcel arrived this morning! Thanks to Carolyn for sending her much loved collection of recycled shoe laces. I will be using them to stitch a finely wrought coiled basket at Craft Lab. If you have any shoes laces please bring them along, I would love to see you! I am participating in Craft Lab … More Craft Lab May 20-28
It was lovely to see some familiar faces from Manjimup Senior High School at the Centre for Rare Trades yesterday. It has only been 35 years since I have seen Dana and Kerryn, so we had a bit to catch up on over drinks and nibbles after the workshop! All the participants loved coiling using … More Coiling at Rare Trades with old Friends…
As the weather gets colder I enjoy spending more time inside weaving coiled baskets. Such a lovely things to do at the end of a busy day at work. If you are keen to learn, I am facilitating two basketry workshops over the next few weeks that I want to let you know about…. A … More Workshops coming up…
Yesterday the autumn weather was perfect for sitting outside and weaving with a group of new friends at the Royal Botanic Garden in Melbourne. Participants found they had to focus intensely when creating birds, which whisked them away from their everyday concerns. By the end of the day many participants were exhausted and ready to … More Weaving birds at the Plant Craft Cottage
I have just installed my new work entitled Winnowing Seed at the Newstead Arts Hub for their next show. I hope you can come with a friend or two to see the high quality work on show! The Newstead Arts Hub is proud to host the inaugural ‘It’s a Small World’ Sculpture Prize & Exhibition, … More Winnowing Seed at Newstead Arts Hub
It was inspiring to sit in a room with the Artisans that will be involved in Craft Lab 2023. Last week Curator Amelia James presented us with the exciting possibilities for the event this year. Tara Poole of Creative City (City of Ballarat) shared with us some wild and wooly supplementary activities that are in … More Craft Lab in May 2023
Yesterday I was at the Rare Trades Centre in Ballarat teaching a group to weave twined baskets. Twining is the twisting of 2 soft and flexible weavers around several more rigid and stationary stakes. The participants used split flax for the stakes and red hot poker for the weavers. The addition of Watsonia created lovely … More Twined Basketry at the Rare Trades Centre
Summer is a busy time of year, as I am collecting strappy plant fibre for basketry. In December I collected chasmanthe (Aunty Eliza), flax, cordyline stricta and jonquil leaves. In January I have been collecting iris, arum lily, combungi (bull rushes) and red and yellow hot poker. The leaves are in my shed drying on … More Collecting plant fibre in summer
I have a work exhibited for the Midsumma Festival this year, in a show called Summer Daze at Off the Kerb Gallery. The work is entitled “A Couple of Boats” and can be viewed at the gallery until January 26, see exhibition invite below for details. Or have a look at the work here, photos … More SummerDaze@Off the Kerb
Jodie Goldring 