Myrtle – Australian hard wood

Every now and again someone special walks into your life!    It doesn’t happen often, and it comes out of the blue.  To acknowledge this friendship my husband Chris crafted this beautiful jewellery box from a flat piece of myrtle hardwood.  It also features tiger myrtle wood with its eye-catching textured lines.  

I made the fabric insert, based upon my love of the Ozzie outback and colours of the desert.   This features silk and cotton fabrics, embroidered on my machine with lots of lovely threads, especially Superior Rainbow threads. 

This box is on its way to Fibre Forum at Orange – being delivered by a colleague who is attending a week’s long workshop there.   One of the international tutors will get a nice surprize in April.   I cant wait to hear her excited response.   It is such a nice feeling to give freely something that is made from the heart and hands, from the two of us too!

TAFTA Forum at Orange NSW

TAFTA Forum at Orange in April 2009

  For five days with Isobel Hall our teacher, our group of 13 worked out little hearts out playing with mixed media.  I must say though, that the hard work was coupled with good humour and a positive approach to any little problem that emerged.   We all produced beaut bags, tags, and/or book papers.  

Working with acrylic and encaustic waxes, a myriad of different paints and embellishment powders, and sorbello and other stitches, our work took the eyes of all visitors to the Forum open day – this is held on the last day when the general public visit to view and purchase pieces of art and craft.  Isobel Hall provided us with devoted and skilled assistance – as a result we each produced innoviate and individual work.   We left Isobel with much fondness in our hearts.

I completed one bag – a blue one which design and coour just emerged during the workshop.  I also partially completed a second bag which will shortly be completed – photo’s of both will be available for you to see, tomorrow.  So please revisit then.

The Forum was also a good time to catch up with my fibrefriends from an on-line group –  Cath from Melbourne, Rory from Mudgee, and Kaite from Bathurst;  and then also Jane from my Sydney based quilters guild.   Amazing work was produced – and photo’s will be uploaded shortly.

Please revisit a little later this week for further details of the TAFTA Forum at Orange.