Island Bay Craft Village is on this Saturday from 10am till 3pm at the Presbyterian Church in Island Bay, Wellington. Head along and check out the latest offerings from Wellington’s talented craft community.
Got a stall at Island Bay Craft Village this weekend? Drop me a line or comment below and I’ll add a link to your Felt shop here.
Spring Knack is here again, their tenth market to be held in Berhampore, South Wellington. Head along to Berhampore School Hall this Saturday 12 September to enjoy fresh coffee, food and live music as you browse the range of beautiful, original handmade products. Regular stallholders include Coolcrib, Sweet William, Taprobane, Little Stella, The Sewphist and Hotchpotch & Gruelboy.
Many of the Knack makers use recycled and/or sustainable materials, and Knack is a fundraiser for Berhampore School, so Saturday’s market is a great opportunity to find well-made, interesting gifts and treats you often can’t find in the shops and at the same time you’ll be supporting the local community in more ways than one.
The market is on between 9.30am till 1.30pm in the Berhampore School Hall on Britomart Street, off Adelaide Road in Berhampore.
Wild Ones was started by Angelique Monaghan, a stay at home mum to three, after finding a lack of funky clothing for wee ones. After making a few animal hats and pinafores for her youngest daughter she was encouraged by the response from others and started taking orders and making them to sell. Her range of costumes and hats have taken off and you may see quite a few wild ones running around her home town of Christchurch. Wild Ones outfits do stand out from the crowd and will attract attention so they are not for the faint-hearted!
What do you make?
I make a range of animal and monster costumes, hats and tails as well as a range of skirts, pinafores and much more clothing to come.
I also make monster wheat bags, bedtime buddies and plushies. I am always making new things so will be listing new things all the time. The summer range of clothing will all be unique and mostly one of a kind items, including bonnets, dresses, aprons, overalls and shorts.
I am always open to ideas if someone wants something custom made.
Your favourite materials, tools and processes?
I love fabric, all types, and especially love bright colourful prints. At the moment I am mainly working with fleece, which is brilliant in this weather and so versatile.
There is no method to my madness, normally I will get an idea into my head and then try and make it. If it works, great, if not I normally shelve it and try again later.
I am constantly making new things and have bags full of half finished projects.
I am a painter as well. I am currently taking a break while I am making all these clothes and monsters but will be incorporating hand painted designs into my clothing too.
What inspires you?
My children, nature, artwork, fabric…
Is there a philosophy behind your work?
I love seeing kids having fun with what they are wearing, I love the fact that many of the kids I have sold costumes too won’t take them off. It’s such a great feeling seeing their faces light up when they put them on.
Preschool years are full of learning, fun and wonder and I love that kids can run around dressed up like a bee, a lion, a parrot or a dinosaur and make everyone around them smile.
Describe your workspace:
Chaotic and cramped! I work at the kitchen table so unfortunately I have to pack everything up each time. My material stash is in the small spare room piled up in containers, so I get the added work out of rummaging through the boxes to find what I need before I make anything. I also generally have at least one of my three children come in and “rearrange ” things while they are laid out.
Five words that describe your mind: chaotic, busy, creative, fun, crazy
What are you currently listening to? Minuit’s new album
Recommend an album: Blowback by Tricky
Your favourite childhood book? The Search for the Zimparumpa Zoo by Mercer Mayer
A favourite quote:
“Be happy for this moment, for this moment is your life” and “This too shall pass” which I actually got tattooed on my arm this year.
Do you have any pets?
We have four cats, Bella, Dharma, Mogwai and Kaia. It seems we are cat magnets and they just keep turning up at the door.
If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Red
Check out the full range of Wild Ones in Angelique’s Felt shop.
Anmea of Little Ladies currently has an exhibition of her paintings on at Thistle Hall, corner of Cuba and Allen Streets in central Wellington. Celebrating the domestic goddess of the 1940s, 50s and 60s, Home Sweet Home is a collection of works from the last year, inspired by vintage dressmaking illustrations. From beautiful, doe-eyed, apron-wearing housewives to their little girls in party dresses playing musical chairs, Anmea’s paintings are a colourful glimpse of lush domestic bliss.
Open until this Sunday 6 September, from 10am to 4pm, so pop along for a look this weekend, and check out Anmea’s “Little Ladies Tiles”, reproductions of her original paintings onto quality ceramic tiles, wrapped in a hand-made wallpaper envelopes and also available on Felt.
Crafty Business #7: The Optimal Optical, starts at 7pm on Monday 7 September at Churchills Public House in Sydenham, Christchurch. Come along for a drink and your monthly fix of business inspiration!
This month our session is a less formal, more interactive get-together. We’ll be looking at photography and how to get the most from your camera and all your awesome handmade products. Everyone will have the opportunity to participate and in order to get all you can out of the session we want you to do just a little bit of homework – nothing too painful we promise!
We’d like you to each come up with one thing that you’d like to improve about your photographs. Perhaps you’d like some advice on how to use props with your work. Do you wish you could crop your images using free photo editing software? Just can’t figure out how to capture a shiny surface without glare? Expert photographers will be available to answer all your questions and to help you in small hands-on groups.
As well as your thoughtful questions make sure you bring along some of your handmade product, any props you think you might like to use, your laptop if you have one and of course your camera.
For those who haven’t been along before, Crafty Business is a chance for Christchurch crafters to get together and exchange ideas, make new contacts, collaborate and socialise with like-minded people. Whether your craft is your career or you’re exploring the possibilities of turning your hobby into a business, or if you’re just curious about the business of craft, you are welcome to come along and bring a friend.
Crafty Business meets at 7pm on the first Monday of every month. Visit the Crafty Business blog for the latest – http://craftybusinessnz.blogspot.com
Welcome Spring with a visit to Devonport Craft Market this Sunday. From 10am till 2pm at Devonport Community House, some of the North Shore’s most talented makers will be selling their wares.
Get some early Christmas shopping in and check out the creations of Toto, Lisa Hooley Photography, Blankies, Lily’s Make Believe, Rodayo Busk, Krafty As, Snapdragon (also known as My Heart), My Pretty One, The Anti-Fashion League, R.W. Scissors, Cat Taylor Design, Porcelain Rove, Georgie Scarlett, Songbird Designs, Infusions, Ruby in the Dust, Mira Designs, Jesse Bears, Sweetness and Light, Twisted Treasures, Organic Garden Boxes, Itchy Fingers and heaps more.
Devonport Craft Market is on the first Sunday of every month, so if you can’t make it this weekend, don’t fret – there’ll be another chance next month!
1 Lemon Yellow 1950s Dress by Blons | 2 Celebrate with Birdsong by Sweet
William | 3 Vintage Hinged Bracelet by flameRED | 4 Turquoise and Green Bag
by Viridis | 5 Fern Frock by Redflax | 6 Joyful Jonquil by Supervery | 7 Lilu
No.11 – 2 Bears No. 4 by Minu | 8 Peggy by Paisley Jade | 9 Diva Tutu Skirt by
Annie Dry