This Saturday is World Wide Knit in Public Day, and there are events on around the country to celebrate! Here in Christchurch we’d like to give a shout-out to the Midwinter Woolfeast, where they’ll be celebrating yarn in style with a gathering of New Zealand’s most talented fibre artists and indie yarn dyers – and Felt will be there too!
This week’s selection of crafty and creative events from around Aotearoa.
Mindful making: the Christchurch woman who makes dolls to inspire inner strength
Hilary Tapper-Zakheim creates her inspiring, eco-friendly Khadil dolls with a hand-powered sewing machine in her Christchurch workroom. She uses handwoven cotton, woven by empowered village women in India, and other natural materials to create dolls that celebrate natural beauty, wholesomeness, inner strength, and handmade, conscious living.
Soft, snuggly and super-sized: Chain Gang makes it big
Suz Grimwood listed her Chain Gang products on Felt just one month before her third daughter was born in an ‘it’s now or never’ moment. Nearly a year on, she has enjoyed selling her throws and scarves online and in stores amidst the craziness of parenting…
Heads-up Christchurch! There’s a great market coming your way this weekend – and the Felties are there in force…
Copper, timber and time: the sculptural forms of Cobredera
Like many makers, Christchurch craftsman Ben Teeuwen’s journey started with making handcrafted gifts that drew compliments and led to word-of-mouth interest. From that emerged a plan to fashion beautiful jewellery using natural timber and recycled copper. His shop name, Cobredera, comes from the two Spanish words for his favourite materials: cobre (copper) and madera (wood).
Jo Drysdall may be familiar to many in the Felt community as Felt’s support desk operator, but she also has a horticultural alter-ego which manifests as Big Bunny, the long-eared proprietor of a Felt shop specialising in organic seeds and gardening goods, grown in her suburban Christchurch garden.
Felt’s own The Busy Finch, Tatyanna Meharry, presents her latest exhibition War sTOrY, at The Tin Palace in Lyttelton, 6-23 August.
Louann Sidon of Lulu Rose strives to find the ultimate balance between creativity and work. Alongside working three days a week in an art supply shop, she runs her small business from home creating original handmade goods. She sells online, in selected stores through out New Zealand and at the occasional market. One day she hopes to create from home full time, or open her own studio/store – and maybe even offer screen-printing classes!
Here at Felt HQ in Christchurch we’re in love with the colourful giraffes that have taken over our city. (Yes, you heard right and we haven’t overdosed on leftover Christmas pudding – Christchurch has been invaded by giraffes!)