Arts & Craft Newsletter - Campbell Town Tasmania - July 2024

From the editor:

We’ve had a steady and exciting month of creating within our community throughout June. The colder winter weather has set in, but this didn’t stop us from turning up to our Arts & Craft Group in record numbers.

Several of the members in our group have become quite taken by needle felting and have created some pretty wonderful toys, additions to bags and clothing, and wall hangings. Having tried it for the first time in mid-June I can see why it has stirred so much excitement. There is something therapeutic and rewarding about needle felting. I’ve tucked my ‘in progress’ handfish away and will pull it out when we next do needle felting – otherwise I wouldn’t get my other creative work done!

We welcomed one new attendee to our group in June, and one of our members returned from time overseas. There are now ten locals who we call ‘regulars.’ Although most of us reside in Campbell Town and Ross, we also have a lovely lady come through regularly from Longford.

New community members are always welcome and I trust you find something exciting in our line-up for July.

Those of you interested in clay – including children – our upcoming ‘clay play’ session making monsters (or something of your choice) is happening during the school holidays on Thursday the 11^th of July. The details can be found below.

Happy Adventures,

Tues 2^nd July – Crochet

Please bring about 8ply wool or acrylic & about 4mm hooks. Or you can bring some of your own craft to do.

Campbell Town Art & Craft Group meets every:

1^st ,2^nd ,3^rd Tuesday & 4^th Saturday of the month.

Look out for School Holiday Child Friendly Art & Craft Sessions

Nålbinding

Saturday 27^th July

10am – 12pm

Please bring: thicker 100% wool and a bodkin or blunt needle.

Nalbinding is an end-led, single element, textile technique that uses either the stiffened end of the yarn or a single, eyed needle to create fabric by sewing non-continuous lengths of thread to create a series of crossed loops. In a fashion, its most basic form is a series of buttonhole stitches/half-hitches and in more compound forms the loops are intralaced together with previous loops in the same row. In nalbinding, the thread is not pulled tight against itself forming a hard knot, but the stitches are tensioned, often around a thumb, needle or some other gauge (but can be by eye), leaving a meshwork of interlocking loops of thread. Because of the entire thread is drawn through each loop and across itself, nalbinding cannot be frogged from the working end. Pulling on the working end simply tightens the last knot. The majority of nalbound stitches will also not unravel when cut. The resulting fabric is generally built spiraling up row by row and can be very elastic or quite stiff depending on the variation and material used.         

Nalbinding can be used to make a number of different items. Most often used for mittens, socks, hats, milk strainers, and bags, it can, however, be 

used to make many different objects including camel muzzles, masque costumes, and figural work for example. Unfortunately many archaeological nalbound finds are just fragments so their original use is often obscured if not unknown. MORE: https://nalbound.com/what-is-nalbinding/

(see details in the calendar below)

The Weaver’s Cottages Studio, Oatlands

Featuring 49 Tasmanian artists, The Weaver's Cottages Studio in Oatlands is a surprising find.

Discover wearable art, charming cards and prints, vibrant textiles, and quirky ceramics.

New in the studio: the new materials room carries hand dyed yarns, watercolour and acrylic paints, embroidery kits, threads and haberdashery, Tasmanian inks, pens and supports.

Come and meet Oskar, the barky but friendly shopdog and Kat, resident textile artist, and support Tasmanian makers.

Open 10am to 4pm Thursday to Sunday. @theweaverscottages_oatlands on Facebook