I’m going to visit some friends in the States next month, which means a) I have zero cash to spend on fun weekend activities, and b) I was in need of some cool thank-you presents to dole out after staying on people’s couches and spare beds. So here’s what I whipped up over Saturday and Sunday! The pattern is from a book called Softies, which I’ve been keen to get into ever since my lovely friend Leah gave it to me for Christmas. I was so pleased, because for once my creation actually ended up looking like the one in the book! There’s lots of leftover material and stuffing too, so I might throw a few more together for Meet Me at Mike’s Softies for Mirabel drive. Um, and Leah should get one too.

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Tabitha Emma’s ‘slice of strawberry sponge cake’ purse slightly confuses
us, but in the most delightful way. Would it make you hungry? Would you
look like a particularly devoted cake fiend if you carried it round clutched
under your arm? Would it feel slightly absurd stuffing your phone and cash
into a baked good? Impossible to know unless it’s tried out in all its fake-carb-
with-rickrack glory. Until then let’s just say: Mmmmm ... cake ... we like.

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Just have a gander at these pretty birdie baskets from Emma Davies’ exhibition Brocade. Emma is a Melbourne-based artist who works experimentally with industrial polypropylene, which she manipulates and brocades into the delightful shapes you see below. Her first Sydney show is on at Pablo Fanque galleries at 1 Oxford Street, Paddington, Sydney until June 21. Worth a little look.

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When is craft radical and revolutionary? When it gives a big ‘up yours’ to consumerist
society and the shrinking sense of community that goes with it. So say the people
behind the Craft Revolution exhibition at the QUT Art Museum, Brisbane, which opens
today and runs till July 13. There you’ll find all kinds of crafty goodness, from high
end art to RNA dollies and cakes, and a bit of a call to arms for crafters everywhere
to fight the system one stitch at a time. There’s also a Craft Revolution blog where
you’ll find interviews and articles from craft lovers across Australia.
Vive le crafty revolution!

craftpretty thingswhats on

Sydney craftisans, your bi-annual love in of all things homey and handmade
is here again: the Craft and Quilt Fair opens today and runs till June 15 at the
Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour. The last time I went to one of these
things I came out practically bankrupt. There is just too much cool stuff to
see and buy for one mere crafty mortal. So be strong, but be warned – there
are classes and tutorials as well as stalls selling just about everything: wool,
papercraft, doll patterns, embroidery kits, buttons, beads, stencils, sewing
stuff and quilty paraphernalia. Eek!

craftwhats on

A little while ago a lovely lady called Imogen Moss wrote to us bemoaning the amount
of time she had to wait between issues. So she came up with an idea to combat, as
she puts it, four things: “1. What to wear in the winter months. 2. How to pass my
time on public transport and drum up conversation with perfect strangers. 3. How
to pass the month of being frankie-less. 4. How to try to reduce my eco-footprint.”
Here’s her paper scarf, knitted entirely from frankie magazines. x

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Gillian Benke's label Bencke has finally opened an on-line store with Made It. Still
being early days the little store has just a handful of unique pieces but there will be
regular additions so stay tuned as they arrive. Bencke is also involved in two exhibitions
this month. Wangaratta VIC : A Red World opened on Saturday 21 June at 4pm at
Wangaratta exhibitions Gallery. This runs until July 27. Fremantle WA : The Divided
Self opens today, June 22 and finishes July 6 at the Remedy and Footpath Gallery,
95 High Street, Fremantle.

artcraftexhibitiontoyswhats on

A few weeks ago we got an email from a nice lady called Rita from Brazil, who’d been
sent a copy of frankie through a swap organised on a site called swap-bot. We’ve had
some time to look around now and, just quietly, we’re totally freakin’ hooked. Basically,
you log in and sign on for a themed swap – art, books, craft, clothing, music or what
have you – then the ‘swap-bot’ randomly selects another person in your group for you
to mail something fun to, and someone else mails you a box ‘o’ goodness in reply.
Swappers are from all over the world and there’s all kinds of stuff to swap.
Yay and yay again x

artcraftfunpretty

Glass jars are perfect for keeping little treasures in order! The perfect storage for
our buttons, cotton balls, safety pins, pencils – you name it. Illustrator, designer
and all-round creative lady Alli Coate makes these sweet little jars and lucky for
us – they are all for sale. Check out more of her crafty work here.

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