Cook up a storm with this simple solar oven PG 30
MAKING TIME ISSUE #3 // SPRING 08 // 8 BUCKS
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8
IDEAS FOR SPRING
MAKING DOUGH PUT BREAD ON THE TABLE WITH JO SWEENEY’S EASY RECIPE
BURY ME IN GREEN TAKING CRADLE-TOCRADLE THINKING TO THE NEXT LEVEL
SEW THIS HOODIE
OUT OF A COUPLE OF T-SHIRTS
October 11th 10am till 3pm. TheNewDowse, 45 Laings Rd, Lower Hutt web:www.craft2.org : email: craft@craft2.org
WANDA HARLAND 148 Jackson St Petone
RIBE SUBSC IN TO E AND B A JO WIN Y CUFF NE SWEE WALLET D N A pg 7
contents
30
15: MAKING TIME
37: STORY TIME
16: QUICK + EASY
38: ONE-STAR COOKING PT. 2
Three clever projects to kickstart you for spring
Johanna Knox gives solar cooking a whirl
18: IN THE HOOD Make yourself a hoodie out of a couple of old t-shirts
24: PUTTING BREAD ON THE TABLE Jo Sweeney shares her recipe for yummy (and easy) bread
26: STENCIL SCREENPRINTING Print your own t-shirts and bags (or Halloween masks - it’s just round the corner!)
30: ONE-STAR COOKING PT. 1 How to cook food with just a few bits of cardboard
40: KIWI BLOGLAND Who’s doing what on the New Zealand crafty-blog front
46: DRAWING CONTROVERSY Why children’s eco-writer, Ruth Paul, fought against the Makara wind farm
52: DYING TO BE SUSTAINABLE Andrew Hubbard creates coffins with a conscience
56: CUTTING IT IN RAGLAN Jo Sweeney on creativity, small business, and living your dreams
34: SOUNDS GOOD Put your dusty old 80s vinyl to good use with this retro-cool shoulder bag
62: PLAYING WITH FIRE Isla Osborne gets hot and heavy with glass beads COVER IMAGE THANKS TO BONNIE DE GROS - PROJECT ON PAGE 18
MADAME FANCY PANTS your local ray of sunshine! Hand crafted designer Clothing, bags, shoes, stationary, craftiness, baby goodies and other delights from the likes of... Madame Fancy Pants, Deadly ponies, MAW, Bim Kenesis, Emma, Thunderpants, New Kid, Alena Hennessey, Annie Collins, Victoria Mason, Kyo Hashimoto, Dani M, Nevermind, Belle & Boo, Jaime Zollars..... and so many many more....
Madame Fancy Pants 217 Cuba Street, Wellington, New Zealand Phone: 04 385 0830 www.madamefancypants.com
EDITOR/ WEB DESIGNER Thomas Schickedanz EDITOR/ ART DIRECTOR Hannah Gardiner
PUBLISHER World Sweet World Limited
CONTRIBUTING Kate MacPherson, Bonnie De Gros, PHOTOGRAPHERS Mark Purdom
CONTRIBUTING Kimberlee Munn, Rebecca Booth ILLUSTRATORS
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Anton Berndt, Andrew Hubbard, Bonnie De Gros, Kimberlee Munn, Johanna Knox, Isla Osborne, Sue Tyler, Jo Sweeney
PRINTER Lithoprint Limited
THANK YOU FOR BUYING AND READING THIS MAGAZINE World Sweet World Magazine is printed on paper from certified sustainably managed forests using vegetable based inks. Please recycle creatively (and send us photos!). World Sweet World Limited, 103a Tasman Street, Mount Cook, Wellington, New Zealand. Phone 04 977 1004. Email hello@ worldsweetworld.com. WANT TO CONTRIBUTE? If you have any project or article ideas for upcoming issues of World Sweet World Magazine, please email joinin@worldsweetworld.com - we’re always open for contributions. ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Take advantage of our Christmas issue, when we expand our distribution reach. If you’d like to advertise, either in the body of the magazine or in our gallery section, we’d love to hear from you. Please phone 04 977 1004 or email ads@worldsweetworld.com. STOCKIST INFORMATION World Sweet World is sold through lovely shops. For a full list of stockists, please visit our website. If you think your store fits the description and you’d like to sell this mag, please get in touch. Phone 04 977 1004 or email hello@worldsweetworld.com. World Sweet World is subject to copyright in its entirety. The contents may not be reproduced in any form without the prior consent of the publisher. All rights reserved in material accepted for publication, unless initially specified otherwise. All letters and other material forwarded to the magazine will be assumed intended for publication unless clearly labelled “not for publication”. Opinions expressed in World Sweet World are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of World Sweet World Ltd.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 5 CONTRIBUTORS
Meet the makers Andrew Hubbard: www.tenderrest.co.nz
Kate MacPherson: www.kate.net.nz
Launching into self-imposed exile from corporate IT Project Management, Andrew Hubbard recalled a family funeral where the macrocarpa coffin his father had built was warmly received and set out to create contemporary coffins in eco-friendly materials. In his largely non-existent spare time he indulges passions for motorcycles, woodworking, and a borderlineobsessive love of Americana music.
Based in Wellington, Kate has been working as a professional photographer since 2001. Her unique and innovative style has led her to photograph a wide range of people, places and weddings throughout the world. Acclaimed for her friendly and relaxed approach, she believes that photography should be as much about the process as it is about the creation of a beautiful image. Kate is a qualified member of the New Zealand Institute of Photography.
Anton Berndt
Anton Berndt lives in Wellington and works in the cultural sector. He enjoys long and short walks on the beach and looks forward to owning his own electric car. Bonnie De Gros: www.lonemoose.typepad.com
Bonnie came over to New Zealand from Canada in March 2007 when her son was eight weeks old. She is making baby clothing under her label Lone Moose to pay her way through Uni to become a Midwife. Isla Osborne: www.isla.co.nz
Isla is a jeweller, specialising in making glass beads. She uses traditional Italian lampworking techniques learnt in the UK; heating rods of glass with a blowtorch and winding them around stainless steel mandrels to form beads. Each bead is made individually, decorated with pre-formed glass shapes or ‘painted’ with thin glass stringers, then coated with layers of clear glass. Johanna Knox: starcooked.blogspot.com
Johanna Knox is a Wellington writer and sustainable food enthusiast. Solar cooking, wild food foraging, and making fermented foods are some of her favourite things to do. She’s involved with the Slow Food movement and Transition Towns, and she and her partner home-school their two children.
Kimberlee Munn: anemonecrafts.blogspot.com www.kimberleemunnillustration.co.nz
Kimberlee Munn is an illustrator and crafter living in Auckland. Of her Minnesota childhood she absurdly claims “If you put your ear to my ear, you can still hear the whispering of prairie grasses.” She likes hand making collage worlds, drawing with office supplies, collecting vintage books, and building armies of stuffed rabbit toys. Rebecca Booth
Becks arrived from London five months ago with her husband. On their first day in Wellington they wandered the streets to find their feet and fell upon WSW. Becks quickly bought a copy and has been somewhat obsessed with it ever since. She has a degree in illustration, makes bags and purses, and is constantly making or sewing things. She has recently learnt to crochet, to add to her inventory of creative outlets. Sue Tyler: www.supervery.com www.craft2.org/blog
Sue Tyler is a crafter and maker based in Wellington. Her heart shines at the very thought of being creative even if it’s something as simple as what colour highlighter to use that day. When not creating her own line of jewellery and badges, she devotes her time to creating Craft2.0, one of New Zealand’s foremost modern crafting events.
6 World Sweet World: Issue #03 FROM THE ED’S
From the ed’s
T
he past few months have been a really exciting time for World Sweet World. We’ve had heaps of craft fairs to keep us busy through winter, in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland. Part of meeting so many great people at these events has been the influx of project and story ideas to share around. A big “thank-you” to all those who have contributed to this issue and, “what are you waiting for?” to those who haven’t yet. We’re excited to be proud new members of the Sustainable Business Network, and we’ ve also been talking to the lovely people at Independent Magazine Distributors. With their help, we’ll be launching into major bookstores in December, so you’ ll be able to buy World Sweet World in more towns around the country. This means you won’t have to post all those copies to friends and family anymore (although thanks to those all who’ve told us that this is what they’ve been doing up until now!). We’ve got heaps of fun content lined up for you in this issue Bonnie de Gros shows us how to make a kick-ass hoodie for not much money, and Johanna Knox has her eye on the angle of the sun, (which is increasing fast), so you’ll soo be able to cook your food completely solar powered, thanks to her box oven project. Regenerable energy resources are also the topic in our interview with Ruth Paul, children’s book author and on the opposition team in the Makara Windfarm proceedings. A big topic! We’re happy not to shy away from other big topics either: in his article, Dying to be sustainable, Andrew Hubbard gets you thinking about creative and responsible choices beyond your life span. Enjoy our third issue, and, as always, get in touch with anything you’d like to share - projects, stories, hot dates, or whatever else that’s on your mind. Email us at joinin@worldsweetworld.com we’d really love to hear from you. Happy making!
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8 World Sweet World: Issue #03 TALKBACK
Talkback I was given issue #2 of your magazine and really enjoyed it. I am nearly 60 but have always “made do” by reusing things, sometimes over and over. My family have often smiled at me secretly when I cut the buttons off old clothes and take the zips out before they become rags; I cut down old sheets and use the less-worn sides to make pillow cases and many other similar things. Funny, but my daughter now does much the same thing although she used to find it so amusing. I always try to make gifts for my grandchildren, rather than buying stuff. I have just finished making a cool witch’s outfit for my granddaughter Alice who is five next week. I love wool projects, especially spinning and dying interesting colours. I used up all my old bits of wool (hoarded for years) to knit a knotty coloured waistcoat in witchy style. I have just made some reusable drawstring bags out of special strong netting for the vegetables at the supermarket instead of using those slippery little plastic bags. They weigh next to nothing and you can wash them. So you can see, your magazine is just right for me! I have just signed up for the next few issues. Thanks for the chance to hand on info. Keep up the good work - Kathleen Reid
Hi there Aren’t you just the loveliest thing! Certainly enough to make me MORE homesick than I already was. So I wanted to drop you a line and say a big Kia Ora! from Melbourne! Youz are ace. I’ll do what I can to support. xox Rayna
World Sweet World: Issue #03 9 TALKBACK
Hello!
Hi
I bought my 1st issue of World Sweet World on impulse from The General Store in Christchurch. I flicked through quickly at the counter while buying something else & found myself saying “wow! oh what a great idea! That’s fantastic!” out loud and asked the girl to add it to my purchase.
I just discovered your inspired magazine and would love to get a copy of issue one! Do you have any “back copies” for sale?
Well I got home & couldn’t put it down - I loved every page this magazine is so perfect for getting inspired & giving yourself that rev-up to bring sustainability into more aspects of our lives... I think it’s so fantastic that I couldn’t resist sharing my find with anyone who would listen! I sent it on to my sister living in Scotland (her husband is researching converting tidal flow into a financially viable energy source) and she has also been raving about it and insisting I send her the next one. Even my husband whom I’m trying to teach the fundamentals of sustainable living found your magazine interesting, and he has agreed to humour my insistence on making the mini-greenhouse... So - thank you World Sweet World for making my week! Looking forward to your next issue! Best Regards - Fiona Chamberlain
The magazine is a fabulous contribution to the community and I am excited to have discovered it and will be sharing it with other like minded friends who I know will appreciate it! Best wishes - Briar
Thanks Briar - we are now selling back issues at www. worldsweetworld.com/ backissues/ - also feel free to ask around your local stockists, as they are able to get hold of back issues for you too. -Eds
DEAR READER,WE MADE THIS MAGAZINE JUST FOR YOU. IN ORDER FOR IT TO STAY VIBRANT AND WONDERFUL, WE’D REALLY LIKE YOUR INPUT, IDEAS AND FEEDBACK. There are heaps of ways you can get involved: you could contribute a cool project idea you’ve always wanted to put into action, or an article on interesting people, places, or sustainable living. Have a look at www.worldsweetworld.com/contribute for more info. You can submit photos for the “quick+easy” section (page 16), or post photos of how your projects turned out on our flickr group - www.flickr.com/groups/worldsweetworld-projects. If you know of something fun happening, let us know so we can put it in our Hot Dates calendar. If you think of something else that we haven’t mentioned, but you’d like to see in the mag, then go ahead and sound us out about that too send us an email to joinin@worldsweetworld.com. Basically, this magazine is yours for the taking.
WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU X WSW
10 World Sweet World: Issue #03 MAGPIE’S NEST
Magpie’s nest A collection of things we rather like
HEAVENLY UNDIES Goddess Jocks are lovingly made from fabric off-cuts that would otherwise be chucked in the landfill. Caroline Munro dives into the rubbish bins at the Porirua-based clothing manufacturer where she works, scoops out any scraps she can find, and whips them into crazy colourful pairs of jocks to funk up your bum. Buy them online or from Goodscore in Island Bay, Wellington.
radhadesigns.co.nz
NUMBER JUMBLE This scarf, Numbers, and its friends, Uppercase and Lowercase, are designed and made in Hong Kong by littlefactory. Their pieces are based on interesting observations in their daily lives - not surprising, then, that they’ve come up with these lovely typographic scarves, since they used to be a web design studio.
www.littlefactory.com
World Sweet World: Issue #03 11 MAGPIE’S NEST
NICE PEAR In his workshop, his home and his office, Nelson jeweller Ash Hilton tries to make as low an impact on the world as possible. He recycles everything he can, uses energy as efficiently as possible and is now able to fabricate metal himself. This means that he can recycle old and heirloom jewellery and make new pieces using ethical gold. And he makes damned lovely stuff too.
www.ashhilton.com
FREE RANGE BIRDS These beautiful fabric cranes are made out of vintage fabric off-cuts from freerangebaby’s gorgeous baby clothes (which, by the way, are enough to make anyone want children right away, if they don’t have them already).
www.freerangebaby.co.nz
IT TAKES ALLSORTS Sharon Russell is an artist, a photographer, but above all, a knitter. These tasty-looking allsorts (along with a range of more risque body adornment) can be found at her regular Auckland Craftwerk stall, or check out her website for a full list of stockists (and the rest of her knitted goodies).
www.sharonmargaret.com
12 World Sweet World: Issue #03 MAGPIE’S NEST
CLAY BABIES Sanded and buffed until the unglazed surface is silky smooth, these soft pastel Bambina vases are made by Auckland artist, Zekiah Heath. Clustered together, it feels as if a pair of candy-coloured birds will be back to the nest at any moment.
www.popkraft.co.nz
RETREASURED These roomy beauties from retreasured are fantastic as beach bags, and do pretty well in lieu of a picnic basket too! retreasured brings together environmental responsibility with a love for all things old - they make their products from vintage fabric and other forgotten treasures in their aim to lessen the demand on the world’s natural resources for new materials.
retreasured.blogspot. com
SAY “YES PLEASE!” TO PLASTIC These are the only plastic supermarket bags you’ll ever need. Made of fused-together shopping bags, often with recognisable logos still showing through, these little purses are perfect for holding your shopping list and spending money when you go for your weekly groceries.
www.yumstietree.com
World Sweet World: Issue #03 13 MAGPIE’S NEST
WIRE WE WAITING These lovely shelves from Wellington-based design company, candywhistle, are somehow what I’d expect to get if a child’s crayon scribbles collided with a wire dishrack. It’s a compliment, honestly. candywhistle claims this is the future of shelving. I certainly hope so.
www.candywhistle. com
SPEECHLESS I could write all sorts of clever and descriptive things about Annie Blackberry’s acrylic pendants, but I actually think they speak pretty clearly for themselves.
annieblackberry.blogspot.com
PRINTS IN THE GARDEN This delightful little bird is hand painted on to a cream fabric and sewn onto mustard felt. Patches and pins, pendants and scarves, magnets and gocco prints, and other lovely things, are all handmade in a little old cottage with a big garden in Christchurch by inmybackyard.
www.inmybackyard.co.nz
Making Ideas #03:
How to have a happy, helpful brain
Hot dates
By Alexandra Lutyens of Origin Design 1. Take it for fresh air and walks 2. Give it some surprises 3. Let it have some time to sleep. 4. Give it plenty to laugh about – no matter how old it’s getting (or possibly because of how old it’s getting) 5. Understand that survival is simply more important than theory 6. Find it somewhere comfy to observe the world 7. Take it out of the box and throw it around.
6 September – 5 October Trade Aid Intertwined textile exhibition Expressions Arts and Entertainment Centre, 836 Fergusson Drive, Upper Hutt From the Andean regions of Peru to the valleys of India, Vietnam and Indonesia, finely crafted traditional textiles tell the histories of religion, war, migration, colonisation, trade and the day-to-day lives of communities and poor urban settlements. Through the acts of weaving, sewing and embellishing cloth, the craftspeople, often women, illiterate, and living far from the main cities, lay down their personal stories – their lives, their hopes and their beliefs. September is also a very special time for Trade Aid as they celebrate their 35th Birthday in New Zealand… with many more years to come thanks to the support of New Zealanders! Saturday 20 September Knack Spring Market 9.30am-1.30pm, Berhampore School hall, 105 Britomart St, Wellington Catch World Sweet World at Knack in September - a fun, community-based craft fair, with lots of lovely stallholders and goodies. It’s worth it just for the passionfruit cupcakes. Saturday 11 October Craft2.0 10am-3pm, TheNewDowse, 45 Laings Road, Lower Hutt Craft2.0 is a cool-fun indie craft fair featuring the best and brightest of the New Zealand craft scene. There’s always a huge variety of handmade goods available, including handbags and jewellery, baby gifts and paper products, clothing and housewares, one-of-a-kind plushies and original artwork. Plus, there are free gift bags to the first 50 adults, and badges for the first 50 kids through the door at 11am. Who could ask for more? For our full list of hot dates, visit www.worldsweetworld. com/hotdates. If you’ve got an event to share, email us at hotdates@worldsweetworld.com and we’ll list it for you.
Origin Design – LOVING to support such a fantastic creative magazine
Making time 16: QUICK + EASY Three clever projects to kick-start you for spring
18: IN THE HOOD Make yourself a hoodie out of a couple of old t-shirts
24: PUTTING BREAD ON THE TABLE Jo Sweeney shares her recipe for yummy (and easy) bread
26: STENCIL SCREEN-PRINTING Print your own t-shirts and bags
30: ONE-STAR COOKING PT. 1 How to cook food in a few bits of cardboard
34: SOUNDS GOOD Put your dusty old 80s vinyl to good use with this retro-cool shoulder bag
24
18 34
16
16 World Sweet World: Issue #03 MAKING TIME:
For a pretty cakestand that costs no more than $5, get 3 different sized plates based around a theme - we started with the floral saucer and found complimentary bigger plates. Super-glue upside-down sherry glasses between the plates as separating stems. Remember to clean the inside of the glasses really well to begin with, or you’ll kick yourself every time you see the smudges.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 17 MAKING TIME: QUICK + EASY
Quick + easy
Make these three cool projects before you’ve got to the end of Jackie Brown Diaries. If you’ve got other awesome quick and easy projects to share, flick us an email - joinin@worldsweetworld.com. Don’t be humble - show your genius off to the rest of New Zealand!
BUTTERFLY NET It can be damn annoying when all your lovely earrings get tangled up in a metallic mush. Sort them out and keep them that way by making an organiser to hang them on. Sew a seam along the top of a square of mesh, wide enough to slide a bit of dowel through. Tie the ends of another strip of the mesh onto the ends of your dowel, and hang your earring organiser up beside the mirror. Easy peasy. My problem is just being disciplined enough to use it.
BAGGY PANTS To make this cute bag, Katell Gélébart suggests cutting the belt, zip, and legs off an old pair of pants. Open the centre seam up and lay the pants so that the side seams are in the middle. Cut to the width you want, and sew the sides and bottom up. Use an old computer cable as a handle, and line the bag with a nice old silk scarf. Katell is a French born eco-designer whose company ART D’ECO creates articles from 100% re-used materials. Check her website and blog for fresh recycled design ideas from across the world - www.artdecodesign.com
World Sweet World: Issue #03 19 MAKING TIME: IN THE HOOD
In the hood By Bonnie De Gros
F
PHOTO BY BONNIE DE GROS
inding a genuine vintage tee at your local Sallies these days is challenging, but to find one adorned with a wicked graphic is almost unheard of. However, what you can find in abundance, are dozens of plain tees lining the racks, so why not grab a couple and turn them into something exquisite. This stencil technique can also be done on heaps of other things like bags, pants, beanies, coats etc. Try using a couple of big old jerseys in place of tees for the winter months. You are only limited by your imagination.
SCAVENGING YOUR MATERIALS 2 old t-shirts in your size or a bit bigger Scrap jersey fabric for graphic and hood lining (Approx 60 x 60 cm) A shirt of your own that fits you well (to act as a template for the body) A hoodie with a well-fitting hood (to make a template for a hood) A stencil of your choice (the simpler the better at first) Paper for making a hood template
TOOLS YOU’RE GOING TO NEED Pen or fabric marker Sharp scissors Sewing machine and thread (you can sew this all by hand if you are a real keener or stuck on a deserted island with all of the above mentioned)
CHOOSING YOUR TEES
Pins
1. Choose a couple of tees in similar or contrasting colours that
Measuring tape or tool of some sort (a piece of string can work too!)
are your size or bigger. Pick one to be used for the main part of the body and the other for the outer hood. The contrasting fabric can be whatever you desire but just remember it has to stretch over your head.
$5-10 SKILL
SIZING YOUR MAIN TEE 2. Lay your main tee down flat and place your own well-fitting
tee on top, matching shoulder seams and sleeves, and making sure it is centred FIG 1.
SPEED
COST
Don’t stop with yourself - deck the kids out in an up-cycled hoodie too. Because kids can be so darned small, you’ll find there’s even more source material to choose from.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 21 MAKING TIME: IN THE HOOD
FIG 1
FIG 2
FIG 3
FIG 4
FIG 5
FIG 6
3. Using your own tee as a template, cut excess
fabric from sides and underarms of main shirt, making sure to leave a 1 cm seam allowance. 4. Cut neckband out of main tee and measure the
circumference of the new neck hole. Divide this number in half and add a couple of cm. Write this number down as you will need it a FIG 2. bit later
MAKING YOUR GRAPHIC
PHOTO BY BONNIE DE GROS
5. Take your stencil and place it on your main tee
wherever you want the graphic. Use your pen or fabric marker to draw out your stencil. Remove your stencil and you should have (I hope) a clear, defined image left on your tee FIG 3. 6. Cut out a piece of fabric from your contrasting
scrap. This should be a similar shape, but a little bigger than your stencil so that it is easy to pin and stitch around. Pin this piece behind the image on the reverse side of the tee,
making sure it covers each part of the outline on the front. This will be your backing piece of fabric and will show through on the outside of the tee, so be sure you have the right side of FIG 4. the fabric facing outwards on your top 7. Stitch along the lines you drew until you have
gone over the entire image and trim any excess FIG 5. fabric from the backing on the reverse 8. Now comes the fun bit where you get to
CAREFULLY trim out the image using your stitching lines as a guide and being very, very, very cautious not to snip your backing fabric, FIG 6. or else you will make a hole
MAKING YOUR HOOD 9. Take your own hoodie and lay it on its side
with the hood flattened against your piece of paper. Trace (1 cm away for seam allowance) around the hood starting from the bottom front edge and working your way up and around to
22 World Sweet World: Issue #03 MAKING TIME:
FIG 7
FIG 8
FIG 9
FIG 10
the bottom of the back centre seam. Remove your hoodie from the paper and you should have a gap at the bottom of the drawing. 10. Do you remember that first measurement I had you write down?
Change the gap to be the same as that measurement. You may have to adjust the hood shape slightly but it should work out just fine. Use this fancy shmancy drawing as your new hood template FIG 7. 11. Lay your other tee out and use your hood template to cut two
hood pieces for the outer hood and then do the same with your contrasting scrap fabric to create your inner hood lining. 12. Put your outer hood pieces together with right sides facing
and stitch along centre back seam FIG 8. Repeat this step for the hood lining. Turn out the outer hood and place the hood lining over top with right sides together matching up FIG 9 front edges. Stitch two hoods together along front seam and then turn out, placing lining into the inside of the outer FIG 10. hood
ATTACHING THE HOOD
PHOTO BY BONNIE DE GROS
13. Take the hood you’ve just made and pin the centre back
seam to the centre of the tee’s back panel, right sides facing together. Continue to pin hood all the way around the neck until you get both front edges to the centre of the front panel. Overlap the front edges of the hood as much as you need to in order to make up for any excess. Now stitch your hood on.
LAST STEP! 14. Turn tee inside out, matching side seams. Sew down each side
and TA DA, you’ve got yourself a new graphic hooded tee! Bonnie came over to New Zealand from Canada in March 2007 when her son was eight weeks old. She’s making baby clothing under her label Lone Moose to pay her way through Uni to become a Midwife.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 25 MAKING TIME: PUTTING BREAD ON THE TABLE
Putting bread on the table By Jo Sweeney
I
’ve been making my own bread for over a year now and I love it! It always amazes me how many people think that bread is hard to make by hand. It is honestly so easy - the only time-consuming part is waiting for the dough to rise. This recipe is a basic one and you can create your own style of bread by using your choice of flours, herbs and seeds (these can go either in or on your bread). I like to make the mixture at night time, then I can bake fresh bread in the morning for everyone to enjoy!
HERE’S HOW YOU DO IT 1. In a large bowl or pot mix together the water, yeast, sugar, salt
and oil.
2. Slowly sift in the flour, add seeds, and mix together. 3. Knead the dough on a heavily floured bench until it is a smooth
mixture, adding flour as you go until it is not too wet or dry.
4. Place the dough back in the large bowl, cover with a clean
teatowel and leave somewhere warm (hot water cupboard, by fire etc) for at least 2 hours (or overnight), to double in size.
5. Once the dough has risen, knead it very lightly again and create
whatever type of bread you wish.
PHOTO BY KATE MACPHERSON
6. This recipe will make 2 standard loaves or around 30 bread rolls
or bread sticks. Get creative - you can make any size and shaped bread you can imagine!
7. Bake at 180˚C for 40 minutes. Bread rolls only take 30 minutes. 8. Once it’s cooked, let your bread cool on a rack, then enjoy! WARNING: Home-made bread is so tasty that it usually disappears
within the hour, so be quick! Jo Sweeney runs her accessories design business from Raglan. Find out on page 56 about what draws her to this small community.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR BREAD-MAKING 2 cups warm water 1 T active yeast 2 T honey or sugar Pinch of salt 6 T oil 5/6 cups of flour (of your choice) Your choice of seeds, grains or dried fruit.
$5ish
26 World Sweet World: Issue #03 MAKING TIME:
I
World Sweet World: Issue #03 27 MAKING TIME: STENCIL SCREEN-PRINTING
Stencil screenprinting By Anton Berndt
I
n this project I’ll describe how to screenprint using hand cut stencils. Cut stencils have a really nice hand-made feel to them, and are a bit simpler and cheaper than preparing a photo-emulsion screen. The hand cut method lends itself to a more graphic style of image, and relies on block colour rather than colour graduation. The process is to make a negative stencil (the holes will be where you want the ink to go) out of a thin, durable, non-porous material (plastic). The screen performs two jobs: firstly, it holds all the pieces of the stencil in place and secondly, it acts to deliver the ink uniformly across the printing surface. Screen-printing, rather than just painting a design on your fabric, means you can make more than one copy, if you want to.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS YOU’RE GOING TO NEED A screen, (available from art supply shops or online from Uniscreen) A squeegee (as above) A support board (this is a flat board, larger than your screen frame) Printing ink, (I’ve been using water based, Permaset brand, fabric ink. This has been pretty nice and non-toxic, and is available from Gordon Harris) Plastic film (acetate is ideal) Something to print - we’re doing some handy shopping bags/ Halloween masks A scalpel type knife A cutting board
LINKS YOU MIGHT FIND USEFUL www.colormaker.com.au/Permaset/ Permaset
MAKING THE STENCIL 1. To make the stencil you will need a sheet of thin plastic film,
a knife and an image you want to print. If possible, use a piece of film which is quite a bit larger than the image you want to print. The extra area will prevent the ink from spilling over onto your clean printing surface. If you can’t find a big enough sheet of film, then you can mask around the stencil with waxed paper to protect the clean areas of your bag/ Halloween mask/ whatever it is you’re printing. To start with, it’s best to use a two-tone (black and white) illustration with sharp edges and which is not too complex. Draw or trace the image onto the plastic with a fat marker FIG 1. Another way is to use photocopier safe acetate and photocopy your image on to it.
$50 SKILL
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28 World Sweet World: Issue #03 MAKING TIME: STENCIL SCREEN-PRINTING
FIG 1
FIG 2
FIG 3
FIG 4
FIG 5
FIG 6
To prevent the screen from moving while printing, it’s handy to have a raised stopper block to butt the bottom edge of the screen against. To do this, either screw a length of wood to the bottom edge of your support board, or clamp a length of wood to the edge of the bench you’re working on.
2. Once you have your image on the plastic, cut away all the
positive (black) sections and keep all the negative sections. Depending on the complexity of your image, you will end up with main piece and a pile of odd shaped bits FIG 2. It’s a good idea to keep a copy of your image so that when you lay out your stencil, you’ll know where all the bits go.
LAYING OUT THE STENCIL 3. Place your support board on the workbench (printing is not
a particularly messy process, but it wouldn’t hurt to put newspaper down first if you’re working at the kitchen table). 4. Lay your printing material face up on the support board (if
you’re printing onto a T-shirt, put a piece of card or waxed paper inside the T-shirt so that if ink seeps through the front it won’t transfer on to the back). 5. Lay the stencil out on the printing surface
mask around the stencil if you need to.
FIG 3.
Remember to
PRINTING 6. When you have your support board, printing material
and stencil ready to go, carefully lay your screen down, starting by butting the bottom edge against the stopper block. Be careful that the stencil pieces don’t get moved while you’re doing this. 7. At this point it’s probably best to make sure that your
cleaning up area is ready to go. It’s easiest to clean the screen using a hose, but it can also be done in a washhouse sink or a large tub. With regards to managing your grey-water discharge, it’s a good idea to look into the chemistry of the inks you plan to use. 8. When your screen is down, use a spoon to dab a line of ink
on your screen above the cut out section of your stencil. The amount of ink you use depends on the size of your image FIG 4. Until you get the hang of quantities, it’s probably best to put more on than you need. The good thing is that any excess can be scooped back into the pot to use later on. 9. Now take the squeegee and, holding it in both hands, place
the rubber edge on the screen fabric above the line of ink. 10. Draw the squeegee towards you (with a similar pressure to
giving someone a firm back massage) and spread the ink over the area of the stencil image FIG 5. 11. Check if the whole image is covered. If not, scoop some of the
spare ink, which is now below the image, and make another line above the image, especially above the unprinted section. Return the squeegee above the image and draw it towards you. At this point I would make another run of the squeegee over the whole image just for good measure. 12. Carefully lift the screen so it doesn’t accidentally slip sideways
and smudge the print
FIG 6.
And you’re done.
13. Place the print somewhere to dry and then do another print.
The stencil will now be stuck to the screen with wet ink, so you should be able to get a few more prints from it before washing it out. While washing up, remember to wash and keep the stencil as it can be reused. 14. Check the label to see if the ink you’re using needs to be
heat set. If it is, you’ll need to iron it, but follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Anton Berndt lives in Wellington and works in the cultural sector. He enjoys long and short walks on the beach and looks forward to owning his own electric car.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 31 MAKING TIME: ONE-STAR COOKING PT. 1
One-star cooking pt.1 S
olar cooking is a great way of reducing your electricity usage, whether at home, or out camping (yes, it’s nearly that time of year). Johanna Knox shows us how to make your own cooker out of a couple of old boxes, some tin foil and a bit of scrunched up newspaper.
By Johanna Knox MAKE AN INSULATED BOX 1. If there are any gaps or unsecured flaps on either of the boxes
(apart from the top flaps of the larger box), tape over them.
SCAVENGING YOUR MATERIALS A large cardboard box, preferably with top flaps. Wide and low will work best for solar cooking. Tall narrow boxes trap less sunlight. A smaller cardboard box, roughly 5cm smaller than the other box in every direction, with no flaps. (if it’s too tall or has top flaps, cut it down.) A couple of other boxes that you’ll cut up for extra cardboard A stack of newspapers A roll of tinfoil An extra large oven bag Coathanger wire Strong sticky tape PVA glue – a lot!
2. Cover the inside of the larger box and the outside of the
smaller box with tinfoil. To do this, paint the surfaces with PVA glue, then stick on tinfoil, shiny side out. Overlap the seams so there are no bits of cardboard showing through. 3. The idea is to put the smaller box inside the large one, and fill
the gaps between their bases and sides with insulation (i.e. newspaper). But first, cut out lots of squares of from your extra cardboard – each square about 5x5 cm. Glue them together in stacks. They should make 7 or 8 columns, all the same height – about 5cm. This is quite time consuming, so if you can get a production line going with family or friends it will help.
TOOLS YOU’RE GOING TO NEED Any old paintbrush A craft knife and/or scissors Wire cutters A stapler
$5-10 SKILL
4. Glue the stacks to the inside bottom of the large box, so that
once you place the smaller box inside, there will be a column supporting it at each corner, and 3 or 4 more supporting the rest of its base FIG 1.
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32 World Sweet World: Issue #03 MAKING TIME: ONE-STAR COOKING PT. 1
5. Scrunch up newspaper and stuff it in around the columns
FIG 2.
6. Place the small box inside the large box, and stuff more
scrunched up newspaper down the sides, so it fits really FIG 3. snugly 7. Now seal the insulation in. If your larger box has flaps, cut
support columns: top view
notches in the sides of each flap so that part of each flap folds over the insulated wall, and the other part folds down into the box. If the box doesn’t have flaps, make your own cardboard toppers for the insulated walls. Secure the flaps or toppers down with tape. 8. You now have a box with thick insulated walls. Cover its
inside surfaces and the tops of the insulated walls with PVA glue and coat them with tinfoil, again shiny side out, FIG 4. overlapping any seams
PUT A LID ON IT
FIG 5
9. Using scissors, stapler, and sticky tape, make a fitting lid for
the insulated box out of your spare cardboard. support columns: cross-section
10. Measure your oven bag. Measure and mark out a window
in the lid, as large as possible, but leaving at least 5cm all around the lid’s edge, and not so large that the oven bag won’t cover it.
FIG 1
11. Cut along three sides of the window. Leave one of the long
sides uncut, so that your window opens like a flap. (This will become a reflector). 13. Stick the oven bag to the inside of the lid with tape and glue
to make the window ‘pane’. 14. Glue tin foil (shiny side out) to the inside of the reflector flap. cross-section FIG 2
15. Now you need to make a prop to hold the reflector flap up
when you’re using your oven. Cut your coat hanger wire and bend it into a long zed shape. Glue small pieces of corrugated cardboard to the lid and the reflector, and insert the ends of the wire zed into the corrugations to hold it up. If you live somewhere windy, it may help to make another prop for the other side as well.
WHAT NEXT? Customise! Your solar cooker doesn’t need anything more done to the outside of it to make it work, but you may wish to waterproof it in some way - or just make it pretty. cross-section FIG 3
Have a solar cooking picnic! Some people in the Wellington/Kapiti region are planning one in November 08 – more info at starcooked.blogspot.com. Come to ours or organize your own.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 33 MAKING TIME: ONE-STAR COOKING PT. 1
USING YOUR SOLAR COOKER You can adapt most single-pot recipes to solar cooking. You usually need to approximately double the cooking time, and add less water. Slow cooker recipes are ideal.
FIG 4
Prime solar cooking days are when your region is at greater than a 45 degree angle to the sun for four hours or more. (A simple test is looking at the size of your shadow. You want it to be the same height as you or shorter). At New Zealand latitudes, prime solar cooking days begin around mid October, and run through till early March. In practice, you may well find you can solar cook for a few weeks before and after that. Don’t worry about a bit of cloudiness. As long as you have 20 minutes of sun or more per hour it should be okay. You may need to extend the cooking time a little though. Use black or dark coloured pots with tight fitting lids in your solar cooker. Pots made from thin metals are best. You can improvise by clamping together two unlidded pots or pans. You should place a black or tin-foil-covered drip pan under your pot when you cook. A cookie sheet, or a coated piece of cardboard works fine.
FIG 5
You may find you need to raise your pot up from the bottom of the cooker using a wire rack, a brick, or a block of wood, to allow it to heat up underneath. Another way to increase the sun hitting your pot is to curve a silver car windshield shade around the back of it – as an extra reflector. To start cooking, choose a place where the cooker will sit in full sun. Place your pot containing your uncooked meal in the solar cooker, put the cooker lid on tight, and prop up the reflector. Turn the cooker so the reflector faces the sun. As the hours progress, you may want to occasionally move the cooker to follow the sun. Have fun, and keep experimenting. That’s what the experts seem to say solar cooking is all about! Adapted from Cooking with Sunshine by Lorraine Anderson and Rick Palkovic. Find out more about Johanna and her solar cooking adventures on page 38.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 35 MAKING TIME: SOUNDS GOOD
Sounds good By Sue Tyler
T
here are millions of vinyl records floating around the world, and none are made from biodegradable plastic, so please don’t throw your old records away. Incinerating them releases dioxins and other toxic chemicals into the air, dumping them in landfill could cause them to leach out toxic chemicals and contaminate the soil and water.
SCAVENGING YOUR MATERIALS 2 vinyl records. If you don’t have a huge stash, like me, you can find them at any thrift store or at large book fairs like the DCM book fair held every September Fabric: I’ve used an old 70s dress
TOOLS YOU’RE GOING TO NEED Pencil Ruler or tape measure Cardboard
Instead of throwing my vinyl away, I had a re-think and turned mine into something functional and fun, a cute and handy shoulder bag. I’ve stripped out a lot of complicated things, like zippers and linings, to create a bag tutorial anyone can do.
Sellotape
1. First thing you need is some decent holes in the vinyl for
Strong thread – I recommend reinforced cotton or extra thick beading thread
PHOTO BY KATE MACPHERSON
sewing. Create a template of the record from light cardboard. Using your trusty ruler and pencil, mark holes around ¾ of the record edge. Mark each hole at least 5mm in from the edge and no more than 1cm apart. You can be really random about it or fold your template half, then quarters, then eighths, and so on, and use that to mark out your holes FIG 1.
Hand held hobby drill – you can get a dremel for about $200 or a knock off for about $40 Needle
$5-10 SKILL
2. Carefully attach your template to your record with a few small
bits of tape. This makes sure you won’t be drilling holes in the wrong spot or too close to the edge. 3. Drill holes in your record at each spot you’ve marked on your
template. By going through your template, the drill won’t slip on the vinyl FIG 2. I always wear glasses to protect my eyes, and since my workspace is my coffee table I always have a magazine or a piece of wood underneath the record to protect it.
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36 World Sweet World: Issue #03 MAKING TIME: SOUNDS GOOD
FIG 1
4. Making the template for the second record is heaps easier -
just put the already-drilled record on top of your paper and draw around it, then mark through the holes. Now repeat steps 2 and 3. Alternatively, you could clamp the records firmly together and drill them both at the same time. 5. The next thing you need to do is pull together enough fabric
to make the awesome all in one shoulder strap/ bag base. To keep with the pre-CD theme, I used some vintage 70s fabric from an old summer dress of my mum’s. You can choose whatever fabric you like, just make sure it’s a reasonably strong material as it’s going to be the base of your bag.
If you don’t have a drill, grab a large safety pin and a candle. Heat the pin over the flame and punch it through the record, reheating before each hole. This takes a lot longer, and also increases your chances of crafting injuries that involve blood, so if you can, use a drill.
6. Make your strap either by joining bits of fabric together or
cutting one long strip. Either way, you want it to measure 1.7 m long and 25 cm wide. 7. Fold your strip in half lengthwise (right sides facing each
other), and sew up the unfinished side to create a tube, then turn it inside out. 8. Hem each end of your tube by turning in the edges and very
neatly (because this can be seen from the outside) sewing all around. Then gently stuff one end of the tube inside the other. Finally sew the two ends together so you’ve created one long continuous loop of fabric. 9. Now it’s time to dust off some hand-sewing techniques to
join the two records to your strap. I’ve done this using blanket stitch because it looks pretty, and is also nice and strong, but you can just use a simple running stitch if you’d FIG 3. If you’re drawing a blank on both types of rather stitch, www.instructables.com has a good tutorial - search for “embroidery 101”. 10. Place your record on top of your loop, lining the seam from
FIG 2
step 7 up with your first hole, and stitch around. At each end be sure to reinforce the edge by sewing through the vinyl a couple of times. Now do the other side, again, lining the hole and the seam up (this means your two records will hopefully line up too). Once you’ve sewn both records to the fabric, you’ve got yourself a 100% completed bag. Go you! This bag is super simple - once you’ve got the hang of it, it works as a great launching pad for a variety of different bags made from vinyl. You could create a zippered lining, cut your record in half and create a clutch (make sure you add a closing snap of some sort), or make handle holes in the record to turn it into a tote. Sue will be teaching how to make a variation of this bag at
FIG 3
TheNewDowse in November 2008 as part of a workshop series called Crafting, Cupcakes and Coffee. Visit www.craft2.org and click on workshops to book in and read about the other workshops on offer.
Story time 38: ONE-STAR COOKING PT.2 Johanna Knox gives solar cooking a whirl
40: KIWI BLOGLAND Who’s doing what on the New Zealand crafty-blog front
46: DRAWING CONTROVERSY Why children’s eco-writer, Ruth Paul, fought against the Makara wind farm
52: DYING TO BE SUSTAINABLE Andrew Hubbard creates coffins with a conscience
56: CUTTING IT IN RAGLAN Jo Sweeney on creativity, small business, and living your dreams
62: PLAYING WITH FIRE Isla Osborne gets hot and heavy with glass beads
38
56 52
40
38 World Sweet World: Issue #03 STORY TIME: ONE-STAR COOKING PT. 2
One-star cooking pt.2 While wealthy nations wage war over oil to support swollen economies, in impoverished regions of the world the conflicts can be over firewood.
By Johanna Knox In parts of Kenya, where there’s no electricity, and forests are decimated, locals fight each other – occasionally brutally – for enough wood just to cook dinner and boil drinking water. More often though, they obtain firewood by trading away some of their already meagre allowance of money or food. In these communities, the humble solar cooker can improve life no end, since it pasteurises water and cooks meals using an energy source that’s free to all. Solar cooking in New Zealand is an utter indulgence by comparison! But it’s an indulgence encouraged by Solar Cookers International – who are on a mission to spread solar cooking equipment and skills across Kenya and other similarly troubled countries. Buy a solar cooker from this organisation and you’re supporting their work, both financially and by spreading their ideas. Last summer I bought a ‘CooKit’ from them over the internet. The CooKit is a cheap and deceptively simple piece of apparatus. It’s made from a single piece of cardboard, with one surface coated in mylar, and cut and folded in such a way that it concentrates the rays of sun onto a black pot inside a heat-trapping oven bag.
solar cooking can involve. As the Cooking with Sunshine authors readily admit, no book can tell every solar cook exactly what they need to know. On top of the learning curve involved in taking up any new activity, each person needs to develop solar cooking techniques specific to their climate, geographic latitude, and lifestyle. We started simple – attempting to cook a pot of rice. Now, if you want to maximise the amount of sunlight hitting your cooker, you’re supposed to move it from time to time, to follow the sun. Being a natural klutz, the first time I did this, I tipped the pot slightly so a tiny bit of hot water spilled and steamed up the oven bag. I should have realised the condensation was thick enough to block the sun’s rays from reaching the pot after that. At dinner-time we opened the lid, and what did we find? Uncooked rice. The next day we tried again. This time I was careful not to slop water. Come dinner-time, we opened the pot again, and let out cheers. The rice was cooked this time! Or so we thought. When I dug in the spoon to dish up, I took some cooked rice off the top of the pot, and what was hiding underneath? Once again, uncooked rice.
It arrived in our mailbox in a fat parcel with posters, a folder of information about solar cooking, some recipes, and a DVD about Solar Cookers International’s work in Africa. I’d ordered Cooking with Sunshine as well – a book by a pair of US solar cooking enthusiasts, full of recipes, techniques and advice.
So now it was time for troubleshooting. Cooking with Sunshine suggests that you raise the pot from the bottom of the cooker with a block of wood, a brick, or a wire rack. This allows more sunlight to heat the bottom of the pot as well as the top. (Probably the less sun you have to work with, the more necessary it is to do this.)
There wasn’t much of the summer left, so with my children, I got to work cooking straight away. We soon realised just how much trial and error
Luckily we had a few bricks lying round our back yard, so we picked the smoothest one to balance our pot on, and the next day made our third attempt.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 39
Darfur refugees using a solar cooker at Iridimi refugee camp in Chad
PHOTO BY GABRIELE SIMBRIGER-WILLIAMS/SOLAR COOKERS INTERNATIONAL
STORY TIME: ONE-STAR COOKING PT. 2
We placed the rice and water in the pot, the pot in the oven bag, the oven bag on a brick, and the whole shebang on the cooker in the sunlight. We waited for the sun to work its magic. Dinner-time rolled around again, and we opened our pot up with trepidation, to find… Cooked rice! All the way through! Well, all right, it was actually overcooked rice all the way through. But that felt like a minor detail. (Next time – less water.) After mastering rice we got adventurous and tried other simple boiled classics such as eggs and corn on the cob. Then just when we thought we might graduate to a curry, the weather packed up. We’ve spent the winter planning and waiting. My daughter and I sometimes stand outside and look at our shadows. With each day that passes, we’re a little closer to the time of the year when our shadows measure the same as us. And once they’re our height or shorter for at least four hours a day, we’re into solar cooking season (although apparently you can often also solar cook for a few weeks before and after that). We’ll start up again in late September. This time we’re hoping to have two solar cookers on the go – our CooKit, plus the box cooker we’ve just made (see instructions on page 30). And what would make it even more fun is to get in touch with other solar-cooks around New Zealand. If you’re interested, come visit my solar cooking blog: starcooked.blogspot.com See www.solarcookers.org to find out more about Solar Cookers International and www.goodbooksnz.co.nz (search for “Cooking with Sunshine”) to buy Cooking with Sunshine by Lorraine Anderson and Rick Palkovic.
I
n our last issue, Julia Atkinson talked about her experiences as a newbie blogger, and how her blog was impacting on her professional and private life. In this article, Kimberlee Munn talks to some long-time Kiwi craft bloggers.
By Kimberlee Munn During the dawn of online journalling when blogs were known as web logs and most of us had no clue of their existence, crafting and blogging were already forging a deep and lasting friendship. Linked by their shared spirit of D.I.Y. in publishing and making, crafters used blogs to show their work, find inspiration, and participate in a like-minded community. Today, as the enthusiasm for handmade continues to spread, the overseas blog scene is expanding full force with popular bloggers pulling 20,000+ visits a day, signing books deals, and making TV appearances on Martha Stewart. But is all the action overseas? What’s happening in our neck of the woods? I thought I’d track down five craft bloggers to get a local take on working creatively, showing off on the world wide web, and finding time to do the washing.
Helen » www.stripysockstudio.com Describe your blog in three words Mercurial, colourful, lively. What is your creative work and what role does your blog play in it? I make jewellery, softies, knitted things, art with recycled and
My blog is like a ‘visual journal’ for cataloguing inspiration, it’s a way of keeping track of things I’ve made and my own creative process and most of all, it is a wonderful way of connecting with other creative people - I work entirely from home, so the latter is important to me. The ‘blog community’ are like online colleagues. How is your lifestyle reflected in your blog? I hope what comes
across is my belief in the importance of creativity, community and gratitude. My family lives simply so that we can be as free as possible - this means we are not financially wealthy but our life is
ILLUSTRATION BY KIMBERLEE MUNN
second hand materials. I write poetry. I teach creative writing.
42 World Sweet World: Issue #03 STORY TIME: KIWI BLOGLAND
“If the choice is between producing a lot of art/craft and having a pristine house, perfect garden, ironed clothes, CHOOSE THE ART!” rich in all other realms and our impact on the environment is (hopefully) small. How do you balance your family life, creative work, and blogging? Any tips for the busy modern crafter? I don’t think I do balance it.
In fact, most of the time I feel scattered. I frequently feel frustrated. I often feel overwhelmed. However, running alongside that is a whole lot of fun, playfulness and joy amidst the chaos. I think this is just how family life is. My tip for a happy life would be - try to be brave and reach out to people, it’s risky but usually worth it. Also, if the choice is between producing a lot of art/craft and having a pristine house, perfect garden, ironed clothes, CHOOSE THE ART!
Lies & Kimberlee » anemonecrafts.blogspot.com What is your blog about? I share the blog with my
friend Kimberlee and we set it up to mirror our craft efforts. At first we tentatively posted about our crafty creations only - I make baby clothes and Kimberlee paper art, but we’ve bloomed open and now blog about the whole world around our crafty projects: our families, our houses, our homecountries, our activities, our favourite everythings. Is there a business aspect to your blog?
Yes, Kimberlee and I have set up a little internet Etsy shop -a forum specialised in handmade items. We certainly don’t make our daily bread out of it, but it feels satisfying to offer what we make to whoever might be interested.
Are your friends and family involved in your blog in any way? I’m fortunate to have a partner
who’s an artist and am surrounded by many creative and talented friends. I love to highlight my experiences with them in the blog. My partner and daughter are my ‘touch-stones’: anything that makes the ‘hmm, this is interesting’ twinkle appear in their eyes will be discussed on the blog for sure. How do you balance your family life, creative work, and blogging? Any tips for the busy modern crafter? Haha, I try to just keep going.
I get tremendous satisfaction out of my little creations and blogging about it. So I just try to DO as much as I can. I’m hopeless at planning and balancing! My advice is, when the going gets tough, have a laugh, hon’ AND find yourself a good man: I’m so very lucky to have a partner who takes on a lot of house-work and parenting time so that I can get crafty.
Melissa » www.tinyhappy. typepad.com What is your creative work and what role does your blog play in it? My creative work is mainly
textile-based: design, sewing, embroidery and knitting. I’m also interested in children’s creativity/ home education and enjoy photography and printmaking. My blog is really important to me, because it provides a space where I can share my work and get feedback from other crafty people, and in turn get inspiration from other members of the craft-blog community. Are your friends and family involved in your blog in any way? I get lots of inspiration and
ideas from my children, and they’re also happy to model the children’s clothing I make, which is handy. I like to support the creative work of my friends (especially other NZ craft bloggers!) so I often mention them on my site and add their links. In a more abstract sense, I feel as though my Mum shines through my blog quite a bit. She is a passionate quilter, weaver, spinner and knitter, and is the one who first instilled in me the love of handmade things.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 43
Embroidery by Melissa from tinyhappy
STORY TIME: KIWI BLOGLAND
How do you balance your family life, creative work, and blogging? Any tips for the busy modern crafter? I certainly find it a struggle to balance these things.
One thing that works for me is sticking to a daily routine. At least, as much as is possible with small children around. I keep a journal with me so I can jot down ideas and thoughts during the day. I do most of my craft work at night, while the children are asleep. I drink lots of coffee. I don’t watch TV, I do a bare minimum of housework, and have devised a long list of activities that my children can do around me and ‘with me’ while I’m working. I’m also fortunate that my partner, Tom, likes to cook dinner and supports my creative work in any other way he can. I know... I’m very lucky.
Olivia & Rosemary » lilysmakebelieve.blogspot.com If you could use only three words to describe your blog, what would they be?
Neighbourly, wishful and (we hope) inspiring for the odd person! What is your creative work and what role does your blog play in it? We’ve completed
a Bachelor of Graphic Design and a Bachelor of Fashion Design respectively, and spend a lot of time on personal projects in our time off. Doing our own blog, and reading all the other brilliant ones out there, helps us keep up with the amazing things going on in the design world. It encourages and inspires us to work harder and go further with our own projects. I think the blog has a really positive effect on what we get up to. The blog is a great way for us to keep in touch with other really admirable creative people. We do Craftwerk in Auckland, and recently Craft2.0 in Wellington, and the blog has allowed us to stay in contact with the other stall holders and people interested in our goodies. We once did a post about a great UK designer, Katherine Pont, and she got hold of us to say thank you and we’ve since become good ‘e-friends’. We are hoping to work together on a project or two in the future, so we can thank the blog for that!
“Prioritise. Take your time. And always put lemon juice (lots of it) in your risotto.�
World Sweet World: Issue #03 45 STORY TIME: KIWI BLOGLAND
Is there a business aspect to your blog? We have a little label
called ‘Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts’ which originated as a stall at Rosemary’s mum’s school fair. We mainly make jewellery but are beginning to delve into other areas too.
What is your blog about? Me! Us! Usually making, shopping,
eating. And of course family adventures – whether we’re moving country or going for a walk on Cheltenham Beach or Hampstead Heath. I’m endeavouring to put down more childhood memories too. They’re a lot of fun. What is your creative work and what role does your blog play in it? My creative work is mainly sewing; bags and purses and
little girls’ clothes. I also make skincare with gem essences and a sprinkling of magic. Fairy sprays and magic potions are next. I’m a photographer and web designer too. And I’m learning to knit! My blog and sewing really go hand in hand. I’ve met so many amazing craftspeople in blogland who are a constant source of inspiration and encouragement. It’s a very nice place to hang out and share ideas and make some lifelong friends along the way. How do you balance your family life, creative work, and blogging? Sometimes I wonder that myself! The best thing to
do when it all gets too much is to remove an activity. So I’ve shut the shop, and my website, Lovely NZ, is on hold leaving me to concentrate on learning to knit, writing interesting blog posts, taking photos for 44 times two (my other blog), and having fun in London with Kevin and our daughter Astrid. Any tips for the busy modern crafter? Prioritise. Take your time. And always put lemon juice (lots of it) in your risotto. Kimberlee Munn is an illustrator and crafter living in Auckland. Of her Minnesota childhood she absurdly claims “If you put your ear to my ear, you can still hear the whispering of prairie grasses.” She likes hand making collage worlds, drawing with office supplies, collecting vintage books, and building armies of stuffed rabbit toys. Find Kimberlee’s illustration at www.kimberleemunnillustration.co.nz and her craft at anemonecrafts.blogspot.com.
Top: Lies from anemonecrafts. Below: Charlotte from anknelandburblets. Opposite: Olivia from lilysmakebelieve
Charlotte » www.anknelandburblets.com
PHOTO BY KATE MACPHERSON
Drawing controversy By Johanna Knox
C
hildren’s picture book creators have a long history of exploring environmental concerns through the combined power of art and words – Dr Seuss being the classic example. Author-illustrator Ruth Paul is one of several continuing the tradition on New Zealand shores, and her newest book, Superpotamus, heralds the arrival of a somewhat hapless environmental superhero. But environmental issues can be as finely shaded as Ruth’s luminous illustrations… Earlier this year her picture book, The King’s Bubbles, (about an autocratic ruler who tries to keep bubbles in captivity) won the NZ Post Children’s Choice Award. On accepting the award, Ruth revealed that she’d written parts of it while sitting through a 6-week-long Environment Court hearing, where she was one of those appealing against the approval of Project Westwind, a wind farm near Makara, on Wellington’s southwest coast, where she lives. Ruth acknowledges that wind farms present complex and difficult issues – issues that increasing numbers of New Zealand communities will be grappling with in years to come. Wind power is good, right? And yet, once a proposal is on the table, those who live close by quickly grasp that there may be disturbing ramifications for their communities. Ruth gave me her personal – and artistic – take on the problem.
48 World Sweet World: Issue #03
PHOTO BY KATE MACPHERSON
STORY TIME: DRAWING CONTROVERSY
Is there a direct link between the ethical ideas embodied in The King’s Bubbles and the wind farm issue – or is it more oblique? Way more oblique. The ‘letting
them be’ thing at the end of the book is about appreciating beauty in the moment, and I think that was something I was trying to make myself understand. Going through a long process such as the Makara wind farm consent was very taxing on the community, and involved lots of meetings, time, research, legal and financial decisions, arguments, politics, etc. People were, and are, really worried about the loss of something they love, so there was also sadness and fear. I guess I was thinking about not letting all that, and the general busyness of life, obscure the moments of pleasure that are constantly around you. Isn’t there some way to have more wind power in this country but also preserve people and communities? I would hope so. Makara is a first experiment in terms
of proximity of such large turbines to a community, so let’s see what happens. I think much more negotiation could go on with residents at an early stage to shape projects that are acceptable to communities, with those most affected offered compensation ‘deals’ to ease their potential losses. But it’s thanks to the Resource Management Act that locals get a say in the application for a wind farm at all. In previous ‘Think Big’ days that didn’t happen. What personal conflicts did you deal with during the hearing process? I have
never quietly flip-flopped on an issue as much as this one – one day thinking how much I hate the powers that be for imposing something on me that is all to do with greenwash, big business and corporate profit; the next, thinking I really am on the wrong side of an environmental necessity and should just shut up and put up. Maybe there’s no easy answer.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 49 STORY TIME: DRAWING CONTROVERSY
NZ picture books for sustainability (a by-no-means-comprehensive list) SUPERPOTAMUS » Ruth Paul: rubbish and waste OUT OF THE EGG » Tina Matthews: consumerism, environmentalism, and kindness THE THREE FISHING BROTHERS GRUFF » Ben Galbraith: overfishing MANGROVE » Glenda Kane and Lisa Allen: the fragility of ecosystems OLD BLUE » Don Merton and Mary Taylor: saving the rarest bird in the world THE KORUA AND THE MAURI STONE » Robyn Kahukiwa: reforestation KORO’S MEDICINE » Melanie Drewery and Sabrina Malcolm: the medicinal importance of native plants TAHU, RA AND THE TANIWHA » Peter Gossage: sewage pollution THE HUTU AND KAWA SERIES » Avis Acres: gentle eco-wisdom from the 1950s
We went to the Environment Court and, with the help of an active and informed community, got rid of six large turbines around our property. So that makes me ‘anti-wind’ to some onlookers. However, we live off the grid and have our own small wind turbine. I will still see from my front door big bits of 3 or 4 more turbines at close range. I figure I will try to live with this as my part of the deal towards renewable energy. The fat lady (or should that be the tall lady) hasn’t sung yet, but I imagine there are worse neighbours one could have. What do you think are the main issues that New Zealanders need to think about to do with wind power? It’s true that wind power is and will be ‘part of the mix of
our energy future’… What we need to think about is how much inconvenience to the untouched land, or to people, it is worth. I cannot believe that some ignorant people have bought the idea that nuclear power is a suitable alternative to wind in New Zealand. Excuse me, but 100,000 years to get rid of spent fuel, not to mention the great reliability of human error, commits somewhat more future generations to a major problem than wind power does. How did you manage to work on a book during an Environment Court hearing anyway? Mainly writing rhymes, just a way of filling in empty space, like having
knitting, but not so obvious to the outsider. You can go over lines in your head without appearing to be doing something else. It kept me looking deeply intent when hearing about chemical flocculation for the thirteenth time… although it does become a little obvious when you focus hypnotically on someone’s foot and start mouthing ‘left… heft… bereft…’ Turn the page for a quick run-down of the pros and cons of wind power.
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World Sweet World: Issue #03 51 STORY TIME: DRAWING CONTROVERSY
Balancing needs: Wind power is probably one of the best renewable power options for New Zealand, but as it is developed, communities must be looked after. Ways to do this may involve looking more closely at turbine design and location, and compensating those affected by wind farms.
THE GREATER GOOD • Wind is a renewable resource. • New Zealand has a relatively good wind resource – i.e. we have plenty of places where the wind blows hard enough and regularly enough to generate power from it. • Wind power works particularly well in combination with hydro-power – and New Zealand already has a lot of that.
THE COMMUNITY IMPACT • Wind turbines create continual noise and vibration, which can be very disturbing to people living close by. Some of the sound is infra-sound – below the human hearing range. A growing body of evidence indicates that ongoing exposure to infra-sound causes health and psychological issues. • Depending on their angle, turning turbine blades may create shadow-flicker – a constant flicker passing across the vision of those nearby. Okay if you’re visiting. Harder to live with. ILLUSTRATION BY REBECCA BOOTH
• Wind turbines are visually imposing structures. • A wind farm may take up to two years to build – the new roading and stream of trucks at all hours can disrupt sleep and local activity. Johanna Knox is a Wellington writer and sustainable food enthusiast. Solar cooking, wild food foraging, and making fermented foods are some of her favourite things to do. She’s involved with the Slow Food movement and Transition Towns, and she and her partner home-school their two children. She blogs about food at starcooked.blogspot.com.
Dying to be sustainable
By Andrew Hubbard
D
esign and sustainability are no less important in death than they are in life, for our legacy includes all of our footprints – the physical ones, our achievements and our ecological impact. This will be a controversial topic for many, but death is one of the few events that we all have in common. It is an event that we can shape, both by how we’d like to be remembered, and what we want to be remembered for having done.
54 World Sweet World: Issue #03 STORY TIME: DYING TO BE SUSTAINABLE
“Finding sustainable ways to live is like a rather large and spiky burr under our saddle, spurring many of us to new creative responses.”
World Sweet World: Issue #03 55 STORY TIME: DYING TO BE SUSTAINABLE
Death is not something we are very good at talking about in Western society. The black irreverence of programmes like Six Feet Under had an impact on bringing the discussion out into the open, but mostly we don’t think about the reality of it until it confronts us directly. This means we don’t think about issues like the total environmental impact of our lives, or how our funeral is going to look or feel - what we want people to take away from that last experience of us.
Everyone may get to make the choice only once, but like so many ecological choices, it’s at the cumulative level that the impact is felt. Annabel Youens had it spot on in her article in the Winter Edition of World Sweet World regarding the importance of product sustainability being comprehensive and long-term, not just a trend.
Led by organizations in the UK, such as the Natural Death Centre, a global movement is challenging us to consider the environmental impacts of burial and cremation. The Natural Burial area, which opened at Makara cemetery in Wellington this year, is a symbol of this.
Sustainability is a great complement, not a substitute, for good, attractive design. In order for sustainability to become entrenched – indeed to become mainstream – we need to incorporate sustainable materials and processes into the design and manufacturing chains without loss of features or aesthetics.
Though visible, this movement is still young and small. Most of the 30,000 New Zealanders that die every year are buried or cremated in coffins made of materials that do not burn or break down very cleanly. That is a large collective environmental impact that could easily be avoided.
Today’s consumers are accustomed to choice and personalisation in abundance. It’s no use asking them to be eco-friendly but then offering only the choice of worn-out old shapes made of corrugated cardboard, if we want to create change.
An eco-friendly coffin seems like such an obvious idea. After all, it is one of the few products made solely to dispose of. Over time, I’m convinced that low environmental impact will become the norm, if not a requirement for all funerals and coffins. Why shouldn’t it? It’s not difficult to use materials that biodegrade cleanly. What needs to change is simply attitudes. Don’t get me wrong - I don’t think that means that everyone should be buried in an old box from Pak’n’Save. People are unique, individual, thoughtful, complex and often creative human beings. Your funeral is the last moment people have a chance to learn something about you, and your final chance of expression. PHOTOS BY IAN ROBERTSON
and those who are buying their products, to sit up and take notice.
These are not things that traditional coffins convey. New espresso makers, toasters, hairdryers, washing machines – these things are delivered in boxes. I think human beings, especially the very young, deserve more empathy than the angular, hard, shiny box. Already, many manufacturers of other products have figured this out. It is time for the funeral industry,
The danger then is that notions of sustainability will be discarded like last-year’s fashion by consumers sick of feeling guilty and impatient for real and practical choices. And those lost are likely to be hard to win back, for the greatest story still loses its punch on the second reading. Last year I started practising what I was preaching and began working on creating coffins that were beautiful, contemporary, empathetic AND environmentally benign. I’m still surprised and pleased by the designs that emerged from that effort. Finding sustainable ways to live is like a rather large and spiky burr under our saddle, spurring many of us to new creative responses. My hope is it will take many of us way beyond the use of ecofriendliness as a trite and over-used marketing tool, and into the core of production and consumption, where it will really have an impact. In his largely non-existent spare time Andrew Hubbard indulges passions for motorcycles, woodworking, and a borderline-obsessive love of Americana music. Find out more about his coffins at www.tenderrest.co.nz
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Cutting it in Raglan J
ust over seven years ago, Jo Sweeney had a dream to shift somewhere beautiful, explore her creative side and be surrounded by like-minded people. After living in many different places around New Zealand and working lots of different jobs, she kept feeling a pull towards the beautiful seaside village of Raglan on the west coast of the North Island, close to her family in the Waikato. World Sweet World caught up with her over a cup of tea about starting a business, living in a creative mecca, and living your dream.
How’s life in Raglan treating you? After five years living there, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d want to base myself. I live in the hills of Te Mata, overlooking the stunning vista of Mount Karioi, Ruapuke Beach, Aotea Harbour, Taranaki on a clear day, the stunning Wai Reinga (Bridal Veil) Waterfall, and a valley of native bush and birds. I have a rooster called Rico and 2 chickens, Coco and Chickita, roaming free in the backyard, and a beautiful big studio, out of which I run my fashion accessories business. It has taken years of hard work and motivation to get this far, but now I can proudly say, “I’m living my dream”. What made you want to start your business? I have always been a creative soul and found my passion
for sewing at Intermediate when my teacher let me make my own hoodie because I found the toilet bag a little boring. I have had no formal training in fashion or business, so starting a business based solely on this passion was a challenge. I began by making some accessories in my living room and selling them at the Aotea Markets in Auckland. It was a good way to get feedback and get the ball rolling, as at that stage it was still a hobby and I had to work other jobs to pay the bills. Through the market I made some great connections with some funky shops who wanted to stock my work, but the world of business and wholesaling was a complete unknown to me.
PHOTO BY MARK PURDOM
With a little help from some older, wiser friends, I wrote a little business plan, got some product lines finalised and applied for a grant. I have now run my creative business for 4 years. What role does recycling play in your business? I design and make a range of cuffs, wallets, belts and
handbags made from lots of recycled materials. I use old clothing, curtains, upholstery fabrics, jewellery and whatever I can find, and re-create them into new pieces for people to enjoy. I am a magpie, I always have been and always will be. I fossick around op-shops and find beautiful things to bring back to my nest and then create new things from them. I have always lived quite consciously and thought about where my food, clothing and general household items have come from and where they’ll end up, so working with recycled materials was a really natural progression from that.
58 World Sweet World: Issue #03 STORY TIME: CUTTING IT IN RAGLAN
And you have the wholesaling thing figured out now? Yeah - I have great stockists. Part of my
belief in conscious living means that I also like to support other local businesses. I stock around 15 design stores in New Zealand, and I am quite selective at where I sell my work, choosing stockists that strongly support New Zealand handmade products and whose customers care about where their purchases are created. With so many little boutique businesses popping up, it’s a really exciting time to be part of the creative industry. Tell me about the collective you’re involved with. For the past 2 years I have been part of Jet
Collective in Raglan. The collective is made up of 6 artists and its direction is entirely run by the members. Everything in our shop is New Zealand made and that is something that we are very staunch about! I love the freedom Jet gives me to create what I want and to be experimental in my work - it’s a great little supportive family! Being part of the collective also gives me the excuse to dress up for one day a week, when I work in the shop. Having this connection with our customers is fantastic. We get lots of interesting people coming in from all over the country and the world. I love how art can get people thinking in a different way, especially when it is made from things that many people view as junk. We have clothing made from old blankets, bags made from old dresses, paintings on off-cuts of wood, wall pieces made from old aeroplane wings and scrap metal, jewellery made from old piano keys, biscuit tins, stamps, buttons; all amazing old things that creative hands have found and recreated into quality new pieces for people to love.
Recycling is such an iconic New Zealand art form, it’s something that many of our international customers notice and comment on. They love it! What’s so great about Raglan anyway?
Raglan has an amazing number of successful, self employed, creative people, and that really inspires me. The culture is a beautiful, mixed bag influenced by Maori culture, surfing, musicians and artists. We have a tiny population of around 3,000, but we have so much going on I don’t think we’re missing out on anything. In many ways people work together because it is so small. My heart often flutters at the thought of how many good hearted, supportive people I have around me here. As a community, we recycle 70% of our waste. All our cafés use fair trade coffee and we have had our Trade Aid shop for over 10 years, thanks to the late Eva Rickard. We have a local market for crafts and produce, and have groundwork in place for a community garden. Interesting and educational films play regularly at the Old School Art Centre. The amount of creative, vibrant people in town means that I can easily lose myself for a few hours going out to get a coffee and go to the post office. Friends often comment on how annoying I am to walk down the main street with, because I stop and talk to everyone! So what’s next for Ms Sweeney? I am fresh back from a New Zealand tour of visiting shops (and of course lots of op shopping - I managed to fill my friend’s car with suitcases overflowing with new fabric!). I’m ready to hide away and re-design a new line for the busy months while I ride out the slower winter months. Creative businesses can be feast or famine at times, but when you love what you do, and believe in what you’re doing, nothing can stop you.
A few people lately have told me that I inspire them, which makes me feel so happy. The thought that I can be an inspiration to others is such a huge reward. I am eternally grateful to be living in this land doing what I do. I say, just get out and live your dreams, whatever they are. Have a look at Jo Sweeney’s stuff online at www.jetcollective.co.nz
PHOTOS BY MARK PURDOM
As a community, we recycle 70% of our waste. All our cafés use fair trade coffee and we have had our Trade Aid shop for over 10 years, thanks to the late Eva Rickard.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 59 STORY TIME: CUTTING IT IN RAGLAN
Win this Jo Sweeney wallet and matching cuff, just by subscribing to WSW - more details on page 7
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Come and work with us! World Sweet World has hit the ground running. We’ve been blown away by how quickly you’ve all embraced us, and now we need a bit of extra help. We’re looking for an ad sales person to help us take making to the nation. If this sounds like you, (or your friend that you know would be perfect for the job), please email a copy of your CV to hannah@ worldsweetworld.com.
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62 World Sweet World: Issue #03 STORY TIME:
The Italian technique of lampworking involves heating rods of glass with a blowtorch, then winding the molten glass around metal tubes to form beads.
World Sweet World: Issue #03 63 STORY TIME: PLAYING WITH FIRE
Playing with fire By Isla Osborne
T
he annual Annie Rose Glass Bead Competition is the first New Zealand glass beadmaking competition. This past May was the competition’s second year, with the theme “Ancient Aotearoa”. It saw many exciting entries from both local and international artists. The tradition of glass beadmaking is an ancient one, with the first beads made by the Egyptians about 4,000 years ago. In the 13th century, the Venetians made great advances in glass bead manufacture, developing processes that are still in use today. The Italian technique of lampworking involves heating rods of glass with a blowtorch, then winding the molten glass around metal tubes to form beads. Each bead is made individually, decorated with pre-formed glass shapes or ‘painted’ with thin glass stringers, then coated with layers of clear glass. The creation of one single, complex bead can be time consuming and can take up to an hour. In the past ten years, a revolution has taken place in the international lampworking community; the tradition of ‘family taught’ beadmakers has given way to artists, leading the way for endless experimentation. In New Zealand, beadmakers are no small part of the global lampworking community, exhibiting and being recognized internationally for their work. Most of the participants in the bead competition are members of the New Zealand Glass Bead Artists (NZGBA). The NZGBA is a community of people who are passionate about playing with molten glass, making beads and fabulous jewellery - to find out more about the NZGBA, visit www.nzgba.org.nz.
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1 1ST PRIZE: LISA-JANE HARVEY, AUCKLAND Lisa-Jane combined various aspects of Ancient Aotearoa into a single bead. She thinks nature is the magnetic force that makes New Zealand so beautiful. ‘Once we were Nature’ is a structured totem bead dedicated to New Zealands’ native flora. A Pohutakawa flower, in the form of an encased implosion bead, is perched on top of the eye of Mother Nature, with the base of the totem reflective of the undergrowth. The totem is bound together by mighty vines and the Tea Tree flower. 2 2ND PRIZE: KAREN IRWIN, RUAKAKA ‘The anger of Ruamoko’ (Maori god of volcanos) is a perfect bicone, in deep red with several layers of dichroic and clear glass. Dots were layered over double-helix glass and raked to form flying lava bombs. 3 3RD PRIZE: ROBYN SHAW, TITAHI BAY Robyn’s bead, called ‘Maui’s Awakening I’, is lampworked with a pale blue background and textured fern shapes growing upwards. 4 INTERNATIONAL BEAD CATEGORY The international category was won by Sara Sally LaGrande of the United States for her lampworked bead, entitled ‘Three Tribes’. The decoration on this bicone bead is created from a textured layering of painterly decoration with three eyes at the centre of the bead. 5 KILN FORMED CATEGORY The winner of the kiln formed category was Isla Osborne, of Auckland. Her bead, Aroha, was made from frit, developed specifically for the project, and cast using the lost wax process. It depicts two Manaia, or spiritual guardians, forming a heart shape. The surface decoration on the form is based on carvings from store-houses in the Manawatu, where she was born. It signifies abundance – in this case, abundant love.
Isla Osborne is a jeweller, specialising in making glass beads. She uses traditional Italian lampworking techniques learnt in the UK. See more of her stuff at www.isla.co.nz.
PHOTOS OF WINNING BEADS BY ISLA OSBORNE
STORY TIME: PLAYING WITH FIRE
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IDEAS FOR SPRING
MAKING DOUGH PUT BREAD ON THE TABLE WITH JO SWEENEY’S EASY RECIPE
BURY ME IN GREEN TAKING CRADLE-TOCRADLE THINKING TO THE NEXT LEVEL
SEW THIS HOODIE
OUT OF A COUPLE OF T-SHIRTS