Bivouac is a seriously hot new venue on the Perth William Street strip. I was lucky enough to meet new owners Amanda & Anthony a few weeks ago, when they approached me about creating a yarn-inspired piece for their new canteen & bar. I was super excited to discover that the creation was to be a beard!! I am sure you have figured out by now that I have a fascination and passion for my facial-haired favourites, so this project is perrrrfect!
Bivouac beard outline
Amanda & Anthony provided me with an stencil for the beard on some ply (to give me the dimensions of the final mounting). And I have been crocheting like a eager beaver to get to happening! It is still in progress, but here is a sneak peek of where I am at.
My folks have been travelling around Italy and France for the last few months, and on their return they brought me back a few very thoughtful memoirs from their trip. I was so excited to unwrap the Italian newspaper and discover some handmade parisian felt & buttons from a haberdashery shop in Paris - what am I going to create with these!!! There is something about a little brown paper bag printed with French words containing small but precious items that just makes me sparkle with excitement!
I also am now the proud owner of a stunning silk cravat! Totally to die for & from Venice, no less! Now I just have to leave how to tie it! To top it off - a woollen beret of course! What excitement! I really is so special to get gifts from people that you love so much.
I have to admit, I am an avid etsy snoop. I love to look at gorgeous and inspiring things - handmade things. Things that make me smile and giggle with excitement! I love making a treasury list - here is my latest one. I called it Stitches of Splendid'. I am loving hand and machine embroidery, so I thought I would share some of current faves! If you want to see who made them, or add to your etsy favourites, the page is here.
I love to break the rules! I think it is because I was such a goody-two-shoes as a kid and never stepped out of line. I wanted to please people and do the right thing. These days I get a thrill of excitement when I experiment, go a little crazy, and break the rules!
I think that is the reason why I have developed a slight obsession, lately, with Chicks on Speed. Well, my first ever experience of them was about eight or nine years ago - at the Big Day Out - when I stumbled into a dark venue on my own, and there they were - in bright colours, with projections on the walls, using electronic sound equipment I dreamed of. They were awesome! I was a fan instantly! They were not - they are not - just musicians, or visual artists, they cross the boundaries of all cultural genres. The more I find out about them, the more I love them! (I am reading this book of their at the moment :))
One of the things that the Chicks create are objekt instruments. I love this. Especially there textile theremin (their electric guitar high heel shoes are also pretty cool!). I learned about the theremin at uni, studying contemporary music history and composition - whacky, but totally groovy. Not only did they make a theremin, but the 'objekt' that responds to their touch is this great tapestry created by the artists at the Victorian Tapestry Workshop.
This blog started out being all about yarn tagging. Then grew to include other textile crafts, then my passion for Community Cultural Development crept in. I have started to reveal little bits of myself, like my transgender identity. Here is something else that just has to burst out today - I love music, and sound art. I was trained as a musician and composer, and even though I don't create a lot of work in the sound/music realm these days, I have a big passion for sound, quirky performers, the classical/pop blur, sounds samples and loops. Here are two current discoveries that I have to include! Perfect listening for cool winter day :)
2CELLOS are Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hause. You can find more about them here. They do lots of pop covers - this version of Michael Jackson is totally top.
Kimbra has a magical voice, and I love her use of live sampling, and her choice of this Nina Simone number. She has a myspace page, if you are keen to hear more.
Bivouac is a seriously hot new venue on the Perth William Street strip. I was lucky enough to meet new owners Amanda & Anthony a few weeks ago, when they approached me about creating a yarn-inspired piece for their new canteen & bar. I was super excited to discover that the creation was to be a beard!! I am sure you have figured out by now that I have a fascination and passion for my facial-haired favourites, so this project is perrrrfect! 
