🎉 Welcome to the Most Creative Treasure Hunt in Town! 🎉
Sew-inspiring
Road Trip Idea – Visit Ararat’s Textile Art Museum
A 2 hour & 45 minute drive from Melbourne (or catch the train out via Ballarat!) you’ll find Ararat, a town that is part of Victoria’s Central Highlands. The Ararat TAMA (Textile Art Museum Australia) has been operating since 1968.
The dynamic growth in textile practice from the 1970s into the 1990s is reflected in a wide range of acquisitions including quilts, tapestries, baskets and embroideries, as well as experimental mixed media works that reflect the enthusiasm and optimism amongst textile artists during this period.
Ararat TAMA – araratgallerytama.com.au
Current exhibitions include;
The Lady Barbara Grimwade Collection
Barbara’s interest and appreciation for well-tailored clothing and fashion began during her school days and her early adulthood. As a young woman Barbara favoured Marlowe of Sydney, a designer who had studied in France and was highly proficient in haute couture. Following a move to Melbourne, Barbara was a dedicated patron of Arija Austin, the owner and designer of Tu in South Yarra. Following her death in March 1990, Barbara’s son Mr Angus K Grimwade generously donated over 400 items from her wardrobe to Ararat Gallery, including clothing, hats, handbags, shoes and assorted accessories of gloves, belts and scarves.
Runs Until Sunday 19th March 2023
FREE
A tribute exhibition to local artist Carole Mules
Carole Mules (nee Anderson) was born in 1946, after studying art and teaching at the School of Mines in Ballarat, Carole moved to Melbourne to raise a family where she developed her interest in photography, textiles and ceramics. Carole created a rich pallet of textures and colours using combinations of contact printing with native plants and found objects, freehand machine stitching, hand stitching, cut and collage, floral resist, and tying and folding fabric. Carole passed away in September 2021.
Runs until Sunday 19th March 2023
FREE
Notions of Care
Notions of Care explores the ways in which art and nurture are interlinked. Through the works of Arini Byng, Snapcat, Polly Stanton, Kate Tucker and Katie West, ways of caring are unfolded, cultivated, and enforced. The exhibition asks questions about the ways that art can care for both viewers and artists. Throughout the exhibition, care is explored through a variety of means. From soft sculptural forms, bodily interrelations, field recordings and the scent of local flora, the exhibition welcomes a personal and intimate reverence of calm.
Runs until Sunday 26th February 2023
FREE
Workshops making ideal gifts
Want to make all your gifts this year? Looking for creative gift giving inspiration? Checkout these workshops with projects ideal for giving to friends and loved ones.
The pleasant findings from our online workshops:
As we run more an more online workshops and private lessons, we are finding that there a lot of pleasant advantages to this delivery mode and we wanted to share them with you.
You can learn in the comfort of your own home, we’ve had students snuggled up on the couch, professionally setup at their work from home desks, cleverly tucked away in their crafting corner or bolstered by pillows in their comfy beds!
Tardiness is avoided because you don’t have to plan your public transport trip, or juggle travel time and parking, then finding the venue. It’s never been easier to avoid being late to class.
While we’re all further apart, this delivery method means we’ve never been closer! By using multiple cameras you get to see what your teacher is doing in different ways. See your teacher like she’s at your kitchen table, or view what she’s doing as if you were peering right over their shoulder.
You can access new support, you still have your detailed handouts and we’re adding more video references on YouTube. During class we can share more references during discussions.
With our teacher and host model for workshops it’s focused and allows you to engage with teachers and the other participants. We have a host who liaises throughout the class via the chat, relaying questions without interrupting the teacher’s audio.
How to Copy a Garment You Love
Yifen recently took part in one of the most popular short courses we offer – the two day course: How to Copy a Garment You Love.
Over a total of 12 hours; students learn how to assess their original garment to draft a pattern off it – without having to pull the original garment apart! The second component of the course is having students make a toile of their pattern so that we can test the pattern that has been created and make any adjustments or corrections to pattern. This short course is a great introduction to pattern drafting.
In the August 2019 course, Yifen copied a fun party dress that featured angled seams, ruffles and gathering (no easy feat for the copying process) and we are so proud of her results! Yifen only learnt to sew this year in our Sewing Basics for Beginners 3 Week Course. She has achieved an amazing result with her copied dress – we love it more than the original! Plus she now has a pattern for her favourite dress and can create many different versions. We hope they all bring her as much joy as the fabulous zig zag version.
#MakeYourStash
If you have one, you probably lie about how big it is…
Your fabric stash.
I heard about a sewing enthusiast recently who only buys fabric for a project. She makes that project and only then buys fabric when she has the next project planned and ready to start. I was seriously impressed – that is incredible will power! I am obviously not like that…
So, as soon as I saw this campaign I loved it. I am just as guilty as the next Fabricophile of having a huge fabric stash.
#MakeYourStash
In its 2nd year the challenge is: to make garment(s) that we will love and wear, using fabric that has been in the stash for more than 6 months.
Changing the way we think about consuming fashion, wearing fashion, making fashion and wasting fashion.
We’ve come to the close of the annual #whomademyclothes campaign, it starts each year on the anniversary of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsing.
On 24 April 2013, 1,138 people died and another 2,500 were injured, making it the fourth largest industrial disaster in history… Thats when Fashion Revolution started. The #whomademyclothes campaign in April every year works to highlight transparency in the fashion industry.
#MeMadeMay
2019 is the TENTH year of the #MeMadeMay challenge. It is all about building your relationship with your handmade wardrobe.
To take part, make a pledge to wear the garments you made yourself more and/or in different ways. Then you showcase it throughout May. By the end of May, you will have learnt a whole load about yourself, your style, how you feel about your wardrobe, and how best to spend your clothes-making time going forwards.
To take part, make a pledge to wear the garments you made yourself more and/or in different ways. Then you showcase it throughout May. By the end of May, you will have learnt a whole load about yourself, your style, how you feel about your wardrobe, and how best to spend your clothes-making time going forwards.To officially set your pledge, click the logo and visit So,Zo the creator of #MeMadeMay.
To Celebrate Thread Den is discounting selected classes in May to get you sewing more!
Join the Fashion Revolution
On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed. 1,138 people died and another 2,500 were injured, making it the fourth largest industrial disaster in history. Thats when Fashion Revolution started.
A local friend’s goal to buy nothing new this year.
Make Mend Swap is a Melbournite trying to dress in style while not buying any new clothes for a year. The blog is an inspiration for the rest of us to do what we can and maybe give it a go ourselves.
I am scared of doing this for a whole year though. No new clothes for a whole year. I did make some concessions though. I can buy second hand, within reason, but mostly swap, sew, mend or modify what I already have.
Check out the challenge and how it is succeeding – click here.