Category: Craft

  • Online learning

    There are plenty of online resources that bring together lots of different subjects to learn about. Most of us like to learn something new and sometimes it seems like there isn’t enough time to go to a regular class. This is where websites like Coursera or Domestika can help. You can sign up to lots…

  • Cranbrook Art Museum

    The magic power that art has to bring people together was in evidence this week in the studio in Greymouth. The textile studio in Māwhera Greymouth might seem to be a little incongruous. After all, the West Coast of Aotearoa New Zealand is not particularly noted for its textiles, relying instead on the beautiful scenery…

  • Ancient textiles of Peru

    Peruvian textiles have a long and rich history, one that continues today. This article from 1920 comes from The Museum Journal, a publication that was produced by Penn Museum from 1910 to 1935, and it reveals the understanding of Peruvian textiles in the early Twentieth Century. Anni Albers, the famous Bauhaus weaver and artist, credited…

  • Smarthistory

    The Center for Public Art History, Smarthistory, is an amazing resource for anyone interested in art and culture. Smarthistory was founded by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, both art historians, in 2005. Their aim was to bring the fascinating histories of art to a wider audience and today there are more than 800…

  • The weave studio in Greymouth

    Recently a journalist visited the studio in Greymouth and this article has just appeared in The Press, a Christchurch Ōtautahi newspaper. It is great publicity to have something like this appear so early on in the studio’s life. Thanks to everyone who has commented and called to send congratulations, and of course to Joanne who…

  • Weaving classes

    Last weekend was the first Beginner Weaving class at the studio in Māwhera Greymouth. This three hour session is going to be run three times a year – the next date is 11th April – and is an introduction to weaving using pre-warped looms and a simple set of instructions. There are only five places…

  • Haptic and Hue

    If you enjoy podcasts and love textiles, Haptic and Hue have a surprise in store. Haptic & Hue has just celebrated its 5th birthday. The series “explores the creation of fabrics and the stories that lie behind them” in stories and audio, and if you become a member there are additional benefits. This month, for…

  • Britta Marakatt-Labba

    The Swedish mixed-media artist, Britta Marakatt-Labba, uses textiles to comment on pressing issues such as climate change, land use and her native Sámi heritage. In these works embroidery takes its place alongside other techniques and media to create pieces that tell stories. In the 1970 and ’80s a proposal for the construction of a dam…

  • Bamboo sculpture

    The versatility of bamboo extends to sculpture. Bamboo is strong yet pliable and it lends itself to all sorts of activities including sculpture. Thanks to a friend of the blog who sent this link in to share.

  • An ancient war cloak returns home

    This week a pauku, a Māori cloak that was designed to be worn during warfare, was unveiled in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau after being rediscovered in Durham University’s Oriental Museum in England. The pauku was designed for strength with lightness, a very desirable quality when fighting, and its complex structure of tightly woven whatu aho pātahi,…