Local sustainability talks and Garden Wedding dress update

 Local followers of my blog may be interested to know I've been invited back by the Upper Hunter Shire Council to give another talk for World Sustainability Day, as I did last year too. I'll be talking about why I base my art practise on principles of environmental sustainability, especially in regard to upcycling clothes and textiles. The talk will last about 10-15 minutes then I'll show and discuss some my latest upcycled fabrics and clothing and answer any questions people want to ask me. 

It would be wonderful to meet any of you in person if you were close enough to come along.

This picture of the promo poster advertises the other speakers and what their specific topic will cover. Our first event is at Murrurundi Library on Monday June 5th next week. Then we will bring the discussion to other public libraries of these other Hunter Valley towns on additional dates -

Wednesday 7 June:      Scone and Aberdeen

Wednesday 21 June:   Merriwa and Cassilis.

Meantime....back to labouring on the farm...I did a lot of work yesterday on the garment I'm making for  the Australian Wearable Art Festival - despite Lulus best efforts to peck everything apart!

Its gotten to the stage where I was able to pin it to one of my dress forms with stiffening inserted at the hemline to make the front, back and sides stand out rigidly so that the sculptural form I had visualised in the original concept is getting closer to being realised.

My apprentice is totally a Galah

My husband and I love birds and keep 14 of them as pets.

Lucy Lou, is an Australian native parrot that we call a Galah. Americans usually refer to her species as a Pink Breasted Cockatoo. Galahs are numerous in Australia and as I live in a rural area there are literally flocks of them in my yard most days. Along with King Parrots, Rosellas and all sorts of adorable little finches.

We've had Lulu for nearly a year, since she was about 6 weeks hatched (when we first got her I had to hand feed her liquid formula) and she is extremely tame. Lulu, and another one of our parrots, Rozita, who is an Eclectus female, live freely in our house and have never been caged.

Lulu interacts with us during the day as we go about doing things in our house. She absolutely loves beads and textile art. She is so naughty I literally can't do any beading or stitching with her in the room as she will want to take the scissors or needles out of my fingers. She will bite, screech and fight to take fabric, beads and needles off me. To get any textile art done without harassment I have to shut her in the conservatory or leave the house altogether and go to my studio to get any hands on work done.

This morning I made this video of Lulu playing around on my part made garment for the Australian Wearable Art Festival which is hanging in my lounge room.