Christmas & New Year...

I will be having another Tea Cosy giveaway in January so please visit my blog again in the New Year for details.

I want to wish everyone a wonderful and relaxing Christmas and festive New Year and hope to see/read you and your comments again in 2010.

Thank you to everyone who has checked out my blog and offered comments and links during 2009, its so wonderful to be connected to so many amazing people all over the world!

Here is a wonderful treat to end the year on, I hope you enjoy it?!

News.......

I have some news....its quite BIG news for me too....
I found out a few weeks ago that I'm unexpectedly pregnant, which explains why I've had three months of feeling exhausted and sleeping all the time and nausea and particular cravings!!!
Its been a total shock, and yet I'm coming to terms with it all now and starting to feel excited about it now that the first three months are just over...

And anyway, I REALLY needed a huge break -after working for months and months every day & all day & usually most of the night too- an enforced break otherwise I was heading for a huge crash, emotional and physical, so I guess a pregnancy is the only thing that was going to stop me!

Out of my slower and calmer days I've managed to make a few things, not many, which is lovely really!
This tea cosy is inspired by one of my favourite French artists, Nathalie L'Ete book my parents brought back from Tokyo for me recently, called The A to Z of Nathalie L'Ete.

It will be on my Etsy store soon too.

Finally...I've made some new tea cosies to show off!

I finished these two coises yesterday and mailed them to my friend Monique Germon's new collaborative retail enterprise, POP-UP CO-OP which is open for one month in the town of Bowral, south of Sydney.

I've been wanting to try freehand machine embroidering in a more 'drawing-ly' manner, so I referenced a lovely Bennison linen printed Toile which has this Pagoda/pavilion building on it..and in my thread drawing on the tea cosy, I have stitched a sprouting tea plant in a pot, to symbolise the cycle of sustainable production, consumption and renewal which I always associate with tea drinking and gardening!





This is the other side of the cosy, where I embroidered the Chinese character for 'Tea' (courtesy of the internet....so please tell me if I've got it wrong?)


This cosy is a follow-on from all the Mexican Teaparty scarves I've been making. This cosy is a little more 'Spring-y' with the flowers on one side. I wanted the skull side to feel a little more Piratical and "You'll NEVER stop me drinking tea, nya ha haaaaaaaaaaa!!" ('til I die), etc etc....and I like my tea cosies to carry meaningful messages!

The Teacosy* Revolution supports World Habitat Day...

There is less than one week left before the first Monday in October which the United Nations has chosen to be World Habitat Day.

World Habitat Day is a day for everyone to stand up and let it be known that affordable, adequate housing should be a priority everywhere.

In the coming weeks there I will be offering a Teacosy* Revolution tea cosy for auction via this blog, to help raise money to donate to this project, so please stay tuned....

To view the World Habitat Day's press release please visit:
http://worldhabitatdaynews.com



And their website link is:
http://www.habitat.org

25 Lovely Tea Cosies To Make (or Cozies, if you like!) .

Courtesy of Meet Me At Mike's blogger Pip Lincoln there are some interesting links to share with you all for making fabulous Tea Cosies ...
:: 25 Lovely Tea Cosies To Make (or Cozies, if you like!) .

Happy browsing!!
Shared via AddThis

Nice gift idea

These boxed four cup teapots from Emma Bridgewater are very homely looking and a great gift idea.

They can be ordered online. I've purchased some of the Emma Brigewater tea-towels before and they're favourite items.

I'm just doing some shameless advertising here, as I'm always a fan of teapot vendors....though I do wish they had some really groovy designs that aren't so patriotic and British. We need some unpatriotic Australian Boxed Teapots...and cosies...

La Virgen de Regla Blanca

La Virgen de Regla Blanca
Originally uploaded by Louie.Nacorda@Cebu

I just found this on flickr and feel all tingly and inspired to re-start making very fancy and ornate tea cosies to hone in on the concept of the tea cosy as a domestic shrine to shared moments!

I love the halo on this Virgin Mary....

Father and daughter

Father and daughter
Originally uploaded by Claire Badcock

My mother took this 'portrait' of my father and I in my kitchen, through the mirror on the side of an antique set of American scales we have in our kitchen. Its a slightly spooky image of me in the old mirror and I love the overlaid texture....and Dad's expression, I can't remember what our conversation was about at the time....

There were cups of tea involved.....

Living Creatively online feature

Living Creatively is an online editorial showcasing textile exhibitions, events, contemporary craft, and all things groovy to do with stitching and is based in Australia.

This month's feature is on me and my tea cosies!

They've really done an amazing article and used loads of pics....
I'm very honoured!


This image is of 'Joce's Platypus Cosy' and a C.J. Denis book of Australian vernacular poetry at the Lone Pine Memorial site in Turkey, taken in 2005.

A very touching Greek short film...

What my friends are doing....

New addition to the teacup collection chez moi

I haven't been to any Op-Shops (Opportunity shops, like Oxfam or Emmaus in Europe), in Launceston for so many years...until last Thursday when I was looking for some old black wool felted hats that I can transform for my newest fashion collection, due to go on show in Melbourne at the end of August.

Instead of wool felt hats I found a Chinese enamel tin tray with stenciled flowers, some cast glass bowls with silver banded rims, and this really lovely little old teacup which has a great shape and very lovely blue grasses design in applied deckle on it, made in England. I guess its a 1940's style? (The tea cosy is one I got from the Cancer Council fundraiser tea cosy exhibition I had my cosies in at Bundoora Homestead near Melbourne last year).

Tea Bags!

I've recently been making tea themed purses for retailers and to take to market to sell...and jiggedy-jig the ones that came back are now posted on my Etsy store until the end of August.

I've made them all lovingly by hand and the images on each purse I have freehand machine embroidered and then added to with hand embroidered details in most cases. Each purse has a leather or heavy-duty and tactile (velvety), fabric backing, with cotton or linen lining. All the details are with the images on my Etsy Store in case anyone is interested?

There are more images of other purses and bags in this series on my flickr site too, for your viewing pleasure...

Now I have to make 20 tea cosies for an exhibition in Morpeth, New South Wales, for mid-August, as well as a clothing collection for the DEBUT exhibition at Melbourne's Fashion Exposed! Busy busy busy....
Never too busy for a cup of tea though!

Morning Tea with French macaroons

My sister Renee was on France recently for a figure (ice) skating competition near Grenoble (she came 5th and 6th for something...representing Australia!!)



So Renee came to visit when she got back from Europe and brought some Macaroons with her...the colours are surreal!!


Enjoyed with a nice cup of Mariage Freres Ceylan Tea...it was so lovely of Renee to bring these treats all the way back....

Current Exhibition

CRAFTY is an exhibition curated by Catherine Badcock and includes a tea cosy artwork of mine, recently posted on my blog.

I'll post images from the exhibition after this weekend.

Good Works-Habitat for Humanity, Zambia May 2009

An American friend and fellow Tea Cosy enthusiast, Elaine Vedette, just sent me the link to a project she's been working on and I wanted to share it with everyone, with the generosity of just a few people, it's a simple, practical solution for communities living with dangerous reptiles and insects (we can appreciate this in Australia too!)

I HAD to post these...Fujiya & Miyagi tribute...I'm so inspired!

I just found this animated clip on the delightful Meet Me At Mike's blogspot and that led me to the other two clips- equally fascinating and technically stunning...does anyone know if they're stop-animated or CGI?

The animations for this is amazing...though I'm not sure what the massacre of jungle animals is all about??!!


(And this is the Jaguar Commercial version!)


What you can do with domino and computer keyboard pieces...


This one is a cutie, lots of word-play...

Teapot Monument in the UK

Carole Miles in the UK has given me permission to post her photos of this Teapot Obelisk at Deene House which she took recently.
There is also more info about Deene Park here (click on the highlighted text).

What a fantastic idea! Carole said the obelisk was erected to celebrate the millennium and I really cannot think of a more peaceful and nourishing icon to honour in this way (I'm biased of course!)...at least its a symbol that everyone can identify with, rather than a huge bronze of some self-important person seeking representational immortality and only really know by a few! (I had Mariage Freres' French Breakfast Tea this morning and I'm feeling a little anti-bourgeois, even though Maison Mariage Freres is a modern bourgeois symbol!)



And a lovely detail of the teapot atop its perch!

Sublime Sublime Sublime...

I first saw this version of Alice in Wonderland on SBS (Australian) television over ten years ago and it's been firmly wedged in my mind ever since as one of the most profoundly inspiring animated films I've ever seen...Czech film-maker Jan Svankmajer is a genius!

I've posted a few sections of the film here...





And this section has the Mad Hatter's Tea Party in it...

The Battleship Potemkin, the real thing and an Italian parody...

I first saw a version of "Stick Figure Theater: Sergei Eisenstein's silent classic 'The Battleship Potemkin'," an animation in the early 1990's, and I loved it so much...I've tried to find it on youtube and online in general, and it seems to be deleted, or just not available to even add a link to, which is really sad.

'Stick Figure Theater' was part of Liquid Television, showcasing some really stunning hand drawn (stop-?)animation work, such as the seminal Aeon Flux and Speedbump the Roadkill Possum.
These two examples aren't everyone' cup of tea, so a general 'tasteless and potentially offensive' warning, if you're not a fan of animated violence and cartoon gruesomeness then perhaps don't watch these.









I think this classic film has come back to me now as I've just completed the rest of the 'Teacosy* Number (Untold number of deaths?); Journey through the debris of conflict Cosy', 2009 which now has a freehand machine embroidered tank on the other side of it.

Today's inspiration...

These amazing video art works:

World's biggest Tea Cosy!

A friend in the UK has just shown me this amazing project!

I have copied the article from the Watford Observer by Lester Wyatt here, posted on my birthday (Its a sign!!)
This is exactly what The Teacosy* Revolution is all about...the conversation around the teapot being meaningful and soothing for many....
Thanks for his link Sue!

BUPA CARE HOMES KNIT WORLD'S BIGGEST TEA COSY.

10:47am Thursday 16th April 2009

By Lester Wyatt »



BUPA care homes across Watford and Elstree have helped set a new Guinness World Record by knitting the world's biggest tea cosy to help raise awareness of loneliness concerning elderly people.

The world record is part of Bupa's communi-tea week taking place between April 20 and 26 and is seen as the perfect way to help tackle the issue of isolation and loneliness within old people. As part of communi-tea week and to celebrate the world record, the care homes are hosting afternoon tea parties and are inviting older people in their local communities to join them.

River Court Residential Nursing Home and Brunswick Court Care Centre in Watford and Hill House Care Centre and Elstree Lawns Specialist Nursing Home in Elstree are the Bupa Centres joined more than 300 Bupa care homes across the UK, Spain and New Zealand took part in the record attempt after urging communities to help by sending in their own knitted squares for the giant tea cosy.

Susan Kane, manager of River Court Home, said: "Not that we ever need to make an excuse to put the kettle on, but now we can raise our mugs in celebration of a great cause and a world record. Communi-tea week offers the perfect chance to help someone who maybe struggling on their own, so there will be plenty of tea and entertainment to welcome any new friends and faces."

This years communi-tea week will also see a record number of tea parties taking place across the country with thousands of residents inviting memebers of their community to join them.

Siobahn Drane, Bupa's community consultant, said: "A simple cup of tea could make all the difference to someone in need of support. We've got a huge variety of tea events planned, including tea dances and tea tasting sessions, so we hope many people can join us for what promises to be a very enjoyable week."

Today's inspiration...

Hargate High Tea

Last Tuesday my PR manager Elizabeth Sattler, jeweller Anita Dineen and I enjoyed a luxurious High Tea at Hargate House in Launceston.

Anita took these photos and has added her own special framing to each image!
She is also wearing a tea cosy I made for her and her husband, Luke, in 2002 as an engagement present. Its lovely to see the tea cosy getting out and about!

We can all recommend a Hargate High Tea, with petit four from TantPourTant Patisserie in Charles Street, Launceston.
And I can really recommend Anita's jewellery and Elizabeth's PR services too!

Tea with Friends...

I've decided to start featuring friends on this blog, and ask them to contribute images of their tea cosies, teapots, their most comfortable place to take tea...and any comments and information they would like to contribute.

This post is dedicated to the very talented Monique Germon and her new home in Bundanoon, NSW.


'Afternoon tea at my place consists of lighting the fire, making tea and either talking
to a friend or writing or reading a letter to/from one of my three pen pals;
Olga - an 89 year old Russian ex-mid wife, Sally - artist, writer & twin sister by fate
and Oliver - age 9 going on 29, residing in Stanley, Tasmania.'

A little background info on Monique:
Monique Germon is a hybrid artist-designer who works primarily under an idea-based practice of story-telling. This practice translates through photography, writing, design & installation often incorporating contradiction, irony and a tragicomic perspective. Her work nestles in amongst Humanist & Existentialist philosophies, mostly honing in on the constraints that accompany the prejudices of personal narratives. Monique currently lives & works between The Southern Highlands, Sydney (NSW) & Hobart (TAS).

Monique and I are in an exhibition titled 'Crafty', curated by Cat Badcock, which opens near the end of June 2009.

Monique also has a blog, Public Office where she investigates and expresses her passion for music, art, literature, correspondence, fashion and life, and the connections between these disciplines and a sense of place and geographical location.



I'm a huge fan of Monique's clothing also, and wear her divine antique mangle-cloth skirts based on Victorian-era work clothes...Monique's skirts are real treasures, total staples and I always feel great when I wear them!



The red knitted tea cosy was a gift I gave Monique after I had an exhibition in conjunction with Bundoora Homestead's Tea Cosy Exhibition and auction for the Cancer Council in 2008, and just seemed perfect for Monique's aesthetic...I'm glad it fits her teapot! It's so wonderful sharing the tea cosy love around...I can't wait to do another tea cosy giveaway!!

I had to post this too...

This animation is by a contact of mine in South Africa, the writer Bridget McNulty, its very cute!

Lovely Old Russian animation

I love the owl!

ANZAC Day, (Deloraine) Tasmania 2009

Today is the 25th of April and possibly one of the most important days of the year for Australians, especially in terms of patriotism and history.
Today is ANZAC Day.

As part of an exhibition curated by Cat Badcock (distant relation!), titled 'Crafty', showcasing the work of artists using craft techniques to social commentary and activism:

Brief Project Background:
"With the rise of revolutionary knitting circles, stitch ‘n’ bitch craft groups and
renegade craft fairs, there has been a significant rethink of craft as domestic
imprisonment. Craft is now synonymous with sustainability, a stance against
mass culture and consumerism.

Craftivism is formed on the belief that ‘each time you participate in craft you
are making a difference...whether it’s fighting against useless materialism or
making items for charity’.

Craft collectives hope to increase participation in craft activism by offering a
different approach from the often intense, and sometimes hostile, modes of
activism most commonly associated with social justice movements.

One of the main values that these groups pioneer is the fact that activism
doesn’t have to mean taking to the streets in loud and hostile actions, it could
be as simple as placing a craft object in an unusual space or simply the act of
crafting."
-Catherine Badcock, 2009

The piece I am contributing to this exhibition is based on a trip I made to Bosnia i Herzegovina in 2005, where I found myself confronted with the physical scars of warfare (people walking through the streets with missing limbs and visible scars), as well as the more overpowering emotional and psychological scars from the traumas of conflict.

This is a photo I took in Mostar, not far from the Croatian border, showing one of the many hand written signs with the legend "DONT FORGET"...



I've been doing some visual research today as I complete this tea cosy, 'Teacosy* Number (Untold number of deaths?); Journey through the debris of conflict Cosy', 2009.
This Youtube video I found has left me speechless with incredulity...it potentially explains why conflict in the Balkans is so prevalent and volatile... You can see more films of death, destruction and mass graves in Bosnia and Serbia on Youtube.

I know it doesn't make for comforting and genteel tea time conversation, however, as part of my commitment to encompass as many aspects as possible from society and the greater human experience, The Teacosy* Revolution does not shy away from gruesome topics, especially when I personally need to process some acquired trauma from one of the most geographically beautiful and historically strategic countries on earth.


'Teacosy* Number (Untold number of deaths?); Journey through the debris of conflict Cosy', 2009

With this tea cosy artwork, I am not taking sides, only depicting aspects of what actually exists in Bosnia i Herzegovina and the ongoing ethnic unease which is seemingly ever present- with three such dynamic cultures sharing the same borders, there are bound to be disputes unless there is the desire to collectively look outside those borders at the bigger picture, I believe.


'Teacosy* Number (Untold number of deaths?); Journey through the debris of conflict Cosy', 2009

I don't claim to have any solutions, nor do I know enough about the region and it's intricate cultural mix...which is why I continue to research and investigate...knowledge is a good way, I have found, to overcome, accept and work with the traumas I have experienced, and more importantly to find physical and creative ways of expressing the trauma. I am really surprised that its taken me nearly 4 years to come around to this experience, to revisit it and work through and with it...and I can confidently say that I want to go back to Bosnia and spend more time observing and experiencing the amazingly intense culture that exists there.


'Teacosy* Number (Untold number of deaths?); Journey through the debris of conflict Cosy', 2009

I wish I did have some answers and some practical solutions to avoid future atrocities in the world...I definitely think though, that ignorance is one of the most destructive qualities on the planet, and that we all have a responsibility to learn, teach, love and share with each other everything we know.
There are always positives, we just have to look for them.

In the mailbox today...

My lovely friends Gwena and John sent me a glorious birthday surprise from Newcastle (Australia).
Its a pair of cosies: a tea cosy and an egg cosy, from the 1930's, of hand embroidered linen, with a cotton filled lining inside both cosies.



The Cups That Cheers....what a sweet sentiment from my Grandmother's era...and something heartening to remember in these economically troubling times, when money really isn't everything, especially if one can still boil a kettle and make a pot of tea. Speaking of which...I must go and try this one out on my little 1910's teapot for one, while I sew some artwork for exhibition which has skulls and landmines embroidered on it...I need a cheerful cuppa!

Christmas present from my mum!

I love this little knitted cosy my mum made me for Christmas, the pattern is taken from 'Wild Tea Cosies' by Loani Prior.
It has a knitted and crocheted plate of 'sandwiches' on top, and they're so edible-looking, I love the feel of them!



My mother said she crocheted the 'lettuce' rather than knitting it, to get a more curly appearance! Its a double-thickness knit, so its a self-insulating cosy...and I've taken it on picnics to the beach and other people's gardens...