Tales from the Travelling Tea Cosy

Another Musical favourite

2011-08-08T06:11:00.000-07:00

I'm so besotted with this song and the film clip is stunning....brought to you by the fabulousness that is Gotye, collaborating with Kimbra.

Currently Listening to......

2011-07-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

I love the song by Seeker Lover Keeper and Aden Young is quite incredible in this video clip...
So many complicated emotions coursing through his face and body [language]...
I think its the most entrancing interpretation of Female Experience I've ever seen expressed by a man...
And what a gorgeous man!

Back in the Tea Cosy making saddle!

2011-07-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

I've finally completed this tea cosy for an Opera singing friend who luckily loves pretty pink-ish things! I've had so much fun making this cosy, using blocks I cut for the second collection of home-wares I created for STORY online store, adding extra blocks and hand & freehand machine embroidered text that reads continuously "Home is where the heart is there's no place like Home".

These first two photos show the two largest sides and the following two images show the short ends...

I haven't stitched anything into the edges to add support, its just the thickness of all the fabrics and wool inter-lining that give structure when stitched right through. Its a very 'rustic' house shape and I love that its very personal and wonky...as if the inside furnishings of the house have turned themselves to the exterior of the house!

Nice detail of a pompom tassle....

Detail of hand embroidered text...

I love this photo, the shadow the cosy has made is really nice...

I think a tea cosy ought to have a 'body' and a personality to make it special. This is what I'm always hoping to achieve whenever I make a cosy. Its a way of endearing such an object to a person, especially if that person has no real love for things like tea cosies (This Opera singing friend has a passion for them too, so I have no concerns there!)- in my attempt to make tea cosies part of a person's everyday life in a meaningful way, I invest a lot of humour, humility, grace, fortitude & warmth into each cosy I create...I hope they bring joy and long-lasting pleasure!

If you're Passing by....?

2011-06-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted anything and I haven't been making any tea cosies for a little while- the demands of motherhood and orders for bags and cushions have been taking up much of my time...as well as getting out in the fresh winter air and watching the trees change colour and leaves fall (my son Felix's favourite thing to do even though he cannot walk without holding my hands is to trot through the fallen leaves and kick them about, cackling and giggling all the time!! Its Very Cute!)

I'm currently finishing off three new tea cosies for private orders and it feels good to be back in the Land of all things Tea!

So while I stitch away on the cosies during any available moment I wanted to also post a call for the curious...

The fabulous online gallery/store I supply with work, STORY, is trying to get 1000 'Likes' on Facebook and so I thought I'd do my best to help out and spread the word.
If you would like to check out the lovely works on the website, and then mosey on over to their Facebook Page to hit the 'Like' button, they'll be very grateful for your interest and support.
And please feel free to pass on the link also and help STORY reach a wider audience.

STORY is offering a small thank you treat to those of us who spread the word too!

Tea Cosy Exhibition and Fundraiser for the Cancer Council at Bundoora

2011-03-22T03:47:00.000-07:00

The deadline is in April, so hopefully there's enough time to spread the word and get you all making and donating?! Hopefully I'll get one or two cosies finished in time....

Help Japan by donating to the Japan Red Cross

2011-03-22T03:37:00.000-07:00

Details on how to donate click here

STORY online store is now open for business!

2011-01-20T22:36:00.000-08:00

Drum-roll please!!!

Monique Germon's new and elegant online store called STORY is now up and running and features a collection I've designed and hand made for her including these cushions and the two tea cosies I posted images of here previously.

Monique's philosophy is so down-to-earth and centered on integrity and beauty and she generously offers free postage within Australia for any purchases and includes a packet of Green Patch seeds with every parcel! What a lovely thing to do! (International postage rates are calculated at time of purchase/checkout...so wherever you are in the world you can enjoy STORY too)

I'm so in love with Monique's shimmery Emilia Earhart collar and look forward to being one of her first customers myself...it'll be perfect to wear to my sister's wedding next week!

Here is some information from the source:

"S T O R Y is the curation of ideas through product, word & the exploration of a new kind of narrative.

We take pleasure in exhibiting the work of individuals who make a significant contribution through the production of exceptional art & design.

We also take great pleasure in exhibiting the brands of like-minded others that produce items that transcend conventional market standards.

S T O R Y reveres authenticity above all & pays homage to this as a style unto itself. In other words, were born rural and remain so.

Most importantly, we honour the act of storytelling as an art form.

M O N I Q U E G E R M O N
P R O P R I E T O R / C R E A T I V E D I R E C T O R"

And the practical info:
W W W . S T O R Y - T H E S T O R E . C O M
Site link: http://story-thestore.com/

Facebook Link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Story/152910184735457

Twitter Link: http://twitter.com/#!/storythestore

SUMMER BUSINESS HOURS
Phone/email communications & mail outs / Tuesday - Thursday 11 - 5pm
ALL INTERNET TRADE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS a day / 7 DAYS a week

The STORY story continues....

2010-12-29T03:40:00.000-08:00

This is the second tea cosy I've made for my wonderful friend Monique Germon's new online store called STORY, which is planned to launch in early January. Its part of a collection of two tea cosies and four cushions, made-to-order (there are a couple of each piece in stock already).
This image shows the inside of this cosy which I've lined with delicious hand printed Pippijoe of Melbourne hemp fabric, called 'Buds'.

A few details....hand embroidered text on vintage linen mangle cloth....

Duchess silk satin 'finial' and binding...

The teapot is stitched and appliqued hemp denim...

The 'front' of the cosy, which is a made-to-order piece.
If you'd like to know when STORY is online and live, please sign up for emailed notification on the STORY website.

HIGH TEA exhibition at Bundoora Homestead Art Centre

2010-12-03T04:42:00.000-08:00

With the help of my fabulous mother, Claire Badcock, my partner Rainier and my very well behaved and patient little 5 month old son Felix.....I have finally finished the five tea cosies for the exhibition at Bundoora Homestead Art Centre which opened tonight...

Voila, a few pics of the finished tea cosies and if you'd like to see more please check out this collection on my flickr site.

Antique Tea Tin find

2010-10-05T02:34:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a lovely blog I read often, Dill & Parsley, and a post showing a beautiful old Australian tea tin found by the side of the road, I'm inspired to share photos of my old tea tin too (thanks PK!)

I found this lovely old tea tin in a local Antique Bookstore in Deloraine a while ago and kept meaning to post images of it here. It must be depicting the Boer War or something from the 1890's, given the style of dress worn by the wife who is waiting patiently and hopefully at 'home' for her dashing soldier husband to return.

There are no brand names or any other text on the tin, so no tea company to link it to...

Its currently keeping my other tea tins company!

WORLD HABITAT DAY is Today!

2010-10-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, It's here again and I've been asked to post info about it, so hopefully we can all help in some way, whenever we can?
I'll just post the message I received as my lactating-mother-brain finds anything else a little complicated!!
I will post a video from the website here too.

"On Oct. 4, Habitat for Humanity will join efforts around the world to mark World Habitat Day - a day the United Nations has set aside to call attention to the dire need for affordable, adequate housing. I'm reaching out to ask if you and your readers would help raise awareness about the global need for decent housing by posting about it on The Teacosy Revolution. I've put together a microsite with facts, videos, photos, banners and even a way to submit your own photo to the World Habitat Day Photo Wall, so please feel free to repost any of it:

http://worldhabitatdaynews.org

If you are able to post about this, it would really help spread the message of the housing need around the world and ways to help improve many lives. Please let me know if you have any questions and if you are able to help. Thank you so much."

The Concise Dictoinary of Dress trailer...

2010-09-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

Luscious viewing...

The Teacosy* Revolution prepares to show itself in Melbourne

2010-09-20T03:46:00.000-07:00

The exhibition at the start of December and hosted by Bundoora Homestead Art Centre is called HIGH TEA and this cosy is one of five I'm making for the show.

This tea cosy is called Teacosy* Number 31; Partido de te Sagrado del Madonna (Death & the Maiden) Cosy, and I've applied Aluminium Epoxy paint to a collection of vintage doylies and lace to recreate the silver effect from the Mexican Religeous Icon which is the inspiration for this piece.

A detail showing the fabric pens I used on white leather to draw images I don't have time to embroider...

I'll post more information about the exhibition in a few more weeks.

It's Friday Afternoon and nearly Afternoon Tea time...

2010-09-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

Lovely Finnish animation

2010-09-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

Far From The Maddening Crowd....& back in my studio!

2010-09-10T01:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right....Felix is now 9.5 weeks old and a super baby who sleeps for 3 hour stretches and is glorious when he's awake....so when he sleeps I work (I know I ought to sleep/rest too, though I prefer to make the most of studio time while I can).

This post features a recent commission for my very dear friend and fabulously talented Monique Germon, who is launching an online store of beautiful handmade treasures, at the start of November this year....and lucky me, she wants my work too!

Her new business is called STORY and showcases a more mature, pared back and elegant aesthetic which is going to be really exciting for me to work with, a real change! Here are images of the STORY Flagship Cosy I've just finished for Monique, from the finished cosy back to its beginnings as a pile of fabrics...oh, and a photo of Felix and I taken yesterday (you can see Felix concentrating on the computer screen as the laptop's camera took the photo!).

And a detail...

Other side & detail...

The work in progress...

Laying out the cosy sides...

Choosing the fabrics...

The inspiration/reference images...

And this is us, Tara & Felix...

A bit of Willow Pattern fun...

2010-08-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a set of new tea cosies and doing a bit more research about the history of the Willow Pattern and story behind the legend.

I thought I'd share these two films with you, I especially LOVE the first one, the children's drawings animated are really great!

Let me introduce you...

2010-07-15T17:22:00.000-07:00

To our new little boy, Felix William Anatole Badcock-Howe, born on the 8th July just before tea time!

He lights up our lives every morning an is the most glorious child, we feel really blessed....and terribly in awe of what we've made together, Rainier & I!

Warmth & sunshine to you all! xxxxxx

Getting ready to go to hospital...

2010-07-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

And I remembered I wanted to find some music I love to play during labour...this one is making me cry too much (all those hormones!!), and I've always loved this video version made for SBS television in Australia...

These are the lyrics.
Sa ziza zecob dela dalou'a
Boralea'e borale mi komi oula
Etawuae'o ela'o coralia wu'aila
Ilei pandera zel e' tomu pere no mo mai
Alatawuan icas imani'u
Barletas e'e barkia'a
Pro'e lai e'le a pantou la'u
Ilei pandera zel e' tomu pere no mo mai
Sa ziza zecob dela dalou'a
Boralea'e borale mi komi oula
Alatawuan icas iwua'oula
Ilei pandera zel e' tomu pere no mo mai

Rose-Mount Tea Cosy, for my partner Rainier's parents.

2010-07-05T03:36:00.000-07:00

While I await the birth of my first child I'm doing whatever I feel like and taking a little break from some orders that are taking longer than I'd hoped to finish, to complete a few things that I started last year! In other words, I'm procrastinating a bit!!

This cosy I started last year for my partner Rainier's parents, who love green and have a wonderful garden and farm with some lovely bushland on it in Mole Creek, northern Tasmania. Their farm is called Rose-Mount which I've embroidered with the date of their house on one side...

And on the other side I've embroidered Rainier's parent's initials and some roses...

I'll post some pics of the cosy in the garden at Rose-Mount soon....I'm being induced tomorrow night so I won't be very talkative on this blog for a week or two after baby arrives, unless I'm blessed with some extraordinary quantity of energy and find myself still sewing tea cosies in between changing nappies, breast feeding and naps!?!

Thanks to everyone who checks out my blog and apologies that it hasn't been very interesting of late, I've been a bit preoccupied..... ;-)

Anatomy of a Tea Cosy commission, June 2010, FINITO!

2010-06-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I feel it's finished!

The sides are hand-stitched together with a double layer of back and overcast stitch (using upholstery weight Gutermann thread), before the silk binding is stitched around the edges as the final touch.

I've used Hemp denim as the lining as its nice and durable and can withstand tea stains, etc! So here are the images....

Anatomy of a Tea Cosy commission, June 2010, Stage 5 & 6

2010-06-19T00:31:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhh, finally I have been able to spend some really intensive 'quality time' on the cosy and we are now nearing the finish line, which will be later tonight!

So this is the Union Jack side of the cosy, with 1972 Mercedes chain stitched and satin stitched initials of the client's husband....

Then the HP sauce bottle and Bacon Buttie I applied as applique and embroidery above the car...I'm really chuffed with how the HP sauce bottle has turned out, I was really having difficulty finding a good way to do it without spending months hand embroidering all the details, so hopefully this is a successful and lively approach?!

And a close-up...

Now all I have to do is line, stitch and bind the edges of the cosy tonight and photograph it in the daylight tomorrow and show the client to make sure she's happy with the finished product.

I will update the images in the morning for your viewing pleasure!

Nothing to do with tea cosies....

2010-06-02T23:19:00.001-07:00

Though I cannot stop watching this animation (and taking heed of the message being promoted), and just thought I'd share it here...

Happy winter to all the Southern Hemisphere residents!!

Baby is due in less than three weeks and so I'm trying not to overdo things...

more tea cosy images coming very soon....

Autumn is here...

2010-05-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

And I've had baking urges which go very well with my newest tea acquisition from Madame Flavour, an Organic Mints Tisane – a pungent blend of organic Victorian Peppermint, Egyptian Spearmint, Australian Native Rivermint from Gippsland; and a touch of purple cornflower, which is amazingly refreshing and Rainier loves it too!!

To locate your nearest shop which stocks Madame Flavour teas, please click on this Store Finder, or check out her online boutique to order teas through.

Image of mint tea glasses we had in Paris in La Mosquee in 2008...drained of their delicious contents!
So, if you happen have quinces at your disposal at the moment then this is a great cake recipe that goes really well with the tea:

PEAR (or QUINCE) CAKE

Ingredients:

1 ripe large pear (or quince), peeled, quartered and sliced
250 grams (8 ounces) plain flour
220 grams (7 ounces) sugar (I used raw sugar which makes the cake get a yummy crust)
2 level teaspoons of baking powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs
250ml (8 fluid ounces) milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F)

In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder & salt.

In another bowl, beat the eggs and milk until well blended. Gradually add to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour the batter into a greased loaf tin (I made mine in a square cake tin). Add the pear (or quince) to the batter, pushing some of the pieces in with a toothpick.

Bake in the oven for about an hour or until the cake is light brown on top (and a skewer test of the cake comes out clean).

Remove from the oven and let the cake stand in the tin for 15 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

Serve with plenty of whipped cream (or ice cream as a dessert!)

Anatomy of a Tea Cosy commission, March, Stage 4

2010-05-01T03:39:00.000-07:00

After finishing all my work for Tiger & Peacock in North Fitzroy (Melbourne) a week and a half ago, I'm finally back onto this tea cosy commission and luckily the lovely client is very understanding and patient!

Today I finished the birds on this side of the cosy, ironed and photographed it to post here. Now I'm chain stitching the Mercedes car on the other side of the cosy and hope to get it all finished by Monday evening.

One very voluptuous embroidered peony...

Its very exciting getting close to finishing this cosy, I cannot wait to see how it looks once its all together!

Special call for help!

2010-04-04T22:43:00.001-07:00

Taking a break each afternoon from work sees me downstairs in my kitchen making pots of tea....this was yesterday with a pot of Madame Flavour Earl Grey tea with Australian Lemon Myrtle....and some Green & Blacks organic milk chocolate and locally-made shortbread that I buy from the small grocers down the street...supporting local businesses!

I also received an email 'call to tea-drinking arms' so I'm posting this on behalf of Corinne Noyes, the fabulous woman behind Australia's Madame Flavour Teas, a personal favourite of mine, in an effort to spread the word to support local/Australian (fair trade) business, please pass this message on to anyone you think is interested too, and help a great tea merchant stay alive and grow, and all before the 19th of April, eeeek!!!

Many thanks in advance...and this is what Corinne says:

"This morning I make my way to Fujian province to spend a week with our green and white tea growers discovering firsthand the tradition and wonderful variety of Chinese tea.

I am troubled though and writing to ask for your support.

You may have heard that the Woolworths/Safeway tea buyer recently left. Their entire range will now be reviewed with a view to deleting teas not selling enough according to their corporate requirements.

We have grown over 100%, but as a small business, Madame is vulnerable.

On the 19th of April, I have a meeting with the new buyers to present our wonderful teas and the difference they make.

Between now and then, I ask that you show your love of Madame Flavour by; no other way to put it: buying and spreading the word as you never have before.

To thank you for your continued support, I am excited to invite 10 Kindred Spirits to High Tea at The Hotel Windsor in Melbourne. To join me, I ask that you mail me your Madame Flavour buying and spreading the word story of 25 words or less. I will chose the winners May 30th and publish them and the High Tea date in my next newsletter.

This could make all the difference in the wonderful story we have to tell when we look back 20 years from now at these early days.

Thank-you for your passion and generosity in our shared adventure. I will let you know how I go.

Kindest Regards
Corinne - owner and founder"
FACEBOOK PAGE, CLICK HERE!

So I raced to my local Woolworths, the only place in Deloraine where I can get Madame Flavour teas, and stocked up...here are some of my favourites, and the white tea with rose I bought directly from Madame Flavour and its THE most DIVINE tea (perfectly perfect with a light sponge cake!!)

Anatomy of a Tea Cosy commission, March, Stage 3

2010-04-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

I've freehand machine embroidered the outline of the peony flower, slightly different from the one on the previous cosy because I really like the shapes of the petals.
Now I'm working on the hand embroidered 'colouring-in' bits before I embroider the three blue wrens and the client's initials so this side will be done and I can get onto the other side.

Close-up of the stitching...

Anatomy of a Tea Cosy commission, March, Stage 2

2010-03-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

Last evening as I was stitching away on the other side of the cosy I had the uneasy feeling that something wasn't quite right...

And then this morning when I checked the instructions and ideas from the client I found I'd put the wrong purple silk on the cosy, and also on the cushions, so this morning I've been unpicking the cushions and re-stitching the correct purple silk, and with the cosy I've added the darker purple silk over the top of the paler purple to get it right.

I love that with textiles, its possible to layer and hide areas and thus create rich layers of built-up texture and weight...

So now I'm about to start freehand machine embroidering the Peony flower, to then be hand embroidered to 'colour' it in, and I'll add the three blue wren silhouettes which are to represent the client's three children, which I think is such a lovely metaphor!

The next images will be of this embroidery and I'll start the Mercedes car on the Union Jack side tomorrow morning....I still have to confirm with the client what sort of imagery will be above the car, as this piece is for the client's wedding anniversary and the Union Jack side reflects aspects of her English husband's personality and passions.

Anatomy of a Tea Cosy commission, March 2010

2010-03-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

I currently have a tea cosy and cushion commission for a client in Sydney and thought I would document the process, for a change!

So to start with, the cosy is based on one I've already made for friends, and this current cosy will have personalised changes to suit the client- a different car, birds instead of Coco the Wonderdog, etc...

So we begin, by pinning one side (and then giving it to my talented, able and obliging mother, Claire, to stitch down while I progress with a million other jobs and get to the involved embroidery stage, thanks so much mum!!)

New cushions for 'Hilbarn New Vintage' store in Tasmania

2010-03-23T00:19:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, talented journalist Hilary Burden, and her partner Barney have opened a lovely little country store called Hilbarn New vintage, at Karoola in Northern Tasmania...and she asked me to make her some cushions for the store (and a magazine feature! Yay, I hope these cushions work well for her and the photographer?!)

Hilbarn also has a fabulous Fresh Produce Delivery service in and around Launceston and this is something I feel passionately about....and just wish we lived a little closer to town to enjoy the benefits of this service (luckily we have productive vegetable gardens and fruit orchards at both our parent's places which we can raid regularly!).

Hand and freehand machine embroidery on silk, with jacquard woven hemp backing and Australian feather inserts, each cushion measures 60 x 30cm.

I'm really pleased with how the Peony Teapot cushion worked out...its quite hard to see this one go away, actually!

Teacup Beecup loveliness from Chile

2010-03-17T23:16:00.000-07:00

A friend just emailed a link to designer Mariana Tocornal's website where you can see these amazing and delicate Beecups and Teabag artworks...Happy perusing!

Alice in Wonderland is all the rage...again!

2010-03-14T23:33:00.000-07:00

My friend Cat-Rabbit has just shown me this amazing old version of Alice in Wonderland made in 1903...

Isn't it glorious?!! I love the Mad Hatter's tea party scene, with all the restored film scratches and jumpy frames!

Amazing Museum Tea cosy find....

2010-03-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I spent a very productive day with curator Elizabeth Adkins at Franklin House in Launceston, in Northern Tasmania.

We are working on an exhibition/collaboration about Tasmanian Women's underwear between 1820 (European settlement/Occupation), and 1930. Franklin House is a National Trust property which happily has a fabulous small collection of antique clothing which we spend 4 hours inspecting and documenting for specific items.

Our current working title for the exhibition project is 'Intimacy' & Elizabeth will be curating the exhibition, drawing on the collections of Tasmania's small museums, and writing the exhibition essay....and I will be responding to the collections we inspect as well as the general historical background and traditions associated with Women's Underwear in Australia and in particular, Tasmania. So I will create a body of embroidered textile artworks which reflect all our research and field trips to inspect collections.

So far Elizabeth and I have been to see and document the lovely collections at the Smithton Museum in North-West Tasmania, and now Franklin House near Launceston. We have a huge schedule of more road trips and will start a new blog about this exhibition project to share the exciting results with everyone who is interested!

During our inspection at Franklin House we found this magnificent treasure....a truly Majestic Tea Cosy of exciting proportions....and so interestingly made to resemble Peacock plumage to some extent. I was so excited about finding it that I HAD to share these pics....!

Also another blog that I love and want to share with you is Toronto based Flock of Teacosy. Check out Michaelle's lovely felted wool cosies.....I'm hoping my sister in Toronto can get me one for my birthday in April?!

Is there a magic formula for stretching days & making them longer....?

2010-03-12T03:10:00.000-08:00

I'm really itching to make another tea cosy, well, to finish another one.
I have four cut and pinned and in various stages of completion, maybe more than four actually....though for now I have commission and orders to complete.

These are two of six new purses for my Autumn/Winter 2010 collection for my PARIS+TASMANIA label and have been mailed off to (M)Art at Artisan in Brisbane, Queensland (Australia) for the opening of their new store at Southbank.

I'm playing with some familiar imagery that I really love, mixed with Elizabethan portraits & slashed clothing and 1920's beading on silk satin and Dupion...I really want to start freeing up a lot with my embroidery and having fun again, so this is the start...and you can see more here

Trusty Teapot...

A restrained Willow Patterned teacup...

Tea Cosies brewing in my mind....

2010-03-09T01:36:00.001-08:00

Wow, this is turning into a once-a-month blog since I started being a baby-cosy!
At the moment I'm making work to fill orders and luckily there are three tea cosies on order which I'm working on right now....

I had a stall at The Market in Hobart last Sunday and found a very good home for my 1930's Kitchen Cupboard Cosy, which has a lovely new owner. I always feel so happy when coises find their owners!

Also at The Market I had some lovely new purses...coin cosies!!

T for Teapot

W for Willow Pattern

The inspiration for these purses are some old Victorian era wooden alphabet blocks with printed paper sides I found in a junk shop years ago.

Can't wait to upload pics of new cosies, hopefully next week!

Blogerama- sharing the love!

2010-02-13T17:21:00.000-08:00

I've been getting lots of publicity for my work recently and featured in the February issue of Australian House & Garden magazine, and now in the March issue of Notebook magazine, alongside some very inspirational women like the talented & glamorous owner of Melbourne store & blog Meet Me At Mike's, Pip Lincoln.

A friend also pointed out to me that I've been seen on some global blogs too:
Gypsy Village & Brabourn Farm, which is very glam!

Two of my Teacosy* Revolution Tea Cosies have also found new homes with friends in Tasmania: the very talented jeweller Anita Dineen has become the proud owner of Teacosy* Number 9, and origami whizzes Sam & Maya of Hideyo Designs have chosen Tea Time Teacosy*, which is great!

So this is just an update to let you know what's been happening lately!
And to finish this post I'd like to show you a really great packaging design on my favourite TICK TOCK brand Rooibos Tea (Aspalathus Linearis).

Think I'll put the kettle on.......

2010-01-22T18:51:00.000-08:00

I just found this on the blog of some fellow creative and talented Tasmanians, Pip Stafford & Emma-Jean Gilmour...and its a total classic:

I feel so much better now I know how to make tea Properly ;-)

Help Haiti

2010-01-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let you know that I've added a link on the side (to the left) on this blog which comes from Ellie Brown at International Medical Corps:
www.imcworldwide.org/haiti

Please help Haiti deal with its current disaster by donating so that more medical assistance and food aid can reach them as soon as possible.

Many thanks and feel free to pass this information on to anyone you think may be able to help too.

Bienvenue chez 2010!!

2010-01-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

A slow & calm start to the year, which is very uncharacteristic of me and matches my slower pace of life now I'm pregnant. I'm learning to embrace the transformation process and not feel guilty that I don't want to work 28 hours straight on an embroidery anymore!!

A couple of exciting things have happened to start the year off and they are:

A five page feature on my work, my home and me in Australian House & Garden magazine (February issue out now), from page 54,

AND

A couple of my Summer collection cushions are featured on page 46 in Vogue Living Jan/Feb 2010, in an image of the wonderful Monique Germon's POP-UP CO-OP store project with Sarah King & Tamara Maynes, in Bowral, New South Wales. My 'Tea For Life' cosy is in the second image.

Images courtesy of Monique Germon at PUBLIC OFFICE.

On the tea cosy front I have several half-finished cosies which greet me every morning and are just asking to be finished....so I'm working away at some retail orders and once they're done and mailed off I can 'treat' myself to some tea cosy stitching!
Can't wait!! I do wish there were more hours in each day and that I could afford to employ people to sew for me as well...this WILL happen, maybe next year if I don't lose my mind being a mother ;-)(Do I sound slightly apprehensive?!)

Christmas & New Year...

2009-12-17T17:38:00.000-08:00

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.......

2009-12-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-10-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-09-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

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!) .

2009-09-11T17:43:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-20T04:01:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-09T05:45:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-08-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

What my friends are doing....

2009-08-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

New addition to the teacup collection chez moi

2009-07-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-25T04:36:00.001-07:00

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

2009-06-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-21T16:19:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-06-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-15T05:38:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

These amazing video art works:

World's biggest Tea Cosy!

2009-06-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-05-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

Hargate High Tea

2009-05-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-05-16T01:18:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-05-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

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

Lovely Old Russian animation

2009-05-06T02:12:00.000-07:00

I love the owl!

ANZAC Day, (Deloraine) Tasmania 2009

2009-04-24T23:22:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-04-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

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...

Tea Cosy Books...

2009-04-19T20:57:00.001-07:00

I have to say a huge thank you to all the lovely people, family and friends and new acquaintances, who are very generous and continue to send me books about tea cosies and tea cosy patterns...this Killer Tea Cosy book is a wild one, I love some of the cosies, like the tea cosy made with circuit boards from a computer and silver fabric, tres moderne!

I have two copies of this book and I'm wanting to give one away to anyone who would like one? Please leave me a comment here and I'll get in touch with you to get your mailing address, wherever you are in the world!

Great book from New Zealand

2009-04-19T20:40:00.001-07:00

I found out about this book through a talented young lady who interviewed me for Triple J Arts in 2007, when I had my Teacosy* Revolution Exhibition in Melbourne, and so I finally got hold of a copy last year...its a treasure trove of the handmade, and the very personal, iconographic creations of an era and a certain generation...and now that t.v, the internet and mobile phones are more distracting and time-consuming, AND modern life is becomming so throw-away and streamlined, so many of the objects in this book appear antiquated and irrelevant, which is VERY sad!

This tea cosy is quite fascinating...

To continue along the crazy patchwork theme of my previous post here:

Going back through my archives of tea cosy history...

2009-04-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to upload images for months, of the second tea cosy I ever made, a crazy-patchwork number I made to use up a bundle of fabric scraps from art projects and patchwork projects (that are long defunct and never really suited me in the first place!)

I've also posted an image (possibly a very naughty thing to do without prior permission form the publishers), of the tea cosy that inspired me to make this crazy patchwork cosy in the first place. The book contains a huge project in northern Tasmania which my artist mother, Claire, worked on and we all helped from time to time as well. Its called Yarns Artwork in Silk, and represents the four seasons in the Deloraine area.

This tea cosy was my everyday cosy when I lived in Battery Point, Hobart seven years ago and I haven't used it since then! I didn't take it with me to France when I went to live in Paris, so that's a strong reason why I started making very different cosies in Europe and gave birth to the Revolution!

Its a nice thing to do to go back and look at what has come before, and to asses what the future can hold...

My tea cosies at Stitches & Craft Exhibition, Melbourne showgrounds, 2009

2009-04-18T17:18:00.001-07:00

tea cosy
Originally uploaded by Clementine's Shoes

I sent five tea cosies away for the year to be exhibited at the series of Stitches & Craft Exhibitions which will pop up in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane this year.
Inside the box displays the tea cosies are sitting on are teapots and tea cups...and I supplied my favourite tea cosy quote in the whole world!

The listing with info can be seen at: http://www.stitchesandcraft.com.au/brisbane/

And more info about the host organisation, Living Creatively: http://www.livingcreatively.com.au

I have borrowed this photo from 'Clementine's Shoes' Flickr site.
Thank you!

We all want more time, don't we?

2009-04-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling quite flat today because of an injury I sustained at the gym over a week ago! Its not healing as fast as I'd like it to (of course), and I'm getting tired of hobbling around and feeling grumpy with a flu coming on! I really don't want to get sick now, I have so much work to get done by the end of April, for three exhibitions!

I don't even feel like making any tea cosies, so I know things are getting serious and I need to 'snap out of it' and 'give myself a break', etc...enjoy being poorly and make myself a pot of Mariage Freres Ceylon tea...

I've also been checking out my sister Shannon's Live Journal site where she reviews books and films and found this stunningly good value Advertisement from New Zealand.

I hope you all had a relaxing Easter break?

Imagine a very noisy tea cosy...

2009-04-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

This is the film clip I've been looking for, I love love love the dress!

New Tea Cosy thoughts...

2009-04-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

While I'm working on a batch of orders for people, my mind is always turning over my tea cosy project and ways to extend and investigate the meaning of tea cosies and their very practical, physical usage...

This video of Kate Moss modelling as a hologram for Alexander MacQueen is really inspiring and prompts me to think of making a series of 'disembodied' cosies, or little shadow plays and films....

I need to think about it more..

Tea Cozy.

2009-03-16T04:07:00.001-07:00

Tea Cozy.
Originally uploaded by stumbleon

I love this man's photography work, his self-portraits are just brilliant and this one especially took my fancy, of course!

If you click on the image it should link you to his flickr page, where I found this photo!

Article in The Independant ON SUNDAY paper (UK)

2009-03-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

I found this article online when I was doing a tea cosy search last night. Its a old article, though quite entertaining.
I would just like to state also that the views and comments aired in this article are by the writer and not necessarily shared by myself (and I ought to mention this more often with my posts, which I usually put on my blog out of interest and because I'm fascinated by other people's views and ideas).

"THAT'S A RELIEF- IT'S SAFE TO USE MY TEA COSY"

By Sue Arnold, Saturday, 22 May 1999

A COUPLE of summers ago we went on a Wordsworthian expedition to Kylesku in Sutherland, to see Britain's highest waterfall. Returning to our hotel elated and pleasantly full of the intimations of immortality, we repaired, as they say, to the dining-room and ordered two plates of langoustines and a bottle of white wine. The wine was warm. Was there any chance, we wondered, of putting it in an ice bucket for 10 minutes? No, said the head waiter, it was too dangerous. There had been several incidents involving ice buckets that season.

I was about to ask what sort of incidents an ice bucket might provoke but was stopped, mid-sentence, by the sudden, terrifying arrival of the prawns, hanging drunkenly from a pair of 2ft-tall iron scaffolds. A sketch would be useful here, but if you've ever played hangman you will get the picture except that instead of a rope there was a cruel iron hook. Suspended from this hook was an even crueller metal skewer some 18in long on to which the live langoustines had been threaded, we were told, before being dunked in boiling water and then transferred to the gibbet. Rigor mortis had frozen their desperate death agonies into fantastic patterns of intertwined pincers and claws. It was the sort of dish Vlad the Impaler would have relished if he had been into shellfish.

Mistaking our stupefied silence for spellbound wonder - you know how theatre audiences gasp when the curtains part on the set of Sunset Boulevard - the head waiter said, yes, they were ingenious, weren't they? He had got the idea after working in his brother's fish bar in Mombasa where the speciality of the house was barbecued marlin served on sizzling skewers. Stifling the scream that had been rising in my gorge ever since this grim tableau of violent death had been set before me, I asked weakly whether my skewer were sizzling. Certainly, he said, but I was not to worry. The waitress would assist me. She had special tools. And indeed she had, using them as deftly as a blacksmith handling molten metal in his forge.

I tell you all this only because the latest Home Accident and Leisure Accident Surveillance Report issued by the Department of Trade and Industry nowhere mentions either ice buckets or prawn scaffolds in its litany of potential hazards. Last year, according to the report, trousers, carelessly or too hastily pulled up, accounted for 4,400 accidents. If this surprises you, consider the hidden perils of hosiery. Apparently socks and tights caused 6,585 accidents over the same period.

Dressing-gowns are comparatively safe - only 690 people reported serious injury from dressing-gown-related encounters, whereas pyjamas forced 770 victims to seek urgent medical assistance.

In the kitchen and catering sections the report listed 680 cake- and scone-related hospital cases, 550 ice-cream incidents and 635 mixed vegetable injuries, caused either by choking or by careless insertion into various parts of the body.

Reluctant as I am to recommend the Home Accident and Leisure Accident Surveillance Report to people of a nervous disposition - the damage wrought to life and limb by chamber pots, toothbrushes and cotton buds is truly awesome - there are one or two encouraging conclusions to be drawn from this weighty compilation of domestic hazards. Tea cosies are safe. There were only two confirmed cases of personal injury relating directly to tea cosies, neither of them fatal or even necessitating an overnight stay in hospital. That's a relief. I bought an attractive two-tone lilac-and- lavender hand-knitted tea cosy at the Moorfields Hospital Christmas fair last year and have been using it regularly ever since. It certainly doesn't look dangerous - no sharp edges, no lead paint. If in a sudden fit of depression one morning I attempted to pull it over my head to suffocate myself, the small hole for the spout and the somewhat larger hole for the handle would prevent total asphyxiation until help arrived, in the shape of my husband emerging from the bathroom. That is assuming that he has not inadvertently topped himself with his toothbrush, of course.

An elegant friend who prides himself on sophisticated home entertaining bought an Echo Hostess the other day, one of those fancy trolleys that keep food and plates warm. This way, he told me, he could enjoy a cocktail with guests without worrying whether his daube is getting cold. He worries about things like that. Sometimes he worries himself into a state of such suicidal depression that I worry that I'll go round one afternoon and find him with his head in the oven. "Don't be so silly, of course I wouldn't. I'd put it in my Echo Hostess," he said. Nothing, you see, is 100 per cent safe.

Teacosy* Number 12; Molker Milch Leibling at the Dairy, 2009

2009-03-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

I finished this tea cosy last night to deliver to the Great Western Tiers Visitor's Centre in Deloraine today. They asked me to lend them a tea cosy because a few people travelling through the area have come in and asked for 'the young woman who makes tea cosies', and they want to be able to give people some information about local artists like myself!

The Deloraine area is becoming well known for its English-style hard cheeses and Dairy industry in general, and so this little tea cosy is a quaint honouring of this industry...and uses Swiss cotton checked fabric I bought at a flea market in Zurich last winter, and the cow's neck collar has the Swiss flag on it (my favourite Gruyere cheese is made locally by a Swiss émigré called Frank Marchant who started Heidi Farm Cheese and who now works for Lactos, a big cheese producing company in the north west of Tasmania (his cheese is the best though!)

Hand embroidered Swiss cotton, with applique silk and old fabric name tags 'Mrs Westbrook', silk, Tasmanian wool interlining, Japanese cotton, brass bell.

Dimensions: 30 x 38cm
Collection: Great Western Tiers Visitor Centre, Deloraine
Photos: The Artist

My Newest Delivery...

2009-03-11T16:24:00.001-07:00

Last night I finished stitching this tea cosy which some friends commissioned late last year! Time flies when one isn't looking!

The brief from my client friends was to include their dog, Coco, a peony flower and then the rest was up to me...so knowing my friends as I do, I decided to include Tim's vintage Bugatti as well as something a bit silly and English- the rubber duckie with a crown a la 'Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' record cover...Tim is English and has a great sense of humour and works in special effects for film as well as being an artist.

His partner Carolyn I haven't known for as long. She's an artist also and so I hope I've included enough that is 'her' on the side with the flower (there wasn't enough 'comfortable' room for Coco on the Bugatti side)?!

I'll see what they think when they come to collect it!

Hand and freehand machine embroidery on silk, mangle cloth, Tasmanian wool, Japanese cotton lining.

This cosy has an additional removable woollen interlining in case the cosy isn't snug enough on the teapot...and where my friends live it gets very cold in winter!

Dimensions: 47 x 44cm
Collection: Tim Whiteley & Carolyn Edgecombe, Tasmania
Photos: The Artist

I needed a giggle today...

2009-03-01T17:01:00.000-08:00

Missing some culture dans ma vie!

2009-02-28T00:05:00.001-08:00

Il n'y a pas de Colin dans le poisson
Uploaded by XLanig

Germaine Greer at the Melbourne Writers Festival 2008

2009-02-24T16:15:00.000-08:00

A friend has just reminded me to watch this, and I'm so grateful.
Germaine asks and provokes the right questions and debates/discussions...I really want to find a way to make a difference and continue aspects of her thesis within my work; namely that constant feeling of guilt and imbalance I experience living in Australia, and in Tasmania in particular.

There is a layer of blackness under the surface of the landscape here which does not, and never will belong to us Anglo-Occupators, and it feels so wrong and negative to assume ownership of something we don't even understand because we don't have the ice ages of experience and mythology indigenous Australians have and which gives them the subconscious and conscious language to communicate with the land, which is all-important on this continent.

I feel very motivated to pursue this further and really make some uncomfortable artwork to somehow address and translate these issues, which I feel are important and essential to address...obviously I'm writing this now with the instant flush of passion and emotion which Germaine's speech has given me, and so I may not sound terribly coherent right here...I will leave that to my artwork to realise, as I give it the time and space it requires to formulate a convincing argument and physical appearance!

Happy viewing...

Hybrid Creature Comforts Cosy, 2009

2009-02-23T01:21:00.000-08:00

The cautiously shy Hybrid Creature Comforts Cosy (of the Genus Handfabricatus Teacosii), on its quest for cake and tea near the visitor's car park on top of Mount Wellington in Southern Tasmania, in the Autumn evening light....

This tea cosy I made for a swap I'm doing with fellow Tasmanian textile artist extra-ordinaire, Catherine Badcock (AKA Cat-Rabbit), and I took a lot of inspiration from her own amazing work to create a truly personable tea cosy, with a definite personality and feeding habits....

Devonshire Teas are its main diet...with occasional bursts of cup cake feeding frenzies...this cosy has gone feral and has taken to hovering near tourists' cars in the hope of cake crumbs....

Hand embroidery on Thai silk, French silk and French silk curtain braid, American rabbit fur (gift from a friend there), local deer antler from a Tasmanian deer farm, steel support, Tasmanian wool, laser printed cotton lining (my own design, courtesy of Spoonflower.com), dolls eyes and leather.

Height: 60cm
Photos: Tara Badcock (Location: Mt Wellington, Southern Tasmania)
Collection: Catherine Badcock, Tasmania

New tea cosy, hot out of the studio this morning!

2009-02-17T04:12:00.000-08:00

I finished 'Teacosy* Number 9; Sugarpink Colonial Day Cosy' this morning and mailed it off with four other cosies to Melbourne for the Stitches & Craft show that I've been invited to display some cosies at.

Of course I had to try the cosy on.....

Hand embroidery and transfer prints on silk, Merino Wool, German cotton velvet, hand printed linen, found old brass bits.
Height: 38cm
Photos: The Artist
Made in February 2009.

Teacosy* Revolution context inspiration...

2009-02-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

I love love love the music of Icelandic group, Sigor Ros and this film clip to one of their songs really tickles me! I like to think of the Teacosy* Revolution as being able to provoke similar interpretations...perhaps the tea cosies are like the elderly people in this film clip...enjoying something of a debauched and cheeky life!!

There's obviously a need for Teacosy* Revolution graffitti...something special and quite beautiful and culturally enhancing...

Hmmm....things to think about as I make two new tea cosies to post on Monday to The Stitched and Craft Show exhibition to coincide with L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Week and hosted by Living Creatively.

This exhibition my tea cosies are in will also be seen in Sydney and Brisbane during 2009.
The girls from HandMadeNation will also be at the Melbourne event, so it's going to be huge!!

Emily Loizeau - L'autre Bout Du Monde

2009-01-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

This is keeping me company while I sew sew sew...three of my tea cosies are going to be on show at the Decoration + Design Trade Fair in Sydney on the 4th, 5th and 6th of February and I need all the musical help I can get to help me get everything ready!

The song title: The other side of the World, and the lyrics are so funny and touching...it's really almost an anthem for living so far away from so much I love, even though I live with the other half of what I love! The balance is crucial...

LYRICS:

On dit qu'il y fait toujours beau
C'est là que migrent les oiseaux
On dit ça
De l'autre bout du monde

J'avance seule dans le brouillard
C'est décidé ça y est, je pars
Je m'en vais
À l'autre bout du monde

L'autre bout du monde {x2}

J'arrive sur les berges d'une rivière
Une voix m'appelle puis se perd
C'est ta voix
À l'autre bout du monde

Ta voix qui me dit mon trésor
Tout ce temps, je n'étais pas mort
Je vivais
À l'autre bout du monde

L'autre bout du monde {x2}

Sur la rivière il pleut de l'or
Entre mes bras je serre ton corps
Tu es là
À l'autre bout du monde

Je te rejoins quand je m'endors
Mais je veux te revoir encore
Où est il
L'autre bout du monde ?

L'autre bout du monde {x3}

Whitnail &. I: In the tea rooms

2009-01-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

This is on of my all-time favourite films with Richard E Grant and Paul McGann.

**This film exerpt does have a language warning, if you're not a fan of the F*** word, then please refrain from watching this.

It is one of the most poignant tragic-comic British films, a real cult classic!
Thanks for the link Dianna!

Foxy Koala Cosy by Brigette Cameron

2009-01-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

This amazing tea cosy, made by a artist friend of mine, Brigette Cameron, who lives in Melbourne, and who I met in the north of Sweden when we both worked at the Ice Hotel in 2005-2006.

I thought would be the perfect starting image for 2009, and an Australian summer!

I dont have all the details about the cosy, which is very lax of me (summer holiday mood!), though I think Brigette made the cosy in 2005, and it was in an exhibition of tea cosies held in Canberra...I'll have to ask her again!

Brigette is a knitter extra-ordinaire!

Wishing you all a lovely Christmas and New Year, 2008

2008-12-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been reading my blog and leaving comments throughout the year, its been a real pleasure learning how to make the most of a blog and posting films and images>

I especially love sharing my tea cosies with you and am hoping to have a bit of holiday-ish quiet time to make some more to start the new year's blog with...
The Teacosy* Revolution is making progress, slowly slowly, and surely....

To close the year I want to share a most sublime song with you from the band Beirut, called Postacards from Italy...so summery and full of play, which I wish for you all, and a safe and healthy and fun festive season full of pots of nourishing tea, favourite tea cosies and friends and loving family.

Don't forget to check out the tea cosy giveaway winner in the below post, and thank you so so much everyone, for your fantastic quotes and film scenes relating to tea...
I wanted to give everyone a tea cosy for their shared treasures!!
There will be another giveaway before mid-2009, so stay tuned for this offer too!

Bonne fete and Happy New Year!

AND THE WINNER IS.......

2008-12-22T19:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry that I didn't get to post the winning name yesterday, I was overwhelmed with work and making sure I got everything done in time, before Christmas day...

I also didn't get the chance to ask Peter to draw the winning name, so I've put all the names into a tea cosy and asked my partner, Rainier, to draw out a name...

Which is......

Drum roll please and no peeking.......

CONGRATULATIONS Brigette!
I'll email you to organise getting the cosy to you soon.

SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Teacosy* Number 8; Sugarpink Colonial Cosy, 2008

2008-12-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

I am holding a random lucky draw for this tea cosy as a special event!

Je fais un prix de cet couvre-theiere, comme une 'donation chanceuse' de Noel!

If you are interested in putting your name into the draw, please leave me a comment here in answer to this question:
Si ca vous interesse, laissez-moi ici votre reponse du question suivant:

What is your favourite tea cosy/tea drinking/tea party scene or paragraph in a film or novel?
C'est quoi votre souvenir de preference au sujet des cache-pots dans un film ou un roman?

I will then put everyone's names in a tea cosy on Monday the 22nd December and ask the Curator of Decorative Arts at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Mr Peter Hughes, to draw out the winning name.
If you re-check this blog again on that Monday night, there will be the winner's name posted.
Ce lundi le 22 Decembre, je vais mettre tout vos noms dans un cache-pot en attente de la main de M. Peter Hughes (Directeur des collection des Arts Decoratifs au Musee des Beaux Arts de Tasmanie), qui va tiens un nom gagnant. Epuis je vais ecrire le nom ici le lundi soir, donc si vous reviennez voir ce blog, vous le sauriez!

Tea cosy dimensions: (interior measurements) 31cm x 24cm. So will fit a two or three-cup tea pot.
Dimensions du cache-pot: (d'interieur) 31cm x 24cm. Ce cache-pot marche avec un theiere du 2 ou 3 tasses.

Hand embroidery on silk, cotton velvet, transfer print on silk, antique needle lace, wool, hand printed linen lining by Aunty Cookie, vintage brass bits, printed hemp by Pippijoe of Melbourne.

Brodee a la main sur la soie, velours du coton, homme inprime sur la soie, dentelle vielle, laine, lin imprime par Aunty Cookie, cuivre jaune vieux, chanvre imprime par Pippijoe de Melbourne.

London Transport tea cosy

2008-12-16T04:55:00.000-08:00

My sister gave me this tea cosy on the weekend.
She found it at the Queensland Art Gallery when she was there in the winter.
Thank you Renee!

[Titlepage.]

2008-12-15T15:34:00.001-08:00

[Titlepage.]
Originally uploaded by New York Public Library

Please read the following two posts, especially the third one.

Cystoseira granulata.

2008-12-15T15:33:00.001-08:00

Cystoseira granulata.
Originally uploaded by New York Public Library

Another page from the album, I've written more on the below post.

Cystoseira fibrosa.

2008-12-15T15:32:00.001-08:00

Cystoseira fibrosa.
Originally uploaded by New York Public Library

I found this on flickr today while I was getting ready to upload new tea cosy photos.

This album is a beautiful collection of British sea weeds (Algae), and has so much embroidering potential, not to mention how important it is as the first photographic published work by a woman.

Follow the links to view more information and see the rest of the album, its a beautiful thing!

What relation does this have to The Teacosy* Revolution?
I know....though what do you think??

Profoundly Inspiring...

2008-12-11T22:44:00.001-08:00

One of the most inspiring artists and his work I've ever encountered (in Paris).

Arthur Bispo do Rossario had a fascinating life and his textile artwork is totally mind-blowing. I've attached an image of one of my favourite pieces of his. It keeps me inspired when Im embroidering...in the way that embroidery can be so much more than just decoration and prettiness, it can have such a deep social and socio-political resonance and affect others for years, centuries, millennia!

On the trail of some family history...

2008-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

So I went looking online for some information about my Grandfather, Clayvel 'Jack' Badcock, just to see what sort of a write-up he's got.
There's a great image of him on a 1930's cigarette card...

Its got me thinking a lot about the whole Australian obsession with sport(s) and how different, and in fact 'opposite' French culture is with its grand tradition of Art, Intellectualism and Beautiful Objects!
Australians seem to feel more comfortable with the humility and humble state of the human condition, always seemingly aiming for homogeny and the safety of mainstream popular culture. Why are we such an insecure culture? Why always a trend towards wanting to be someone else, or deriding our own points of origin...?

I think also it's the fact that I'm in Melbourne at the moment and it's a city which always makes me aware of the power of conservatism, even in the most multicultural of metropolitan environments! I keep seeing pairs or groups of people, men, women, kids...all dressed as each other, matching! Is life so very frightening that people here feel that safety is in wearing black, or copying Paris Hilton's latest Long-cardigan-and-slim-jeans-and-long-leather-boots-with-a-floppy-cap-and-big-shoulder-bag look?!

This brings me back to the floppy cap...the Baggy Green cricket cap my Grandfather is wearing in another of his Cigarette Card portraits (not included here). Its an iconic garment/accessory and its function is more symbolic than physical. I think of the two my Grandfather had, my cousin has one and the other is in the National Cricket Museum, if such a thing exists...I cannot remember where it is.

I have his travelling trunk from the 1938 World Tour to England via Europe and Egypt. If anyone is interested, my Grandfather made a silent film of the whole trip which is in the National Film Archives and has been put on video. Its a really fascinating documented event...and my Grandfather being the sparky provocateur he was, has spliced in shorts of the local Cataract Gorge in Launceston when it was in flood...right in the middle of the Swiss Alps!!

So I think what I'm really pondering here is how and where do I fit in to all of this...and how can it benefit the Teacosy* Revolution?!

There are aspects of my Grandfather's story that inspire me and that I wish to adopt and assimilate into the Revolution in order to keep a sense of diversity and inclusiveness, especially where sport is concerned...and yet it must not dominate the Revolution (the sport, that is!)...I will weave together a magic combination of Australian and French cultural sensibilities to create my ever growing Teacosy* Revolution Manifesto...which I really want some time to work on and get finished...life can be quite frustrating like this sometimes!

So we raise our tea cups to all the women and men in sport, and especially cricket, as they break for tea, mid-match, and enjoy the socio-cultural patina of an iconic pastime...Here's to you, Gamp*!

*Gamp was the name his first Grandchild gave Cleyvel 'Jack' Badcock, of Exton, Tasmania in the late 1960's!

"A Cup O' Tea an' A Slice O' Cake" Song from Worzel Gummage

2008-11-14T02:26:00.000-08:00

Oh, my childhood favourite television show...I didn't know they did this song!

Message to World Leaders

2008-11-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of The Age newspaper, this Karmarama advertising strategy came out in 2006 when the U.k were putting more troops into Iraq to support the US in their ridiculous and dangerous 'War on Terror'...the only terrifying thing in my mind is the ignorance, greed and stupidity of US businessmen and 'leaders'!

And its SO good that Obama is now going to be President...at last some brains in the 'top job'! The Teacosy* Revolution wishes President Obama the very, very best in his daunting mission to turn the US around, and will send President Obama a celebratory Tea Cosy, to help him get through long days of policy review and implementation!