The National Library of Australia has entered into a contract with Apex publishing to support a major newspaper digitisation program which will commence later this year. The Library will use Apex's services to build a database covering the period 1803 to 1954 using one major newspaper from each state and territory. The Library expects to offer, from early 2008, a new online service to enable full text searching of these newspapers free of charge. The Library will initially populate this service with the 19th century portions of newspapers such as the Sydney Gazette, The Argus, The Courier Mail and other newspapers from Hobart, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin.

For further information go to: www.nla.gov.au/pressrel

Posted by Red Wolf at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DVD Extras contains a small documentary on fibre arts.

I'd recommend the film - I enjoyed it a lot! While checking out the Special Features - Mini Documentaries made by the local aboriginal teens in the area where the film was set, I found Arnhem Weaving. This was a short and unconventional documentary showing the method of collecting, processing, spinning and then weaving the fibre.

The fibres sourced were from the bark of a tree which was cut down. The bark was stripped off the tree, beaten and left out to dry. Once enough was collected, the spinning began. I have not seen any aboriginal people spinning before and was astounded when I saw a woman spin and ply two singles simultaneously. With one swift roll of the fibres down her leg she put the twist into two singles that she was holding parallel. The upward stroke back up her thigh plied the two strands together. Stopping frequently she deftly added fibres to create a length of string that was then woven into what seemed to be a small lap cover - I didn't catch exactly what it was.

Dolly Dolly another of the documentaries was also an interesting look at how girls were taught from an early age how to breast feed.

If you are interested in seeing the film and or special features you may need to look for the DVD in the Foreign section - that's where it was in our local Civic Video store.

Anthea Payne

Posted by Red Wolf at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The idea of a festival showcasing textile artists arose from a small group of people discussing a support festival for the Marvellous Miniatures display by the Victorian Quilters Association at the Wangaratta Exhibitions Gallery in June 1999. This small group of industrious people called upon the local community for help. Responses came from the local textile industry, art and craft groups, spinning, weaving, quilting and embroidery action groups.

With a limited budget and lots of enthusiasm an event was organised - The Stitched Up Textile Festival 1999 was created!

Wangaratta, the place to be in North East Victoria is considered a major centre within the textile industry. The historic Old Library building, the Wangaratta Exhibitions Gallery and pavilions at the Showgrounds, provided excellent exhibition space to showcase the creativity and diverse range of textile art by quilters, embroiderers, hand spinners & weavers, felters, doll makers, knitters and the list goes on. The festival is committed to the ongoing promotion of arts and craft traditions by enticing artists to pass on their skills and knowledge through featured workshops, demonstrations, discussion groups and exhibitions.

Each year the festival is promoted through local, regional and metropolitan newspapers, television and print media. The overwhelming support obtained from business, industry and community sectors is largely responsible for the festival's success. Australian Country Spinners has been a major sponsor of the festival since it began and Bruck Textiles assisted in the festivals establishment. Local retailers, newspapers, radio and television have offered their ongoing sponsorship and support. The Rural City of Wangaratta, the Department of State and Regional Development and Local and State Government Departments have encouraged and supported the Stitched Up Festival.

The festival continues to attract visitors from interstate and overseas. The success and innovative themes make each festival a unique experience. The involvement of Primary & Secondary Schools in projects with special themes, changing from year to year, has become a highlight of the festival.

Displays are located within the Central Business District and this project has become a success story within the community. Current information can be obtained on 1300 795 999, www.stitchedupfestival.com

Posted by Prue Hill at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The NSW town of Mudgee will be host to the 22nd Wool and Natural Fibre Muster on June 2 this year.

The Muster is an annual event organised by craft groups in the western regions of country NSW with an aim to help promote the use of natural fibres in hand crafts. The Muster features demonstrations, competitions and workshops on selected aspects of fibre craft.

Whenever you wear a hand made garment, be that a jumper, a hat or a scarf, it gives you a warm glow and you look and feel unique. And as much as mass produced articles are the norm today, there remains a dedicated group of individuals who continue to keep alive the art of creating those hand made masterpieces that makes you stand out in a crowd.

However, the question is; where do these people learn their art? Because you can buy machine made products cheaply, the popularity of handcrafts has declined and it is no longer taught in schools or technical colleges. And even when the few exceptions exist, people from remote country towns would rarely get the opportunity to attend formal courses.

Dorothy Findlay of Forbes, who attended all but three of the last 18 Musters tells how her introduction to hand spun wool craft began with receiving her spinning wheel from David Jones in Sydney accompanied by a few foolscap pages of assembly instructions and some basic notes on how to spin.

It was under these circumstances that back in the early 80's, in West Wyalong a small group of ladies devoted to hand craft came up with the idea of a "Muster", a muster of people to exchange skills, techniques, and to promote the art of making quality garments by hand. The response far exceeded their expectations. Over one hundred people turned up to ask questions, watch demonstrations, discuss the different ways of preparing wool and learn how to spin, knit or weave it into a product of pride and joy. It was such a success that they decided to make it an annual event to be organized by different craft groups within a hundred mile radius of West Wyalong.

In following years the muster went to Condobolin, Junee, Griffith, Young, Grenfell, and its focus expanded from wool to other natural fibres such as cotton, cashmere, mohair, silk, and it became the Wool and Natural Fibre Muster. Another expansion was to also invite traders who sell the fibres, accessories, and even equipment to allow attendees to see what is available and to stock up for the year.

As the fame of the muster spread and its capacity for information exchange realized, the muster could not be contained. In its 22-year history it has broken out from the hundred mile containment and has been held as far away as Goulburn, Bathurst and this year it is back in Mudgee for the third time. It has also expanded to showcase some commercial use of natural fibres and to include stalls offering many of the products for sale to gain wider public interest in natural fibre crafts.

Indications are that interest is still growing and visitors to the Mudgee muster have pre-booked accommodation from as far as Warren, Junee, Goulburn, and Newcastle to attend free workshops on techniques like silk painting, finger-knitting a scarf, and dyeing your yarns, and to watch demonstrations.

In addition, the muster also fosters competition, and this year it is the Great Western Sock Challenge: Sock it to Me! or If the sock fits, wear it. With some excellent prizes on offer for the most outstanding, the most colourful, the most outrageous and the people's choice the competition is attracting entries from all over the State. With lucky door prizes and a parade of the socks the muster will not only be educational but also promises to be a lot of fun - really a must do event.

Inquiries can be directed to the Muster organiser, Marianne Farkas: marianne@gulgee.com..au

Posted by Prue Hill at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We now have the Royal Show, Castle Hill Show and the Hawkesbury Show behind us and you still have four weeks to deliver your entry for our exhibition. The closing date is 31 May 2007.

I have heard some ideas and I am now starting to wonder what wonderful items we will find when we open the many (I hope) parcels. In case you have forgotten, the entry form and sales form were printed in the February newsletter.

The designer yarn form is in the March issue. If you can't find them we have extra forms available at the guild rooms. Call in, write or just fill one in when you deliver your entries.

Swing tags are available at the rooms or by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope. If you are really desperate and you are a country member, you have run out of time for us to post them out, send your work with the entry form, include the necessary information for me and I will put the tags on for you.

Last month we told you that any garment which is for sale has to have your personal label as well as a content and care label stitched inside. I have just spent an interesting half-hour on the phone trying to verify that. I spoke to people from two government departments, Department of Fair Trading and Standards Australia. Three of them confirmed the need for content and care labels but none of them seemed to know about the other one. The consensus seemed to be that the buyer needs to be able to contact someone if there is a problem with the construction of the garment. Since we require every for sale item to carry our Guild swing tag and that will show the individual maker's name then that should be sufficient labelling.

Some replies are starting to come in with offers to help. Thank you all. I will contact everyone closer to the dates to confirm your dates and your role.

Lucille Ryan, Exhibition Co-ordinator

Posted by Prue Hill at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)