chiatanyadesigns.com.au

Hello all you readers out in blog-land….. Some of my friends have been working hard to convince me to write a blog. I do like to have a chat with friends, so a blog seems like a great idea. But my time on the internet is limited, so at first I didn’t think I could commit to maintaining a blog. I know for sure I won’t be adding to it every day (sorry!), but I hope that  if you’re interested in what I have to say and show you with my photos that you’ll come back and visit again soon. Some photos may appear cropped, but if you click on the image you should get the full photo.

Fiona Hammond

For now, let me introduce myself. My name is Fiona Hammond and I live in rural NSW (Australia). I am happily married, but have no kids. After many years of different careers, most of which I loved at the time, I now work as a designer and tutor in the field of textiles and jewellery.

One of my current passions is beading onto textiles - generally to create contemporary quilts or jewellery. My other life-long passion is teaching, so having the opportunity to share my techniques and designs with students in my workshops is a joyous experience for me.

In the last year or so I’ve also had some very exciting experiences with some of my entries into various exhibitions and competitions. As a member of several associations (quilting, beading and textile arts), I try to create items to put in the various annual exhibitions of these associations. It is a delight to see one’s work being displayed with many other wonderful items in these exhibitions, and the show-and-tell aspect of this certainly appeals to me.

I’ve never expected to actually win anything with my entries, but in recent times I have been most fortunate to receive some awards and prizes too. I have to admit to being a bit ‘girly’ and ‘giggly’ on such occasions - to have one’s works rewarded with a prize or certificate is just soooo exciting! It can take me days to ‘come down’ from a bout of excitement like this.

Turquoise Treasure

Here are two of my recent beaded neckpieces: “Turquoise Treasure” and “Nature’s Treasures”. Each piece took around 150 hours to create, and both involve stitching small seed beads (mainly size 11s in round and cylinder shapes) onto fabric.

I don’t like using the ‘normal’ backing for my pieces – the plain white stiff non-woven material that many beaders use - mainly because you’ll see small white glimpses between the beads in some places where your beads can’t cover the backing completely. Not my scene.

Nature's Treasures

Instead, I figured out that using heavy iron-on interfacing adhered to luscious fabrics like silks and satins really adds to the overall effect of the piece. My technique is more time-consuming, but I feel it is worth it because I like the final finish of my pieces. Instead of using Ultrasuede on the back – which is hard to get in Australia and fearfully expensive when you do find it – I use more fabric and interfacing.

Both pieces have cabochons surrounded by peyote stitch bezels, plus lots of beads stitched down with either beaded backstitch or bead couching. I seem to just be ‘in the zone’ when I create pieces like this – it is rather like meditation.

“Turquoise Treasure” was selected as the Grand Champion Craft Exhibit at this year’s Royal Canberra Show (February 2009), and it also won first prize in the threadwork category of the Beading section at the Sydney Royal Easter Show (April 2009). And I didn’t realise till I went to pick it up this week that it had also received an Award of Excellence – a rosette and a medal – crikey!

Last month, I entered “Nature’s Treasures” in the Goulburn Art Award (run by my local art gallery – Goulburn Regional Art Gallery). I was stunned (but also very excited) when it won joint first place in the 3D category. The two judges were Ben Quilty (who’s won various prizes for his paintings, including the 2009 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, and his portrait of singer Jimmy Barnes was a finalist in this year’s Archibald Prize) and Helen Maxwell, director of the Helen Maxwell Gallery in Canberra.

As if this win was not exciting enough, the prize is an exhibition at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery in December 2010. Of course I will share this exhibition with the other joint winner of the 3D category – Gayle Stockley, whose piece “Burnt Out” is a striking artwork created with burnt tree limbs forming the outline of a house – an eerie statement on the devastating fires in Victoria earlier this year, and Tina Milson who won the 2D category with her photograph “Untitled”. The combination of these three styles of artworks should make for a very exciting and diverse exhibition in 2010.

I am already planning the pieces I’d like to make for this exhibition, so I’ll keep you posted on my progress with these. I’d like to create one or two neckpieces along the lines of my winning piece, but I also plan to create some sculptural pieces using beads and textiles. My brain is already whirling with ideas….now if I can just get a good amount of sleep to refresh me enough to get started….

Workshop Description:

Fiona will show you how to create your own piece of “lunar lace” with free-motion machine embroidery  on  water-soluble stabiliser. You will then create a beaded edge (picot edging) around your lace, and complete the necklace with a beaded spiral rope.

NB: This workshop can also be taught without requiring participants to make their own lunar lace piece – if the venue is unsuitable for sewing machines, or if participants do not have an interest in making their own ‘lace’ on sewing machines, the ‘lace’ pieces can be supplied by the tutor, and participants will create the picot edging, bail and beaded spiral rope necklace.

This workshop is for all skill levels. Kits are available for this workshop.

Topics covered in this workshop:

• Free-motion machine embroidery on water-soluble stabiliser
• Picot edging
• Peyote stitch bail
• Spiral rope technique
• Attaching appropriate findings to complete the spiral rope
• Beadweaving basics: starting and finishing your threads; keeping good tension in the work; conditioning beading threads

Workshop Description:

Bead embellishment is easy – if you can use a needle and thread you can bead! Experience the pleasure of stitching beads onto fabrics, using an array of techniques.

This technique-based workshop is designed to teach you a collection of bead embellishment methods that you can use in your textile artworks, quilts, jewellery, art to wear, or other items such as handbags, pillows, etc.

In this workshop you can make samples, or perhaps one beautiful beaded item that can be used in jewellery (e.g. brooch or necklace), accessories (e.g. evening purse), or other textile art pieces.

The focus is on embellishing various textiles, including quilts. This workshop is for all skill levels. Materials are available for this workshop – a set fee covers all materials needed. Participants can also bring their own materials from home.

Once you  have learnt the basics of bead embellishment your textile creations can enjoy the extra bling that beads bring!

Topics covered in the workshop:

• Seed stitch
• Bead stacks
• Regular fringing and branched fringing
• Beaded backstitch
• Bead couching
• Beading with bugle beads
• Beaded picot edging
• Peyote stitch beaded bezel around a cabochon
• Appropriate materials to use in bead embellishment, including useful interfacings, and suitable beads
• General beading information – beading threads and beading needles; how to start and finish off threads; how to condition threads

Workshop Description:

Do you have a stash of buttons that you’ve thought would be useful “someday”? Well, this is the workshop for you! Buttons are often as gorgeous as beads, and they make wonderful components in jewellery. With simple knotting and a few seed beads to finish off the toggle clasp, this necklace works up quickly, and is blissful to wear.

This workshop is suitable for all skill levels. Kits are available for this workshop.

Topics covered in the workshop:

• Creating a design layout for your necklace
• Selecting appropriate colours and sizes of buttons
• Creating a toggle clasp from button and beads
• Knotting the necklace together

Workshop Description:

Fiona’s Curvaceous Squares technique involves piecing squares together to make two new pieces of fabric, which are carefully layered, and then cut using freehand rotary cutter techniques to create curves. Add insets of contrasting fabrics in colours that work with your two colourways. Make your own continuous bias tape to cover the cuts and add drama to your quilt. The result is a quilt with curvaceous flowing lines but no curved piecing!

In this workshop you will make the quilt top only, but there will be discussion of finishing techniques, including suggestions for machine quilting.

This workshop is for all skill levels.

Create a unique pendant from farbrics with exotic prints. Begin by hand-stitching a little “pillow”, then frame it in an embellished right angle weave chain. By using different fabrics on each side you can create two looks in the one piece of jewellery. This simple and achievable project is perfect for those who love to combine beads with fabric!

Suitable for all skill levels. Kits are available for this workshop.

This presentation covers tips and tricks for reducing pain and discomfort in hands and arms.

Presentation duration: 45 minutes to one hour

Fiona Hammond ran a successful natural therapies clinic in Goulburn, NSW, for 12 years prior to turning full-time to teaching the crafts she has been so passionate about all her life. Besides her teaching qualifications, she holds diplomas in Remedial Massage and Aromatherapy. She also ran her own aromatherapy college, where she taught Diploma of Aromatherapy courses for 5 years.

Fiona is keen to share her expertise in self-treatment for muscular aches and pains with her fellow crafts people.

Most crafts involve repetitive movements and stationary postures which often result in aching hands, fingers, wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, back and legs. In many cases such pain and discomfort can be alleviated by self-massage techniques, stretches, heat packs and improved posture.

Fiona will describe and demonstrate a number of simple and safe methods for reducing the aches and pains often experienced by crafts people. She will then guide those who are interested through several self-massage techniques, and some simple stretches. However, participation in the practical section of the presentation is not a mandatory exercise for all audience members.

Topics covered in the presentation:

• Brief overview of how muscles work and what causes them to experience pain
• How to improve posture during craft activities
• Simple stretches for arms, legs and neck
• Using heat packs to ease aches resulting from chronic muscle tension
• Simple techniques for reducing shoulder tension
• Self-massage for hands and arms

 Workshop Description:

The project in this workshop uses a zigzag chain technique that is found in Zulu beadwork as well as Native American beadwork. The technique works up quickly, and makes a great bracelet. I have made a couple of changes to the technique – mainly adding extra beads along the edges to give a straighter edge and to enhance the design layout. This workshop is suitable for all skill levels, and can be taught to adults and also children over 9 years of age.

Topics covered in this workshop:

• Zigzag chain technique
• Fiona’s variation – embellishing the edges of the zigzag chain
• Creating the clasp using a shank button and beaded loop
• Beadweaving basics: starting and finishing your threads; keeping good tension in the work; conditioning beading threads

Workshop Description:

These quick and achievable earrings are designed to teach you two threadwork techniques (using beading needle and thread). You will use brick stitch to create a triangle, then add fringing to mirror this shape and complete the look with small drop beads or crystals. This results in diamond-shaped earrings with plenty of bling. This workshop is for all skill levels. Kits are available for this workshop.

Topics covered in the workshop:

• basic brick stitch technique
• regular fringing technique
• beadweaving basics: starting and finishing your threads; keeping good tension in the work; conditioning beading threads
• attaching appropriate findings to complete your jewellery