POP UP OF THE WEEK

listen up!

You will all be very proud of me. I did in fact go on my Saturday expedition today and saw some terrific things. One show I do want to mention is a two day only affair (like a great sale - perfect for the fashion festival) called Garments for Listening. It popped up on facebook and I trundled down to check it out. Installation artist and clever chook Lauren Brown has made a really interesting piece in the underground art space car park beneath the Collingwood housing commission flats. This pop up show examines ideas around listening and offers up garments to enhance/change your listening experience. I have to say it's kind of fun. It's only on this weekend so if you can make it down there do! 44 Harmsworth street, off Johnson - don't turn up before noon. RAMONA

EVENTS OF THE WEEKEND

turn to the left

Melbourne is a festival town. This always turns out to be a good thing for us because to secure their funding each of them have to invest in a 'cultural' program which often means new and interesting ideas in craft and design get a look in. Plus it's always good to work to a theme. The fashion festival is no different and this weekend I'm going to catch up with some of the inspired work on show this year (and I don't mean those sheath dresses by Alex Perry - yawn).

If we could get to Kyneton this weekend or the next we'd love to check out the Wearit upcyclying workshops co run by jeweller Emma Grace and textile designer Ellie Mucke - you can find out more about it here

I'll be heading to MARS to see the String theory installation by Greer Taylor

I'll also be heading to CCP to see Lyndal Walker's La Toilette D'une Femme images

I'm planning on seeing how curator Dianne Beevers has managed to get the work of 38 jewellers into 19 viewing windows at Mailbox 141

And I may get in trouble if I don't haul my way up Flinders Lane to Craft Victoria to see the new work by textile artist living legend Liz Williamson. Big Saturday. I hope it's sunny! RAMONA

ONLINE FIND OF THE WEEK

meow

The ladies of HML don't quite know what a Festival of Spatial Design would actually entail. Perhaps if we'd been in Antwerp last year we could have got our heads around it. There has been a great image of a giant cat couch bouncing around the design sites and we wanted to know more. Design Studio 'Unfold' took over an apartment and did a fabulous feline inspired installation in each room. The first had children's wallpaper with a small cat collection

The bathroom had a projection of a cat drinking water from a trickling bath

The living room had a giant cat couch visitors could sit on

the box on the table has a scale model of the room and a projection of a cat playing with wool

And finally the remnants of dinner, room of bird a fish skeleton models. We thought it might be good to see the project in its entirety. When we first saw the cat couch it was cute, like a giant softie and good internet craft fodder. With a little time we found out so much more. Always worth clicking onto the links.RAMONA

Pause of the Week

With loved ones, both friends and family, in Japan the ladies of HML are feeling a little bit shaky today. This year we seem to have been besieged by natural disasters, fire, flood, earthquake, tsunami. We've never been more grateful for facebook as it's been the most reliable way of staying in touch. If you'd like to donate go to the Australian Red Cross or you can purchase this beautiful print by artist James White here. We are sure over the coming weeks there will a number of fund raising events and offers and it disaster fatigue can quickly set in. We urge you to give what you can. We'll be back to our regular posts tomorrow. Ramona and Beck x

PROJECT OF THE WEEK

It's not easy being pea green

My sporadic blogging this week was due in no small part to the making of this present! I have a friend turning 4 this weekend and have wanted to make her this Princess and the Pea from the More Softies book since I made one for my niece in 2009

Funnily enough this is the second project from this book I've made for my young friend and it was her mamma that gave me the book. Designer Sarah Bowe really threw down the craft gauntlet with this one. 12 mattresses? crikey! My pea is very dodgy but the recipient is so very kind and will overlook any flaws in the making! RAMONA

PS If you want to see more professional gifts for the kidlets then head to a special Children's Edition of Craft Hatch Market at The State Library tomorrow 10-4!