info@fibreartsshed.com.au
Late on Saturday night, we were notified by Google that they had suspended our gmail address because of suspected fraudulent activity. Although we have lodged a review of this decision, we have currently lost all access to our emails. So if you have sent us an email and haven't had a reply from us, we would appreciate it if you could forward the email to our new email address. We appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this issue.
]]>We are so excited to confirm that we have 14 FibreFest vendors signed up to be at our Coastal Fibre Pop Up this weekend! (Click on each vendor's name below to be taken to their website to see a sample of their beautiful wares!)
Fibre Arts Shed
EleventyOne Windmills
Birdhouse Fibres
Lyrebird Yarns
Three Cats Yarn
Jokamamo Textiles Australia
GlenheavenKnits
Pleasant View Yarns
Batik Oetoro
Lyn Abbott Weaver
Great Southern Yarn
Spinners Cotton
Marlyn Alpacas
Knitters' Guild NSW
And Barry from Bean Out and About will be there with his coffee truck!
Where: Sohier Park Community Hall, Ourimbah, NSW (see driving directions below). The address is Shirley St, Ourimbah. If using GPS/Google Maps, put "Ourimbah Tennis Courts" in as your destination. The hall is fully accessible, with public toilets on site. There is plenty of parking, it is within walking distance of Ourimbah Train Station and has a small playground nearby.
When: Sunday, 20 March 2022, 10am-2pm
**FREE ENTRY** plus plenty of room to craft - so bring your current WIP (work-in-progress) and pull up a chair or throw down a picnic rug. The weather forecast looks fine.
]]>20 March: NSW Knitters Guild Fibre Fest, "Winbourne", Mulgoa NSW (near Penrith) POSTPONED to October 2022.
20 March: Coastal Fibre Pop Up, Sohier Community Hall, Ourimbah NSW
9 April: Newcastle Spinners & Weavers Trading Day, Belmont NSW
29-30 April: "Glorious Yarn" Newcastle Knitters Guild Exhibition Show, Islington (Newcastle) NSW
6-8 May: Hawkesbury Show, Clarendon NSW
13 May: Knitters Picnic, Dungog NSW
14 May: NSW Black & Coloured Sheep WoolFest, Robertson NSW
14-15 May: Canberra Wool Expo, Old Bus Depot Markets, Canberra ACT
3-4 June: Sutherland Shire Spinners & Weavers Winter Wool Fair, Sutherland NSW
4 June: Shepparton Spinners & Weaver Fibre Fair, Shepparton VIC
18 June: Guest retailer at Blue Mountains Knitters Guild meeting, Glenbrook NSW
2-3 July: South Coast Fibre Muster, Berry NSW
15-17 July: Australian Sheep & Wool Show, Bendigo VIC
30 July: MacKnit (NSW Machine Knitters) Event, Epping NSW
20 August: NSW Knitters Guild Gathering, Stanwell Tops NSW
16 October: NSW Knitters Guild Fibre Fest, "Winbourne", Mulgoa NSW (near Penrith)
12-13 November: Big Wool Shop (online here)
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Important Information
With the holiday season quickly approaching, we need to share with you some important information about shipping cut off dates and shop closure dates. Friday 3 December is the last day to place an order and have it shipped before Christmas. If you live on the NSW Central Coast or will be passing through along the M1 or are planning a holiday on the Central Coast, we will remain open for local pick up or shopping in person (by appointment) up until 22 December. Please note - we won't be available every day, so please give us as much notice as possible if you want to drop by. Then we will be closed until 6 January, when we will start shipping orders again. We will still be accepting fleeces for processing, replying to emails and we will be shipping out fleeces that we have processed as we finish them.
This early cut off day for shipping is due to a few factors - we are concerned about Australia Post delays. Second, after the year we've had, we really need a break. And third, Clare's parents have just been granted a travel exemption and will be flying in at the start of December and will be spending the holidays with us
Any questions, just let us know. Happy crafting!
10 April 2021: Newcastle (NSW) Spinners & Weavers Trading Day, Belmont NSW
1 May 2021: NSW Black & Coloured Sheep Association Open Day, Robertson NSW
4-5 June 2021: Winter Wool Fair - hosted by the Sutherland Spinners & Weavers, Sutherland NSW
5 June 2021: Wool & Fibre Fair, Shepparton VIC - POSTPONED to 26 June - please note we will not be in attendance
12-13 June 2021: Central Coast Harvest Festival - we will have a stall/demonstrations at Iris Lodge Alpacas in Jilliby NSW
3-4 July 2021: KnitFest, Maleny QLD - we are unable to attend due to COVID border closures
16-18 July 2021: Australian Sheep & Wool Show (aka "Bendigo"), Bendigo VIC -we are unable to attend due to COVID lockdown
21 August 2021: Local Meeting of the Blue Mountains Chapter of the NSW Knitters Guild
4-5 September 2021: The Big Wool Show, online at thebigwoolshow.com
10-12 September 2021: Lake Keepit Camp, hosted by the Tamworth Spinners & Weavers, Lake Keepit NSW
19 September 2021: SWAMP Central Coast Spring Equinox Festival at Central Coast Wetlands, Tacoma Rd, Tuggerah NSW
16 October 2021: Retreat for Newcastle Spinners & Weavers, Rathmines NSW
30-31 October 2021: NSW Knitters Guild Fibre Fest, "Winbourne" Mulgoa NSW
Please contact us if you/your organisation is hosting a wool/fibre arts/craft event that you'd like us to attend (or if you know of one that you think we should attend).
Cancelled Events
Grampians Textures, Halls Gap VIC - now scheduled for 19-24 March 2022
24 July 2021: Winter Yarn Market, hosted by the NSW Machine Knitters, Epping Creative Centre, Epping NSW - CANCELLED
(Note: this list is current as of 9/7/2021)
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Have you heard the buzz about The Oxford Rug Punch Needles?
Developed by rug hooking expert and teacher Amy Oxford, the Punch Needle is used to make a rug surface by creating a series of loops through a fabric backing. Unlike traditional rug hooking techniques that use a latching method or other tool to work from the "right" side of the rug, rugs created using The Oxford Punch Needle are created by punching loops with a continuous length of yarn or fabric through the "back" side of the rug. The tension of the loops in the fabric hold the fibre in place.
Here's a short video of our 6-year-old son punching from the back of the fabric backing and then turning the frame over to show the loops on the front.
Since you punch from the back, designs intended to be viewed from the "right" side have to be set up in reverse (like this map of Australia that our 8-year-old son is working on - it messes with the mind!)
The Oxford Punch Needles have been around for many years, but have only recently gained massive popularity due to postings on social media sites, particularly Instagram. Using the Oxford Punch Needle allows for the user to create a lovely textured piece relatively quickly and easily - if a mistake is made, it is easily corrected by pulling out the yarn/fibre and re-punching. It is, as Amy calls it, "Instant gratification with wool!"
And it's not just used to make rugs - you can use it to make wall hangings, cushion covers, carpet bags and more! For some **amazing** examples, check out the gallery on The Oxford Company's website.
The tool is very well made. It is made in America and the stainless steel needle is electro polished. The wood handles are made from maple and are handmade by a wood turner in Vermont. The tools are then assembled at The Oxford Company headquarters in Cornwall, Vermont. All of the Punch Needles come with a lifetime guarantee.
So how do you choose the right tool for the job?
The Oxford Punch Needles come in a variety of sizes and two different gauges.
First - let's start with the gauge. This is the size of the opening in the top of the Punch Needle.
The one on the left is the regular and the one right is the fine. The one you choose to use depends on the type of fibre you want to punch with.
The regular is suitable for heavy 3-ply rug yarn or 12-ply or bulkier yarn. You can also double or triple finer yarns (like 4-ply or 8-ply). Additionally, you can use novelty yarns or fabric strips that are 1/4 inch wide.
The fine is suitable for finer yarns 10-ply and finer, as well as narrow strips of fabric (approximately 3/32 inch).
Often, rug punching artists will use both regular and fine gauge tools in making their rugs.
Once you have decided what thickness of yarn/fibre you are using, you need to decide how tall you want your loops to be. If you are creating a design that will only be viewed from the "back" side, then the height of the loops don't matter. But if you are creating a object where the "front" side (the side with the loops) will be the "right" side, then the height of the loops matters.
Here is a list of the size Punch Needles and the size loop they each produce. The larger the number, the shorter the loop.
#8: 1/2 inch
#9: 3/8 inch
#10: 1/4 inch
#13 (also known as "The Mini with Heels"): 3/16 inch
#14 (also known as "The Mini"): 1/8 inch
The #8, #9 & #10 are available in both regular gauge and fine gauge. The #13 and #14 are only available in fine.
(The above photo is from The Oxford Company website)
More than one size Punch can be used on the same design to create texture and depth in an object.
The size of the loop is created by pushing the stainless steel needle tip all the way through the fabric back up to where the needle tip joins the handle.
So you choose your tool based on the weight/size of the yarn/fibre you are going to use plus the height of the loops that you want to achieve.
Still really excited but don't quite know where to start? It depends on what sort of projects you are planning to do...but...we recommend the #10 regular as a good place to start. Or you might want to pick a fine and a regular. Or you can purchase an entire set.
You can pre-order your Punch Needles from us here. They are set to ship in early December. We are also working on having kits available, as well as monks cloth and other suitable backings available for order. Other fabric backings include burlap, hessian, rustic linen, aida cloth - anything that you can punch through with the needle.
Please contact us if you have any questions. We are so excited to be the Australian stockist for this fun and useful fibre arts tool!
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