WAFTA workshops

The WA Fibre & Textile Association (WAFTA) has a few workshops coming up ranging from learning the basics of crochet and knitting to the more unusual working with gut and mud dyeing.

Images (L-R): qiuyuehanjiang01.blog.163.com; knitfrillsfood.com; craftsbee.com

WORKSHOP: Introduction to Knitting & Crochet – 1 day

Where: Alexander Park Craft House, Clyde Road, Menora
Date/Time: 16/03/2014 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Price: Members $75, Non-members $125
With Anne Williams and Susan Walsh

Spend a day in the company of two fantastic tutors learning the basics of knitting and crochet either from scratch or as a refresher.

Many of us have dabbled in knitting and crochet, but how many of us really understand how to read a pattern without getting lost, how to shape and create all those amazing stitches, how to fix problems, and how we might use these skills in our creative or artistic projects... or just to yarn bomb that tree in your front yard!

Use this as a standalone course to up-skill, or to prepare for WAFTA’s Prudence Mapstone’s freeform knitting workshop coming in the autumn. Choose between spending the day knitting or crocheting, or do both with half a day on each.

12 places available. To book a place visit www.wafta.com.au/events/workshop-introduction-knitting-crochet/

Images: Judy Dominic

WORKSHOP: Gutsy Stuff with Judy Dominic

Where: Alexander Park Craft House Clyde Road, Menora

Date/Time: 23/04/2014, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Price: Members $150 (Early Bird $125 until March 10th); Non-members $175

When not being used to hold sausage together, gut is a very elastic material that sticks to just about anything and dries firm and semi-transparent when stretched. It can hold structures together, be used like a string, create walls or form a flexible shape. A great material to use, play outside the box – or rather, outside the tube – in this off-the-wall workshop.

This workshop is suitable for all levels of experience from beginners to practising artists in a small dedicated class.

To book a place visit www.wafta.com.au/events/workshop-gutsy-stuff-judy-dominic/

Images: Judy Dominic

WORKSHOP: Mud Cloth with Judy Dominic – 2 days

Where: Alexander Park Craft House Clyde Road, Menora
Date/Time: 26/04/2014 - 27/04/2014 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Price: Members $300 (Early Bird $250 until March 10th); Non-members $350

The seemingly simple white design on black background cloth represents the serious artistic manner of telling the stories of village life in Mali, Africa. Learn about the traditional method of bogolan fini - dying cotton cloth with mud – as well as how that process is modified two different ways in the Dominic version.

During the workshop you will create your own story designs using local muds on cotton and other natural fibre cloth. Connect with the earth and gain an appreciation of the Mali culture.

This workshop is suitable for all levels from beginners to experienced dyers wanting to try something different in a small dedicated class.

To book a place visit www.wafta.com.au/events/workshop-mud-cloth-judy-dominic/

Light Locker Art Space

Left: Amber Cloudberry Harries. Drift.Sink.Settle, 2013. Right: Tiffany Moffat. Sky Crystals, 2013. Image courtesy of James Graham.

Light Locker Art Space, Roe St Carpark Arcade. Image courtesy of James Graham

Light Locker Art Space at night. Image courtesy of James Graham

The Light Locker Art Space is a public exhibition space showcasing 2D and 3D works from local artists aged 35 and under. Its sister space in Grand Lane, Perth, has showcased new works from more than 50 young artists since its inception in 2011.

Artists, groups of artists and curators aged 35 and under are invited to submit an Expression of Interest to develop an exhibition for the Roe Street Light Locker space.

Check out the Expression of Interest brief, view architectural drawings of the boxes, and submit an application online.

Please contact Katie Lenanton on 9481 3181 (Monday to Thursday) with enquiries.

Venue: Light Locker Art Space
Venue Address: Roe Street Car Park Arcade, entry off James Street, Northbridge
Apply to exhibit: http://foodchainperth.com/lightlockers/eoi/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Light-Locker-Art-Space/245364605542029

Urban Couture 2014

Urban Couture provides a platform for Western Australian fashion creatives and beyond to showcase works in a series of events throughout March. The mission of Urban Couture is to support home-grown talent in generating industry exposure.

Now in its fourth year, Urban Couture has become a leading program in the Perth fashion calendar. Urban Couture aims to transform unconventional spaces into places of popular fashion happenings.

The 2013 program was an overwhelming success, supporting over 50 designers and 30 artists in a program of 14 events attracting over 30,000 visitors. In collaboration with the Joondalup Festival, Urban Couture 2014 is set to put the spotlight on designers, artists, illustrators and photographers nationwide.

Expressions of interest for Urban Couture 2014 have closed, however if you are interested in being involved and would like more information please call 9400 4230.

Markets Under The Pines stallholders wanted

Markets Under The Pines is Perth's newest market, situated in the picturesque grounds of Curtin University on the first Sunday of every month from 10am to 4pm. The first market will be on Sunday 6th October, 2013 with stalls encompassing local produce, sumptuous food and innovative artisans' creations and lots of entertainment for the whole family, including an animal farm, pony & train rides.

If you are interested in being a stallholder, fill in this form or contact Jenny, the Market Co-ordinator by phone: 0407 612 110 or email: info@marketsunderthepines.com.au

Music in the hills: for clean water

Music in the hills: for clean water is a fundraising event for charity:water, a non-profit organization, to raise money to bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

It will take place at the Affinity Café in Roleystone on the 30th March. It will have a picnic theme with a beautifully decorated outdoor space, live music, dance, entertainment, market stalls, raffle draws and silent auction.

They are seeking sponsors to donate prizes for the raffle and silent auction. If you would like to donate something, contact Janet by email.

For more information and to make a donation to the charity fund, go here:
http://my.charitywater.org/Lovefromaus

Music in the Hills: for clean water facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1388969691364108/

Madeit Colouring Book - submissions open

Online handmade market, Madeit, are accepting submissions for their first Madeit Colouring Book. This is an all-age book that can be used by children & adults.

• The artwork will need to be a black line artwork
• Your artwork can be based on one of your artworks or items or it can be a new artwork that you think would work in the book.
• Your submission can be for adults or children
• Your store name & url will be included on the artwork page.
• Final submission of artwork will need to be high res (300dpi) for printing and scan in at the largest possible size. File type to be a jpg, tiff, eps, pdf 
• Final size of the book will be A4
• You will be supplied with 2 copies and have the option to buy more at wholesale rates to on-sell yourself at markets. 
• The book will be able to be bought in our madeit store and online and will be sent to media as a promotion tool.
• You must have an active madeit store to be apart of the book

Terms
- By submitting your artwork you give madeit the permission to include it in the Colouring Book
- Your artwork will only be used in the Madeit Colouring Book
- Madeit may use your artwork in promotion of the book.

If you would like to be involved, send your artwork ideas to advertise@madeit.com.au by Friday 28th February.

Final high res artwork will need to be supplied by 15th March.

Stretch Arts Festival Mandurah 2014

Expressions of Interest are now open for The Stretch Arts Festival 2014. This event is held over the weekend of the 3rd & 4th of May 2014, 10am - 4pm in Manjar Square, Mandurah. The festival is an annual community arts festival that is held each year in May. It attracts up to 10,000 festival goers to Festival Square over the weekend.

Artists, designers, stylists and craftspeople with unique and individual quality crafted designs are invited to apply to exhibit and sell. Products must be handmade by the stallholder.

A 3 x 3mm space outside is:
• $90.00 for 1-day trade.
• $135.00 for 2-day trade.
(Prices are inclusive of GST.)

THE EOI CLOSES ON THE 7TH OF MARCH 2014 AT CLOSE OF BUSINESS. There are limited spots, so be quick!

For any questions please contact Katie Mathiesen on 0404 874 389 or email writedu.oevents@gmail.com

Printmaking workshops

Printmaker Magali Dincher of Beau Est Mien has some workshops for adults coming up in her Fremantle studio.

Draw and Print a map of your city!

1st of March, 10am to 3 pm

$200 per person.

Be inspired by Magali's quirky way of drawing cities to create a map of your own neighborhood. Come along with some images of your house and the surroundings to use to draw your map. In the afternoon, use your drawing to create a printing plate and learn how to ink your plate up to create a limited edition of collagraph prints to bring home. Price includes all printing materials and inks.   

Crafternoon Decor Workshop
15 March, 10am to 3pm
$200 per person.

Create and print beautiful prints to decorate your home! Indulge in a crafternoon workshop to create your own hand printed tea towels, table runners, place mats, and cushion covers. You will learn a simple but super effective method of stencil and screen printing that creates bold patterns. Price includes 4 X cotton Tea Towels for printing. You are welcome to bring your own cotton fabric to create other homewares too. More tea towels available to purchase on the day. No experience necessary, price includes all printing materials and inks. 

To book or for more information, call on 0450 920 466 or email info@beauestmien.com.au You can also book your workshops online here! 

Yarn bombing & Crochet cactus garden

Learn about yarn bombing and how to crochet a cactus in these March workshops with Captain Plaknit! 

Phone 0408 999 943 or email contact@azureentertainment.com.au to book.

Guest post: 10 Qualities That Attract Wholesale Buyers

You’ve spent years perfecting your products, they sell well at markets and you’ve built up a loyal following. But how do you know if you’re ready to start selling wholesale? 

Getting shops to take you seriously as a potential wholesaler can be an uphill battle. What do they want? What are buyers looking for but they never tell you about? Below are 10 qualities that you as a business possess which will separate your products from all the competition and show buyers that you are a brand worth taking seriously.

1. You Make Products That Will Sell In Stores: 
Seems just a little bit obvious but sometimes what sells well in a market or online will not sell well in a retail shop. Personalised items or products that do not display well (made to fit clothing or un-stretched canvases) will probably be rejected by a wholesale buyer because they won’t be able to display the products well enough to get a sale.

Before approaching a shop ensure that what you are selling is something they can display and sell on the spot.

2. You Look Like A Business – Not A ‘Hobby’: 
Shops will be less likely to take you seriously if they think this is just a phase you’re going through. Always give shops every impression that you are a business; return emails and phone calls promptly, have answers to questions they might ask you at the ready, know what kind of delivery time you’ll need, have your wholesale policies in place and stay friendly and approachable but refrain from talking about personal subjects until your relationship reaches that level.

3. Your Branding Is Cohesive: 

Make sure everything about your brand tells the same story of who you are. This includes logo, packaging, website design, business cards, brochures and more. Try this exercise to see if you have cohesive branding: grab one of everything you have that relates to you business that wholesale buyers and customers will see. Spread it all out in front of you and take a good look. What does your brand say? Does everything flow together and look like it all belongs to each other? If not, revise the aspects that do not work and redesign them so they do.

Ella & Lily Photo by Brian Hadwin

4. You Have A Unique Selling Position: 

What is it that you do that sets you apart from everyone else? Do you:

• Create eco friendly products? 
• Use materials that are locally sourced? 
• Use special/unique packaging? 
• Donate to charity with profits? 

Try and refrain from simply stating “my unique selling point is that each item is handmade”. In a world full of handmade products for sale that isn’t a unique selling point. Instead find one aspect that you do that other artists aren’t doing. For example: “My cupcakes are made using only locally sourced ingredients”, “I donate one item I make to a local charity for every dozen I sell” or “My bath salts, including the packaging are 100% biodegradable”

5. Your Products Can Be Consistently Produced: 
From now on when selling to shops you need to be able to ensure that every item is the same as the last so wholesale buyers never get a shock when opening up your latest order. In some occasions you won’t be able to make identical items, necklaces featuring wood found on the beach will never be identical but customers should easily be able to tell the difference between the large wooden necklace and the small wooden necklace. Features such as clasps and wire/chain should always be consistently reproduced.

6. You Have Thought About How Your Items Will Be Displayed: 
You’ve thought long and hard about how each of your items will be displayed and worked on making changes so shops can get the best bang for their buck. Can your products be stacked on top of each other or can you use different packaging so they take up less space? Is everything eye-catching as a display? Do you need to display information with your products and is that noticeable as well?

Don’t be afraid to go back and rethink your packaging if it isn’t working for you.

Fluid Ink Letterpress

7. You Have Amazing Photos You Can Give Shops: 
Always have a collection of images you can give a shop in the chance they request one. Shops will sometimes request images so they can put them on social media, send with a press release or add to their website.

You will need at least one image per product with a plain white background and one image per product which includes props and/or people. Make sure they are crisp and clear, show special details, illustrate packaging and show who you are as a brand.

8. You Can Offer Your Products At A Price Which Allows The Shop To Add A Profitable Mark-Up: 

It may seem unfair that a shop gets to make as much if not more money than you and all they do is selling. But don’t forget the point that they are actually selling your products, without them you would have to sell the items yourself, a costly and time consuming undertaking. They also have many overheads that they need to pay in order to sell your items. If you cannot sell your products at a reasonable wholesale price then you’ll need to change some aspect of your production/costs in order to do so or forgo being able to sell your items at retail outlets.

9. You Can Deliver Your Wholesale Orders On Time: 
To do this you’ll need to perfect your manufacturing process, work consistently until the order is completed and ensure that no matter what else is happening in your professional/personal life you can fulfil the order.

10. You’re In This For The Long Haul: 
Realistically, most businesses take 2 – 3 years of wholesaling before they break even and much longer to turn a decent profit. This means you’ll spend years selling wholesale to shops before it becomes financially worthwhile for you. The personal benefits will kick in almost immediately but perseverance and hard work will get you through the long years. This is good news for retail outlets who will need to know that you will stick around and that the time and money they will invest in you will pay off for them long term.

Jacquie Hughes is a former committee member of Made on the Left. Find her here: delightsociety.com.au