Thursday, October 28, 2010

Canberra Gocco round-up!

Hi all!

I am happy to report that the Canberra Owls enjoyed a fabulous Sunday afternoon of Gocco-ing.



Michelle and Jo were kind enough to bring along their machine to give us a demonstration, and also had some examples of what they've been printing since their Gocco arrived - perfect inspiration!



And just look at some of the beautiful prints our clever owls made:









And, just when we thought things couldn't get better, George arrived with a giant bowl of her waffle batter and brand new waffle iron - she and her helpers kept us in delicious fresh warm waffles all afternoon!



Next month's meet will be held on Sunday November 21 - keep an eye out for details here on the blog really soon! We're planning on re-visiting one of our favourite crafts from last year: freezer paper stencil! In the meantime, you can check out the fun we had with freezer paper last time here!

St George and Sutherland Shire Brown Owls


It was an extremely small group of us last time and we finally made it to the comfy room at the Oatley Hotel! Katie and I worked on our Granny Squares (see her awesome work above) and Sam joined us and did some beautiful stitching!

Our next meeting is on a Sunday afternoon for coffee, cake and craft...come along and we can discuss plans for our Christmas meeting! Here are the detais:

Sunday Afternoon Coffee and Craft

Time to get out and about on a Sunday afternoon and craft it up in the chilled coffee house of Edmonds and Greer...

So get out your crafty bag and head down for a relaxing afternoon on

Sunday the 14th November 2010 from 2pm - 5pm

drop in anytime....the kitchen closes at 2.30pm but there is coffee and selected food available till 5pm.

Newbies are welcome! I have reserved the large table in the room by itself under the name 'Thouraya'

Edmonds and Greer

97 Mulga Rd Oatley NSW 2223

(02) 9585 8177


RSVP by Commenting on this post!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

:: Brown Owls Worldwide Club Room




Hello Owls!

I have created a brand new FACEBOOK GROUP for all owls worldwide. If you nip over there, you can request to join and post interesting stuff, view events and even chat live to other owls!

Won't that be great?! If you are an owl this year, or have previously been an owl.. please DO join us!!!

xx Pip

PS :: if you already have your own group, that is great too!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Brown Owls at Nords Wharf

Just a reminder that the Brown Owls will be meeting tonight at Nords Wharf Community Hall, Marine Parade, Nords Wharf.
 
There will be a lino printing demonstration, plus lots of other inspirational materials to get creative with. 
Or bring your own piece to work on. 
Tea, coffee and slice too! It's from 7-9pm.

Gold coin donation for hall hire.
See you there.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

New! Welcome to Moreton Bay Brown Owls!

Moreton Bay Figs :: Ficus macrophylla

Yay!

I am very excited to announce a brand-new chapter of Brown Owls - Moreton Bay, QLD!

This came about when fellow BrisStylette Mel from Moose and Bird and I had a chat at a recent BrisStyle event and realised we practically live down the road from each other... and that going all the way into the city for Brown Owls is a big trek!

So - a new beginning for some crafty girls - and we want to find some more people to join in! If you know anyone who lives in Moreton Bay shire north of Brissie (Caboolture, Bribie, Redcliffe etc) who you think would be up for some monthly crafty get-togethers, please send them my way!

Jess x

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

To all Brownies

Hi all Brown Owls! The Finnish Brown Owls (=still only me) would like to challenge you all to make softies for Mirabel. It is a charity much closer to you than to me. The distance has not prevented me from being a Brown Owl for three years already, nor from making softies for a good cause. You can read more about the Mirabel foundation and Pip's appeal here.

Here is my this year's softie, all recycled and whipped together in a very short time. The Flickr group has lots of links to free patterns, and you can get good ideas from the pictures of earlier years. I have my own blog post with links to my previous softies for Mirabel here.



    


The Mirabel projects have always been my Brown Owls activities as well. Last year I knitted two bunnies for my knitting badge and sent the results to Mirabel. I hope you will take my challenge and make at least one toy in every group of Brown Owls. Kids need toys for Christmas!

Fabric Manipulation Workshop: ADELAIDE!!

Dear Owls,

Next Wednesday the crafty Emma will be teaching us some fabric manipulation techniques. Come and learn how to manipulate a simple piece of fabric with a needle and thread into a beautiful texture - the possibilities are endless.



Techniques taught will be taken from the book "The Art of Manipulating Fabric" by Colette Wolff.



Supplies to bring on the night:
  • ~1m square of a flat light coloured fabric (Emma will provide calico for $2 if you prefer, just mention this in your RSVP comment)
  • needles
  • thread to match your fabric
  • scissors
  • pins
  • 30cm ruler / measuring tape
  • fabric markers
When: Wednesday October 27th
Time: 7-9:30pm
Where: The Box Factory, Regent Street South, Adelaide
Cost: $2 plus $2 if you need Calico
How: Just leave a comment below to let us know if your coming.


See you then!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Sydney Owls Yarn in the Pub


Sydney Brown Owls Yarn in the Pub
Wednesday October 20
5.30pm onwards
The Evening Star Hotel
Cnr. Elizabeth & Cooper Streets, Surry Hills
(just up Randall St from Central Station)
New Members Welcome - Yarn not compulsory
RSVP Below - see you Wednesday, peeps!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Mitcham Brown owls


Our beautiful logo designed by Jo Schofield.

Hi Owlies,

Its time for our next Saturday afternoon meeting. This month we are having a
"Finish something off" Meeting. Do you have something that has been sitting for a while? Bring it along and finish it off.

Of course, there will also be "Learn to knit and crochet" available.

Don't forget about the free 1940's fashion parade at the Unley Town Hall , this Saturday and Sunday. Bookings essential ph: 8372 5117.

Where: Gallery One,
1 Torrens Rd
Mitcham.
Ph 8272 4504

When: Saturday 23rd October 1.30 to 4.00 pm

We hope to see you there!

Julie and Lianne.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Nords Wharf Brown Owls

You may be wondering 'where the hell is Nords Wharf?', well it's a great little coastal community about 1/2 hour south of Newcastle, NSW.  We've not long started our own Brown Owls group and are having a great time meeting new people and sharing ideas. 

We meet every second and fourth Tuesday of the month.  At our next meeting you will be able to see a lino printing demonstration and try it out for yourself, or bring along your own art and craft to work on.  All you need to bring is a gold coin donation to cover the cost of hall hire. 

Next meeting: Tuesday 26th October, 2010

Time: 7-9pm

Where? Nords Wharf Community Hall, Marine Parade Nords Wharf, NSW, 2281.

Please RSVP in the comments below if you're interested in coming to the lino printing workshop.
or go to www.theartydog.blogspot for more info and photos of our past meetings.

Monday, October 11, 2010

St George and Sutherland Shire Brown Owls


October Meeting

Date: Next Monday 18th October 2010

Time: 7pm - 10pm

Location: Oatley Hotel - 8 Oatley Avenue - Oatley NSW 2223..

I was going to head to the Penshurst RSL but I'd have to join and then their website gave up on me and it was a tough day so I went back to the old Oatley Hotel!

I am going to head over early and get a spot either in the comfy room or in the front room so we won't get pushed around!!!

Bring along your craft of choice!

Please RSVP in the comments below!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Canberra - 24 October - go go gocco

Hello Owls!

This month is 'Goctober' in Canberra, as the lovely Michelle and Jo have offered to bring along their Gocco machine to our next meet, on Sunday October 24th!

lovely Gocco print journal cover from Michelle's blog


For anyone wanting to try their hand at making their own Gocco prints the girls will have kits available for $15 - this will cover the costs of bulbs and one screen each (which is enough to print one design on either fabric or paper). From one inked screen you get about 4-5 decent post-card sized prints.

Please prepare the design you would like to make your Gocco print from in advance to bring along on the day - it needs to be postcard sized and either drawn with a carbon pen or photocopied on a toner copier. You will also need to bring along what ever you would like to print on to - paper/card or fabric are fine.

Orders for the necessary Gocco bits and pieces will have to be done this week to make sure we have everything in time for our meet, so if you would like to make your own Gocco prints you need to RSVP in the comments below with your request for a kit by this Thursday October 14th

Making the Gocco prints won't take very long, so please also bring along something else to work on too =) (seeing what my clever owly friends are crafting up is my favourite part!!)

If you would like to know more about Gocco there is a great overview here, and if you have any specific questions please let us know and we will pass them on to Michelle and Jo! =)

As usual we will be meeting from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm at Downer Community Centre. Please bring along $6 for room hire, as well as $15 for your kit if you want to Gocco, and a small plate of something for afternoon tea if you would like.

Don't to forget to RSVP below by Thursday 14th October to order a kit if you would like to make your own Gocco print!

Can't wait to see you then! =)

Bron, Naomi, Michelle and George x

Friday, October 8, 2010

MITCHAM BROWN OWLS


Our beautiful logo designed for us by Jo Schofield.

Hi Owlies,

Me apologies for the late posting. Our next meeting is upon us.

We are having a "finish something off" Meeting. Something that has been sitting for a while? Its time to finish it.

There will also be learn to knit and crochet.

We also have our big Tea Cosy Extravaganza on Saturday the 15th of October. Please ensure you book a place by phoning Lianne on 8271 2624.

Our next meeting details are:

Where: Gallery One
1 Torrens Street
Mitcham.

When: Tuesday 12th October 7:00 - 9:30 pm

Cost $4. room hire.

Please rsvp.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Brisbane Owls get ready to screen print!

Brisbane Owls get ready to screen print!


We're so excited to announce this very special Brisbane meet up with Ellie from Red Seed Studio. Ellie has kindly invited Brown Owls to her fabulous studio for a little screen printing workshop or for those who prefer to work on their own craft we'll have a special space at the studio for you to stitch, knit or crochet to your heart's content!

Date: Sunday 31 October

Time: 10:30am-12:30pm. If you're screen printing you're welcome to come a little earlier to get started on your work.

Venue: 24 Vanda St, Woolloongabba, 4102 (parking is avail in the front yard, and some on street, but it's a residential street, so don't know weekend parking situations. There's sure to be parking on Logan Rd as well. Closest train station is Buranda (about 3 mins walk), and buses go along Logan Rd often).


About the Screen Printing Workshop

There is a limit of 10 people for this workshop so it's first in best dressed. You can either email brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com to book your place or leave a comment on this blog post. If you miss out and there is enough interest we'll run it again for the November meet up.

Cost: $20 each - this includes the inks and all printing stuff needed. Ellie has very kindly waived her tutoring fees so that we can take advantage of this very low price!

About the class: Learn the basics of screen printing onto fabric in this fun class. You'll hand cut your own stencils, using your original designs (Ellie will be there to help with design inspiration!), and then print using a blank screen and toxic-free printing ink. There is a lovely little table in the 'printing shed' (the garage), set in a quiet garden with lots of natural light and space.
Due to the short crafting time, if you work on a design idea before the day, that will increase your printing time available. Simple, bold designs often work best. Remember - you'll be hand cutting the design, so don't make anything too complicated.

What to bring:

* The cost of the workshop doesn't include any material / fabric to print onto however Ellie has 100% linen tea towels available for the special wholesale price of $5 each. If you would like to purchase some of these please leave a comment or email Ellie at redseedstudio@gmail.com so Ellie can make sure there are enough. Ellie may also have some linen and hemp / organic cotton at wholesale price (if anyone's interested, they can email Ellie at redseedstudio@gmail.com).

* Alternatively you can bring plain fabric, tea towels, tote bags (not too thick), t-shirts, singlets, onesies, pillow cases, cut fabric for a certain project (eg - the bodice of a dress, or a skirt panel, etc). Also thick card is nice to print on - to make posters or cards. Cut to size, or one big piece. (Smaller is better as a hand cut stencil is easier and quicker to cut if it's smaller. and 2 - 3hrs isn't a lot of time for intricate designs).

* Please bring an old shirt or apron to wear, as well as some scraps of calico or other fabric to use for test printing. If you have a hair dryer, please bring that along as well (to help dry the fabric quicker for more printing).

* If you have cutting boards, the sort used for stanley knives and cutting blades, not the quilting ones please bring them along.

* and don't forget your design ideas!



Or BYO craft
We'll be setting up a cosy little area in the lounge room or if the weather's nice out in the garden for those who would like to work on their own crafting. Both Rebecca and Sam will be there to help out with anyone wanting to learn the basics of crochet, knitting, embroidery or if you have any crafty questions/problems we'll do our best to help solve them :)

Everyone: Bring along a fold up chair, picnic blanket, cushions or something to sit on. Tea and coffee will be provided but feel free to show off your baking skills by bringing along some morning tea.


RSVP: Please rsvp by commenting on this post or email brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com by Wednesday 20 October.

Look forward to seeing you then!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Adelaide Brown Owls - Gnomes!!

Do you have some little folk in your lives? Need a quick present that you could whip up for them? How about making some little gnomes?


They are lovely little characters that are great for imaginative play, excellent for doll houses or adventures on pirate ships. Made from felt and stuffing, they are super quick to make by hand. Come along and try with Gillian. Materials will be available for $1. Not feeling gnomeish? BYO and have a natter.

When: Wednesday October 13th
Time: 7-9:30pm
Where: The Box Factory, Regent Street South, Adelaide
Cost: $2
How: Just leave a comment below to let us know if your coming or would like a gnome kit.


See you there!!
x

Monday, October 4, 2010

Launceston Brown Owls - Crochet Toy Animals

Hi there Launny Owls,

This month's Brown Owls is on Thursday 14th at the Design Centre in Tamar Street at 7.30pm. This month the wonderful Melanie Kershaw will be showing us the art of making crochet toys. Details are given below of all that you will need, or bring along your own W.I.P as usual. RSVP by leaving a comment and the first 20 are in.

Please bring a 4mm crochet hook and some 8ply wool. It would probably be helpful to have several different colours, but there'll be a bunch of wool and some spare needles in a variety of sizes there so don't worry too much if you don't have it. It doesn't really matter what size needle or wool as long it matches up ok (so, a size 2 needle would need 4-6ply wool, a size 3,4,5,6 needle would need 8 ply wool, bigger the hook, the bigger the wool), it's just that a 4mm hook and 8 ply wool is easily handled and is kind of mid-range.

If you have an idea about what they'd like to make then they can bring their own pattern, but Melanie will bring a few copies of a pattern that outlines several different little animals, like a turtle, rabbit, bear, mouse etc.

Oh, and a wool needle will be helpful too!


Look forward to seeing you there.


And don't forget to "like" our Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brown-Owls-Launceston/145902578767043#!/pages/Brown-Owls-Launceston/145902578767043?v=wall


Georgia, Gemma and Eve