Friday 26 May 2017

DYE HAPPY!

Advance Notice of an exciting workshop coming to Jamberoo in August.

In this exciting two-day workshop we will explore the basic techniques of Natural Dyeing*.  Each participant will create at least one beautiful pure silk scarf, coloured and patterned in collaboration with nature. In the process we will discover which plants and vegetables produce the best colour and how to fix them.
 We will employ a variety of Shibori*  techniques to create extraordinary patterns and texture. The unique piece you create will reflect the colours and textures of our landscape in your own way. You will be delighted and proud to wear it.
Deborah Clarke has been investigating and teaching natural dyeing for the past eight years. She runs Creative Camps in Central Australia where the natural dyeing process is a favourite activity.  People enjoy her engaging and informative teaching style. The information she provides inspires participants to continue the learning process on their own with confidence.
•Natural Dyeing or ‘Eco dyeing as it is sometimes called, uses plant and vegetable material as the fabric dye. Beautiful colours are best achieved on silk, wool and wool/silk mix.
•Shibori is a Japanese term referring to many different ways of creating pattern and texture on fabric, using the process of resist, by wrapping, tying, twisting, bundling or stitching the fabric.
Find out more about Deborah Clarke:


When:                26th-27th August 2017
Where:               Jamberoo Village Hall
What to bring:     an apron (or wear old clothes) and rubber gloves
What's provided:  absolutely everything, including refreshments (scrummy morning and afternoon teas, and light lunches)

Cost: $385.00 

How to book: via the Rapt online storehttp://raptupholstery.bigcartel.com/product/dye-happy-workshop (you can pay via credit card or Paypal)

Accommodation:  Lots of local options are available, from pub-style to sumptuous country-house B&B, and even basic camping is available in the adjacent lovely park.
Check out the online store for links.

Note:
I'm away on hols from late May to end of June - if you have any queries in that time please contact Deborah directly, via the links above.










Goin' fishin'

Upholstery work is very hard, really.
So, time for a break - we're off holidays for the month of June. 
Hoping to be bring back some fabulous textiles (which is, afterall, why we go on holidays, isn't it?


Our online store is still operational while we're away. At time of writing you can still register for the last few spots left in Julie Paterson's LOOK DRAW PRINT workshop on July 9th, and purchases can still be made, however orders won't be shipped though till early July, on my return.

BEFORE & AFTER

Here's the latest job just finished - full makeover of a much-loved family heirloom.








Tuesday 2 May 2017

NEW INTO STORE....

Just in... gorgeous new umbrellas!
Why, you ask, would an upholstery and furnishings business be selling brollies?

Well - these are not just any old brollies - they're hand-crafted works of art, showcasing designs from the recent Osborne & Little ENCHANTED GARDEN furnishing fabrics collection.

The 2 designs available in the Rapt! showroom and online store are AVIARY (left) featuring a collection of lovely small birds (budgies, finches, wrens, sunbirds) on a trellis background; 
and DRAGONFLY DANCE (below) a display of gorgeous shimmering dragonflies in teal, lime-green and silver, on a metallic silver background.

Not only do these look good - they're beautifully crafted. The folding mechanism runs like a Rolls Royce; they're fully lined; and all the fittings are impeccably finished.

These are real keepers. The question is: WHO gets to keep them?