A friend, Lea-Anne Martin, and I visited the recent Brisbane Craft Alive event. We planned to go to the Alternative and Goth Buy Swap and Sell afterwards, so we dressed in Steampunk. I wasn’t in full regalia as I would be if I were going out with the Steampunk crowd, but Lea-Anne was kitted out pretty well.
We were astounded at the number of compliments we received, mostly from older women. They also wanted to know: –
What is Steampunk?
It’s a way of celebrating 19th-century fashion with a nod to the technology of the Industrial Revolution.
It’s also a genre of Science Fiction which features steam-powered technology in the historical setting. See https://richarddeescifi.co.uk for his novels encompassing this genre. I mention Richard’s work because he’s a friend.
Do we belong to a group?
Yes, the Facebook group, Steampunk Affaires South East Queensland.
Where do we get our clothes and accessories?
We op-shop buy, alter, upcycle or make our outfits. I confess I’m not era-authentic with fabrics used, but it is all in good fun.
Can anyone belong?
Absolutely. Men and women from all walks of life participate.
Where do we meet?
We regularly have refreshments (tea, coffee, savouries and cakes) at a member’s home. The host/hostess brings out her fine China; we all take a favoured plate of treats to share and enjoy each other’s company for a couple of hours.
Participants dress to go to cafes, the theatre and out to dinner on prearranged dates.
We enjoy arranged outings to community events. Recently, some of us supported the Milliners Association of Australia by walking in the International Hat Parade.
My first outing with the group was by train to Nambour to op-shop.
There are so many community outings we can dress for that we are spoiled for choice, really. And going is never compulsory. We participate in the events when and where we want to.
The Craft Alive Exhibition
So, there we were in our Steampunk gear, perusing and being wonderfully inspired, when I spied a beautiful piece of art. An embroidered panel on the wall of the stall of Tracey Sims https://traceysimsdesigns.com I said “Lea-Anne, this is amazing.” Tracey Sims said “You look amazing.” A conversation began.
Tracey Sims Designs
Oh, my goodness, the wall hanging was stunning. Tracey, inspired by nature, takes photographs when out and about. Later, in her studio, she turns what she has seen into digitised embroidery designs, fine art paintings and fabric prints.
Tracey has created a collection of patchwork prints ideal for embellishment with embroidery. You can purchase these prints individually or in project kits from her website.
Tracey is the author of seven decorative painting books and her work and articles have been featured in many publications in Australia, USA, and the UK. She also teaches in numerous overseas locations.
Lea-Anne and I chatted to Tracey and her companion for ages about her art. We’d never seen machine embroidery in such abundance before. (My friend Linda Hendry had digitally embroidered on the Steampunk vest I was wearing, but Tracey’s creations were much larger and more complex.) Though embroidery has been around since man created fabric, digitised embroidery came about when man created a ‘process of converting artwork into a digital file using software that allows embroidery machines to understand the needle’s path.’ [1]
Bag End Studios
Lea-Anne and I walked on and found the art coming out of Bag End Studios also amazed us. Bag End is an Art Gallery and Art and Craft supplier and provider of workshops at Yeerongpilly www.bagendstudio.net .
Using t-shirt fabric and Powertex, ‘a non-toxic, environmentally friendly, water-based textile hardener’[2] Natalie Parish teaches and creates ornamental pieces, some of it, Steampunk inspired. We were enchanted, but I certainly don’t have the time or inclination to try another art form. Writing, quilting and card making are my passions and that is most definitely all I can find time for. I purchased some wonderful Steampunk Scrapbooking paper from this stall, though.
Crochet to Dye For
Crochet to Dye For also impressed us. Lynley Buckley came down from the Sunshine Coast to promote her business. She was wearing the most exquisite teeny tiny crochet potplant earrings. As the business name suggests, Lynley hand dyes cotton and yarn. She has a love for crochet, which is also Lea-Anne’s passion so we spent a while talking crochet. https://www.crochettodyefor.com.au/
Card making and Scrapbooking
Card making/scrapbooking stalls are always going to capture my interest. I’ll find techniques to try, and ideas to copy. Stall holders usually give permission when asked if I can photograph cards to try at home. I photographed with gay abandon. There were plenty of paper craft stalls and I bought necessities, but I wasn’t reckless with my spending.
The last stall that had some impressive work to attract our eyes was the Crochet Guild Australia.
The Crochet Guild Australia
I’ve been crocheting since I was eight. I’ve been in Australia since 1984 and didn’t even know there was a Crochet Guild. I’ve even taught crochet in Brisbane for a Sydney firm, Classie, which sold when COVID-19 came to visit. When the borders opened again, I was asked if I wanted to resume teaching for the new business owners, but I’d moved on in my writing and was also embracing quilting.
There are several places you can learn to crochet if that discipline takes your fancy. Crochet Guild Australia is one of them. https://crochetguildaustralia.org.au/ The work on their stall was inspiring, especially for Lea-Anne who has been known to yarn bomb public places.
Yarn Bombing?
It began in the early 2000s when a resident in suburban USA made a cosy for her doorknob. Others noticed and commented, presumably affirmatively, which must have prompted the resident, Magda Sayeg, to yarn bomb other objects in town.
Magda observed how residents began noticing things they hadn’t previously paid attention to. Yarn bombing became increasingly popular, and people from other cities started decorating water pipes, trees, statues, stairs and any part of the cityscape they could.[3]
Yarn bombing now has its own day, June 11th each year. It’s a form of graffiti and since graffiti is illegal, yarn bombing is probably illegal too, but it is considerably more endearing and much easier to remove when it fades or degrades, so it seems to be more openly tolerated.
The Alternative Buy, Swap and Sell event.
Lea-Anne and I walked from the Craft Alive exhibition to the Alternative and Goth event in Fortitude Valley. From the railway station, we could see a long tidy wave of black, many youngsters with heads bowed into phones. You couldn’t miss it 🙂 In fact, it was very long and it was slow-moving. Lea-Anne went to the right to find our Steampunk friends and I went to the left to stand in the queue. Lea-Anne eventually came down the queue to join me and soon after, our friends found us.
They’d been into the venue. It was small, dark and so crowded they had difficulty reaching the stalls and couldn’t see them when they did. Vendors shone their phone lights onto the racks so buyers could see the clothes. Don’t organisers realise there is a huge Goth and alternative population in Brisbane? Why such a small venue? And why no lighting?
To cut costs, one would assume. But letting people in two at a time as others emerged was ridiculous. Lea-Anne and I decided not to wait. It was disappointing, but, we’d had a good morning so we weren’t terribly upset.
Other opportunities will arise to buy bits ‘n bobs for our outfits.
[1]Superior Digitizing, What is Embroidery Digitizing? https://www.superiorinkprinting.com/, Accessed 26 April 2024
[2]Bag End Studio Online Art and Craft https://www.bagendstudio.net/about.html Accessed 26 April 2024
[3]The Foundry Works, What is Yarn Bombing, https://thefoundryworks.co.uk/ Accessed 26 April 2024