a little bit exciting...

i know it has been ages since i have been here. i have had limited access to the internet recently, and a bit of trouble getting photos to upload. am working on it. for now, here is a link to la porte peinte in france who will be showing some of my work. oooh i wish i could go!

coming soon...

its been months i know. i am nearly at the end of my degree. monday is my last day!(i think this is called procrastination)

our whitireia group exhibition Driven will be at Pataka opening on the 19th of November.

a little peek of my piece....






i have many great plans for this blog. i know i have been a sporadic poster, but it doesnt mean i dont think about it. i often find myself taking photos and imagine sharing them here.... i just never seem to get around to it. there are a lot of those things at the moment. after i finish studying i plan to give this blog an overhaul, add to my flickr page, and share some of the lovely things which never quite made it here over the past year.

see you then...

tinctorial treasures. exhibition photos

if you have been reading my blog for a while you will have noticed the time delay between me saying i will post something, and me getting around to it... the video from the fashion show has not been forgotten (entirely) and will be posted at some time in the near future..... and now... although it has been in the gallery and is now down again.... the exhibition!












































this is not every single piece in the exhibition, but i have to give my poor arms a rest. rsi really restricts so many things we do in our everyday life. let this be a warning to you all. dont let your creativity overrule sensible use of your body, your tools. take it easy, rest often, stretch your limbs. so many people are getting rsi these days. we need to listen to our bodies.
take care and happy fathers day.

photos (mostly, some are mine) by rachelle toimata

possums; a new zealand pest

just a quick post about possums in new zealand.

possums in new zealand are "Brushtail possums, introduced from Australia in the 1850s to establish an animal fur industry (big mistake), and now number an estimated 60 - 70 million in New Zealand. The damage they cause is both environmental and financial: they prey on eggs and chicks of native birds and on native insects, damage native forests and spread bovine Tb, posing an immense threat to dairy and beef industries." quoted from here
brushtail possums are different from north american opossums.
they are hunted in the wild, it is illegal to farm them in nz. the fur from the possums varies according to area and time of year, and is quality selected for specific end uses.

if anyone wants to find out more, google possum nz and heaps of products will come up or possum nz impact will find more factual info.
here is the information provided by WoolYarns (who provided the zealana and perino yarns and possum merino fibre for the dresses)

every possum that is eradicated from our forests makes a difference.

tinctorial treasures, an invitation

i have my solo exhibition going up next week, it will run till the end of the month. so if anyone is in porirua in august.... the gallery is open 9am-5:30 weekdays and 9am - 2pm on saturdays. there is a lovely farmers market nearby on saturdays where you can get all sort of gorgeous goodies.

following are some images of works that will be part of the exhibition.

photos of dresses

the dresses which are off to france.....
photography by rachelle toimata

mist, rainbows, birdwoman dresses and possum merino yarn....

very exciting news....i have been asked to make some wool dresses for an exhibition in france. the owner of the gallery saw some of my work online (photos on flickr, link at right).... the power of the internet proves itself yet again! the exhibition will be at Galerie de la Croix Blanche, a 16th century house in a mediaeval village, Noyers sur Serein in Burgundy. the theme of the exhibition is hybrid woman-birds. the dresses are quite tall and will be topped with papier-mache bird heads made by french artist Isabelle Thibault. i have made three felt dresses using a combination of nuno felting, stitch and various fibres, including a gorgeous possum merino blend. i am also making a knit and crochet dress with lots of different yarns- cotton, silk, wool and possum/merino yarn.




the possum merino yarn and fibre was supplied by Wool Yarns New Zealand. they dont sell the fibre, but it is oh so beautiful and soft when felted up. they do sell knitting yarn zealana in a range of colours and machine yarn for industry- perino. i love this yarn both for its softness and its impact on the environment. possums are an introduced species in new zealand and are causing widespread devastation in our forests, taking away food and habitat from our native birds and other wildlife. the possum fur used in this yarn accounts for a huge amount of possums every year.
i had planned to do some machine knitting for the knitted dress but it was not to happen. so instead i wound up these balls of mixed up yarns, and because i have injured my hands from too much crochet (those giant birds did it i think!) i have had help from my wonderful friends, craft group and family who did all the knitting and crochet. i asked them to knit in any way they liked, big, long, loose strips for me to sew together into a raggedy, cobwebby fairytale dress. thank you so much everyone who helped. i love working together like this. i think it really adds something special to the finished product.

i also had help from my wonderful husband who did all the heavy felting for me. i laid out the wool and gave him directions, and he felted the dresses up beautifully, and so much quicker than i ever could have.





i will be taking finished photos this week so should have some good pics to put up soon...