I'm in a Nest-y kind of mood at the moment. You can see it in my latest work.




Repurposed vintage spoons with black velvet ribbon and mini nest with moss, available at Nest, Penguin..

  I'm feeling inspired by our feathered friends. I watch them in the garden, gathering materials, building nests, all the while talking and talking and talking. I wonder who is in charge, who gets to make the final say, on the best looking nest. I watch the birdies hanging on to the overhead wires, almost vertical in a strong wind, just waiting for me to go inside. Once i am safely gone (but looking out the window! ) i see them swoop down, all a twitter, sorting through my materials, selecting just the right piece for each stage of their nest building.
 

Welcome swallow, image Rick Eaves Photography.

I like to think that i have a nice partnership with birds, they collect my materials to make nests, and i collect their feathers to make my work. I also like to collect wings and birds, where nature has claimed them.


Present for Soli, collection of nests, repurposed birds, tea pot with mohair curls and bird, vintage glass and silver bowls, doileys, fake turf, large wooden bowl, with vintage fork and assorted natural materials for a zen garden. White sand seperate. All together in a vinatge suitcase from the Blue Barn, Ulverstone.

Little birds have made nests all around our house, in the roof, in our trees, we even had some lovely swallows across the road in an open garage, until last year. I think the rain and humidity was too much for their nest, delicate in construction. Sadly they have not returned to us, but I'm sure they will be close by. We have a garden full of (weeds, but that another story ) and basket making plants - red hot pokers, kangaroo paws, lots of natives and and grasses. These plants give us the added bonus of visits by a whole range of different birds throughout the year. I also have a Banksia serrata, local to the Sisters Beach area in N/W Tasmania. This grows to a big tree, and i am hopping that the black cockatoos will come to visit us, we often see them flying past when the weather turns.

This time of year, spring cleaning finds me turning over my collected pieces, I call it tidying, but really i am looking at it all with new eyes. I have a lot of material coming and going, and it can be easy to overlook just what i have. Just grouping together similar materials can find me creating a whole new piece of work. Maybe i never grew out of my love of sorting at school?

Perhaps it's the light, but i have new energy for my work and the whole process of creating now. Winter is a lovely time to embrace shorter days, sit in the old nana chair and hand sew, and snuggle under layers of bedding. I also love sewing with my repurposed woollen blankets into toys and kits and skirts; they keep my knees warm!!

But Spring, in all its 'light showers' and freshness has a different energy. The basket materials i mentioned are growing, their flowers swaying in the breeze. I love to harvest - iris, lily, daffodil, red hot poker, kangaroo paw, cordyline leaves to weave into string and work into my baskets.

 
Repurposed rusty metal handle basket with sisal, iris, lilt, red hot poker and walnut dyed sisal.

I watch like a mother bird over her brood whilst they grow and sway in the sunshine.
I look around my house and feel the need to re-connect with my work at this time of year too. New pieces to be made and Nests are making me feel happy.


Repurposed door with nest and moss.

I like to feel that birds have made their homes in these little doors and frames, just like the swallows make their nests in the corners of walls. Birds come in all different shapes and sizes and so too do my nests.


Repurposed gold frame with nest and feathers.


Repurposed and distressed frame with nest, moss and egg.

I love to wear skirts, and this warmer weather just begs for my legs to be let out of the pants i have hidden in all winter. So onto making summer skirts. I am loving the idea of incorporating stories and thoughts onto my skirts. I love texture and movement. Just like all my work, old is my inspiration. I love old poems, quotes and stories about peoples lives. I am putting together all these different ideas, with vintage and collected linens, and denim ( and organic denim) in my new summer skirts. I am making wrap skirts that tie at the side or back. They are reversable and have a pouch pocket at the front. The denim skirts are not lined, to keep the weight of them down. (it is surposed to get hot after all........)




Fully reversible repurposed linens summer wrap skirt. Has recycled sari silk detail, pouch pocket and love tag.

I continue to add to my collection of vintage images and i am finding new ways to bring them together all the time. I love that they can be used to create stories.

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Repurposed  vintage 'Deer" wall hanging.

Wood is a strong, primal material, it has to be shaped by hand, and comes from our precious trees.
 


Nests in repurposed wooden bowls.

Wood feels old to me, we have always lived with trees. They are part of our survival, and we use them in our day to day lives. Wood is much longer living than plastic, and is much less likely to break down and become fragile. So i can combine an ancient materials and craft with the lovely old images and words.


Six sided block, wooden repurposed, with vintage images.

I hope you have enjoyed the glimpses of my new works. Natalie, from Nest in Penguin, has done a lovely window of some of my latest works she has for sale. Why not head over for a look! 

You can also find some of my new pieces at The Makers' Workshop, Burnie.


You will find my latest work on facebook, that is where i put up different pieces i am working on or collecting. Thanks for reading.

Janine. xxx

p.s. I hope to share with you soon some great news about the Christmas edition of Country Style magazine. You may just find my work in there, featured in Nests shop window. Keep your eye out in the newsagent, if i leave you a copy!