I was awestruck by this building when I was in Beijing in ‘08. In fact, I was so impressed by it that I decided to walk around the block that it sits on, which took a whopping 90 minutes (Beijing has really big city blocks). Walking around such a massive sculptural form was breathtaking - its appearance alters with every step.

CCTV Headquarters, Beijing (by jonathan.kang0205)

I think my heart would stop if I was to see one of these fine creatures at the Hunting Ground - or anywhere in Tasmania, for that matter.

scientificillustration:

The thylacine - Thylacinus cynocephalus

Bryan Ferry.

What more can I say? The man has STYLE.

Here’s a close up of my new (old) Bernina 730 Record. As I previously mentioned, I’m a little nervous about ‘driving’ this machine, given that I failed to get my sewing machine license in grade seven. But there’s more to this story…

In grade seven at Williamstown (or ‘Willy’) High in Melbourne, I was part of a sewing class in which we were each given the task of producing a simple apron out of a fabric of our choice. I chose a plain moss green fabric and set out to make my apron. I was stalled at the early pattern-cutting stage when I accidentally cut my apron perfectly in half from top to bottom. I’m not sure how I managed this, but quickly took to fixing this mistake by sewing the two halves together and creating a surprisingly original apron design with a decorative seam down the front. Turns out I was actually quite good at driving a sewing machine.

So how I did a fail to get my sewing machine license?

It actually had nothing to do with ineptitude (my dubious use of scissors excepted), but rather the simple fact that I wagged my sewing machine license test. As this was the only class I wagged during my high school education, I can only reflect that at the time I didn’t think that getting my license was that relevant to my future success. How wrong could I have been? Over the many years since, I have developed a lack of machine-sewing confidence and instead sew everything by hand, from doona covers to altered clothing. And while my hand sewing skills are impressive, this laborious way of stitching fabric is getting me nowhere fast. So the Bernina 30 Record is here to save me from all that, once I get over my fear of driving and get on with making things that I can wear or sell. Coincidentally, I don’t have my car license either and am similarly nervous about getting behind the wheel, but that’s another story.

One night recently my subconscious told me that I must buy that sewing machine unit in the window of the Vinnies opportunity shop on Argyle Street and start making things to sell. I’ve wanted a sewing machine for a while, so off I went first thing the next morning and snapped it up as a birthday present to myself. It’s a Bernina 730 Record from the 1960s and I’m a little scared of it, to be honest. I haven’t used a sewing machine for years and was the only kid in my grade 7 class to fail to get my sewing machine license (more on that another time). Luckily for me the machine came with its original manual, so I’m not a complete babe in the woods. The previous owner even left stitched fabric samples in the manual for added assistance. As you can see, the machine lives inside a lovely teak cabinet that when closed up is an attractive piece of midcentury furniture in its own right.

You can learn about the history of Bernina (and 20th Century fashion) in this amusing video.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

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This is quite possibly my all time favourite song, which I discovered via Mariah Carey (via Mariah - it rhymes!) and her wonderful 1995 hit Fantasy which samples the Tom Tom Club’s infectious synthesizer riff. This song always makes me smile and dance on the inside…or outside, depending on where I am at the time. Classic.

Genius Of Love

from the album Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club, Sire Records/USA (1981) 

I’m now living back in my home town of Hobart after 15 years living interstate. My partner Dale Campisi and I have relocated from Melbourne for a few reasons. The gentler pace of life in Hobart was one motivation, but mostly it was our recent purchase of the Hunting Ground, a small rural property north of Hobart that directed our thoughts southward. Not long after that, Dale was offered the position of Editor at Island magazine and we were both invited to write a book on Hobart as part of the Hide and Seek range of city guides.

Everything seemed to be telling us to move to Hobart, so here we are and it’s a nice change from our busy life in Melbourne’s CBD. This is our new temporary home. The building served as the original location for The Friends’ School from 1887 to 1889.

I think we may need this in the chapel to stand around on chilly nights. But where does the smoke go?

A portrait of my partner Dale and I, taken to accompany a small article on us for a Melbourne magazine. I’m not sure if it’s been published yet.

I’m working at the Counihan Gallery after a two month break, and it’s great to be back. Today is the last day of the Material Culture exhibition, which presents new work by eleven local (Brunswick and surrounds) artists, all past teachers or students of the Textile Design and Development course at RMIT. Their work represents fine art, craft and fashion design practices.

Material Culture is part of the 2012 L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program and has its own Tumblr blog, too.