FIVE WINDOW DISPLAYS AND PROJECTS, 2005–2010

WORKSSMALL PROJECTS
Written By Gracia Louise
 
 
 

1/ Project Patchwork
2010

A collaborative quilt project

Craft Victoria, 31 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

 
 
 

A one-off patch made especially for Project Patchwork 2010.

We were one of several involved and given simple joyous task of decorating a thirty centimetre patch for worthy cause. For our square, we embroidered a rabbit and placed him upon a tree in riot of blossom. Lest he be lonely up there in the unfamiliar, we gave for company a purple bird.

A collaborative quilt project made to raise money for the Australian Cambodia Foundation. The raffle night for the three finished quilts was held at Craft Victoria (on Monday the 18th of October, 2010).

 
 

Project Patchwork

ALICE JONES, AMANDA WILSON, AMY BORRELL, ANITA CUMMINS, CARMEL MCKIE, CAT RABBIT, CHLOE QUIGLEY, DANI MAUGERI, DELL STEWART, GRACIA & LOUISE, GILLIAN BENCKE, HATTIE JONES, JANE WALLACE0MITCHELL, JOANNA MCALPINE, KAT MACLEOD, KATRINA WEBER, KIM BROCKETT, LAUREN MAHONEY, LIMEDROP CREW, ELIZABETH OAKS, LIZZY WILSON, LUCI EVERETT, NELLA THEMELIOS, SIMONE ELDER, TAMARA MARWOOD

Project Patchwork is a collaborative quilt project where people come together with their needles and threads to sew beautiful quilts and raise money to help people who have been sadly touched by cancer. This year Project Patchwork are making three quilts, two that were initially designed and then sewn from provided kits and a third that is made up of patches designed and sewn by 27 crafty ladies & gents. During 2010 we are raising money for the Australian Cambodia Foundation which funds an orphanage in Cambodia run by an Australian, Geraldine Cox, who has been recently fighting breast cancer.

Project Patchwork 2010

Everyday I come home from work and race to the mail box, hoping to find it filled with patches and today I was so very excited when I saw an envelope from Gracia + Louise! I knew when I opened it I would find something beautiful so, like charlie with his chocolate bar, I unwrapped it very slowly. Meanwhile, the girls I live with were yelling at me telling me to hurry up and rip it open. I was right, the girls have absolutely blown me away, as expected, with a very very gorgeous patch!

Gracia & Louise’s patch!, Project Patchwork blog, 1st of July, 2010

Melbourne girls, Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison are a duo that work closely together making a range of beautiful creations some of those being; artist books, zines, prints, postcards, pencil cases, cards, journals & dolls. They are widely skilled and make just the most amazing and inspiring work. At my work we have a Gracia + Louise collage hanging up on the wall right in my eye line and I get stuck staring at it. The wild worlds Gracia + Louise create with paper, watercolour and collage really do take you to another place. Under the name of Hammer & Daisy the two also make the most special dolls and creatures as well as a range of beautiful stationary. Each one hand crafted, each one beautifully individual. They are sewn together with beautiful fabrics, buttons, patches and beads. They are definitely individual little personalities that you would expect to come alive at night (in a whimsical non scary way).

Crafty ladies #9 and #10 — Gracia & Louise, Project Patchwork blog, 17th of June, 2010

 
 
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2/ Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison (formerly hammer & daisy), and Elaine Haby (Thelma’s handmade)
2008

MINE — Kids in Olinda
Shop 5, 540 Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, Olinda

Watching over me day and night
An installation of handmade friends and greeting cards
Wednesday 15th of October – Tuesday 25th of November, 2008

My Little Menagerie
A window display of Thelma’s handmade
Wednesday 3rd of September – Monday 13th of October, 2008

 
 
 

Watching over me day and night

A window filled to glass-fronted brim with the things we have made, from our collaborative images printed on greeting cards and postcards to small linen birds sewn with needle and thread, replete with buttons for eyes.

 

My Little Menagerie

Thelma’s felt stuffies, with all their quirks and individual mannerisms, took with ease and fair amount of flair to the window of MINE — Kids in Olinda for a spell in 2008. Stuffed creatures, made completely by hand by Elaine Haby, sure to wheedle a grin from even the sour. Alongside Thelma’s tote bags, fashioned from Belgian linen, large enough to house a stuffed companion alongside a favourite read. All lined and double-stitched for good measure.

 
 
 
 

3/ Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison (formerly hammer & daisy), and Elaine Haby (Thelma’s handmade)
All the things to take to our very own archipelago
2008

enCounter – In the window
Craft Victoria, 31 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Monday 29th of September – Sunday 19th of October, 2008

 
 
 

New things appear in Flinders lane, should you know where to look. A window filled with the things we have made by hand, from images printed on paper to things sewn with needle and thread. We have the paper for correspondence and we have the stuffed creatures to populate the many small islands.

 
 
 

All the things to take to our very own archipelago

In interview with Craft Victoria
Clog, the Craft Victoria’s blog
10th of October, 2008

All the things to take to our very own archipelago
An installation by Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison
In the window of Craft Victoria

Using paper as our primary medium, we make limited edition artists’ books, lithographic offset prints, zines and the like, together, and have been doing so for many years now. Based in Melbourne, we work from home, and we are often to be found up late tinkering on some project.


Paper may be their primary medium, but these ladies sure are adept in doing all that they do! To coincide with our latest enCOUNTER display, this week CLOG looks at collaborative act Hammer and Daisy a.k.a. Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison. You might recognise their work which is stocked extensively in the shop, namely their bound journals and notebooks, greeting cards, softies and little owl pin cushions. What you might not know is that all these works are the created by the team effort that is Gracia and Louise! Incredible.

Not only are these ladies talented, but eloquent as well. We'll stop gabbing about how amazing Gracia and Louise are, and let them speak for themselves. Happy reading!

The titles of your work are whimsical and carefully constructed. How do you come up with them and is there a particular reason for this inclination?
Thank-you, we are rather chuffed you think so. Titles, be they for an exhibition or a particular collage seem to spring forth of their own accord. They can be coaxed out of their hiding spot somewhere in the chambers of the mind by the irresistible lure of a quiet room, an early morning or a late night. They are less cooperative around midday and think only of lunch at such times. Titles take shape whilst a work is being made. A postcard collage, a collaborative collage piece or a folded sequence in a concertina book, as one works titles leap forward and present themselves. It is then a matter of quickly penning the sentence to paper before it heads slightly, teasingly out of reach.

Titles are another area to play with, for us. Just as the two-dimensional surface is a delight to use, so to is the space allocated for a string of words with questionable punctuation. It also serves as an entry point for some folk, but do be careful.… there are many red herrings lying about.

In the case of this display in the fine windows of Craft Victoria, the title All the things to take to our very own archipelago came after the once-broken chair was sourced in Elwood and before the black trunk was commandeered. Once we had title in place, the final trimmings were sought. That said, we’ve neglected to include a few things we might actually take with us. Whatever shall we do for coffee and chocolate? We hope there are cocoa beans in ready supply.

Tell us a bit about your stint in Switzerland where you learnt the art of bookbinding.
We learned several bookbinding techniques in Ascona, Switzerland. In a delightful building near to a lake, at a quiet time of year, we were introduced by Daniel E. Kelm to the various tools of the trade. Prior to this we had little knowledge of a bone folder and a means to ensure square covers. It really was a case of diving in blindfolded and liking what we found. The exacting and beautiful techniques of those working and studying there was impressive and inspiring. They were also most welcoming.

Do you have a preference for any one of the many wonderful things that you make?
Initially, we’d have to say that our preference is always for our artwork be it collaborative or our own work. Making collages, watercolour drawings and tinkering on the page layout of an artists' book side-by-side is what we love to do. However, thinking about it some more, we like all the various things because they are all the various things. Finding pearly buttons to use as eyes for an owl pinnie, well, that is also fun. Toggling back and forth between the two probably keeps us closer to sanity and of course, one feeds into the other.

What’s the best thing about doing what you do?
Hmm, so many things. Today, it is the flexible hours that we can work and that we can, for the most part, work at home. Our studio for it all is our entire house. Prints are editioned on a glass cabinet in the middle room and every flat surface is put to use, even the floor.

...and the worst thing?
Working from home can sometimes have a few pitfalls. Hand-in-hand with the good, it does mean that you never quite switch off.

And finally, you’re on your way to your very own archipelago and you can only bring 3 things. What would they be?
Only three, you say? Hmm, that shall be tough. We’d want something for a caffeinated high (be it chocolate or coffee in form…. but, please, on second thoughts, don’t give us the raw source material, we’re woeful in the kitchen). We’d want something to read lest we’d go mad. And, we’d want sunscreen for we are pale and indoorsy.


(Craft Victoria’s blog, Clog, is no longer active, but their archives are still available for online perusal.)

 
 

4/ Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison
A Parliament of Owls
2006

enCounter — In the window
Craft Victoria, 31 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Monday 28th of August – Sunday 10th of September, 2006

 
 
 

Made by hand from start to finish, a white, wooden forest installed in the front window of Craft Victoria with a little over one hundred of our tiny brown-fronted owls assembled. The parliament is ready; let the hooting begin.

 
 
 
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5/ Limited edition, handmade for Iris & Hazel, Lee Mathews Workroom, and Craft Victoria
2005–2009

Limited edition makings & other rare delights, requested

 
 
 

Limited edition linen bird stuffies
Small Belgian linen-fronted birds created for Lee Mathews Workroom using their fabrics on the reverse side and vintage buttons from Portugal for eyes.

Limited edition bluebird stuffies
Small and stuffed bluebirds of happiness, all lovingly stitched by hand, with coloured stitching and individual feather markings. On the slightly darker side of blue, these birds with a past liked their teacake lightly buttered and expressed a fondness for watching old B&W films.

Limited edition yellow canary and white penguin stuffies
A limited series of small, plump yellow canaries (2007) and white penguins (2009) created especially for Craft Victoria's Yellow and White Christmas displays. Stitched completely by hand, with unique feather markings, some even came with small flowers adhered to their gently rounded chests.

For Iris & Hazel
Twenty A6 journals created especially for Iris & Hazel (Paddington, NSW), using their signature fabric with a B&W pencil stripe grosgrain ribbon tie.

For Lee Mathews Workroom
Forty A4 2006 diaries created especially for Lee Mathews Workroom (Armadale, VIC & Newport, NSW), using an assortment of their collected fabrics sourced from around the globe.
Custom-made A6, A5, and A4 blank journals were made on a regular basis.

 
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Blanket magazine

Meet the Creators Gracia & Louise (formerly hammer & daisy)
Issue 2: The Urban Issue
February, 2007

Tell us a little bit about your backgrounds?
Hmm, lets see. We’re both from Melbourne. And we each harbor the desire to travel more often and further afield.

How did you meet?
We met at RMIT whilst both studying painting…. over ten years ago now, in a building ripe with the smell of oil paint, turps and dreams.

Hammer & Daisy is a brand of stationery you sell in Australia. Tell us a little bit about your product range?
Our line of hammer & daisy handmade goodies initially began with one style of handmade journal in three, familiar to all, sizes; A6, A5 and A4. A square knot journal bound with an exposed spine held together by a series of small square knots over and through brass wire and rods, with a fabric cover. The idea was to make a journal we ourselves would use, one that would lay flat when open and that had a flexible, workable spine. As each journal is made completely by hand and in stages, we found we were able to use different fabric combinations ensuring no two journals were the same. A concertina journal was later added to the brew, using the same idea of clashing, matching fabric combinations, candy stripes on the front and galloping horses on the reverse.

From this hammer & daisy has since evolved to include not just paper goods but other fabric creations; fabric pencil cases and A6 journal pouches ideal for the carrying of daily essentials such as pens, the odd gluestick, lip balm, spare camera chip and other like companions, and even a small chocolate brown owl pincushion ideal for crafty creations. Lately we have even added Thelma’s felt pins to the hammer & daisy line up; small to large handmade felt blooms and organic shapes ready to be worn or ready to adorn any bag or bare space.

Where do you find your influences for the designs you come up with?
The square knot journal is based upon a design we learnt at the Centro del bel Libro, a specialist bookbinding school in Ascona, Switzerland, in 2002 (we were fortunate enough to be able to study there as part of the Freedman Foundation Traveling Scholarship for Emerging Artists). Each step of the process appealed to either one or both of us, from the hand folding of each page to the tying of several square knots which make up the spine (a single A4 journal requires 168 small, tight square knots). Seeing the craftsmanship and the skill of the individual bookbinders, their willingness to share techniques, ideas and various tricks of the trade, was delightful and remains to this day, a huge influence. The experience resulted in us not only being able to bind our own collaborative artists’ books but also to start hammer & daisy, which has grown from a line of handmade journals to encompass an army of owl pinnies and felt stuffies and more.

Every piece you create is unique and you endeavour not to use the same combination of fabrics. Where do you find the fabric pieces that you use?
We are always on the look out for new fabrics to use and given that the actual fabric size required is rather small, we can be quite inventive with our sources. An old curtain no longer used and covered with age spots may have one or two sections that can be cut down, washed and ironed, and turned into a journal cover. Most fabrics, be they favourite t-shirts, tablecloths or kimono sleeves can be fashioned into suitable covers or owl backs. We mix these fabrics up with various quilting fabrics and other finds. It is a fun part of the process, collecting, hoarding and storing fabric gems.

Everything is also completely handmade, what do you think is the appeal of this?
Handmade items, where the work the hand has done and can clearly be seen, appeals to us, as does the process behind it. This direct link to the person behind the work, the labour involved, the skill, all of these elements can’t help but make a handmade item appealing.

How did you come up with the idea of these products?
Generally from something we ourselves would like to use and would enjoy making en masse in our home based factory. The idea behind the owl pinnie came in part from a family heirloom made of felt and out of our own personal need for a pincushion. That said most folk tend to keep their pinnies as small stuffed companions. Other pieces come about after making one of a kind presents for friends. The small bluebird stuffies (similar to the limited edition canaries we made for Craft Victoria's Yellow Christmas) were initially made for friends and we’ve since decided to make them commercially available too.

How long have you been in business?
hammer & daisy, in its current guise as journal makers and owl stuffers, began in 2003. Before that, we tended to gardens and odd jobs, hence the name. Our career tilling the soil lasted barely a year before we came to our senses and elected to work with our primary loves, paper and fabric.

You’re both involved in many other creative projects apart from hammer & daisy, tell us about these.
We set up hammer & daisy for many reasons, one of which was to fund the making of our limited edition collaborative artists’ books and other works on and with paper, as well as low-tech zines whipped up on the photocopy machine. At present, the two sit well together, and they feed off one another.

I love the artists’ books that you have created, your first zine started in 2000. How did you come about creating these books?
We both love working with paper and in book format, so the idea to create a series of limited edition, hand bound, collaborative artists’ books seemed like something we would, and still do, enjoy. Having to consider how the pages will lie next to one another, as well as various technical aspects, appeals to us both. Were money no obstacle, we'd happily print many more. The Dubious Clue, The Case of the Lost Aviary, By the Pricking of My Claws, and Trouble at Sea, our four most recent, featured a host of extinct animals in search of new lands, with a distinct nod (in the title) to Agatha Christie. The quickness of a zine is the perfect companion to the slow process of the artists’ book. A zine can be whipped up almost in a day, the complete opposite to an artists' book that can find us hand colouring the wings of a Passenger pigeon for hours on end.

Between the two of you, there have been many collaborations, what has been your favourite one to date?
No favourites, we love them all. Perhaps the ones swimming around in our minds, waiting to come to fruition, are our favourites. The ones we are most keen to set to work on. Collaborating with others, especially with the zines, is also thrilling as the other person will have such wildly different ideas to you. We could only have made Geschlecht und Schoklade (2006) with Gaby bila-Günther or Where does the muskrat keep his musk? (2003) with Elaine Haby. We’ll definitely continue to collaborate with each other and also with others in the future.

You’ve both done quite a lot of travelling, how has this helped to shape you as artists?
We are both homebodies and travellers all at the one time. We love to travel, to see and discover new things. To see works in museums and galleries that you had previously only seen on the printed page or made up of many pixels on the web. Travel, of all kinds, inspires almost everything we do. To see how other people live, to experience a new city or country, to be a tourist, to be a visitor, all of these things and feelings, can’t help but to inspire. With no grand travel plans on the cards for the next little bit, we are traveling vicariously through characters in novels and film.

You have both received a few grants/scholarships, tell us how this has benefited you as artists?
To receive that reassurance that other people like what you are on about is invaluable, and the financial assistance enables you to bring some of your bigger ideas to completion. The making of our first six artists’ books in such a short time span would have not been possible any other way. The options it made available were huge.

Lastly what has been your favourite job or piece of work to date?
Our favourite would have to be what we are working on at this very moment. For an exhibition in late February, at Mailbox 141 in Flinders lane. Inside the small letterboxes we will be placing some of our most recent watercolour drawings and collage works. An exhibition later in the year at Imp Gallery (above the Greville Street Bookstore) has us heading to the printers this January/February to create a series of limited edition lithographic offset prints. For the first time we will be printing in four colour (as opposed to single) and we couldn't be more giddy and thrilled at the prospect if we tried.

[applause]

Blanket magazine, Issue 2
The Urban Issue: Jeff Kleinsmith, Jesse Le Doux, Simon Hogsburg, Nate Williams, Sarah Sculley, James Gulliver Hancock, Ollie, Apple Moshberry, Gracia & Louise (formerly Hammer & Daisy), Seth Reider

 
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Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison, collage from Whose lights were now seen glittering, a zine for Milly Sleeping and LookStopShop, as part of Hidden Gems & Rough Diamonds, 2012

 
 
Gracia Louise http://gracialouise.com
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THREE ZINES, 2010
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A PAIR OF ZINES, SHELVED, 2010