These are strange times and we’re all spending a lot more time at home. This is great for the first week, but the excitement of so much spare time is soon dimmed when we realise there is only so much content you can stream before our eyeballs turn into squares, like our mothers told us they would if we sat too close to the TV.
Luckily for us, some local businesses are getting creative on how to keep us entertained and inspired during this time.
Here is what’s on offer:
Forge Forward
Forge Forward is a gallery style pop up shop located in Fortitude Valley, where they sell and display local creatives’ works. They also host weekly workshops. Of course right now, it’s not a possibility to visit their shop, so they are instead hosting Instagram live interviews with Brisbane creators, as well as virtual tours of the products in store. They are also sending their female-bust-painting workshops to you, complete with a ready made bust and your choice of colours, which they kindly hand mix themselves.
https://www.forgeforward.co/online-shop/
Bonnie Hislop
Bonnie is a Brisbane creative who specialises in funky, quirky, and oh so beautiful ceramic pieces. She is bringing us the goods, with her home painting kits featuring her gorgeous ceramic cat earrings, iced Vovo dishes, dog earrings, and cat shaped planter. Each kit comes to you with the ceramic cuteness of your choice, pots of paint, as well as paint brushes.
https://www.bonniehislop.com/shop-1
The Fabric Store
The Fabric Store closed its doors around Australia and New Zealand, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop there. Not only are they still shipping out their beautiful fabrics, they are also providing us with an endless array of free sewing patterns on their blog. Their patterns include Japanese style aprons, Sapporo coats, fanny packs, midi skirts, maxi dresses, sleepwear, trousers, blazers, you name it and they’ll have a pattern for it.
https://wearethefabricstore.com/au/blog
Peppermint Magazine
This sustainability magazine is also providing free sewing patterns, which are available to download on their website. The patterns are created in collaboration with In The Folds, who specialise in sewing patterns that are comfortable, interesting, and can be worn everyday. Yes please.
https://peppermintmag.com/sewing-school/
Cork and Chroma
We all know and love Cork and Chroma for their BYO wine art classes. Turns out they are live streaming the classes so you can follow along from home with your glass, or bottle, of wine.
If you’ve already got the materials necessary, the online classes are only twenty dollars and are a great way to still virtually hang out with your pals. And if you don’t have the supplies, or have no idea what you would need to buy, do not fret. Cork and Chroma have got you covered with their at home studio kits, which include everything you need to complete the artwork of your choice.
https://www.corkandchroma.com.au/product-category/online-sessions/
Hand Makers Factory
The Hand Makers Factory is studio space based in Melbourne, where they run workshops that encourage others to create confidently and learn new skills in a sustainable way. They also provide DIY kits so those not from Melbourne can also participate. At the moment they are holding live online workshops, including soy candle making, introduction to ceramics, indigo Shibori dying, stamp carving, weaving, and dozens more. There are even workshops for kids, including slime making, pottery and sewing.
https://handmakersfactory.com.au/
Class Bento
Class Bento is also a great hub for online workshops, including hand lettering, needle punching, pottery, painting, macrame, and even some gnocchi and pizza making action. All the supplies are perfectly packed into cute Bento style boxes and delivered to your door for hours of creative, hand-on fun.
https://classbento.com.au/live-classes-online
