Sew Gorgeous 2023 - Awards & Exhibition Opening

Join us at Songlines for a special afternoon of fabrics, creativity and clothing

Flying Fox Fabrics and Papulankutja Artists invite you to the Awards and Opening of SEW GORGEOUS 2023 exhibition at 4 pm on Sunday 6th August.

SEW GORGEOUS 2023 project invited creatives to make wearable (art) items from Papulankutja Artists' beautiful fabrics. 

The Exhibition and Awards night is the culmination of months of preparations and work by 26 people (25 women and one man) from all over Australia (full list below). The BIG REVEAL will be Sunday 6th August. More than 35 amazing garments will be on exhibition, a film of the collection will be screened and (fun) prizes will be awarded to participants. 

The superb fabrics have been printed (mainly on organic cotton) by our sponsors: Next State Print in Melbourne. 

NB: We'd love you to dress up in First Nations fabrics! You might even get a prize yourself.

EVENT DETAILS

4.00 pm Doors open 

4.45 pm SEW GORGEOUS 2023 Awards Ceremony, Film Screening and Exhibition Opening

Light refreshments will be served. BYO folding chair if you'd like a bit of comfort (we have benches). 

SEW GORGEOUS IS ....

A celebratory event that brings together Aboriginal fabric design and people who like to sew with the aim to ….

• Showcase Papulankutja Artists paintings and fabric designs and bring attention to their fabulousness and versatility
• Showcase participants' skills as a designer/sewers
• Promote Australian First Nations designed fabrics and the making and wearing of handmade clothing and slow fashion

Ticket proceeds will go to Papulanuktja Artists. 

Participating Creatives

Sue Catt (Sue Catt Creative); Bonnie Short (A Few Stitches Short); Delwyn Castellano & Tamara Salajic; Christine Kelly, Jana Konkolova; Christine Isaacs; Jenny Molloy; Jodi Brown; Tatiana Hoffmann (Freyzzy); Athena & Lallie Leckey; Shelley Truscott; Nabeeha Kasim, Kieren Whatley and Emily Lien Bao Djhun with Charlee Shone (Darwin High Middle School); Deanne McEwen; Marcia Russell (Black Cat Couture); Fiona Garrett-Benson; Lauren & Erin Ritchie (Two Sewing Sisters), Simon Turner; Olga Bryukhovets (Ossom); Anne Marie Yee; Cara Baillie; Carmel Ryan; Yvonne Wilson; and Felicity Flowerdew.

Who is behind SEW GORGEOUS 2023?

SEW GORGEOUS is facilitated by Felicity Wright of Flying Fox Fabrics who is also the founder of Songlines in Darwin. 

Three years ago Flick spent time with Papulankutja Artists in Blackstone and Jameson communities in WA. She was contracted to support arts workers and act as manager for a short period just before COVID. She loved the bright, joyous paintings the artists were creating and imagined they'd make amazing fabric designs. Printing on fabric would also create passive royalties for the artists.  When it became apparent that hand screen printing was not an option for the community (elderly artists, low water quality, inadequate facilities) she sampled some digitally printed fabrics using Next State print. The artists loved the results and the project began. We've made bags and lots of people have been making awesome frocks and homewares from these beautiful designs. 

The fabrics are exclusively available in-store at Songlines and online. https://songlinesaustralia.com...

More fabrics are arriving soon on LINEN and will be uploaded ASAP.