north east regional extra | August 2 - August 9, 2023
nemedia.com.au
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August 2 - 8, 2023
Passion for sewing and textiles By CHLOE JAENICKE
KERRYN Taylor has had a keen interest in textiles since she was at university and is now being recognised for her talents at the Melbourne Royal Show. After winning first prize for her machine-made vest in the recent regional finals, Ms Taylor decided to enter her creation into the Melbourne Royal Art, Craft and Cookery competition that takes place in September. The regional finals included pieces from Benalla, Yarrawonga, Myrtleford and Wangaratta and this year’s theme in the textiles category was to create a vest. Ms Taylor used a variety of fabrics and a mix of techniques - from embroidery to using a sewing machine - to make the stunning vest. “I put together some of my left-over dress making fabrics, then I cut out the pieces so it was like a jigsaw, using the pieces of material that fitted the shape of the pattern,” she said. Both Ms Taylor’s mum and sister were skilled seamstresses however, Ms Taylor didn’t develop a passion for textiles until university, when she made her own clothes as she couldn’t afford to buy them. “I completely hand-stitched a shirt maker (a knee length dress with sleeves and button cuffs),” she said. “I didn’t even go for a simple shift (a dress without sleeves or buttons), I went for a shirt maker and my fingers were shredded from that and my mother realised then that I was really serious about wanting to sew so she gave me her old singer sewing machine.” Ms Taylor continued to make her own clothes when she moved to Katherine in the Northern Territory.
◆ SHOW-STOPPING DESIGNS: Kerryn Taylor has had a passion for textiles ever since she started making her own clothes at university. PHOTO: Kurt Hickling
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