Exhibition at Birdhouse, Braidwood, 2006

"Winter Threads" was an exhibition of contemporary

textiles by Lis Mertens, Feltmaker, Martine Peters,

Weaver and Lucie Verhelst, who conceives her works

of paper and fabric in three-dimensional space.

For this show, Lis produced "hats and wraps and a skirt

which are sculptural in conception but designed with a 

clear concept of body shape so that they are eminently 

wearable. " (Kerry-Anne Cousins, Canberra Times,

Monday July 3, 2006.)

The show was opened by Mongarlowe Weaver, Sandra Von 

Scheidern.

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Lyons and Ross wedding

Beth Lyons and Jonathon Ross were married in the garden of Beth's parents' home at Clyde St., Mongarlowe on Saturday October 18th.

Lis Mertens created the wedding shawl from fine silk and merino wool.

She made prefelts and dyed them. Lis prefelted individual flowers which were laid out on the silk and handfelted. To complete the shawl Lis handstitched the sepals and gathered the shawl into an elegant bridal train.

Profile

Lis grew up in the tradition of textiles. She learned the skill of knitting, crochet and dressmaking from her mother. She went on to explore weaving and spinning while working at Spinners and Weavers in Sydney. She later came to patchwork and quilting, first in London, then with the Braidwood Quilters.

Lis' passion for fabric began with the Indonesian batik and woven ikat which filled her childhood and deepened as a result of her travels in Europe, Indonesia, Nepal, India and Japan.

Lis first attended the Canberra Region Feltmakers Annual Exhibition, bazaar and Fashion Parade, "Rapt in felt" in 2004.

Since becoming a member, she has had the opportunity to attend workshops with notable local, interstate and international feltmakers.

The "one-off" nature of felting to produce a unique piece each time appeals to Lis. The opportunity to explore colour and the endless possibilities of combining fabric ( either fine cotton voile or silk ) with wool, have been extremely addictive. Lis is particularly interested in creating fashion pieces whose beauty and warmth enhance the wellbeing of the wearer.