In Creative Uncovered, we visit Australia's first sewing lounge, the aptly named Thread Den. Following on from successful US sewing lounges, Melbourne's Thread Den offers a communal space where sewers - from the complete beginner to the professional - can work on the sewing machines for hire, help each other, learn or just stitch 'n' bitch. There's also a store, where local designers can sell their, well, threads.

 

Also displaying some nice threads is Chapel Street retail gallery Design-a-Space. An innovative idea, this store-cum-fashion-'gallery' rents out floor space to local designers on a monthly basis, which they can then use however they please. Showcasing around 80 designers' wares a month, Design-a-Space is a terrific place to discover that perfect one-off, handmade item you'll never see anybody else wearing. Hop to it and read our interview with its owners in Life in Style.

 

Working with threads of a different kind, the weavers at the Victorian Tapestry Workshop are behind some of the most highly prized tapestries in the world. Working with major artists, they weave "interpretations or translations" of artworks, including the almost 20m x 20m four-part tapestry of an Arthur Boyd painting, hanging in Parliament House in Canberra. The threads they use come from Australian pure wool and cotton dyed on the premises. We take a look around in Creative Uncovered.

 

Edwina Bolger also works with natural, colourful threads, knitting everything from egg cosies and rattles to cardigans and bikinis! Across her two labels - LOOPE for babies and toddlers, and edwina bolger for women - she explores the value and potential of handmade, proudly admitting that her items aren't all perfect; they're individual pieces for individuals. She chats to Living Creatively about her inspirations and processes in Creative Uncovered.

 

Combing threads with business, the Austin Craft Mafia is making organised craft pay. This collective of crafty ladies - including the Sublime Stitching supremo, Jenny Hart - pooled their talents and kicked off a worldwide family; there are now craft mafias across the United States, Canada and Britain. Operating on a new model of business that's ideal for small, independent outfits, the Donna Corleones behind the Austin Craft Mafia speak to us in Creative Business.

 

At the other end of the business scale, Saks Fifth Avenue in New York recently opened a shoe salon so large it's got its own zip code! In Life in Style we visit the salon and take a look around its 17,500 square feet of shoes. And if that's not enough footwear for you, on the other side of the pond we visit the Ferragamo Shoe Museum in Florence, Italy. It's not exactly on topic, but if threads maketh the woman, it's her shoes that stand out.