Tea Cosy Festival launches in style

THE FISH Creek Tea Cosy Festival was off to a flying start even before Saturday morning’s official opening with a great turnout on Friday night at the town’s Memorial Hall enjoying the creativity on display, a quirky ‘Angler Fish’ cosy declared Best in Show.

Colleen Borchard-Burns was responsible for that entry which also won the Exuberant Whimsy category, Phillip Island based judge Ambah O’Brien finding it delightful.

“Technically, it’s beautifully crafted; it’s got so many elements that are interesting and unique, including the fabulous teeth,” she said, adding “It’s good fun, and really cleverly made.”

Lesley Backholer won first prize in the Traditional section for her cosy ‘Uluru Under the Southern Cross’.

“It fits the traditional criteria and I was excited by its modern take; as a knitter, I can see that the techniques she is using are quite striking and challenging,” Ms O’Brien said.

She highlighted the use of colorwork technique ‘Intarsia’ that involves knitting with blocks of colour.

With ‘Life on the Farm’ being this year’s festival theme, Ms O’Brien picked what she acknowledged may be a controversial winner in the tea cosy category of that name, awarding first prize to Victoria Johnson’s ‘Fox Skin Tea Cosy’.

“I love that it’s a creature with the spout as its snout,” the judge said, adding the entry is delightful and so different to any other.

Ms O’Brien was well qualified to officiate, working as a pattern designer for knitters, also having a painting background.

Asked the biggest challenge she faced in judging, she said it was the fact each tea cosy has its own merit, techniques, skill and time taken.

‘Fun on Aussie Farm’ by Louise Marshall was judged the winner of the D’Cosy Award that honours the Fish Creek Tea Cosy Festival’s late founder Deidre Grainger, that decision made by long-term festival volunteer Heather Gibson.

“We set to work under Deidre’s guidance; her computer and PR skills were mindboggling,” Ms Gibson recalled of the festival’s origins that realised Ms Grainger’s seven-year dream pre-dating her move to Fish Creek, a town she soon determined was the spot to make it a reality.

“Thanks to Deidre’s skills, Fish Creek has featured around the world, and people have come from all around Australia on their grey-nomad holidays, and tea cosies arrived from the United Kingdom, America, South Africa and New Zealand,” Ms Gibson said of how the event has taken off over the years since its 2013 start.

Six people were honoured with the awarding of Life Membership of the Fish Creek Tea Cosy Festival, appropriately making them ‘SpecialTea’ members.

They are Jocelyn Meyer, Susan Poletti, Heather Gibson, Nadia Stefani, Jose Goossens and Marge Arnup.

Tea Cosy Category winners were:

Best in Show, and Exuberant Whimsy: ‘Angler Fish’ by Colleen Borchard-Burns

Life on the Farm: ‘Fox Skin Tea Cosy’ by Victoria Johnson

Traditional: ‘Uluru Under the Southern Cross’ by Lesley Backholer

Recycled Materials: ‘Teatime Barbie’ by Mardi Sommerfield

Packers’ Prize: ‘Rambling Acres’ by Antoinette Schellekens

First Time Entrant: ‘Futuro House’ by Susan Bennett

D’Cosy Award: ‘Fun on Aussie Farm’ by Louise Marshall

Secondary School: ‘Strawberries & Cream’ by Alison Kubik

Primary School: ‘Home Sweet Home’ by Philippa Farr

Preschool: ‘Fish Creek Kindergarten’ by Fish Creek Kindergarten

Honourable Mentions were awarded to Susan Bennett, Catherine Fooke, Marge Arnup, Jane Nimmo, Alison Copeland, Sharee Collier, Immy Collins, Jerome, Rita & Olivia Mackin.