Meet the Tutor - Francie Goudie
From Spinning Yarn to Restoring Garden Tools, Art Kintsugi to Making Pasta, and so much more.
Ensconced in a historic cottage, nestled in a bookshop, or growing in a community garden.
An all-day master class, a morning of discovery, or an evening of fun and creativity.
There’s a workshop at Lyttleton for you!
Workshops have always played an important role in Lyttleton. They’re where we foster creative self-expression, enable sustainability and self-reliance and preserve the skills and crafts of our past.
Francie is our Workshop and Marketing Coordinator (…okay, I admit it, I’m interviewing myself!), and I also teach spinning as part of our Creative Community Events. I just love sharing my passion for creativity!
By Rob Skinner
Who are you and what do you teach?
I’m Francie, a spinner and weaver living in the Blue Mountains. As well as organising workshops and events at Lyttleton Stores, I teach spinning as part of our Creative Community Events. I’m always looking for new ways to bring crafts and creativity to the community, and love sharing my knowledge and enthusiasm.
What do you most enjoy about teaching?
I think that crafts and art can do so much to enrich our lives, and I believe that we all have great capability to express ourselves creatively, we only need to find the right medium and a bit of inspiration. I love helping people find that inspiration, either by teaching them directly, or just helping them immerse themselves in a creative world.
By Neela Shearar
Spinning is one of the most ancient of crafts, and it’s one that has been discovered and practised by every culture. It has played a massive role in human history - one that is often left unappreciated, as so many practices associated primarily with women are. It’s also a wonderful hobby - creative yet relaxing, easily accessible but with so much scope to grow your skills. What’s not to love about helping people share my passion?
What do the Blue Mountains mean to you?
I moved to the Blue Mountains after living all of my life in the inner west of Sydney. I just love it here… the space, the freedom, the connection to nature. The fact that you’re not surrounded by people and bustle every moment of the day. I feel like I can be so much more myself here.
Who or what inspires your creativity?
More than anything, I’m inspired by the materials I work with - the fibres, the textures, the colours. Taking what the materials give me and working with them to create something new, that still honours them, while also expressing myself.