hooked on trevor smith’s crochet sculptures

~ jama

Australian textile artist Trevor Smith learned how to crochet from his mother when he was just a child. His first projects were baby blankets for family friends and doll clothes for his younger cousins.

He’s been experimenting and perfecting all manner of applications ever since, recently creating imaginative tea cosies, retro appliances, and platters of colorful food. Most of the pieces shown in this post were part of a large-scale exhibition held at the Michael Reid Gallery in Sydney last year. It was called “Cocktail Hour” — retro-domestic bliss with a touch of humor.

What’s especially impressive about Trevor’s work is that he doesn’t use any patterns or make sketches ahead of time. He’ll look at images of what he wants to make online and then proceed with a plan of what he wants to do in his head.

For his tea cosies, he’ll first crochet a traditional cover for the base, then build a 3D form out of foam or wire for whatever animal, person or object he wants to add, and then crochet a cover for it. Finally, he’ll crochet any other loose accessories or finishing details to sew on later.

For his food creations, he takes his inspiration from old cookbook photos or magazine ads from the 50s, 60s and 70s. A council worker by day, he crochets on his living room couch at night while watching old Australian films and TV series. He says he’s always been into “nostalgia, stories, moments in time, people in the news.”

Though his pieces are popular and in demand locally, he’s purposely kept himself under the radar, not wanting a beloved hobby to become a chore. For now, he enjoys a quiet country life where he can crochet for the pure joy of it.

Especially for you, Miss Tanita!

 

 

Enjoy this video of Trevor talking about his work:

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🌸 HAPPY WEEK AND HAPPY SPRING! 🌺

Copyright © 2018 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

27 thoughts on “hooked on trevor smith’s crochet sculptures”

  1. Love this! I don’t crochet but I have a beloved crocheted cactus that I picked up somewhere long ago. There is something both funny and sweet about crocheted objects.

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  6. The record player (!!), llobster, fish, and all the food wow me. Thank you for sharing Trevor Smith’s work. I can imagine him creating textile sculptures as characters and props for a children’s picture book. So talented!

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  7. These are wonderful!! I love the tea cozies–so creative! Thanks for all the ways you brighten our Tuesdays, Jama, especially with the snow on the first day of spring here in VA! 🙂

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    1. The snow is crazy!! In over 30 years of living here, this is the first Spring we’ve been greeted with snow. Yes, we need tea cosies and the like to cheer us up. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  12. What an artful dude, with fantastically creative crocheting. My only crocheting was bikinis while I sat on the beach, years ago, and little striped caps. I love your lead painting of the feasting critters!

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  16. These crochet projects are amazing. Wow! I struggle with keeping a blanket straight when I crochet and could never get the hang of the patterns. But I do love stitching with the crochet hooks, Great book!

    Liked by 2 people

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