Still life in the Shed (& no flying ducks!)

This series of tapestries is a direct result of helping my parents downsize their possessions prior to moving to a retirement village.

My parents lived in country Victoria, & I live 3 ½ hours away, when they made the decision to move to a retirement village in Warrnambool they were a bit overwhelmed with the whole idea of sorting through more than 50 years worth of 'stuff' in the house & shed. As both my siblings live near our parents and are always there to help with other issues, I decided that it was my turn to take some time away from my life in Melbourne to help with the sorting, packing, deliveries to the op-shop, and general organising.

In the house as we sorted into 'keep and pack', 'op-shop' or 'not sure yet' and often, one of us would remember stories about objects. It was exhausting, informative and occasionally fun. The large 'farmer sized' shed was a different matter, it was a male domain. I took photos thinking that perhaps we could put the images up on a website for sale, this did not happen, but the images came in handy later. My father decided he only needed to keep a few basic tools, I indicated that I would be very happy to have the 'Sidchrome tool set' – I was informed my elder brother would get it... after half an hour or so of being miffed, I realised that my brother would actually use it – I wanted it because it had a history & it looked good

I decided I could weave my own toolset, which I did – and continued on to other tools. As the big move involved both of my parents, there also are tapestries of my mother's things. Amongst her favourite things there is a collection of ducks –but no flying ducks!