Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 126- Jul/Aug 2025 i frankie Magazine

There was a spot next to Dad’s shed where I had set up a dedicated ‘potions area’ which consisted of sacred stones (i.e. rocks and leftover pavers from the front yard), cubbyhouse crockery and cuttings from various plants around the garden. Sitting there, concealed by the greenery in the pergola, I’d concoct various mixtures (like an anti-itch tonic for mozzie bites, which I was convinced worked). One day, when I was about five years old, I decided to cast a spell on my mum. I can’t remember what exactly she’d done to deserve such a thing, but my little hands got to work. In a plastic container, I combined various plant clippings with stones and sand from the sandpit. When Mum was walking up the grassy hill in our backyard,…

Your series, Girls Move Mountains, tells the story of a group of young women who fight for their independence by playing soccer in the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan. How did you find out about these girls? I had already been to Pakistan twice. The first time was 13 years ago, when I went to do a story on gemstone miners. I was also in the Karakoram, but at that time I was in the more conservative area of Gilgit-Baltistan. When I went, everyone talked about how beautiful Hunza was – people mentioned how open-minded the locals were and how stunning the place was. The second time I went to Pakistan, I travelled to do a story on blood money, but that time I was only in Lahore, Islamabad, and…

You work with loads of different mediums, techniques and materials. How would you describe your art style as a whole? I aim to make exquisite pieces that feel almost as if they appeared ready-made in their final form. I work with labour-intensive craft and textile-based practices to transform recycled found materials into shimmering portals. My pieces are unified by my visual language, which is organic, sparkly, immersive and excessive. The mediums of time, touch and attention are very important in my work. How’d you get into arts and crafts? I have always been a person who makes things, and a collector of objects. When I finished high school, I studied painting at the Victorian College of the Arts. The education I received encouraged me to experiment with different modes of…

It’s technically a rental, but you would never know it. Ceramicist Kelly Bignell and her family – partner Ashley and two boys, 11-year-old Ryett and two-year-old Sonny – have turned this sun-drenched duplex in Currumbin, Yugambeh Country, into something that feels entirely their own. From subtle structural tweaks to thoughtful styling, this space blurs the lines between rental and forever home. “We’ve been here close to 10 years,” Kelly says. “So I feel like it’s mine.” Situated not far from the local Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, this little gem of a place was originally picked up by Ashley. “He was renting it with his friends before I moved in,” Kelly explains. “He got it through Realestate.com.au or something like that, back when it was easy to find a place.” When one…

Twelve years ago, Mandy Richards returned from a trip to Vietnam with a dream. She had spent time in Sapa – a place where misted mountains cradle tiny villages, rolling rice paddies and hidden valleys. There, Mandy had been fortunate enough to meet women from the local hill tribes. “It struck me how much talent was going unseen and unsupported,” she says. Their talent lay in weaving gloriously intricate textiles, but with no access to markets or business support, they had no means to earn a living from their handicrafts. For Mandy, the experience brought her vision into sharp focus: to create a platform that would democratise entrepreneurship for women who had long been left out of traditional economic systems. Mandy grew up in Indonesia, where she was raised by…

At the risk of being overly sentimental about my youth, something I remember rather fondly about my late teenage years is how everything seemed to happen in the group chat. Endless plans were made. Nights out were documented. Break-ups were dissected, analysed. An abundance of frivolous bullying took place. There was something sacred about the group chat: something so simple about the way it sustained a constant sense of closeness within a friendship group. Whereas now, for me at least, group chats have mutated beyond recognition, adopting a range of less leisurely functions in my life. Suddenly it’s calculations to split dinner bills, a back-and-forth with my sisters about a birthday present for Dad, the endless search for mutual availability – a space for life admin. This is partly because…

Anna Woodruff’s earliest memory of connecting to textiles was when she was a small child, grasping the yellow woollen blanket, edged with silk, that she’d had since she was a baby. “I was just completely attached to it – I had to be holding it all the time. If my mum washed it, it had to be on a really hot day, because I would stand outside and hold it until it dried,” she says. Now, Anna showcases her love of beautiful textiles and craftmanship through her slow knitwear label, Francie. (She still keeps “a shred” of the baby blanket, if you were wondering.) Though Anna comes from a long line of talented crafty women, she hadn’t always wanted to use her skills to start a fashion brand – it…

I used to run a vintage-reselling side hustle. My wardrobe was bursting with polyester, puffed sleeves and pleats – each garment crying out for a new lease on life. But it was paisley, the iconic pine-cone motif with its fanciful form and vibrant tones, that would create a sense of utmost hysteria in my customers. People would lose their minds over it – as if they were high on LSD or a hallucinogenic of similar ilk. If it was printed on a ’60s midi dress? Forget about it. They may as well have been experiencing an episode of hippie euphoria. What many of my fearsome vintage vixens perhaps didn’t realise, however, is that the cultural origins of paisley date back far before the mid-20th century. Any claims the aforementioned era…

When I was 18, I casually mentioned to my boyfriend that I wanted to pass on my surname to my future kids. Having grown up with both my parents’ last names (though Mum’s name was tucked away as a middle name), I was keenly aware of how important last-name representation was to me – especially in a world that often overlooks women’s legacies. My boyfriend reacted like I’d suggested sacrificing our firstborn to a cult. He was adamant that his child would carry his last name and only his last name. His reaction, while perhaps a little feverish, didn’t surprise me – but it did spark a quiet determination to advocate for last-name equality. Thankfully, that relationship didn’t last. Many years and two daughters later, my husband and I had…

By Emily Naismith – Are you sitting on a comfy chair or lounge or bed right now? Perhaps what makes it so comfortable is a cushion. You know, those lovely soft things that cradle your limbs so you can relax? They’re often patterned or made out of beautiful fabric and filled with fluffy things like feathers or that wispy polyester stuff. Sorry to snap you out of your current moment of Zen but the topic my mum suggested I write about is “Cushions: Have They Gone Too Far?” Well, HAVE THEY? Are we going to start a worldwide revolt against cushions today? The specific problem my mum has is there are “so many shit cushions to move and arrange and dent”. Let’s examine this problem in exhaustive detail. She starts…

SISTER JANE It’s the ’80s and you’re getting ready for prom. But – oh dear – you have nothing to wear, so you decide to raid your mums’ wardrobes. One of your mums is Betty Draper. The other is Stevie Nicks. They get in a tiff over the perfect prom dress (seriously, why are they always fighting?!) and the only way it can be resolved is through a heated collaborative sewing match. “Hallelujah!” Betty and Stevie scream in unison. “The final ’fit looks just like something Sister Jane – a London label that’s inspired by romance and retro nostalgia – would cook up!” sisterjane.com DOTTY DO, DOTTY DON’T Dang it! Throwing rainbow confetti has been cancelled (rightly so) because despite how fun and beautiful it looks, obviously it’s just littering…

I am a total sucker for just about any version of a Victoria sponge. Plain cake, jam and cream – what more could you want? But make them little, individual Victorias and you really have my attention. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. These little cakes are made with cream – not butter – in the batter, meaning that you can mix them all in one bowl, by hand. And anything that gets me closer to a cake with less effort is a win in my book! Filling them with whipped yoghurt-cream and homemade jam really does make them sing, but any good jam you are in possession of will do the trick! INGREDIENTS Serves 8 to 10 cakes – Unsalted butter, to grease– A little plain…

Gretta Olsen BIRDWATCHING @grettalouise Tell us about how you got into birdwatching. Where I grew up plays a huge role. I was raised on a gorgeous little nature reserve in East Gippsland called Raymond Island, or ‘Gragin’ in local Gunaikurnai language. It’s full of birds, koalas, kangaroos and a bunch of other native wildlife. I have my parents to thank, too; they greatly encouraged my love of the natural world. That part of myself kind of got pushed aside during my teenage years and early 20s, then was nurtured back to life later on with the encouragement of friends and family. My bird-nerdiness hit its peak when I had a ‘birdieth bird-day’ instead of a 30th birthday. My lovely, incredibly thoughtful mates pitched in to get me a pair of…

content warning this article contains mentions of suicide and sexual abuse. please take care! Two friends catch up for lunch near the inpatient psychiatric hospital where one of them is receiving treatment. The other is about to reveal she has a rare brain tumour. It’s an epic convo. Having met while working together at Mamamia, writers Jamila Rizvi and Rosie Waterland solidified their bond as they supported each other through chronic illness and their respective “broken brains”. For Jamila, it was craniopharyngioma (a brain tumour), which was diagnosed in 2017. For Rosie, it was PTSD due to a traumatic, abusive childhood. Rosie and Jamila soon noticed the differences in how their wider circles – and society in general – responded to physical and mental illness. Jamila got sympathy lasagnes left…

The tea’s brewing and so is a storm, by the look of that smoky grey sky. You’re snuggled up on the lounge, cocooned in a sea of blankets, and wonder: what to do? Thankfully, our creative pals at Bendigo Woollen Mills have whipped up some rad knit and crochet projects for you to make on your next frosty day at home. There’s stuff for the table, stuff for your bod, and stuff for your bed. Keep reading and you’ll also find a cheeky discount for some affordable Australianmade, natural fibre yarn and crafty accessories. handy hot water bottle cover For this bottle-hugging project, we used Bendigo Woollen Mills' ‘Elixir’ Yarn. (Keep reading for a neat discount.) MATERIALS – 1x 16 ply 200g ball of MC– 1x 16 ply 200g ball…

Like most creative teens in the 2010s, Mai Naito’s vehicle into the realm of photography was a groundbreaking, world-expanding piece of tech known as the iPhone. Armed with the nifty device, a 14-year-old Mai began taking snaps of everything around her. “As a child, I loved writing diaries, but at one point, I decided to take photographs instead, to preserve the emotions of those moments for the future,” she says. “I photographed everything that happened in my day. For example, a drink I had, or the interior of my room, or the outfit I was wearing.” Mai, now in her mid-20s, eventually bought her first professional camera and experimented with loads of different subjects – people, interiors, cityscapes – before realising that she should focus on capturing the one thing…

I watched When Harry Met Sally for the 137th time a few weeks ago and noticed something that had eluded me on previous viewings – Meg Ryan’s forehead moves. It had probably been two or three years since I last watched the movie and, in that time, I’ve landed firmly in my late 20s. I’ve reached the phase of life when I have an inexplicable urge to google how old every actress is in the film I’m watching as a barometer for what someone ‘should’ look like at that age. Meg was 28 in When Harry Met Sally, by the way. A 28-year-old with an expressive forehead has become a rarity in Hollywood, thanks to cosmetic interventions like Botox and filler, which have become as commonplace as Meryl Streep at…