I like sewing birds and porcupine. I like birds the most. I sew after work, on the weekends and even in hospital. I think too much (a lot) about what sewing to do and what colours for each bird.

I have been coming to the Learning Centre for 15 years. I did painting, pottery, printing and now I sew. We learnt everything here. Sewing and dying and print making. Now we have this really good building.

I was born at Hamilton Downs. My father and mother been leave me to stay with my sister Trudy. Then we came back to Jay Creek for school. Everyday after school we used to go swimming at Jay Creek. My grandmother taught me everything about culture; how to find honey ants, bush tucker, dancing, language. This made me strong.

Sewing makes me feel happy and proud. I like to do different things. It just comes to me when I am sewing or drawing, things come into my head. Like how when I make two heads on the birds and on the person. I think thats like my head telling me different things, but I don't really have two heads. I just get two ideas, to drink or to sew. I have to choose, everyday I have to think which way to go . Im getting stronger to stay at work, to listen to my good head. 

I was born and grew up in Alice Springs. I went to Yiprinya school. I danced when it opened. That is the only time I danced for my culture. I live at Larapinta now, I have my house. 

In 2009 I came to the art centre, I thought , I'll try this. And now I come everyday. Then I got strong for this art centre, I love this art. In 2009 I didn't see properly what was happening, how this art was getting me strong. In my head and heart I grew all these ideas and I started  feeling well again. Now I feel like a strong woman, I like talking for this place, this art because I want others to be encouraged to get strong also. When we first started sewing we were in kindergarten, then we started focusing properly and moving to primary school, then high school then university- and now Im waiting to be a professor of sewing! Look out world, I might sew Parliament House!!

My name is Marlene Panankga Rubuntja. I was born in Alice Springs. At that time people were living in different different places, all over the place. But I grew up and went to school at Amoonguna. My father and mother were living sometimes down at the river but then my father was fighting to find a place for everyone to live in Alice Springs. He was a spokesman for his people- he even went to Canberra. Now I'm living at Larapinta, its my home, this town camp my father made. 

My name is Trudy Inkamala, I was born in 1940 at Hamilton Downs Station. My father was working in the garden growing vegetables for the youth camp. It was a happy place to live. I was always helping my nanna get some wood so she can do the washing. She always cooked the damper and bullock meat- everyday killer from the station. We were always walking around looking for bush tucker, playing.

We walked the horses and camels one Christmas all the way to Jay Creek. That's my country too. That's where I live now. My brothers always put my horses for races at Jay creek, horses from Hamilton Downs and Owen Springs.

When I went to school at Hermannsburg (Ntaria), I met my husband. When my husband passed away in 2013 my sister Dulcie was asking me everyday to come and do sewing. She told me I can't stay at home by myself, too boring , too lonely. Now I'm here everyday, I get on the bus to come to do sewing everyday and to have a good laugh.

Now I'm living at Larapinta, I'm working here at the Learning Centre. I like to do this little work. It's really nice. I love sewing. And I also love doing the bush medicines. I like to be busy and I always take work back home and keep doing it. My partner works here too.

I was born in Alice Springs in 1975. I grew up at White Gate, I was living with all my family, all my grandfathers, aunties and uncles. My grandfather's country is Little Well, Ross River way. I also lived at Santa Teresa with my other family when i was 12 and went to school there. I got married at  about 16 and had my first baby when I was living at White Gate. Now I've got six kids, I didn't drink and I grew them up out bush at No 5 community west of Alice Springs.

I was born in Alice Springs. My fathers country is North East of Harts Range, Irrelirre Outstation. I grew up there. There are a lot of hills there, we used to go out hunting for kangaroo, porcupine, goanna, perentie, emu. I went to school at Harts Range, I went every day in a bus from Irrelirre to school. One day I came in to Alice Springs for sports weekend and I met my husband. Now I live at Larapinta Town Camp. This is were my husbands family has always lived. I do sewing now, i like it. I love colour. Bright colour.

Louise was born in 1984. She is a Walpari women who grew up in Yuendamu, west of Alice Springs with her grandma. She loved living there as a child and going on bush trips with her grandma: hearing stories about country and collecting bush tucker. Her father’s country is Mina Mina in WA.

When Robertson was about 8 years old, she moved to Alice Springs to live with her mother. She still lives in Alice Springs to this day, now with her husband and 5 children.

Robertson said that she came into the art room one day to see what her mother-in-law, Dulcie Sharpe and all the other ladies were doing. She decided she wanted to be part of making and learning and so she started coming every day. At first, she was nervous, but then Dulcie taught her how to sew and now she loves it. She says she keeps trying new things and thinking about what to sew when she is at home. She wants to keep coming to the art room and getting better by making soft sculptures of people and animals. She wants people to feel happy when they look at her work, like she feels happy when she is making it. She wants people to see how beautiful the desert is and how beautiful the people that live here are.

My Name is Nanette. I grew up at Kwale Kwale just a little bit outside of Alice Springs. I speak Luritja, Arrernte and English. Old Trudy (Inkamala) grew me up, she is my grandmother. She was alright back then, teaching me lots of things like bush tucker and telling me stories about the country and all the dreaming stories. She also told me about her life when she was a little girl. She grew me up and looked after me well. When I got a bit bigger, I went to school at Yipirinya. I caught the bus into school every day, and I remember it being fun on the bus. I liked school a lot.

Later I worked in aged care at Utopia, I lived there with my aunty. When I came to live at Yarrenyty Arltere Town Camp I started coming to the art room and sewing with all my family. They taught me how to sew. It’s fun for me. Making things and learning new things. I love making the films with the other artists. I really like talking in language on film and telling stories. I like looking for places to set up the camera and seeing how the film looks when it is finished. I’m learning to use the sewing machine now so I can sew up the sculptures for me and for the other artists before they stitch all over it.

I was born in Alice Springs hospital. I lived at Glen Helen Station. It was a happy time growing up there. First I went to M'bunghara school, this side of Papunya. Then I went with my mum and dad to live at Trucking Yards Town Camp so I could go to school at Traeger Park. 

When I grew up I had four children. Now I live at Larapinta Valley Town Camp and I started doing a bit of sewing at the Learning Centre. With my art I went on an art trip to Adelaide, it was a really good time. When I see my art I feel proud and happy. When I'm sewing I'm just thinking about the colours to use and the patterns. I stop worrying about things and just sew.