A cross-stitcher and street artist, she helped weave a piece onto the wire-mesh fence around a vacant block in Footscray to object to the growing number of land speculators buying property and refusing to develop them for years.

The message was simple - "I wanna live here".

"We were out there during August and it was very cold," she says.

"At one stage, the police turned up and asked what five of us were doing out there so late at night."

The project was part of a

documentary, Making It Handmade, which premiered at the 2010 Melbourne International Film Festival.

Ms Fahey has now turned her attention to her new three-month post as the artist in residence at Iramoo Community Centre in Wyndham Vale.

A co-founder of the Melbourne Revolutionary Craft Circle and the Craft Cartel, her work has been exhibited around the world.

However, Ms Fahey says one of her first projects at Iramoo will be an apple sauce-making day to introduce herself to residents.

As part of the residency, Ms Fahey says she will be creating site-specific installations using found, recycled and low-cost materials, running workshops as well as working on her own projects.

She also hopes to be able to educate the area's younger people on more positive ways to express themselves through street art.

"Wyndham Vale is such a great little community.

"Even though I've only spent a short amount of time there, it's clear the people are passionate and have a lot of pride in the local environment, especially the area around Lollypop Creek."

Those who take part in the sauce-making will also create hand-drawn labels, making them a great gift or perfect to display in the kitchen.

The artist-in-residence program allows visiting artists to work in Wyndham venues so they can apply singular focus to their art practice and create an environment conducive to creativity.

Iramoo ward councillor Heather Marcus said artists would be taking up residency at venues across the city.