Tuesday 25 October 2016

Crazy Felt Birds!



Made these crazy felt birds on a multi-media workshop at the weekend, organised by the International Feltmakers' Assocation (Region 11). Really was a whole load of fun!!!!!!!

Wednesday 5 October 2016

Rust Dyeing or Fish & Chips Crafting!

I went on a workshop recently...for rust dyeing on fabric. All you have to do is spray some fabric with a 50:50 mixture of distilled vinegar & water, place some steel wool or old, rusty metal (iron or steel) on the top and bind the fabric tightly with string or yarn. Place your bundle in a plastic bag and leave for a couple of days to 'rust'.
Unwrap, soak in a bucket of water/salt solution to fix the print and you're done. You can now use the rusty prints in your textile work!!!

Friday 9 September 2016

Glimpses of Rio

This summer it's been totally Rio with the Olympics and Paralympics.
I loved these embroidered pieces entered into the 'Glimpses of Rio' ICHF/STITCH & MADEIRA THREADS 2016 competition.



The winning entry is below right...a stunning blast of colour and all done in free-machine embroidery!

Friday 29 April 2016

Friday 22 April 2016

Fabulous Fabric Sketchbooks

Just finished a two-day Fabric Sketchbooks Workshop at Janome HQ, Stockport taught by the fabulous textile artist Dionne Swift. Got to think outside the textiles box and turn it inside out, too! Some parts of the book stitched or embellished in 5 or 10 minute bursts - shows you what a lot of work can be produced in no time at all; perfect for those people who are time-poor.
I have a fabulous book of ideas that I'm sure will provide further inspiration for future pieces. A few images of the stitch & needle punch exercises:





Sunday 10 April 2016

My Textile Students' Exhibition 2016

Preparing photos and stitched pieces to display for the 2016 adult education exhibition at Aquinas College on 20 April 2016:







Friday 18 March 2016

'Free-Machine Embroidery: First Steps' Workshop

Thurs 17 March 2016
I had a great time teaching a free-machine embroidery workshop at the Lorna Knight Sewing Academy in Staffordshire.

Students drew a simple linear design:







The final pieces - linear designs stitched on a fabric collage background: