Newcastle Vintage Fashion and Textiles Fair

Just over 2 weeks to go... Put it in your diaries and start saving your pennies!

Suffolk Puff Skirt

I am running a course on Saturday 5th May at Delight and Wisdom in Corbridge on up cycling skirts. The course costs £50 and includes lunch and  materials but you bring the skirt. I'll provide the ideas to turn your skirt into a unique and handcrafted piece.  I'll be looking at hand stitching, appliqué, border perse and fabric manipulation as transformative textile techniques . A sewing machine will be on hand too. I provide  the fabrics, trims, buttons and other embellishments for you to "play" with. If you are interested then contact Delight and Wisdom HERE

Afterwards

Our Open Studios was a great  success. I sold a lot of original prints and drawings. Here are two pieces I sold today which I really liked.

A clean and tidy attic studio

Tidied up my studio this afternoon so it is all ready for the public to visit over the weekend. Open 10.30 - 4 Saturday and Sunday. For details on how to get there please click HERE

Walking

I live in the centre of a city but try to walk round the town moor, which is close to where I live, two or three times a week. At this time of the year the cows are brought back  to graze on the moor and I love seeing hundreds of them in the middle of this green lung in the city. I also love being amongst the many other walkers, cyclists, joggers and commuters who walk across the moor early in the morning. I try and pretend it is a bit  like Central Park. With  broad beans and peas poking through on the allotment it feels as though summer is coming.

A sketchbook course

I have been teaching an oriental inspired mixed media course for the last few days and have been encouraging the students to work on several small pieces which can finally be brought together within sketchbooks. A lot of people ask me about my sketchbooks and how I get going and what techniques I use so I am running a course called The Decorated Sketchbook over 4 evening classes. The course starts Tuesday 8th May and at the moment there are still some places left on it. If you are interested please click HERE which will direct you to the Horsley printmakers site which will give you more information. 

Textile Collage

I am teaching an "All Things Oriental" course all week right up until Sunday night. It was lovely at the end of yesterday to go up to my studio and fiddle about with little bits and pieces to make some new cards for the Open Studios event next weekend. Every card is unique and hand sewn. One of these even has a little bit of an original 1811 letter sewn in to it.