Blue

Due to a cancellation I now have one place to offer on my BLUE textile collage course at The Hearth Horsley on Sunday 12th April. To book please contact me here

Spring Flowers

Over the last week I have been making these flower appliqués. They will be £40 each ( plus p&p) .One of them will go on Etsy very soon.

New Old

Little collages made today for the hand made card range I sell from my studio

Log cabin developments

Step into Felt and Stitch

I am excited to announce that Ellie Langley of Fleece with Altitude and I are getting together this summer to run a summer school Thursday 13th - Sunday 16th August at The Hearth in Northumberland. Ellie is another artist with a base at The Hearth and  I enormously admire her work. 

In this course  you will be using your rolling muscles straight away as on Day One you will  be plunged straight into the art of creating  your own slippers  using the many natural hues of British wool or if you prefer colour wool sourced from Piesala Farm at Petajavesi in Finland.  On Day Two you can relax a bit to explore the suitability of various wools for felt making,  Ellie will show you her studio and share her passion for British Wool. You will create some flat felt on Day Two which can be embellished  with embroidery and applique when you meet me on Day Three and Four.  I originally trained as a surface designer  for textiles so a hint of decorativeness always underlies my work. Recently I have been much inspired by Eastern European and Scandinavian Folk Art designs and I will share my working process through research, drawing and stitch design. You will practice some basic hand stitches and then develop these into  designs for embroidery on your slippers and will have a chance to use your ":flat" felt to create a small wallhanging which might incorporate a bit of applique using felt friendly materials like tweed and wool blankets. You will continue the British wool theme by using wool threads for your stitching.

If you are interest please book through the contacts page of my website.

Saw this little embroidery at the Whitworth. I think it is Iranian and very old. I particularly like the moustache that extends across the whole face, the beauty spot and the tulips that are "listening in". Think I might try it in applique myself some time....

Manchester

A long drive to Manchester and back today for the Textile Society Antique Textile Fair, to see the new extension and rehang of The Whitworth and then on to The Platt Hall Costume Museum. Almost too much visual stimulation ! It is  too dark to photograph the  beautiful things I purchased at The Textile Society Fair and I need to have a think about The Whitworth so here are some pictures of costume details. I just love the odd flounce, bow and bit of lace and decoration in an old piece of costume. I guess its my surface decoration degree background coming out in me.These elements of decoration don't come through in my work but it just confirms my love for things from the past and what we can learn from them.