Hankie Dress

I have recently run a course based on up cycling old handkerchiefs and thought I would show what I did with the floral border of a handkerchief. It has been carefully cut and reapplied on to the surface of this little baby dress. Never be afraid to cut things up and use them to transform something else!

Pop up

If you are working in London or visiting over the next couple of weeks please pop up in to my daughter's pop up exhibition in the heart of Bloomsbury not far from Kings Cross and British Museum. Here are the opening times and address. Next door is Pentreath and Hall which is lovely and Persephone Books just across the road!

The Textile Retreat Company in the New Forest

For several years I have had the privilege of teaching at Chateau Dumas in France and working with Lizzie Hulme who owns the Chateau and is responsible for making it such a lovely experience when you teach or go on a workshop there. I have also worked with Lizze in Britain too and she has told me there are still a couple of places left on a luxurious textile retreat which I have been part of for the last couple of years. The full details are  HERE It is a chance if you are far away in the USA or Australia or wherever to come over to the UK and have a little dip into London life as well as relaxing at Heathfield House in the New Forest where Anna Corba and I run the workshops. You will be looked after well and I cannot recommend it highly enough!The New Forest is beautiful in the Spring ....

Place, Home,Loss and Legacy

I realise that many of you will not be able to see this exhibition but for those of you reading this in the North East of England then try and get to see it at Hartlepool Art Gallery.  Claire A Baker has been visiting the Chernobyl exclusion zone regularly over the last five years. She has been documenting the lives and textile  traditions of the self settler Babushkas who have chosen to go back to their homes. The stories are very moving and it was good to see textiles produced by the women earlier in their lives and also textiles retrieved from the exclusion zone. Here are some pictures to give you a taste.
If you are an instagrammer you can follow Claire at @claire_a_baker

Dogs

I made these little collages for cards a while ago and have sold them all now but thought I would just represent them to you to encourage to maybe do the same with your own collections of cigarette cards. I have used the original cards so they were a bit of a pain in my studio as visitors would say " Have you got a.... ?" but what I am about is originality so once the card has gone it has gone!

Chicken

I will be running a chicken course in a couple of weeks time at my studio and over the years have done many brown hens but thought I would have a try at something a little different after seeing a painting of a grey hen on a friend's kitchen wall.
My usual hand sewn collage technique on to a dyed background ( not quilt)

Studio Preniac

Next year I will be teaching at Studio Preniac in France for the first time. For those of you who live much further away here is your chance to join me in a beautiful location. Here is the description and contact Studio Preniac to book HERE. The course is more than half full already even though it is a year away so get on with it if you fancy it!

Mandy Pattullo: 12th - 19th September 2020:

Textile Collage with Many Pattullo.

Again, one of the UK’s most popular textile artists and tutors, Mandy Pattullo will bring a series of her most popular courses to Studio Preniac in September 2020 which combine her love of vintage fabrics with observations of the natural world.

You will start the week with an introduction to the basic techniques of textile collage before starting a more structured approach with a focus on building up a bird portrait on to a fragment of antique quilt. .

We then turn a bit botanical using the seed heads that are around the Preniac as an inspiration for a Seed Heads piece. You will learn to layer up and appliqué backgrounds for your compositions and will use embroidery stitches imaginatively to describe the structure and silhouette of these remains of the summer. 

Mandy will do many demonstrations through out the week and bring inspirational samples, clear instructions and templates for those who can not draw (!) but she will also remain flexible And if you choose to just remain with one style of working rather than having a go at everything that is fine with her.

You can see more of Mandy's work, just follow the link below:

See Mandy's Website.

This will be Mandy's first to Studio Préniac.

Course Cost

Ensuite - £1,295
Private bedroom sharing bathroom with one other - £1,195
Sharing a twin ensuite bedroom - £1,095
Non Participating Partner - £ 795
Gites £100 Extra for Single Supplement