Mousehole Cat Dream Catcher

Gill has nearly finished her Dream Catcher based on the

story of the Mousehole Cat for her final piece for City and Guilds.

The ideas and techniques are so varied and colourful.

Great fun too!!

Christine Davey

OOO I was so excited to see Christine Davey who came along

to give us a talk on 'Colour Theory'.

She is the one of the influential  people responsible 

for what I am doing now.

She was my City and Guilds Embroidery Tutor all those

years ago. 

It put me on a path that changed my life forever:)

She was so inspirational and also a hard task master.

We would learn a technique in the morning, experiment.

Learn traditional stitch and then the contemporary version after lunch 

then have to 'Show and Tell' the following week!

I have a similar routine to my City and Guilds class even today.

Christine was professional and always positive about our work but

also made us stretch ourselves!

If there was a new technique she would add it into the 

session and we would expand!!

Thank you so much Christine.

As she gave her talk I realised many things I hadn't

taken on board. 

I often only use three colours in class so that

participants have to mix to get a colour they want.

Christine said this is what she did,

un be knowing to me I had taken this to heart and in my 

practice!!

Again Thank you.

It also made me realise how far I have come since

doing my first City and Guilds and it has made

me very 

proud to be able to share and teach them too!

Mousehole Cat's Dream Catcher

 Gill has really enjoyed doing Creative Textiles City and Guilds Part 2.

This shows in her depth of research and detailed pieces and samples.

Here, is a  Smaller Dream Catcher a section of her Mousehole Cat's Dream Catcher.
It is going to be a large Dream catcher with smaller 'bubbles' or dream catchers inside.
The one above being one of them.
It was made using the top section of a fisherman's keep net
and then lots of mixed media textile work.
The origina idea came from Gill's exploration of Dorset Buttons.
See HERE

If you don't know about the lovely Cornish story about
a Mousehole Fisherman Tom Bawcock.
Written by Antonia Barber and
illustrated by Nicola Bayley. 

'The Mousehole Cat" click HERE   

to see a small illustrated clip of the video.
or watch
This is a video of the Mousehole Cat read by Sian Philips&nbsp ;
The Mousehole Cat Part 1 from Shakespeare Junior School on Vimeo.

I am really looking forward to seeing the completed piece.

C&G Creative Textiles

Monday and Wednesday C&G creative Textiles are going

well. We have had several assessments and all are doing well.

There will be new courses starting shortly for

Level One, a taster course.

 Level Two and Level Three a years creative course.

At least three techniques each week and lots of creating.

See results on my portfolio site

art2inspire.co.uk

Monday City and Guilds Textiles

City and Guilds Creative Textiles is half way through now and 

everyone has lots of work to show and are really cracking on 

with their projects. There is techniques to learn each week

 and students also bring in items that they 'Show and Tell',

that is relevant to the session. This week it was buttons,

Hence the buttons on the bag and Twisted Squares and Hexagons.

I started teaching with origami and then went through to showing 

how to make the fabric folded squares and hexagons.

Everyone has enjoyed the challenge and like the little bit

of 'magic'. 

City and Guilds Textiles Continues

City and Guilds Creative Textiles started again for the new year and

everyone was ready to start creating their own projects.

I have been teaching at least 3 techniques each session and everyone

has done some sampling in class to see which techniques
 they really like. 

A lot of the techniques we do some have never tried or they have always wondered how it is done so City and Guilds are the ideal way of experiencing this.

There are lots of changes within the City and Guilds set up at the moment and as a Tutor

I see them as very positive, bringing education right up to date and in the work place or real world as I call it. There are also students who just want to learn the techniques for themselves.

I will be continuing Levels One Two and Three in Creative Textiles, Machine Embroidery and Patchwork and Quilting in September 2013. If you are interested in City and Guilds visit their website or contact myself for more information. 

See an article of previous students by clicking on my portfolio website Art 2 Inspire

Marking City and Guilds

Well, look at this lovely site. All eighteen students work, stitchbooks, files and sketchbooks laid out across my table ready for marking. It was a hard job to do as the standard was so high. Everyone did fantastic and for such a short course, only eight weeks. Each page of the stitchbooks are treasures. I am lucky enough as the tutor to have to hold on to this work until the end of the Summer so they are available for the examiners to mark and I take a section to Norwich for outside verifier's to mark.
The Stitchbooks will be on show to the public for two weeks, in my studio for The Norfolk Open Studios. Well done to everyone who took part.
See the full article on my website www.art2inspire.co.uk 

City and Guilds first Taster Course Completed @The Gallery

The first City and Guilds Level One in Machine Embroidery and Patchwork and Quilting finished @ The Gallery and everyone felt happy with what they have been able to do in just eight weeks!
I have taught the techniques and design every week with them and their samples have all gone to make wonderful books, their 3D item. Every book is individual even though they were doing the same technique. Everyone has chosen different subjects and colours to portray their work to. We finished at lunch time and then waited for the news paper photographer to come along and you can see a full article HERE
Congratulations to all the students. The Level Two City and Guilds in Machine Embroidery and Patchwork and Quilting start in September 2012 at the Gallery on a Monday and Wednesday. I look forward to teaching those classes.

City and Guilds Colour Wheel and Machining

I love colour so when showing and explaining the Colour Wheel there is lots of ways to enjoy doing it.
We start on paper but then it turns to printing, dyeing threads and fabrics and of course ultimately to stitch and machining. Using materials and threads you have created yourself just makes it even more interesting and unique.
See more by clicking the written label below.

City and Guilds 8 Week Taster Course

Part of the City and Guilds Courses there are sections for exploring different techniques every session. I love setting up the art table and showing some basic ideas and then watching what everyone comes up with and the different combinations of techniques depending on what subject students have chosen to discover or develop. Here, they were using transfer crayons and paints.
See more by clicking on the written labels below.

City and Guilds Textiles Begins

On the 28th of March the City and Guilds eight week Level One for Machine Embroidery and Patchwork and Quilting started with me @The Gallery. 19 students all excited and apprehensive started their venture into Textiles Creative Diplomas, (that's the title for these courses and how they are grouped). For eight weeks they will have a taster of different textile techniques related to the skill they have chosen, Machine Embroidery or Patchwork and Quilting. Both have creative fabric decoration and samples to produce as well as a file or sketchbook as a record of what they are learning. I am one of those tutors who prefers to encourage students to make samples and explore techniques then put them in a fabric book rather than in plastic pockets! The books become heirlooms in their own right and are added to regularly. I have seen this with previous students of mine. With two groups technically going on in the same classroom I have to be very organised but what I have found before that there is a cross fertilisation of ideas and techniques between the groups and all benefit because they incorporate skills that they would not necessary try before. It makes for more creative and imaginative work.
The course has now finished with 18 completing the course. It was a fun and very creative eight weeks the photographs of the class and their books on my website. I will post more of the classes as I continue to update my blog.
Click to see photographs www.art2inspire.co.uk