Velvet Scrap Cushion

I make cushions for the sofa in The Old Art Room every month.

This one is made from lots of scraps of velvets and

 plush upholstery fabrics.

See more of what is going on in the studio and students work

HERE

Pat's Machine Embroidered Lizard Wall Hanging

Mixed Media Textile Samples

Lots of layering of textures and textiles make for interesting

backgrounds ready for main pieces to be applied to them with

various techniques. 

More Texture Textiles

Textured Textile classes are continuing@ The Gallery on Mixed Media Tuesdays as everyone is enjoying the techniques. You can see by the photographs above the surfaces are getting more textured and interesting with additional techniques and stitching layered on top of one another. I love watching pieces start as blank fabric such as calico( which many of these pieces started as) and develop into wonderful works of art. 

We have been decorating fabrics of all different sorts and using many different techniques over the months and as I had had such an inspiring workshop at the weekend I took another lot of oil bars, pastels and Markel Sticks and fabric media into The Gallery for Textile Tuesday. Soon everyone was busy creating and covering their fabrics with colour and stitch. Jane brought in Ruth Issett's book about 'Paint Sticks' and we all enjoyed looking through the inspirational pages.
 See Ruth demonstrating Markel Sticks on my Tech site HERE
Visit Ruths Study Group website HERE

Textured Textiles

Elisabeth Hennessey came along to The Kings Lynn Embroiderers Guild to give us a Saturday workshop on Textured Textiles. She spoke to us about her work and around the room there were different activities to do with looking at how we create textiles and the making of. Her work has a lot of surface decoration and she specialises in stitch. We had so much fun rubbing, painting, sharing thread and textures. Our sketchbooks were brimming over with ideas.
See more about our Embroiderers Guild Branch HERE

Gallery Tuesday 3rd April 2012

On a Mixed Media Tuesday, there is always so many different projects going on and I also share inspiration, so there is lots to choose from. From the top Jeanette had finished her Antique page using a photo of Sylvia's Grandfather. ( This had been transferred onto fabric and stitched on). Some of the pieces of media were antiques and had stories to tell themselves. See more of Jeanette's pages by clicking the written label below. Jenny had finished her granddaughters corset and had put all the finishing touches of lace and trimmings to it, fabulous!
Mandy had finished her Dresden Plate mat, this is going under her sewing machine to stabilise it and so it is easy to push out of the way across a table. We thought it was too good to hide under a machine.
More crazy work patchwork with Barbara making another Scissor Case, beautifully colours and trimming choice and Crazy work blocks which will be made into a quilt for Maria's new niece.
As for the bottom picture this was just before we started, Jenny had ordered lunch but we all decided it needed sharing! It can be a bit like that a times, with lots of laughter too!
See more by clicking the written labels below.  

Mixed Media Textile Tuesdays

As you can see by the photographs there were a lot of different textiles being created @The Gallery this session. I brought the embellishers in and several people experimented. Jenny embellished circles and then printed over the top of them to add detail. I often print or paint on my base embellishment fabric before I start to add that extra layer. I will be demonstrating more Embellishing technique later.
More Dresden Plates are being made as students decide that want to have a try with another patchwork block technique. Bags being finished and modelled. Mandy's colourful bag at the bottom is her Grand Daughter beach bag and Sue made another beach bag using the circle applique technique I demonstrated a couple of weeks ago. It is made out of all recycled fabrics.
See more of what happens in these sessions by clicking the labels below.

Water Soluble Embroidery

I have been showing lots of my background embroideries,

where I mix scrap backgrounds with water soluble embroidery sections

on the top.

There are so many different types of Water Soluble to use,

from plastics that look like cling film to fabric which

looks like the white one showing above and is as thick as vylene.

Angie has used an embroidery ring as her

area of embroidery and with the fabric type you can do a lot

more hand stitching on top as it doesn't tear!

It looks fantastic.

Click to enlarge images.

See a video on Solubles and Embellishing with 'Double Trouble',

Jean Little John and Jan Beaney

on my tech site

www.art2inspiretech.blogspot.com

Mixed Media Textile Book Pages

With Jeanette making a new picture for her friend using

the same technique she uses for her book pages,

there was the request she brought them in to show.

Here they are so far.

Aren't they amazing?

See more of Jeanette by clicking the written posts below.

Machine Embellished Needlecase

I encourage my students to save all the edges and scraps they cut

away as they might come in hand for other projects!

I like placing and bonding my collections all down,

then free machine stitching all over.

This fabric, I then add surfaces, print and stitch to.

Above, Barbara has made this beautiful needlecase

by using all the off cuts and trimmings from her

India Inspired Wall Hanging and a floral gauze.

The sparkly sari pieces just add that glitz.

See my journal cover using the sam method.

HERE

See more by clicking the labels below.

City and Guilds Prep

On a Wednesdays, I am now teaching City and Guild and course Prep

for those who want to come along and try new techniques

around textiles courses.

This includes getting to know your machine,

using different materials, Photo Transfer, 3D work

Embellisher Machines and Portfolios.

Above, are pieces that I have been helping Annette with

over the last couple of weeks.

The top picture is a mixed media piece with dyed and painted

papers, materials and lace.

Water soluble flowers and voile wired and machine embroidered flowers.

The bottom picture is a photo transfer of white flowers

and bamboo arrangement with lace and mixed media embroidery.

Lots of machine free machining and beading.

Annette is a florist and is wanting to use her Machine Embroidery

within her arrangements, like 3d sculpture pieces.

I start teaching City and Guilds Machine Embroidery and

Patchwork and Quilting Level One at the end of March.

I have had several students who are just visiting Norfolk

for a short while, on holiday, visiting or on leave.

Vicky has been on leave for a couple of weeks and

this year has challenged herself to learn patchwork and quilting.

Mum had signed her up for a class with me and I

managed to squeeze her into another one because she

was so enthusiastic.

She got straight in there making a folded bag, got inspired

by 'Show and Tell', making a large pincushion!

A bit of a giggle in some groups because so far Shirley

had the biggest one!

Vicky also made a pocket wall hanging over the week and then

made a piece of strip patchwork to cover a

sketchbook to take her notes in.

She has been so inspired she brought the machine

that she has been working on in the workshop!

That shows real dedication.

Well done Vicky! and keep in touch.

See more students work by

clicking the labels below.

Autumn Leaves

Jeanette finished this mixed textile last year and has

had it framed by Haydn @The Gallery.

It looks amazing, sadly I couldn't get a really

good photograph due to all the lights in the

workshop room.

It will be hanging in The Gallery this week,

so well done Jeanette.

It's lovely too as Jeanette doesn't like painting

fabrics!

Visit The Gallery

www.thegallerydereham.com

Applique Month

This month at my textile classes the inspiration has been 'Applique',

I have demonstrated 8 different ways of appliqueing

fabrics together.

Here are a few that were being worked on at

the Tuesday Class.

Photos onto Fabric

This week I took the printer in again so that students

could learn how to put their photos and pictures

onto fabric. There are lots of ways of transferring

images onto material but I like using prepared fabric

and an ink jet printer.

The images were of varied things including

fruit and veg labels (above), photographs, etchings and

original artwork.

Everyone learnt the art of preparation and patience!

I will be taking the printer in all of February.

Textile Tuesday 24th January 2012

Lots being created and shared @ The Gallery,

Textile Tuesday class as you can see by the variety above.

Embellishing inspired by rust!

It's alright making samples and trying out techniques,

then sometimes this leads to you wanting to take it further

and make a finished piece which is what

Jenny wants to do over the next weeks.

Barbara had started cutting small family football shirts and

shorts and found it a bit tricky so cut up

bigger ones instead and made the quilt above.

It has a barbed wire fabric on the back

which makes it really fun.

Now she can tackle the smaller ones.

Pat made the delightful bag out of a Chair back Cover

she found in a charity shop, beautiful!

She more of what goes on @The Gallery by

visiting the website or clicking on the labels below.

www.thegallerydereham.com

@ The Gallery Textile Tuesday 17th Jan 2012

Opps! I forgot to take my phone or camera to

'Textile Tuesday @The Gallery and there were

so many wonderful things being created,

I could have kicked myself.

I was demonstrating,

'How to start with an idea or picture and how

Art can be created in many different medias.

See a some of my working practice on my

portfolio site

www.art2inspire.co.uk

Corsetry

On Textile Tuesdays we do many different textile practices.

Some of my students are making corsets and

corset related items.

There are lots of patterning and design ideas coming through!

See an eye opening video on my tech site,

hosted by Tara Banks.

www.art2inspiretech.blogspot.com

Crazy Work Patchwork Square

Pat brought a Crazy Patchwork book at The Chilford Show

and over the Christmas break she started the piece above.

It contains many different shades of blue textiles, threads, beads and

embellishments. Pat has really got the technique at it's best.

Well done Pat.

See my Crazywork Patchwork

on my portfolio site

www.art2inspire.co.uk