Look at what arrived in the post today from Mimu in America.
Thought you would like to see the detail of Pat's layering. 
This one of Pat's mixed media cards which she has made for a friend's birthday.
Pat's Mixed Media Angel. A sample to see how the pieces go together and colours.
Pat, working hard on her multi media background for her Angel. 
Look at how far Carol has come in one month!
As promised a picture of Carol piecing her final strips together for her Quillo.
This is Carol's first ever Quilt. She chose some Japanese Brocade Silks which really pushed the cutting and sewing machine skills to the maximum for a beginner but wow! look at what she has achieved.
Carol has come every Tuesday for the last month either in a morning or afternoon session and has worked hard at home cutting and piecing when she could.
Check out The Gallery for the other artists available,
Look what was in the post when I got home! a Cream on Cream ATC from Diana in New Zealand. 
Spent Monday morning making some more Craft Tidy's, so I can take them to the Gallery. In the end I hope each place will have there own. This will cut down the trips to the bin, hopefully and be really nifty!
The pattern for the Scissor Case looks very Japanese, I just had to photograph them in a fan shape.
All they need now are their buttons to secure the tab and keep the scissors and Rotary Cutter in place. I love the triple pockets!
Thank you again Pat! and everyone who made our workshop day such a success.
I am so pleased with my Tidy and Case it's already in use. 
These are our finished Sewing Tidy's and Scissor Cases.
It made us all feel very happy seeing all of them lined up. They are all so different!
Thank you Pat for being such a wonderful teacher.
Today we had a wonderful Alveva workshop day with Pat and were joined by some of Rainbow Quilters too! We made a sewing tidy in the morning and in the afternoon we made a scissor case.
This is looking through the archway, from what I call my 'Monks Secret Garden' to the top of the vegetable garden. Secret because it is enclosed and there is a seat in a rose arbour where I like to hide and read! Monks because it is full of herbs, a wooden lecturn and a pew seat. I based it on the herb and vegetable gardens on the terraces of St Mount Michelle in France.
This is near the top of Quilters Cottage garden. The greenhouse, polytunnel and working area is beyond this. Today we weeded and prepared the soil for late potatoes and red onions. The long bed is asphagus and will be starting to come up soon. I just love asphagus! there is also a raspberry bed, trimmed and tied up in hopeful expectation!
These are the first pages inside Pat's altered book. As you can see she has used many creative mixed media techniques. Pat's page on the left are inspired by Japenese Silks and Brocades.
Just beautiful.
For more details about the sessions at The Gallery visit http://www.thegallerydereham.co.uk/
and for more inspiration of the work I share and teach visit my website
Pat had begun her altered book ideas with Marion, the artist who takes the evening session on a Tuesday evening at The Gallery. During a morning session Pat discussed ways in which to finish the front of her book cover and how she could use ribbon and organzer. We looked at some of the inspiration I had brought with me and Pat then went away and attached her front cover,making and attaching the flowers, which as you can see are just beautiful. This book is now complete and the pages are all creative and inspirational inside. This is Pat's second altered book.
Pat had a go on the Embellisher last week and took her sample home, embroidered and beaded it. She then added a backing and a brooch pin. It's fantastic so well done Pat!
Carol is working hard machine piecing her Quilt. She has learnt so much about cutting using a rotary cutter,ruler and mat. Cutting squares, triangles, measuring and piecing. Carol has gone away each week and diligently done homework so the quilt strips can grow. Next week the centre panel will come together and borders pieced. Well done Carol!
Jeannie had an Embellisher taster session last week with me at The Gallery and today she returned to start to embellish landscapes for cards. This is the start of one and there will be a running hare and further embellishment added later. 
This is half of the long flower bed and a small section of the lawn which we weeded and mulched today.The lawn was trimmed and cut today too! I will shown you more of Quilters Cottage garden as we move round the areas in our Spring cleaning over the next couple of weeks. I like the planting and the lounging but really hate weeding but it's got to be done! 
Well, Springs here and Stewart and I just had to get out in the garden with the sunshine. We've got three quarters of an acre to garden! This seat area is opposite my studio and part of the large lawned area with a large long and I mean long! flower bed. We weeded it and mulched this area before lunch today.
We started cutting and splitting this morning and as you can see the logs are now all stored away under the tree house, drying out ready for Autumn when I will need the logburner going again. Hopefully there will only be the odd day for a fire now with the weather changing.
I thought I'd show you what I do when I am not creating art! 
This morning I started what I thought was going to the back of the Red Quilt but Stewart came into the studio and looked at my piecing and said" that' too good to be a back!". This then set the mind whirling 'but I haven't got a modern red fabric to put on two quilts!'. Only one thing for it go fabric shopping! This entails a 62mile round trip to Sian's Scouthut at Hunstanton, Norfolk. A lovely country drive to the seaside and an Alladins cave of fabrics 30-40% cheaper than regular stores. Stewart laughed as we walked through the door as Sian must have at least 15 red fabrics which I could choose from. She has new Japenese fabrics and Beach inspired ones too! which are really inspirational!
Yesterday had a Pattern day with Mum. We both want to make some Summer Jackets. So this entailed working out the what pattern pieces went with which jacket and how we needed to fold and lay the pattern pieces out. We both haven't made clothes for a while so it was a bit like learning a new language all over again. All went well and the toille jackets are now cut out ready to sew together and taylor. We take them to pieces and cut out on our real fabric! Fun!
As promised the photo of the Red Quillo before it is layered together and freemotion quilted.
Look what arrived in the post! an ATC package from Sandi at Puddleducks in Australia.
As some of you know I am doing a Crazywork Round Robin and this is my square for this month.
Jeannie really enjoyed her morning Embellisher session and I love the texture she has embellished in her piece. I think we will see more of Jeannie's work!
Jeannie had a taster session today on the Embellisher. 
Last night was another wonderful evening with the girls.Sharing,looking, talking and laughing. Kate is working on a large bed quilt for her son, in Persian Rug colours and pattern and needed encouragement which way to go with all the blocks she had made.
Mum and I went off to Chilford Quilt Show yesterday. As usual there was so much inspiration and things to spark off new projects. The Quilts on display were a mixture of traditional and contemporary. Mum and I admired the vast amount of group quilts from The Beckenham Quilters,30 years worth! http://www.beckenhamquilters.com/ and the quilts of 'World Inspiration' by Pamela Archibald http://www.patarchibald.com/ were so inspiring. Roy Dickinsons 'Engineering Quilts' were very clever and you found different characters every time you looked.
This Dottee doll arrived from Lisa in America. Is'nt she just wonderful? I am still working on a design of my own. I am not normally a doll maker so have had to do research. Out of my creative area but this is good! Makes me try different things and ways of making. I'll show you my doll hopefully at the end of tomorrow!!!
Linda's telling me all the things she would like to put on her blog and the articles she's written for magazines. She showed me some of her work and her sewing room, we are in for a treat. Visit her first blog and give her encouragement.
Last night I was invited to attend a Private View by one of my private students to 'The Babel Exhibition', at Greyfriars Gallery, Kings Lynn. It is an exhibition of Year 2 Fine Art Degree
The Toxic Stack arrives at The Galley http://www.thegallerydereham.co.uk/ for the idea of permanent collection.
Margaret added more embellishment to the postcard she started last week, a few more stitches and finished. I think there will be more postcard size work in the future combining medias.
See more mixed media on
At The Gallery, workshops are well under way now. Artwork to suit the artist. Real mixed medias available for beginners to the experienced. Morning session 10am-12.30. afternoon session 12.30-2.30. Evening session 7.30pm-9.30pm.
This beautifully embroidered, dyed and pieced skirt was amazingly heavy. This would be a 'best' overskirt and there would be two underneath this one. Embroidered Skirt panels would be on the top of this. Costume pieces would be passed down through the family and often recyled into another textile depending on it's owner. Judith's collection had so many beautiful pieces I will post some of them and how I have developed the stitches and layers in the future. So watch this blog! I felt very priveledged wearing it.
Southern Chinese costumes are worn in many layers. Each piece is made in sections and assembled into elaborate textile pieces. Judith is showing me how this collar piece is worn. The more decorative beaded and embroidered section is at the back not the front!
Went to visit Judith today and her collection of Southern Chinese textiles.I first met Judith when she came to give a talk about tese textiles to The Kings Lynn Embroidery Guild. She has visited China five times, incuding a tour of the Silk Route. Her photographs and stories of her visits are wonderful with the accompaning textiles. 
Look what arrived
Inside my newly covered sketchbook for March 2010. It feels pristine at the moment so I will show you what it looks like in the future with my creativity of 'sticking and glueing'.
Today I spent hours at the sewing machine doing the embellishing stitch patterns. This has given the embellished felt a hard wearing surface, ideal for the work I put my notebooks through. It feels all new and pristine at the moment! I'll show you what it looks like at regular intervals so you can spot the differences.
See other sketchbook inspiration of mine on my site http://www.art2inspire.co.uk/
Allyson from Africa sent me this unusual ATC. It arrived this morning.
Today everyone got started on their new projects that they wanted to do. 
This is the base of my cover for my new sketchbook. Yes! I am onto another sketchbook so I want it's cover to be inspirational rather than the hard black one it has at the moment.
I've got more machine stitching to do, the hand stitching and then the attaching to the sketchbook. Do you like the gilding foil?
For more of my sketchbooks and inspiration look at my website
Linda's ATC was inside her card. Very clever and on the back it has her details and is colourwashed dyed, beautiful!
