First Stitch Book Pages

These are some of my pages to show as inspiration for the City and Guilds Machine Embroidery and Patchwork and Quilting. Each week the page samples grow with printing, dyeing and techniques so they grow into wonderful tactile textile books. Everyone of the students interpreted the inspiration and course information in their own way. I showed step by step and used a lot of recycled elements. 

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

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.

Quilts @The Gallery

There is always lots of Quilt Making going on @The Gallery on Mixed Media Tuesday.
Here Jenny is finishing the Dinosaur Quillo for her Grandson and Sylvia is putting the strips together to form a quilt for her Grand Daughter. I love to be part of the process of making quilts for the next generations life.
See more quilt making by clicking on the labels below.

Jamila and Janice

Jamila visited the studio for the first time on Friday 23rd March and helped Janice and myself pin Janice's quilt together ready for quilting. The quilt is an amazing feet of patience. It was a lovely morning and after lunch Jamila showed me her City and Guilds  textile project, a bag which she had designed and woven the fabric and then decorated with at least 100 Dorset Buttons. A beautiful and imaginative design based on the Textile Mills in the North of England. Jamila is finishing her Long Distance C&G shortly, theres all the paper work to file in order! Lovely!!!
I hope to be able to offer long distance City and Guilds course shortly.

Osteoporosis Kings Lynn Group

On the evening of Thursday the 22nd of March I gave a talk on 'Life as a Textile Artist' this photograph is in my studio a couple of days before prepping for the evening. I normally show about 101 quilts sometimes more depending on the group and talk required. It was a lovely evening with about 60 members in attendance. The gentlemen were also amazed at the techniques and work commented to the group which was lovely.
Read the Lynn News paper article on the evening at www.lynnnews.co.uk
See more about the group by clicking the link below
www.noslynn.org.uk

bag Day at Knit Wits

On the 22nd of March I taught a Bag making day at Knit Wits in Dereham. The eight students spent the day making the bag of their choice and some drew out patterns and shared the instructions to many more. I had a selection of bags from, shoulder handbags to large sewing holdalls to folded Japanese style for students to choose from. Everyone had fun. See photos of finished bags shortly.

To see more bag making, visit my tech site and view the bag making video by clicking the link below.
www.art2inspiretech.blogspot.com

Visit Knit Wits shop website www.knitwitsdereham.co.uk

March Alveva Meeting

I belong and Chair Alveva Quilters  which meets the third Wednesday of most months in Feltwell, Norfolk. Our speaker had to cancel due to ill health and so, two of our members, Yvonne and Liz stepped into the breach after 'Show and Tell', to give us demonstrations on, 'Screen Printing Basics' and 'Hand Quilting'. Their Talks were really interesting and informative, the group had a lovely evening.

Get Well Wishes to Christine Davey and hopefully she will be able to talk to the group at another time.

See Yvonnes blog at www.yvonnedbrown.blogspot.com
Also see the video she made with Bonnie McCaffrey on my tech site by clicking the link below. It is a fantastic video and Yvonne shows her Medieval Tile Technique.
www.art2inspire.blogspot.com

Jeanette's Picture for a Friend

Jeanette collects lots of pieces of textiles together when she is beginning a project. She always combines lots of techniques with really good results. This textile picture is for her friend, it contains the cut offs of her bedroom curtains!
See more of Jeanette's work by clicking the labels below. 

Curves and Circles

I teach different techniques each week so that students have inspiration but can have an insight how different techniques go together. Some take up the challenge as you can see by the two different ways of using curves and circles.
I encourage students to check out the internet, such as You Tube for techniques they especially want to try. There are many different ways and tips shown.
See how to do The Drunkards Path Circles in the video over on my tech site by clicking the link.
www.art2inspiretech.blogspot.com

Bag Day @The Gallery

The Gallery Mixed Media Tuesdays are always great fun with lots of sharing, demonstrating techniques and creating of projects. I show and demonstrate each week to inspire and bring along equipment and items to have a try. Above, are some of the bags made and continued on Bag Day.
See a great video on bag making on my tech site.
www.art2inspire.co.uk 

Documentation Day 17th March

The Quilters Guild Documentation Day at Swaffham Priory was fantastic. We all enjoyed seeing all the amazing quilts and learning their history but also investigating about the makers , fabrics and eras they were made in.
The quilts came from all round the world. There were two raffle quilts and they were a lovely addition to anyones collection. One of them had been made in Norfolk.
Visit a collection of quilts which are at The Quilters Guild of The British Isles at York.
www.quiltmuseum.org.uk

Dresden Plate Week

I have been having time away from blogging but have kept a photo and written diary of day to day creativity. I will now resume my usual blogging routine:)
Above, is some of the wonderful Dresden Plate Blocks created back in a week where I was demonstrating different ways of putting Dresden Plates together. The quick machine points way was very popular as some had tried the old way with curved tops and hadn't got on with it. The machine way gives a quicker and easier way of experiencing Dresden Plate as a pattern and its variations are endless.
Thank you for all the emails an encouragement over the last couple of months.
See the video on my Tech site if you are interested in the technique.
www.art2inspiretech.blogspot.com