Pat's New Work

(Click on the picture to enlarge the detail)

Pat is always working through new ideas and also keeps an

altered sketchbook. Here she is putting the

finishing touches to her bag.

Checking the handle length and width.

Her sewing machine decided it was going to stop dead!

This week, I think it was under protest because of the amount of

work she puts it through!

Only joking Pat!

Lucky enough it was a fuse so could be fixed quickly,

as Pat wants to continue with her Dove Cushion.

The Dove picture was scan transferred onto cotton lawn,

from a 1930's picture, using a computer printer.

We did this a couple of weeks ago on a demo

section of the sessions.

Pat has added appliqued lace and flowers cut out

from the 1930's silk fabric she is using for the

border and backing.

The fabric came to me in a bag of fabric scraps

which one of the students brought into class.

I recycle lots of fabrics, art materials and tools

to other students so they are able to try new

techniques or add to what they have to enhance

their projects.

Its fantastic to share and create this cycle of art

and re-creation.

See more work by clicking the written labels

or pictures below or visit

my portfolio on my website

www.art2inspire.co.uk

Sara's Finished Work

Sara has worked hard since September

completing several different projects

which take many hours to complete.

They are beautiful!

The Strip Patchwork Butterfly Wall Hanging,

is Sara's first go at scrap bag patchwork and

free machine quilting.

The Pink Notebook was a piece of felt,

embellished using an

Embellisher Machine and lots of lovely

scraps of fabric, then

machine embroidered. Sara then added

more embellishments by hand.

The top photograph is a wall hanging based

on crazy patchwork and a corset shape.

Lots to follow as Sara forms her portfolios

and sketchbooks.

See more by clicking the written labels below.

India Inspired Wall Hanging

Barbara has been inspired by some of the

India Inspired Wall Hangings that I have taken

to The Gallery over the last few weeks.

She also took a trip

to Kushions and Kwilts at Hunstanton

where she brought the lovely squares of sari fabrics.

Barbara wants to learn how to heavily

embellish the piece.

See my India Inspired work

HERE

Gallery Tuesday 18th October 2011

I love teaching @The Gallery in Dereham on

'Textile Tuesdays', as I am able to help students

create with lots of different medias.

Ann has been very busy and wanted to get stuck into some real

art creating on fabric.

She had brought several different types of fabric

and some squares of silk and got painting

with a mixture of fabric paints.

Making textures by using different tools to

apply the paint as well as salt to extract the colour.

When they were dry or almost it was out with

the heat gun and soldering iron to melt and

'cut out' the flower shapes.

see more of Ann's work over the

next couple of weeks as it builds into a wall hanging.

See more of what goes on @The Gallery

www.thegallerydereham.co.uk

Real Steel

On Saturday after the Guild Meeting I went to

the Cinema with Stewart to 'Real Steel'.

A film about robots that fight in boxing rings,

instead of Humans.

It is set 50 years from now and gives us an insight on

the technology that will be common place in

the future. Will also be a throw away society

as the film suggests? I hope not!!

Hugh Jackman and his relationship with his

on screen son gives it a feel good factor.

See a clip

HERE

On my Tech site

www.art2inspiretech.blogspot.com

Guild Regional Day

Wills Quilt

On Friday is the day I get to continue with

commissions and my own work.

I am preparing work for exhibition next year and

have quite a few commissions in hand.

This one is for Will. Here is the front finished and

the back pieced ready to quilt.

I love the colours and the idea based on flags and pennants.

See more of my quilts in my

portfolio pages on my website

www.art2inspire.co.uk

Thursday 13th Class at Knit Wits

On the Thursday I was at Knit Wits in Dereham,

teaching"Embellished Strip Cushions".

Students had brought in the sewing machine

mats they had made the week before.

It is always lovely to see work finished and being put to use.

Some have not done any forms of patchwork

before so are learning from the beginning,

gaining confidence each week, producing

wonderful things, learning and sharing too!

Above you can see the strips coming together

ready for the embellishing next week.

See my cushions

HERE

on my website

www.art2inspire.co.uk

Lace Book

Wednesday was card making with Kim @The Gallery.

We were continuing to use the embossed book templates

and add dry embossing to our cards.

Sylvia had kindly given me several books on

card making the day before and it spurred me on

to mix my medias as usual.

I wanted to add lace and metal work.

I went shopping before the class at

Bead this Craft That for lace, pearl beads on a string

and anything that caught my eye.

(I have a craft budget each week to keep me in check an

often add weeks together to save for the larger items!).

See Bead This Craft That's website

www.beadthiscraftthat.co.uk

We had a wonderful morning and all our cards were

very different. I love learning new skills and then

experimenting with all the different medias.

I will continue this Book Card over several sessions.

I have since found a lady on You Tube who has made

beautiful cards using this technique and medias

HERE

See more of my card making at

www.cards2inspire.blogspot.com

and see Kim's blog

www.kimcrop.blogspot.com

Embellishing

These two pieces were made by two ladies who came along

to the afternoon session on Tuesday.

It was Sue and her Grand Daughter Emily.

They didn't quite know what to do

but soon got stuck in Emily on the embellisher

making a piece of embellished fabric which later

we made into a fancy cuff, including, machine embroidery

and a flap with a button hole for the fashener.

Sue had a go at free machining and got to grips with the

movement and then

made the flowers above, on the embellisher machine.

Both seemed to have a lovely session and had

want to come back again.

New Projects

Beginning new projects is always different for

everyone. Some have a flash of inspiration and then

run with that idea, madly researching, drawing and collecting

relevant sources.

Others can see the finished article of what they want to

achieve in their head , or have an idea of what

they want to aim at.

Some are inspired by the materials or items they have collected

these spark the project in mind.

Some have a gift, person or place in mind.

The bottom photo above, Barbara had collected together in a

basket beads and trimmings and had a visit to a shop that sold

swatches of fabric from India and inspired

wants to make an India inspired Embellished Wall Hanging.

(Embellished in the sense of highly decorated with embroidery and beading).

Pat on the other hand saw the picture of the Doves,

which she had in her collection and wanted to transfer it onto

fabric and wants to create a luxury cushion.

Both collaging and enjoying the journey.

I have been asked about the way I transfer images

onto fabric.

I use different media to do this from transfer paints or

crayons and iron them on.

An image paste which I coat a photocopy and leave to dry

then wash/ rub the paper off, this leaves a shiny surface.

T -shirt transfer paper which you put through the

computer and then iron onto your fabric,

this leaves quite a plastic like surface.

My favourite which I use at The Gallery

and on a lot of my own work

is taking a natural fabric such as

cotton lawn and soaking it in,

"Bubble Jet Solution", allowing

this to drip dry then ironing this fabric

onto freezer paper and then put his through

the printer so the image is directly onto to the

fabric. I allow this image to cure for several days

before working or iron fixing it.

The solution keeps the image onto the fabric

and it can be washed carefully.

The ideas are then limitless.

Fresh Green Projects

Lots of fresh crisp projects being made and finished.

Ann is in between projects at the moment,

so decided to make a scissor case, very crisp!

Looks very modern.

Barbara finished her Green Cushion, it

looks and feels very luxurious and also very

modern by the design and fabrics she chose.

It is 20" square so quite a big one too!

See more scissor cases or cushions by clicking the

written labels below.

White and Gold Christmas Runner

Textile at the Gallery this week was a

very mixed with lots of finishing and

starting new projects.

Sylvia has finished her Christmas Runner.

She followed mine as inspiration and used

some lovely new Christmas Ribbons.

I just love the crispness of this pattern and

it goes together quite quickly in the strips.

See more Christmas runners by clicking the

written label below.

See more of my work on

www.art2inspire.co.uk

Jimmys Farm Visit October 2011

Stewart and I travelled down to Mum and Dad's

in Essex for Nicole's Christening

and stopped in on Jimmy's Farm,

for a look in, to see what had changed and also visit the

Barn Restaurant. It's lovely in there so much

atmosphere and great food.

I had the best Cheese and Pickle,

'Doorstop Sandwich with side salad and

Stewart had Rare Breed Pork Sandwich,

both on homemade Granary Bread.

Delicious !!!

It was also great to see Jimmy sat in the corner

working and having a pot of tea.

The view from the Restaurant overlooks the

Herb Garden and Shop.

We walked around the gardens and saw the

Rare Breeds and the new Turkey Sheds.

The turkeys looked amazing but we all

know why they are there!!

orders are being taken for Christmas Now.

We went into the shop and looked for the pickle

I had had in my sandwich but sadly

they didn't have any of the shallot pickle left,

obviously others had had the same thought!

Outside in what was the old shop it is now

a classroom and meeting room.

A Birthday Party had been going on and we witnessed

the group lining up to go for a tour around the

farm.

What a wonderful idea for a party and

different too!

See more of what goes on at

Visit Jimmy's Farm

www.jimmysfarm.com

Knit Wits Evening and Day Class

On the first Wednesday I teach an Evening Class

at Knit Wits from 7pm until 9pm.

It was really a productive and happy class.

One new quilt on the go, a Christmas Wall hanging

the red, black and yellow patches coming together

well, for a single quilt and bags and patches

being made.

On the Thursday I teach all day at

Knit Wits. It was blocks and projects this week

and everyone seemed to have a good time and finished

pieces and started new projects.

it is such a lovely atmosphere and the fabrics department

is getting like a sweet shop for choice and

temptation!

See more of what is being made at the classes

by clicking the written labels below or

click workshop