Embellisher/Textile Art Pack/Rolls

I just thought I'd tell you that I've put the first Embellisher Roll onto Etsy. Here is a picture of the contents and you can find more information about them by clicking on the link. If they have disappeared you can reach the shop via the link in the sidebar.



The contents make lovely surfaces for further stitching. This photograph shows one made using an Embellisher with a broken needle. Some people don't mind the holes, but I use this as a workshop sample to demonstrate the difference between broken and non broken needles.



This design including the fish is also made using the contents of a roll. The stitching is with a Serendipity Jumbo Medium Perle. Another Serendipity Jumbo is shown here.


You've seen this one before, but I thought I'd remind you that the background is also made using the vegetarian silk from the Embellisher Roll/Textile Art Pack.



By the way - I'm teaching at Missenden Abbey this weekend, and it just happens to be an Open Day there on Saturday between 11am and 3pm. If anyone is visiting the end of term exhibitions you are more than welcome to come and see what we are doing. We will be in the Carrington Suite, that's the old Lecture Theatre for those of you that haven't been for a while. I just ask that you respect the fact that this is a weekend workshop and we will be working away during your visit. I will have a few items for sale, but obviously don't want to be interrupted to a great extent.

April Take It Further

It has been a very busy month. We have travelled the country, and it is only 10th May! Our travels are not yet over, later this week we head for Ledbury to both sell and teach a workshop, but first there are also selling venues at Urchfont and another workshop at Grayshott where we will be making a pair of boots on the embellisher. After Ledbury we travel further north and west to Dolgellau for our spring break. It is to be extra special this year as our little grandson is bringing his mummy and daddy to visit for a few days. I'm sure there will be photographs to load when we come home.

At last I am finding time to load a corner of the Take it Further sample for April. I said that I would combine and old and new technique, and this shows an ideal example of that.




The background has been created on the embellisher - the new technique - and for the 'old' I decided to use stitches from the first session of my City and Guilds course which dates back nearly 20 years. I hope you like it. I have used a Sassa Lynne Serendipity Perle 5 for the stitching

I have resisted looking at any reference to the May inspiration until I was able to do this. I'm off to have a look now, no doubt it will be my holiday project. And I don't think I told you about the wonderful 2 days we had in Cornwall teaching the embellisher. I'll have to remember to do that soon

PHEW!

Why is it that as soon as you agree to do something with a deadline you can guarantee circumstances will change and make it impossible without a lot of stress. The following postcard should have been in the post weeks ago, and most of it has been finished for some time, but it needed assembling. I haven't missed the deadline, but this should have been an easy quick task.



Finally it is ready to go into the post. The silly thing is that now I can't find the link to show you where it is going. I'll have to hunt for it and tell you all later. The background is made on the embellisher, from an embellisher roll. I will be loading some of these on the Etsy site shortly (it should have been today, but I've run out of time.)

If you have been following the Take it Further challenge I hope you wil be impressed by the fact that I have made this in blue!

I just have to keep running

So much to do, so little time. Does anyone else feel it too? There is still so much I want to create, but no real time to do it.

There are a few more threads to upload to Etsy, but so far I've just done one today.



The colours in the sunlight are truly stunning, and this picture really doesn't do it justice.

The quilties went into the post, and I have to say that it was a steep learning curve. Although it probably sounds simple to you I found the concept quite difficult. I couldn't be as free as I wanted to be. It was the restricted time that was the problem, and next time 'I'll do better'



Had a lovely day shopping for birthdays yesterday. Daughter and grand-daughter both had birthdays within the last week, so we had a 'girls' day out. Shopped 'til we dropped, then collapsed for the evening. Lots to do in preparation for teaching in Cornwall this weekend. I know a couple of you are coming, I'm looking forward to meeting you. The workshops are at the Roseland Mews Studios, link in the sidebar if you are interested, and a workshop in Grayshott tomorrow.

Missenden Abbey update

I have just updated the Missenden Abbey link in the sidebar. Three new courses for the next academic year are listed.

Hope to see some of you there.

Missenden Abbey

If you are looking to book a date for a weekend workshop later in 2008 or 2009 I have just updated the Missenden Abbey information. You can find the entry via the link in the sidebar. No further published details yet, but at least the dates are there.

Missenden Abbey

If you are looking to book a date for a weekend workshop later in 2008 or 2009 I have just updated the Missenden Abbey information. You can find the entry via the link in the sidebar. No further published details yet, but at least the dates are there.

A weekend off

I have a whole weekend off! Now, what does that mean?

When I'm not teaching we usually spend the weekend visiting shows or colleges/courses with Winifred Cottage. As I said, last weekend we were at Textiles in Focus. I have spent the week beginning to restock our supplies, and a 'weekend off' means that that will continue! There are also three wholesale orders for Sassa Lynne that need attention, so the dyepot is red hot and I am working away with colour. Specific orders mean no time for experimentation, named colours are mostly the order of the day, but as I need still more Embellisher Rolls with the vegetarian silk I'm having fun with those too. I will also pop some yarns into some Serendipity pots, these are the experimental ones that will eventually make their way into the named range.

I did take an hour off this morning, though! I went to visit our newest grandson. He is now 6 months old and growing apace. We had lots of smiles and giggles amongst the hugs, so I've now had my 'fix' for a few days. We will see him again next weekend when we babysit for an evening while his Mum and Dad go out for a meal. It will be a busy week with trips to Heather Quilters, where I'm speaking about the Embellisher, Urchfont Manor and also the Quilters' Day at Selsey. If you are passing the stand - don't forget to say 'hello'. As far as Urchfont Manor is concerned - there is a very good exhibition of Art in the Garden that is well worth a visit.

Missenden Abbey Weekend Workshop

This is the view that greeted me from my bedroom window at dawn on Saturday morning. As a tutor I was lucky enough to be accommodated in the main building at Missenden Abbey. The view is over lake, and it was truly magical to see it unfold. As the sun rose the white frost began to shine. The camera couldn't capture it, especially as it is taken through a small pane of one of the windows.

There were students on the course from all over the UK, including Northern Ireland. We had lovely weekend and they produced some fantastic pieces. Stupidly I forgot to ask their permission to put their pictures on my blog, so you will have to make do with this view instead.

Back to the grindstone today. Lots more dyeing to do for Textiles in Focus at the end of the week. The Vegetarian silk in the fabric rolls has really taken off and I have once again sold out. I honestly thought I had enough to last us until after TIF! so it's back to the dyepot....... Now is the time to place any special orders and I'll incorporate them into a dyeing session!

Take It Further January

Well, it's finished. The colours are much closer in reality, but here is the initial design




And here is the finished piece.



I'm surprised that the stitches aren't more in evidence in the finished piece. I have layered scrim over a layer made on the embellisher, The scrim has been pulled into a textured layer. I'm quite pleased with it and enjoyed doing it - even though it is blue!

Vegetarian Silk

At last I have been able to upload a picture. There are more,but they will have to wait until tomorrow.

These are sheets of vegetarian silk. I have discovered it quite by chance, and it is beautiful. It works like a dream with the Embellisher, and makes a lovely surface for stitching too. We are selling them rolled together with other similar surfaces including scrim. Vegetarian silk? It's other definition is pre-felt made from cellulose fibres from a sustainable renewable source. Let's call it one of our contributions to the environment!

Courses and Workshops

Details of workshops, courses and summer school 2008 can be found by clicking on the links in the sidebar. Several more workshops are currently being planned, and will added as details are available.

A justifiable wrist slap!

I have just had a conversation with a friend who has chastised me for not updating the blog over the last while. Yes, I freely admit that I have been tardy. Life get's in the way, but then maybe I ought to regard this as part of life! I have tried to keep work and 'life' apart as I'm not sure why people really visit a blog. I follow some blogs because they are full of interesting 'arty' stuff, and others because they relate to real life. Those that mix the two don't really grab my attention, especially if the life is the main excuse for not producing art. Of course, you haven't seen much 'art' on this blog anyway, it has mostly been quick ways of using the embellisher. I know that some of you read my life blog, and for those of you that haven't and want to (no obligation) here is the link. (Of course, due to life, I don't update that one every week either!)

I have also had my wrist slapped for forgetting to tell you the name of the fabric I mentioned in an earlier post. It is called Evolon and we sold out of our first delivery within 48 hours of anyone seeing it. More is on the way and will be here in time for Worthing Textile Arts Forum on Saturday 14th July, and we will hopefully have enough left for Ardingly on 21st July. I really like using it. Hopefully you will see some results before too long, but I'm working on a number of items for the Summer School at Missenden Abbey at the beginning of August.

Another giveaway has been announced at Dye-A-Lot. Pop over and take part. The perle 8 can be used on a sewing machine with a topstitch 100 needle, and the perle 5 is lovely for cable stitch, also using the sewing machine.

Lastly, thanks to everyone that left a comment on the last post. I have also had a number of emails and it would appear that the problem is even wider than I at first thought.

Forgive me

Forgive me if I wax lyrical about a fabric that isn't only useful as a background for the embellisher! I am having so much fun with it at the moment that I couldn't resist adding these pictures to the blog.

I am in the process of making some bookwraps, for a workshop I am teaching later this year. It stitches like a dream, by hand and with the machine, and can be used for both the cover and the inner pages.

The first picture shows part of a left over scrap after painting. If only the colours were as vibrant on screen as off.

This one was coloured using a different process. Can you see the angel?

And the name of this mystery fabric? Well, you will have to wait just a little longer to find out, however, if you are at the end of term Exhibition tomorrow evening (Wednesday 20th June) at Fareham College, or at Open Day, Missenden Abbey on Saturday 23rd June, you wll be able to buy some. Winifred Cottage will be at both venues with an exciting sales table.

Just tell them that I sent you LOL

And I can't wait to use it for ATC's and postcards, I know it will work like a dream.

Blue Inchies

Nine blue inchies on their way to a swap. The background is embellished, the buttons are hand made and those are cross-stitch kisses! I think the cross stitches qualify them for TAST too!

Roseland Mews Studios, Liskeard

Details of workshops in Cornwall - follow the link

Missenden Abbey

If you followed yesterday's link to information about the courses at Missenden Abbey you may like to know that I have updated it with further details.

Husqvarna Studio

Four dayschools have been arranged for Husqvarna Studio. Further details are here. They are each individual workshops, but they will be progressive, so don't be afraid to sign up for all four!

Missenden Abbey

There are several courses arranged between now and summer 2008. You will find more information here.

Grayshott Workshops

These workshops have been running for a while. If you are interested in these there is more information here. There is a break over the summer, more dates for the autumn and there will be more dates soon for 2008.

More information on courses around the country following shortly, including Busy Bees, Newport, Missenden Abbey and Husqvarna Studio.