Sarah Lawrence

Festival of Quilts Show 09

We have got back from the big quilt show at the NEC. It was really lovely to see old friends and new. The workshop ladies were lovely and made some amazing printed fabrics.One of the  Most amazing was meeting Zsophia who  along with some of her textile friends had my Silk book and were from Hungary.If you get to read this post ..I hope you all enjoy playing with the Rusting Powder .Also Denise from Luxemburg…I hope the ladies of your weekly have a creative time with the Rusty Stuff….

I never fail to be delighted at the way textiles can be a universal language.

I did learn alot from the Russian Quilters…with oohs and ahahs it is all you really need to communicate….but I just could not get my tongue around the Swedish for Vinegar…..let alone the Spanish……but there was a tremendous amount of giggling….

What a day

I don’t know about anyone else but I am fed up with the rain!!

It has been so wet that I have seen frogs leaping across our lawn..a really amazing site rather reminiscient of Mr Jeremy Fisher!!

It’s Just…

Over the last few months I have been writing furiously to get a couple of books ready for launch and the Quilt Show at Alexandra Palace. Over the years I have been asked time and time again for information on how to use some of our more unique products, Puff Paint mostly so this is what I have been doing. They are just booklets but are full of information, ideas and techniques with lots of photographs and hopefully fellow textilers will find them useful. They are about to go to print but I have uploaded the front cover of the first. There is a series and I have decided to call them It’s Just… so the ones I have written so far are Its Just… Puff Paint and Its Just… Rusty Stuff and of course I have got many more in the pipe line. As they are only just about to go to print I will send out a newsletter when they are ready and post here as well.

Full details will be available shortly. However if you want to see me in action have a look at the link below..

http://www.twistedthread.com/pages/learningZone.aspx
(clink knitting and stitching, scroll down and click “Silk Papers with Hydrangeas”)

And if you want to know more about Silk Paper click here.

Get Creative Magazine

Just a quick one. For any Australian readers I have an article in Julys Get Creative Magazine titled Soulful Divas.

Hot Dots

Hot dots are ironed onto you fabric or mixed media surface and the you just apply foils  to create a shimmery shiny decorative surface .Stitch over it’ paint over it, or just love it as it is.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rusty Bits

Just a few samples that I have been working on with the rusting powder. They are not stitched yet because of the temperature has incredibly high and has obviously affected my hand-eye coordination. We British like moaning about the warmth and the climatic discrepancies. I do believe my Australian friends are wearing wooly jumper and winter clothes. Our American friends are experiencing really weird weather in certain parts, Ohhh! We are never happy are we.

Today we have had a good time at work packing some glittery bits which will be on the website after the open weekend.

Also for those of you who are down in Cornwall I am traveling down and demonstrating at Porthleven at Arts and Graphics on Friday 10th July. Thursday 9th at SJL Card Craft in Taunton and then on the 8th July I am in Newton Abbot at the Craft Room (I remember having scrumpy at the Cider Bar, it is an evil and definitely has mind altering properties but boy did it taste good).

Craftynotions will also be at the embroiderers guide regional event which is at the Dame Alice Harpur School, Bedford. If anybody wants to order anything for collection please e-mail ahead at sales@craftynotions.com .

Textile Workshops

This is the page from the latest workshop list for classes that I hold at Rufford Craft Centre. As you will see from the image if you are interested in joining in on the workshops you will need to give us a ring on 01636 700862 or e-mail enquiries@craftynotions.com with the subject Rufford Workshop.

The images depicked are just indications of the work we’ll get up to!

Newsletter

This is the newsletter we are sending out and I thought I would post it here too.

Just to keep you updated with what’s going on here at Craftynotions. We’ve been very busy finding new things, designing new things and making new things!

Firstly, to let you know that we have our annual Open Weekend on July 4th and 5th. As usual teas and coffees etc are being done for us by Newark MS Group. We will be having loads of demonstrations offered by Leonie Pujol of QVC and magazine fame, but she’s doing a textile degree so is keen and eager to use our textiley things. Our good friend Pat Grant will be with us on the Sunday as her grandchild is getting married on the Saturday. We’ve got Lincolnshire Spinners and Weavers coming with their spinning wheels and all their expertise so you may be able to learn how to drop a spindle or even have a go on a wheel. And of course I’ll be doing rolling demos on some of our new things.

We will also have exhibitions from The Group. This is a gang of pals who meet up regularly, discuss the world, discuss needlework, felting, quilting, projects and ongoing themes and produce work for exhibitions. There will also be exhibitions of my own work.

As you know we’ll have lots of bargains, lots of one-offs, and hopefully lots of fun and ideas to be shared.

You’ll also be pleased to know that we’ve found lots more chairs this year, but we are really hoping that it doesn’t rain as much as it did last year.

If you can’t make it to the Open Day then you might be interested to know that I am teaching at Rufford Craft Centre. The first on Sunday 6th September which is Friendly Plastics for Embroiders and on Sunday 6 December which is Floral Felting for Embroiderers.

..An Embroiderers Eye…exhibition

Just had the information about the exhibition at Macclesfield museum. It is a viewing of the embroidery collection of Diana Springall. It starts from April 11th and runs to the July 4th. There are over 50 British embroiderers represented, including me!

There is a book called An Embroiderer’s Eye, which is £8.95 with £2 P&P from the museum. The address of which is The Macclesfield Museums Trust, Park Lane, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 6TJ. To quote from the information I have received…
“Over 50 works are illustrated in colour from Dianna Springall’s unrivaled collection of contemporary embroidery. A brief text describes each work and provides biographical information about the artist.”

I can’t tell you the pleasure that I got when Diana initially chose to collect my work and the immense privilege it is to have it displayed in the exhibition.

Exhibition info

A day off…

Just got back from a weekend demonstrating some of craftynotions products down in Kent. I will post some images tomorrow.

Laura, I’m glad you have enjoyed making the wild women I’ll post some of my latest creations when I have finished putting some more detailing on them.

I’m having a day off tomorrow! and spending it with my number one son at IKEA to get some more billy bookcases and whatever I feel we can not possibility live without!! but don’t necessarily need……. as well as some Swedish Meatballs for lunch….