Summer Workshop Take l...

It has been too long since I did a workshop at home. Other work commitments, kid commitments, life, the universe, everything was in the way, but I had arranged 2 for this summer and the first of which was yesterday reminded me just how much I love doing them.

I had the best group of ladies here yesterday. First of all there was my Bee buddy Di. It was fantastic to meet Di and despite her insistence that she couldn't draw she produced a fab leaf design (bottom right) that she was quite rightly proud of.

Two lovely ladies came from down the road in Doncaster. I had met Rebecca when we had both exhibited at BCTF and she brought along her friend Tina. The final lady that made up the foursome was Maya, all the way from Copenhagen! I was beyond flattered that Maya and her hubby planned a little Yorkshire mini break around my workshop...praise indeed! Maya and I had been chatting over IG and it was just wonderful to have her here in my home at a workshop.

The day was just perfect...enthusiastic and talented ladies...beautiful weather so we could lunch on the deck...just the perfect way to spend a day. I think they all went away feeling like they had had a good successful time and I'm watching keenly to see how their screen printing progresses after the workshop and the fact that they all went home with a copy of my book!

a surreal day...

Yesterday was a surreal day indeed...

a day I had been anticipating for some time...

the day I finally got to hold my book in my hands!

Just saying that is crazy enough!

It really is the most out there experience ever of having worked hard on something, having it hibernate away for several months while it gets compiled by some clever folk, only to be returned in the unrecognisable format of a book...with my name on the cover! 

Looking at this photo now and I still can't relate to that over excited lady holding her book. It must be someone else!

At the moment I have one invaluable copy but I will be getting my delivery towards the end of the month and you will be able to purchase a signed copy directly from me. I will have more details about that soon. If you would like to be kept up to date with how you can order one from me just leave a comment here with an email address that I can contact you on.

Screen Printing at Home is also available for pre order on Amazon here in the UK or here in the US. Do check out the UK one to have a closer look inside the book.

Yesterday on IG and Facebook was just crazyyyyy! Thank you all for your overwhelming support. I can't tell you how grateful I am...and I just hope those that buy the book are as enthusiastic when you have it! 

I can not wait to see all the screen printing frenzy that is going to be going on with you all very soon!!

charm{ed}...

You know this strange old internet based world of ours and all the friends we meet on the way but only communicate through the screens and keyboard in front of us? Well, I'm very excited to be meeting one of my cyber friends at the weekend. 

I have been following Nancy on Instagram for a while now, having fallen in love with her quilting style and she was following me back, having been quite smitten with my fabrics. One of those online friendships developed. You know the type...I live in UK...Nancy lives in USA...never the twain shall meet...

but no! Nancy is over in the UK at the mo on holiday and is planning a stop over at mine on Saturday to pick up some fabrics she has ordered! I can't wait! Nancy has such a fantastic eye for colour (she put together the charm pack above and below) and I can't wait to meet her!

Building the charm packs for Nancy whilst chatting over IG was such a pleasure...seeing the colour mixes she was after was pure delight. I am very excited to hand them over to her and can't wait to see what magic she produces with them.

I really do get a kick of our cyber world and all the friends we make on the way. And if we actually get to meet in the flesh...well that's a real added bonus.

The yellows above and a blue-substituted-for-purple pack below are more charm packs that have been custom built for more cyber buddies that who knows maybe I will meet one day too. 

One thing I have learnt is never say never and keep those friendships blossoming for the day that it actually happens. x

London bound...

 Last week I had one of those rare pure escapism days. No work...no tutoring (that's work too)...no children...no cooking...just pure escapism.

My niece has been doing a year's art foundation course in London so my sister and I hopped on down on the train for the day to see her end of year show. Now being an arty type this obviously appealed to me but so did spending 2 1/2 hours each way having the luxury of nattering to my sis. That in itself was a rarity.



First stop when we arrived in London was to head straight to Camberwell to the London School of Art where we met Ella. At this point I will brag about my talented niece...I think it is okay to brag about nieces and nephews in a way that you can't necessarily about your own children...her weave top left was for me the star of the show before I even knew it was hers. It is actually hard to get a real feel for it here, but Ella had dipped dyed all the threads so there was a natural irregularity through the whole piece.

There was some other beautiful textile work that I was also particularly drawn to. As a child I would have loved to have done what Ella has done, even if I had then returned to a more traditional path, but to have had that opportunity at that age. I wasn't allowed to do art...only Latin...which I failed on purpose just to prove a point. Ella meanwhile is going on to do Medicine next year (yup, the girl has brains too) and I really admire my sister for supporting her choice of having this year to indulge in her creative side.

After looking around the college we sauntered around sunny London and found a nice cafe to have refuel before we headed to the Matisse Cut Outs exhibition at the Tate Modern. Wow what an incredible exhibition! I think it is on until some time in September so if you have the opportunity to go see it you really must. It is quite incredible. The talent of that man is even more evident with this almost accidental technique. 

(There's me and my sis in complete awe in that bottom right pic and my niece taking forbidden photos...tut tut...not such a good girl after all.)

Just time enough after that to bid farewell to Ella, hop on the train back home and get our minds in gear for heading back to reality the next day.

One thing for sure is, a day of pure escapism in London is a real tonic for all ails and stresses of life. They don't disappear and they are there when you return, but to disappear for a day does the world of good. I am definitely planning on doing it more regularly. And besides I am refuelled with inspiration...I think there will be some Cut Outs influenced screen printing coming soon...

default setting...

 at the beginning of april i declared that i had 4 quilts to complete by the end of the month. since it is still not quite the end of the month i can live in false comfort that i can still achieve this.

reality is...

not a hope in hell!!

having said that, I am 2 1/2 down and 1 1/2 to go...but even at my crazy rate, that's neigh on impossible.

so what has been holding me back i hear you ask?

well there has been the little thing of "the book". there were a few nips n tucks and tweaks that needed attending to but a couple of weeks ago it went off to the printers so all we can do now is wait!

i am beyond excited and beyond nervous about it in equal measure. it's my baby...and everyone wants their baby to be loved and adored, right? criticism is so hard to take...so be kind!

the publishers have been brilliant. it has all been such a journey and such a steep learning curve but i think they got me down to a T...they most certainly have with the front cover anyway. i only saw this complete for the first time today on Amazon and coincidentally i posted this picture below earlier today on Instagram talking about my default colour setting. i think there is little arguing now about this...one and the same! i do try to work in something fresh and different, but no matter how hard it always comes back to this. i guess i just shouldn't fight it. it's not such a bad default setting after all.

meanwhile back to the April Must Dos...no more book excuses, so let's just see quite how much we can do in the next 2 (2?? really?? only 2??) days...

wildwood shots...

 i was thrilled yesterday to see some of the pieces i had made with wildwood, dashwood studios latest fabric range photographed so beautifully.

dashwood had photographer yeshen venema in to take some studio shots of all the items that i and others had made with wildwood.

it was quite an honour to see things i had made photographed so stunningly.

i am thinking i may need to call on yeshen's services to take some shots of my other work.

in the meantime check out all the other lovely work others have made with wildwood here.

they all look amazing.

all in a day's work...

 getting ready for the next edition of the blueberry park fabric club means there is a lot of this going on at the mo...



which means there is lots of this to do afterwards...my favourite kind of washing up.




there is trialling of new colour mixes...the perfect shade of mustard printed onto white...

all followed by hanging out to dry, ironing and folding, with a little caressing thrown in.




all in a day's play work.