Residential Courses
'Baskets of Fruit' 18th-25th October 2013
At this time of year, the harvest is in all our minds. Whether we are pickling or preserving, blackberrying for jam or simply making pumpkin lanterns, the colours, scents and shapes of fruit and vegetables are all around us.
Before the course I will discuss your aims in order that the week can be tailored as much as possible to your personal requirements.
You will stay on the beautiful working farm of Bodrugan Barton where you will have an individual room with ensuite bathroom, use of the heated indoor swimming pool, and sauna. For more information on the farm and accomodation click here.
Cost is £450. This includes accommodation, tuition and meals as detailed below. A deposit of £100-00 is payable on booking. This deposit will be refunded if your place can be filled. There may be a small charge for some materials. The remainder to be paid in installments.
You can pay by cheque, payable to Anne Griffiths, 4 Gabriel House, Newbury Street, Wantage, Oxon OX12 8DJ, or securely online using your credit/debit card via PayPal.
Click on any of the images below for a full size version. You can also watch a utube video from the Exeter Creative Stitches show of some of the fruit and vegetables you could create on this course.
Friday
Arrive 16.00 for Introduction and Discussion. Review samples, and look at your own source material and ambitions for the week.
Welcome Dinner 19.30 (cost included).
Saturday
Visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan to gain inspiration. This could take the form of photographs or drawing if you wish, collecting or perhaps taking rubbings all of which could be used as reference material.
Sunday 10.00 - 16.30 (lunch included)
Preparing Fabrics
Using natural materials and transfer paints we will dye and print background fabrics for use during the rest of the week.
There may also be time to make handmade paper which includes leaves and other plant materials.
Monday 10.00 - 16.30 (lunch included)
Baskets and Bowls
Make a basket or bowl in a technique of your choice. Experiment with different options to create a small vessel which could be used to hold the fruits we will look at on Tuesday. Techniques can be adapted for hand or machine embroiderers.
Use heavy weight soluble fabric to make a fruit bowl, plate or small vessel.
Alternatively look at willow weaving techniques together with fabric cords to make a basket.
Tuesday 10.00 - 16.30 (lunch included)
Three Dimensional Fruits
Look at a variety of methods for making small fruits and vegetables which could be used to fill your vessel. These could be hand or machine sewn, lighter weight soluble can be used to experiment with leaves and we will also incoroporate wire into some of the pieces.
This will include the blackberries shown here, strawberries, a miniature pineapple as well as a vegetables such as broccoli and sprouts!
or
Panel
Alternatively, consider design ideas for a panel.
These might be used as embroidered pockets for seed packets, or for a book cover.
Starting points might be still life artworks, seed catalogues or your own drawings or photographs from the visit to Heligan. The size is up to you, a tiny one to complete in the day or something larger to continue working on during the week. These could be machine or hand stitched as you choose.
Wednesday
Free day for sightseeing or working on project.
Thursday 10.00 - 16.30 (lunch included)
Experimental English patchwork. Extend the basic methods of English patchwork by stretching, distorting or modifying individual blocks to give different effects.
The fabric shown here was printed used to make the miniature pineapple below.
Alternatively, you may wish to consolidate ideas and samples from the week, complete a project or begin planning a new project to take away.
Conclusion and Dinner 19.30 (cost included).
Friday
Depart 10.00.