Summer School

I will be teaching at Ardecca, a pretty bed and breakfast with separate studio in the Wiltshire village of Blunsdon on 23rd 25-30th June 2012. The week can be booked as a whole or each day separately.

This course is based on a similar theme to "Alice's Garden" the Residential Course run in Mevagissy. Our inspiration for this week will rely on source material you have gathered from your own observational drawings, photos, books, magazine cuttings etc. together with text from garden themed books and poetry.

Costs are £25 per day. A £15 deposit is required on booking. This deposit will be refunded if your place can be filled.

23rd June - Indigo

Backgrounds for Stitch

Learn a little about the history of the oldest dye known to man. Set up an indigo vat and use traditional techniques including tie and dye with a range of materials, clamping and pleating to create a range of beautiful blue fabrics.

25th June - Felt

Backgrounds for Stitch

During this class you will learn the basics of feltmaking and create background fabrics which can be included in your work for the rest of the week. We will cover creating the very finest of nuno felt, a fine silk or scrim sandwiched between fine wool or heavy thick felt, best suited to hand stitch. We will look at how colours can be combined randomly and by inlaying patterns using pre-felt.

26th June - Lines and Textures

Printing and Machine Embroidery

This class is suitable for both those who have not tried free machine embroidery before or those wanting to improve. Perhaps you want to master the use of metallic threads, twin needles, wing needles, vermicelli, or playing with tension to stitch cable or whip stitch.

Using text as a starting point we will print using a variety of blocks and stencils onto fabric and paper for embellishment with stitch.

27th June - Borders and Edges and Soluble Fabric

Grids and Machine Embroidery

This will be a follow up on machine embroidery using soluble fabrics. Depending on your previous experience you can create either a 3d Fantasy Flowers corsage, experiment with borders and lace patterns or use as a support for delicate and fine fabrics such as the silk we will be using later in the week.

28th June - Patterns and Textures with Metallic Materials

Hand or Machine Embroidery

Have you ever been seduced by angelina, metallic threads, shim or bronzing powders? Well today is the day to learn how to use them. If you have traditional goldword threads, purl or check and you would like to experiment with them, let me know prior to the course and we can discuss working with these using hand stitch.

29th June - Resists with Silk and Fabric Paints

Hand or Machine Embroidery

No Need for Gutta! If you have felt frustrated that you just don't have a steady enough hand to manipulate a tube of gutta for achieve fine lines, or you don't want a white outline to your painting, then this is for you. Use paints and perhaps bronzing powder from Day 3 to add text or motifs to a silk background fabric, then flood with colour and stitch.

Machine or hand stitch could be used to enhance your designs.

30th June - Layering and Quilting

Hand or Machine Embroidery

Today we will consider a variety of methods for layering and quilting, from an embroiderers point of view, to build and consolidate the work you have completed during the week.< /p>

For those who have attended the rest of the week, you will be "putting it all together". From the samples you have created, consider whether you wish to keep these as a discrete set of work to put into an Altered Book or Handmade Sketchbook or whether they could be turned into functional items, a set of small hangings, cushions or bags or perhaps joined as a larger piece.

If you have not been able to participate in previous classes come and see the results of the week's work. Bring an unfinished project that you may have become stuck with, to advance and enhance. If you would like to repeat one of the days programmes, please advise before booking and I will try and accomodate you.