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Experimental Textiles - session 7 - working with metal

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A fabulous hoard. Sessions seven, eight and nine of Experimental textiles are students choice. These sessions are negotiated within the groups and with myself. The groups decided they would like to work with metal on the first day of the session and have a go at working with painted Bondaweb and Tyvek on the second day. The girls brought all manner of metals to experiment with, and I supplied various wires and mesh. It is important that the students learn to work with resistant materials as well as fabrics and thread. The contrast of hard and soft can set off great ideas. Copper sheet that has been transfer printed. Alcohol inks were used to colour this copper sheet. 2 pieces of copper sheet, both textured and coloured with alcohol inks. Transfer printed copper sheet that has been embossed. Alcohol inks . . .  . . and more. Copper mesh heat treated and wrapped around a piece of lead. Strips of transfer printed copper woven and stit

Experimental Textiles - Home work from session 6 - Dyeing natural and synthetic fabrics

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 A lovely concoction of natural fibres and hand stitch. I am slowly catching up with my life - and this blog. I still have a load of emails to reply to, including yours Diana. I hope to catch up with a lot while I am up here at the the show.  Chris and Laura mucking about as we set up the stand. On this Valentines evening I am laying on my bed at my lovely guest house that we stay in when we do a show at the NEC. Laura, The other Vilene consultant, is in the room next door. We both manged to get up here despite the M40 and M1 being closed. We have set up the stand and have sorted all the materials we need for our 3 workshops. The show is Craft, Hobby and Stitch International, it's a trade show. I work with Vilene and run their retailer workshops. I am struggling with my knee at the moment, Laura is being a star and helping her old mate with the lifting and the carrying. I will write more about the show next week - now on with this post. I have split t

New Zealand - The South Island - Bliss!

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  A print of one of the many excellent printing blocks. After the Quilt Symposium I travelled over to the South Island by ferry from Wellington to Picton where I was met by my mateys Denise and Christine. It was soooo good to see them again.  I had the day off the next day to mooch about with the girls then I launched into a 3 day workshop based on The Journey. It is my favourite workshop and so good to be able to spend 3 whole days on it.   The Pelorus river from the Pelorus bridge. While we were mooching we crossed the Pelorus river and the girls said I had to see the view . . . I think you can see why?   The group starting The Journey. The workshop hadn't been advertised, it was an informal meeting of some of the Blenheim Creative Fibre ladies that I met when I first taught in New Zealand 3 years ago. It was great to see them again. The group of 15 was made up with friends and other textiles enthusiasts. On the first day we got down the black and whit