The Knitting and Stitching Show - Alexandra Palace - October 10th - 13th

 The lovely Laura Strutt polishing off 2 puddings - no not really - we shared. 
I have found a fellow dessert lover!!! Whoopppee!

 The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace was amazing, very busy indeed. I have a new job - promoting Vilene products at various shows around the country. As you can imagine, it is a great hardship - not!!! I have been working with these fabulous products for many years as many of you will know.
Laura Strutt and I will be doing all the Twisted Thread shows for the next few years and one or two others .Laura is a very clever girl and is into all manner of crafts as well as working on magazines and is the author of the Haynes Sewing Manual. We get on SOOOOO well together. Whilst the shows are hard work - great fun can also be had.
 Laura showing how to use the Quickscreen Triangle by Vilene.

The whole point of us having a stand at the shows is to help you all identify which Vilene products you may need for your area of crafting, embroidery or quilting. We won't be selling anything - just giving information. We are a surgery for you to come and tell your troubles to . . . . So come and say Hello! We will be at the Dublin show on stand A40 and at Harrogate on stand TG540.

I will be reporting back on all the shows - this is just a taster as I couldn't get off the stand much as we were VERY busy everyday - I guess that shows we are doing the right thing.

The exhibitions at the show were stunning, along with some rather divine work by this years graduates. Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn had a fabulous exhibition which I will write about after Harrogate.

 
 Ruth and Bobby on their stand - 'Equal on all 4 sides'

I wanted to mention some people who are very important to me - firstly Ruth Issett and Bobby Brtinell. These two great artists are my guru's - we all have them. I go on courses with them as often as I can - they are remarkable tutors. If you can ever get on one of their courses I would highly recommend them. h.bobbybritnell.co.uk/workshops/workingtogether  Both Ruth and Bobby have new books out - both are brilliant.

 
 Bobby working on the stand during setting up.

 I didn't get much chance to photograph any of Bobby's work as there were always visitors in the way - I will do better in Dublin! Her work in the exhibition used a lot of bark cloth with reverse applique and some fabulous stitch.

 

I managed to get a few more of Ruth's - beautiful hand dyed muslins layered together and stitched very simply.

 
 
 The colour combinations are quite stunning - the work just vibrates on the wall. Gorgeous.

 No show would be complete without the Art Van Go stand. . . .

 Viv and Kevin setting up their HUGE stand.

Laura and I will be staying with Viv and Kevin in Dublin and Harrogate, boy are we all going to have a good time. Susan Chapman will also be with us so I need say no more - Party Time!!!

The most exciting part of the show for me was seeing Dorothy Caldwell again. Dorothy and I have taught together twice in Australia and it was wonderful to be able to catch up with her.
Dorothy is a very intuitive, sensitive and prolific artist. I love her work - this exhibition is entitled 'In Place'. The work investigates how people mark the land and how we come to know 'place' through personal landmarks and conventional mapping.

Dorothy Caldwell
  

 
 
 
 
 
 Working with on site rubbings and drawings and collected ochres from the areas she was working in, Dorothy has created some breathtaking work. 
Textile traditions such as stitching, darning, mending and patching inform the marks that she makes in both her huge quilts and her smaller - more intimate pieces. www.Dorothycaldwell.com

 I am very much looking forward to seeing Dorothy again in Dublin and Harrogate.


  I would like to point out that I asked permission of all the artists to take photos and to publish them here on the blog and Facebook.
X

I am dashing about trying to catch up with paperwork and emails this week and then it is off to The Old Needleworks in Redditch on Friday to get ready to teach my ExTex girls. We are colouring fabrics this weekend - using procion dye to dye natural fabrics and disperse dyes to colour synthetics - Yeehaa!! A whole weekend of colour.

x


 Hello Jill, Diana and Swansea . . .  x x x

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