A New Starting Point - a one day workshop with East Kent Embroiderers Guild. 20 - 21 September

 A close up one of the newspaper faux chenille samples.

I have just returned from a very busy and fun weekend with the East Kent Embroiderers Guild - Wow!!! what a fabulous group of ladies. I delivered a lecture on Saturday afternoon to a full hall. I was made very welcome and it was great to see some old friends from when I taught a longer workshop for the Wye ladies a few years ago. It is always good to catch up with people you have had fun with. 

This is a large Guild, very organised and I said, great fun - they are so friendly. If you live in the Kent area and are tempted to join - this is their website. Do have a look - www.eastkentembroiderers.org.uk

you don't need to be an experienced embroiderer - just have an interest in stitch and textiles in general - you will be made very welcome.

I taught a one day version of A New Starting Point. (I am no longer taking bookings for one day workshops, all that driving, loading and unloading for just one day wears me out, I am getting too old!).

The East Kent Guild meet in a lovely modern hall with plenty of room to accommodate so many members and it is perfect for workshops.
  

 

 A lovely airy room with plenty of tables and a fab kitchen.

We started off by painting Bondaweb which we put to one side to dry ready to use after lunch, and then got down to playing with unpainted Bondaweb and pre-painted and dyed newspapers. We were working with my 'Backgrounds and Prettys' technique which involves lots of tearing and layering - it is great fun as it doesn't have to look like anything. 

The surfaces that are created can be printed onto and or stitched. They can also be ironed onto any weight of interfacing appropriate to your project - from a book cover to a decoration for a canvas or a greetings card.

 

 Beginning the layering process . . .

 We layered painted and unpainted newspaper in turn with unpainted and painted Bondaweb, using gilding flake, transfer foils and sequins as decoration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 As you can see, the group were prolific - they created some beautiful samples. I am hoping I will get some images of them stitched into - HINT HINT!!!

 At the end of the afternoon we had a go with making faux chenille with newspaper and polyester organza. Eight layers of newspaper layered with polyester organza in between. These layers are then machine stitched (stitch length number 4) in lines 2cm or 3/4 inch apart - no less! The bottom layer of the faux chenille is a medium weight sew-in interfacing. This stops everything falling apart. The 'channels' between the rows of stitching are then cut to create the chenille. 

  

 This is then distressed with the end of your scissors, a scrubbing or suede brush. The organza begins to fray to great effect.

 

 

 

There were so many fabulous samples created on the workshop I couldn't fit them all on this post - I hope I have managed to include something from nearly everyone


Who would have thought you you could have so much fun with newspaper?
Both these techniques are featured in Layered Textiles and in more detail in Reclaimed Textiles. You can see me showing the torn newspaper technique on Youtube - Painted Bondaweb/Newspaper

I would like to thank Georgina for all her help and patience and all the ladies I met over the weekend - especially Lou and Pam Buck and all you other lovelies from Wye - you know who you are. Do come and see me on the Vilene Stand TGR3 at Ally Pally.

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I am now home for two days and then off to The Old Needle Works in  Redditch to teach my two groups of Experimental Textiles - We are drawing and painting a large scale still life and playing with paper collage this session.

I can't wait to see them all.

 So watch this space  . . . .

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