Sally's random print. We had the second weekend of Experimental Textiles at The Old Needle Works this weekend. We had a FABULOUS time and the group produced some beautiful work. The homework from the first week-end was to take one of their designs and interpret it in any material as long as it was black and white. Liz's homework - to develop one of their designs.   The design Liz worked from.   Emma's homework.  Part of Sally's home work.   Part of Shaun's home work.   Part of Tracey's homework. Part of Clare's homework   Heidie's homework.   Part of Jo's homework This week-end the students made printing blocks from their designs and experimented using them on different types of paper and fabric. Some of the group working hard. more of the group . . .  Clare applying paint to her block -  Clare printing onto paper with her block and using a 'dry

Bobby Britnell and Viv from Art Van Go eating the delicious ice creams we are all addicted to at the show. So many flavours to try and only 4 days to try them  . . . . We had another really busy day today - I didn't have time to get off the stand to take any photos, I will go in early tomorrow and take some.  It was great to see Bobby Britnell demonstrating her brilliant techniques on the Art Van Go stand www.artvango.co.uk - she is SO talented and runs fabulous workshops at her beautiful home in Shropshire. www.bobbybritnell.co.uk I don't get to see Bobby often enough but will be teaching my 'Print, Paint, Stitch and Play' workshop in her wonderful studios August 14th - 16th so I will be able to catch up with her again then. I love doing this show as so many of my friends are here and you always meet new and exciting artists as well, we work very hard but we do have a good time too - hence the photo! I will show you more tomorrow x

I had hoped to post this earlier but the key board o my laptop keeps missing 2 letters, however I dot want to wait until the weekend when I get home as I will need to tell you about my exploits here in Redditch - see if you ca work out which ones they are . . . . . spell check will sort most words but . . . .   Good luck with reading this. I am still o the road. I have just finished 2 x 2 day workshops at Inkberrow Design Centre ad have take over one of the studios to spread out everything I need for filming my new DVD o Thursday.. I will keep the words brief as the missing letters will drive you mad. We were using dyed ad painted newspaper with painted odawe, gilding flake ad heat transfer foils to create surfaces o which to print ad stitch. We also ironed the decorated papers onto a heavy iron-o interfacing ad cut boxes. We had a wonderful time at Moor Hall ad I will e teaching a 3 day workshop there ext August. I am

Dyed, torn, bonded newspaper The students painting Bondaweb . . . .  . . . then painting newspaper. We had a very productive first day at Bobby's studio Moor Hall http://www.bobbybritnell.co.uk/ it is a wonderful space to work in and of course having Bobby around settling us in and generally looking after us was the icing on the cake. The students produced some FAB work on the first day and I will update you with what they get up to today over the weekend. We will be working on faux chenille and making boxes today - should be fun! My lecture at Marches Embroiderer's Guild in the evening went well. I was very nervous as Bobby AND Ruth Issett were in the audience but they didn't heckle and things went smoothly, if a little faster than I had planned. Why do you always speed up when you are nervous? so - onto the last day at Moor Hall then onto Redditch tonight to unload and set up for my workshop tomorrow. I will be teaching a 2 day Hot T

Gold foiled Hot Spots! used as a background for print. I was doing some last minute prep for the filming of my new DVD which we are filming next week and thought you might like to see a couple of samples .   Gold foiled Bondaweb used as a background for print. These samples show the effect of printing onto foiled Bondaweb and Hot Spots! This is a washable process for a change and the fabric can be machine or hand stitched into as it doesn't lose it's 'handle'. The printing block is from Colouricious. * I'm off to Moor Hall, Bobby Britnell's studio in Shropshire today, then Redditch Friday night - any orders for products from  www.nid-noi.com will be dispatched on the 14th when I get back. Any of you in the Bishops Castle area , Shropshire  - do come along to my lecture on Thursday night. (see right). If nothing else you will have a good laugh. * Yeehaa!!! Jill and Tallulah - not long til next July!!!!!!! x

 Dyed newspapers layered with painted Bondaweb backed with Heavy Pelmet Vilene Plus - a very heavy iron-on interfacing , decorated with gilding flake and hand stitch. I'm just getting ready for all my workshops over the next week or so. My first one is at Bobby Britnell's studio in Shropshire. It is the first time I have delivered my brand new workshop based on the newspaper exercises in my new book Layered Textiles and I am very excited about it. 'A new starting point' is meant to be a 2 day workshop but if you wanted to come and play for just one day you would be most welcome - you might not get a chance to finish a box but you will leave with some amazing layers and texture to work on at a later date.  A new starting point. with Kim Thittichai 2 days of fun and experimentation with painted and dyed newspaper, painted Bondaweb, craft Vilene and gilding flake, sequins . . . . .   . Learn how to create amazing textures with faux chenille an

 old painted and dyed newspaper layered with polyester organza Well who would have thought that old newspapers would cause such a stir??? I have had several emails and a couple of comments about yesterdays blog. All asking for more images of the faux chenille - so here you are my lovelies. Faux chenille is a technique I taught on Experimental Textiles. Experimental Textiles was a four year course that I wrote and taught for 10 years and stopped teaching a couple of years ago. I will be teaching a shortened version starting next May in Redditch, for more details go to - http://inkberrowdesigncentre.co.uk/node/1471 There are many tutorials on the Internet and more usually using natural fabric, but basically you layer at least 6 layers of Fabric/Newspaper, stitch tramlines or channels down the entire piece and then cut through the top 5 layers making sure you DON'T cut through the bottom layer. Easier said than done with newspaper. I back mine with dyed craft/pelmet Vilene. You