A close detail of Barbara's pebble pool. It is wonderful when a plan comes together - especially if you never quite know how things will end. With the benefit of experience you know things SHOULD work out how you wish - but you can never guarantee an outcome. I can't tell you how delighted I am with the work the ExTex 2 girls have produced. Experimental Textiles is non accredited course - there is no certificate at the end of it - just an amazing body of work and more confidence in yourself and your work. Because we don't need to tick boxes to please examination boards, I am able to work individually with each student. This is very rewarding and crucial for their personal development. I will continue to teach the course at the IDC studios at The Old Needle Works in Redditch. It is right next to the railway and bus station and has easy access to the local motorways and airports. I already have students enrolled for June that are flying from Scotland and dr

One of my small hand stitched samples - viscose satin, silk and scrim. OOhhh!!! What a week we had - pure colour and enjoyment. 'The puzzle of colour' was the one week workshop delivered by Ruth Issett. The other workshops were 'Tales of the unexpected' with Kay Greenlees and 'Magic in the making' with Mary Sleigh. The TSG  textilestudygroup.co.uk summer school is a 5 day residential at Harper Adams University in Newport, Shropshire. One of the joys of these summer schools is that there is no washing up, cooking or phone calls. Just the opportunity to work uninterrupted - FANTASTIC.  Ruth in action doing 'one to ones' with each member of the group. Any one who has read any of my books or who knows me professionally will know that Ruth is one of the guiding lights in my 'career' and that I think she is a Superstar! So I jump at any chance to work with her. You can never learn or know enough about colour. Our week was base

One of Emma's resist prints The second day was to be spent looking at colour and how other artists use it. The group attacked their colour wheels with gusto and managed to complete their tints and tones charts with good humour. It can be very trying to have to spend a good hour or so on very controlled colour mixing but it is very important for students to know how to mix colour. Whilst most of us use colour instinctively - colour wheels are very useful when a project you are working on just isn't working colour wise and you need to work out why . . . . The tints, tones and shades chart and a colour wheel. I won't bore you all with images of all the colour exercises we did - here are some more of Saturdays resist printing samples - As we had the dye/colourwash out, some of the student s continued their experiments with wax crayons and dye/colourwash and then taking away or discharging the colour with Milton sterilising liquid.

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