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

  Rachel's beautiful little felt pot - with stitch!!!  Yes! I know it has been a while - I am struggling to keep up with everything at the moment - things should calm down a bit after next week. Paperwork and admin - aarrgHHH!!! Last weekend was the eighth for my ExTex 2 group, just one more weekend to go then it is final show time. The last two weekends of the course are for catching up and working on the final projects or samples. As the course is not accredited we don't have to jump through hoops to tick boxes, this gives me more freedom to work with each student individually. Rachel joined the course with no textiles or stitch experience and felt very much at a loss to start with. Her main hang up was the lack of knowledge about stitch - well just look at this . . . . .  This is Rachel's little felt bowl from the constructed textiles weekend, and she has stitched into it - gorgeous hey!!! I think she has proved to herself that she can stitch - with littl

The is 'Bet Noire' by Mary - just fabulous. This post is about the homework from the constructed textiles weekend of my Experimental Textiles course. The idea was to use either, knit, weave or felt to construct a three dimensional sample. I was so pleased with what they produced I thought the work deserved it's own post. Lovely felt bowls made in the washing machine around balls. Mary really enjoyed stitching into the felt . . .  . . .  and more of Mary's beautiful stitch . . .  Kat had fun working into her paper collage from the previous weekend. Barbara made the fabulous vessel - she has part felted it, then she will be stitching into it and felting it again. Val created some exquisite textures with stitch on this divine little bowl . .     . . . and more on this faerie like sample . .    This is one of Babara's woven samples . .   . . and some of her stunning felted knitting . .  Just gorgeo