My lovely groups work on show. Here I am again - finally!! There is little available wifi while I am traveling so this is a bit late and rather short, as I am still having problems getting photos the right size for the blog. I will get there in the end . . . .  So - we had a wonderful week at Ballarat - lots of fun and great times with good friends. The end of week show was a roaring success showing off the stunning work all the groups had produced. This is my groups work. They didn't get a lot of chance to finish anything as it was a workshop of 2 halves - the first 3 days was spent creating original designs and printing blocks - the last 2 days was spent tearing and layering pages form old books and newspapers and painted Bondaweb to print onto with their new printing blocks.  Here you can see the Journeys and some of the printing blocks and prints . . .  Some of the papers and more considered pieces . . . . and a bit more . . . .  ...

The Three Sisters at Echo Point, Katoomba viewed from Sublime Point What has happened to the weather in the U.K? I have had to turn my central heating on and while I was listening to the radio this morning they said it was snowing lightly in Scotland!!!! There was I thinking I would sit in the sun for a couple of days while I remember which way up I'm supposed to be. If you are a regular reader of this blog you will have realised I have had a wonderful time in the Antipodes. I was so well looked after everywhere I went. Working hard doesn't seem so bad when you work with wonderful people. I will add the New Zealand part of the blog tomorrow - I just wanted to share with you some of the incredible scenery I was lucky enough to see in the Blue Mountains and around Blenheim in New Zealand. I had very little time to sight see but what I did see was remarkable . . . .   The Three Sisters taken from Echo Point Ancient forests that go for hundreds of miles ...

Newspaper faux chenille book by Jen Henley My happiness is now complete - someone has sent some of their own work to me to show you - well done Jen!!! Wonderful though all my samples are, it is much more interesting to see what other people do with these techniques. This is the email Jen sent -  Love your Facebook page. Re your post about faux chenille, I have attached some photos inspired by you. Love your new book and the faux chenille with newspaper really appealed.   I had a stash of newspaper used for ironing off soya from fabric.  It had been painted with Koh-i-Noor (using a wide brush and the whole palette, lovely mucky colour). Followed your instructions and machined the newspaper onto a base of painted Vilene Spunbond/Lutradur that I had lying around. Was ecstatic with the finished piece and turned it into a book cover, using faggoting stitch to join the edges of the spine with a natural linen thread. Decided that the book needed home made paper...

My wonderful group at Ballarat in 2010 I can now announce my courses in Australia next year. They have been launched in Australia so it is my turn now. You may think it a little odd to be advertising my Australian teaching on my blog but have you ever seen the traffic on my blog via the green Feedjit box on the left hand side of the screen? If you click on the small link at the bottom of the Feedjit box real time view , you will see a lot more information. I find it fascinating. Nearly half my hits come from Australia - So Hello! Australia. Greetings Donnie, Ruth and Dale . . . I will be arriving in Melbourne around the 1st of April having had a week to recover from my busiest show of the year - Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch at the NEC. Fibrearts - Ballarat I am very excited to be teaching for Glenys Mann again for Fibrearts Australia, I had such a fantastic time last year, was so well looked after and met some amazing tutors - two of whom I will be teaching with again next year ...

Anyone who is self employed, particularly in my line of work knows we have to book our work quite far ahead. Whilst it can seem you are wishing your life away, it can also be good to have something exciting to look forward to. I have just signed the contracts for Fibrearts Ballarat Australia and the Creative Fibre Festival in Blenheim New Zealand in April/May 2012. I have also had confirmation for the Fibre Festival in Anchorage, Alaska for March 2012.  my gorgeous girls at Fibrearts Ballarat April 2010 I am SO excited about going back to teach at Ballarat - watch out Donnie and Ruth - Yeehhaa!!!! This time I will be concentrating on 3D structures using all the Hot Textiles techniques. It should be great fun and by then we should have some new products to play with. What will make my happiness complete is that Mary Hettmansperger will also be teaching that week. We met this year when we taught together at Ballarat and Orange. She is FANTASTIC, it will be wonderful to see her agai...