Orange painted Vilene Spunbond CS800 (the heaviest) decorated with painted Bondaweb and synthetic fabrics.    Th e same sample zappe d with a heat gun to create some f abu lous lacy edges. We had great fun playing with all the products on this course, learning which would zap and which wou ld cut with a soldering iron. The heaviest weight Spunbond is great fun to 'cut' with the heat from a heat gun.    This sample shows the S p unb ond partly zapped before it is ripped apart. The idea is to almost cut through the fabric, just leaving a few strands, a kind of 'laddered' effect. Then you rip apart your work and the laddery bits seperate.    A blue sample which was then zapped . . . .     . . . and then ripped apart.       . . and another one . .     . . and another one . . (decorated with foiled Hot Spots!) This is Earth Jewel ls - one of my vessels. It is five foot tall and has a wooden base.  You can see the zapped e

A melt in the middle chocolate pudding with vanilla ice cream and delicious chocolate sauce. It has been pointed out to me by a certain gentleman in the Portsmouth area that I have been rather remiss in my posting duties. It can be difficult to find the time and then wifi to post on the blog when I am travelling, particularly when I am doing a show. I hope this one makes up for my silence. I got back from the Manchester show yesterday after calling in on a few friends on the way. The show was held at Event City just opposite The Trafford Centre in Manchester. I haven't known SUCH a busy show for a long time. I am used to busy shows, but this one was bonkers! And they were such lovely people, I don't think they get many craft shows of the ICHF (International Craft and Hobby Fairs) calibre in that area of the country. My lectures were full every day with standing room only, I wasn't sure how busy they would be as I have never travelled to that area before. I need

Even my fish sculpture is covered in snow. It started snowing last Friday at about 8am, by 9am I was in my local Asda supermarket, not so much panic buying as 'I'm going to be stuck in the house for a while' buying. I have lived in Brighton for thirty odd years now, and only in the last three winters have we had so much snow. It was unusual as we are close to the sea and apparently the salt in the air stops the snow - not any more . We had about five inches the first day and then three more inches the next day . Living on top of hill I get trapped as soon as the buses stop running up our road .  Having been caught out with very little food last year, as soon as it started to snow, I was off to do 'the big shop'. I was not alone - by 9.30am the queues were six people deep. It was like Christmas all over again. Everyone else obviously got stuck in their houses as well last year. We still have loads of snow but most of us in Brighton can get out and abou

Medium sized Hot Spots! cut to shape, ironed onto black cotton and decorated with sequins, glitter and foil. This is just a quick catch up post. I have been home for a whole week - didn't get quite as much done as I wanted - The bindweed is still evident in the garden but my deck is looking very pretty. August seems to be a purple month in my garden. The Buddleias have actually come into flower at last. Everything is so slow to flower as there has been so little sunshine. My Pelargoniums (Geraniums in old language) are also just coming into flower. I have been having fun playing with Hot Spots! for an article in Stitch magazine. It is so good to have a reason to get the glitter and foils out. Playtime is now over - it is the end of a week that should have seen a sparkling clean house, Huh!!! no chance, I have been playing on Facebook and catching up with friends in the Antipodes. I always swore I would never go on Facebook but it is SO useful for keeping up with friends and

  The cover of Patchwork Professional Magazine You can just picture it can't you - me sitting here at my computer in my bathrobe writing this with blue dye on my hair being incredibly excited about my second article to be published in a magazine - I feel so grown up!!! Patchwork Professional is a very beautiful German magazine the promotes all kinds of quilt art and associated textile techniques and skills. This issue has featured me as an artist and a workshop on how to use my lovely Hot Spots!   I have been given permission to scan in the cover of the magazine and two of the pages from the article. As they are scans they are not perfect but the images give you some idea. The shaggy newspaper pieces and the 'Blue Cross' image are based on the detritus that gets caught up in the steel work under our West Pier in Brighton. The 4 foot vessel on the right is one of my pieces created from CS800 that has been dyed, zapped and layered. The top image

 Hot Spots! decorated with various heat transfer foils, sequins and glitter - FAB!  Well that was good idea!  I offered a free Hot Spots! Playpack (value £6) with every order received on nid-noi.com between the 15th and 25th January on this blog and in my newsletter and have been very pleased with the result. I wanted to see if it was necessary to put anything on the home page of the website to generate interest - it seems not! I think if I had put the offer on the website I wouldn't be able to cope. Thank you all for your orders and for being such lovely guinea pigs . . . . . . I have never done an offer before but I am so encouraged I think I will do another one next month - so watch this space.   It is my way of thanking my existing customers and blog followers and gives you a chance try something new . So until midnight on the 25th January - if you place an order - you get a free Hot Spots! Playpack. If anyone fancies sending me an image of what they have done w

Transfer printed Evolon decorated with silver transfer foiled Hot Spots! This is a just a catch up post - I will continue with the West Dean workshop later when I have had time to sort through all the photos. Being a bear of little brain and what brain I have left is soggy with a cold, it has only just occurred to me that my followers on here are not necessarily subscribers to my newsletter and therefore won't be aware of my special offer this month. I am giving away a free Hot Spots! Playpack (value £6) with every order received on www.nid-noi.com between the 15th and 25th January. I am so pleased with this product I want everyone to try it. There is a free film to watch if you can bear it on the top left of this blog showing you how to use them - you can fast forward to the demo . . . . The pack contains 2 x A4 sheets of medium spots, 2 x A4 sheets of small spots, 2 sample pieces of heat transfer foil, hints and tips and a free gecko template.

Quilted Christmas tree 'thing' by Shirley Yule This very appropriate image was sent to me last night by Shirley Yule . The mat (or 'thing' as Shirley calls it) is 12" in diameter and was part of her group Christmas challenge. It is decorated with painted Bondaweb trees that have had glitter applied. Isn't it fabulous? I just had to share it with you all . Shirley and her friend Terri have been having fun with Hot Spots! and foil too -  Foiled Hot Spots! on a printed and dyed cotton   Foiled and glittered Hot Spots! on a printed cotton Shirley wrote that there were no complaints about glitter in supper but there's still plenty in her hall carpet!   Oh! how we suffer for our art!!! If any of you get a chance to play with any of my products over the holidays do send me some images and I will put them on the blog - it always good to see what you are up to. * I'm off to attack the spuds now - the turkey has been in fo

My new DVD will be out on the 1st December priced £19 plus P & P. As a special offer, if you order the DVD before 1st December you can buy it for £18 including worldwide P & P. (saving a minimum of £4) The 10 chapters cover applique, hot transfer foiling, painting Bondaweb, ironing onto unusual surfaces, Hot Spots!, layered surfaces with painted Bondaweb and much more . . . .This DVD will play on all international formats and computer disc drives. To order go to - Creative Bondaweb DVD Special Offer There should be something for everyone on the DVD - if you are a beginner it takes you through all my basic processes with Bondaweb then onto the more decorative layered techniques and it should make you laugh when you see my not so deliberate mistake!!!!  The film is being edited now, as soon as there is an available clip I will post it on here. x