Transfer print decorated with organza bonded applique. Being able to colour/dye and print your fabric is very important if you want your work to be different. In my teaching I strive to help my students create original work. It is my passion. So this session is very important, dyeing natural fabrics (Viscose, cotton, silk)with procion dyes and synthetics with disperse/transfer dyes. It takes a lot to organise but is soooo worth it.     The group sorting all their fabrics and putting them in their plastic bags. Learning how different types of fabric take the dye is great fun. I use the dyeing in a plastic bag method for this. We don't need yards of fabric to give us the information we need. I use Ruth Issett's book Colour on Paper and Fabric for all the dye recipes. It is now out of print but can still be bought quite reasonably. I always refer to Ruth's books, having done several summer schools with her, I know her systems work - she is the Queen of Colour

   Alison brought in a very delicious rhubarb and ginger cake.  We didn't have a knife to cut the cake, so we used my 24"steel ruler - well, you do have to be adaptable!!  ExTeXtra is a group of 8 students from past Experimental Textiles courses, affectionately known as ExTex. We are now running ExTex4 and I am currently sorting the dates for ExTex5 which will start June 2016. The name ExTeXtra will probably change as the group work together and start to book their own exhibitions. This newly formed group will have have 4 more weekends together at The Old Needle Works in the IDC studios between now and March 2016. The group are learning to negotiate between themselves and me to decide what we will be doing, discussing and working on during this time. I am now mentoring this group and guiding them as well as teaching any techniques, skills they think they need.  Playing with white cartridge paper and staples, having a look at 3D. It had been decided thr

One of the fab samples from one of my workshops at Excel. The Stitching, Sewing and Hobbycrafts Show at Excel was splendid. It was very busy. I haven't seen a show that consistently busy every day for a long time. It was interesting to see and meet so many new visitors. Roughly half of the visitors were aware of the more experimental side of textiles and the other half were well informed. It was a fascinating mix - I have never known this before and I have done a lot of shows.  Apart from having my own stand, I also ran The Vilene Workshop as I did the previous weekend at the NEC. At this show the tutors were, myself, Fran Holmes, Tina Francis, Jayne Routley and Wendy Dolan.  I was given extra space for a small part of the end of the year show of Experimental Textiles that was at the NEC the previous weekend. It was very well received and I had several enquiries about enrolments. Some of my students work on my stand. Getting my stand ready, this is Jayne