The new book from D4Daisy www.d4daisy.com  Most of you will have seen that Maggie Grey has a new book out from D4Daisy and some of you will already have it. It is a fabulous book, full of exciting ideas. Every page had something brilliant on it - using one cutting tool or another on it - from hole punches to laser cutters. It is a very good read. The book features several of the Vilene interfacings - or 'pelmet Vilene'. I though this might be a good time to explain the differences between the 'pelmet' or 'craft' Vilenes as most of you know them. There is no such thing as 'pelmet' or 'craft' Vilene. It is a term that has been adopted to describe a firm sew-in interfacing. The correct name, or in fact, number for it is - S80 . Not very exciting - but if you don't know the number you will have trouble finding it. I sell all the medium to heavy weight iron-on and sew-in interfacings on www.nid-noi.com. I have h

Transfer printed polyester satin. The weekend saw me teaching the 6th weekend of Experimental Textiles at The Old Needleworks in Redditch. The weekend was a colour fest. On the Saturday we used procion dyes to colour natural fabrics and on Sunday we used disperse dyes (transfer paints) to colour synthetic fabric. The whole point of the course is to develop the students confidence in themselves and all the basic skills so they can work independently.  As a textile artist it is very important to know how to colour your own fabrics, be they natural or synthetic. This is one very important way to help your work look different to everyone elses. The group already know how to create original designs and make printing blocks of their own designs. The girls dying natural fabrics in plastic bags.      Bags of colourful opportunity.  I will be able to show you what the girls produced from their fabrics after the next session in mid November. The fabrics needed

A lovely print by Jo . A few days later - I was going to continue this sooner but preparations for the photo shoot next week and my teaching this weekend at Foredown Tower just sucked time away - plus I have a new distraction . . .  My ExTex students produced some fabulous prints on our disperse dye/transfer print day. If you are not sure how to create these prints there is a chapter in Hot Textiles (Colouring your fabric) that will help.  The three prints below show some experiments with cutting and printing. A simple print showing how translucent the prints are. This print was created by printing with two different paper bags, first one, then the other. The six prints below show how using resists such as grasses and feathers can create very beautiful and simple effects. You can then turn over the resist (which is covered in dye) and then take a print from that.. Torn strips of dye painted paper over printed.