Gorgeous late sunflowers outside the teaching studio.  Well it's not quite Sunday!! Just three days late, There seems to be so much to do with all the autumn shows coming up. It feels a while since I was at Denman, but it was only ten days ago. Denman College is the home of the W.I. but you don't have to be member to enrol on the workshops. www.denman.org.uk Denman has very beautiful grounds that are well kept and glorious at any time of the year.    A rather tropical planting scheme to welcome you at the front door.  One of the many reasons I like teaching at Denman is the food - and at morning coffee and afternoon tea we have biscuits and  . .  cakes!! yum!!! All made in the Denman kitchens - we are always very spoilt.  These little cheeky chaps had a glace cherry secreted inside - a lovely surprise when you bit into them - them!! I only had one - honest!   My group of lovely ladies, with naughty Hilary on the far left . . So - the workshop was Hot

 A a section of a fine interpretive stitch sample by Val.  Last weekend was the 4th weekend of my Experimental Textiles course at The Old Needle Works in Redditch. The 4th weekend involves a large scale still life on the Saturday and then paper collage on the Sunday. Drawing, particularly in front of others tends to terrify most students but it is a very important part of the 'looking' process.  But first we looked at the homework the group had done since we last met - They were to stitch into their 'spaces inbetween' samples. Stitching into paper can be a challenge - particularly if you are used to stitching into fabric. The front can be fabulous - . .  . .  but so can the back . . . After discussing the homework, we launched into the still life that I had set up. I had asked the group to bring in 3 objects each to help supplement the arrangement I had created. The idea was to start with a 30 minute large scal

  My dear friend Brenda and I at the Mexican party on Saturday night -  (They are stick on moustaches - not our own!!!) After a wonderful week being a student at the TSG (Textile Study Group textilestudygroup.co.uk) summer school in Newport, Shropshire - I drove down to Redditch ready to for the weekend.  It was the third weekend of my Experimental Textiles course at The Old Needle Works. The plan was to look at positive and negative space and to paint colour wheels.  After having a look at all the homework the girls had done in the previous month we got straight into decorating white cartridge with wax crayons. This is a wonderful 'play school' type of activity where you don't have to think too much. It is a great way to ease into the weekend.     We were going to colour wash these masterpieces with procion dye powder and water on Sunday. The wax resists the dye. Then it was onto the main event of the weekend - Colour Theory!!!! In particular pai