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

Bridget had fun with black Hot Stuff sheet. Decorating it with heat transfer foils and then impressing with wooden printing blocks while hot We had a chance to play with various materials on the course - Hot Stuff sheet was one of them, another was Solufleece . Solufleece is a water soluble machine embroidery product that has another use. You can 'crash' it with steam.       Solufleece is layered with Bondaweb and a top fabric. The sample is then stitched in rows and then steamed - the sample then puckers up. The samples above show the technique using two layers of organza as the top fabric. Do any of you remember those swimming costumes made with shirring elastic we used to wear that used to go all baggy when they got wet - No!!! of course not - you are far too young!!! This technique reminds me of that wet soggy feeling!!!!!   Christine stitching into her decorated newspaper     Bridget had fun layering CS500 Vilene Spunbond, free machining the

painted Bondaweb ironed onto black CS500 Spunbond decorated with strips of blue CS500, glitter and sequins Just a quick post to say I have just had confirmation that I have an extra show next year, I will be at Creative Stitches SECC Glasgow 8th - 11th March. It is a great show in a stunning venue and I am so excited to be going. If any of the Guilds that have been wanting me to deliver workshops and lectures in Scotland want to come and see me at the show I will be taking email addresses to plan a 2 week 'tour' of Scotland in 2013, probably September ish!!! I am still wading through the orders that are coming in thick and fast but I should get up to date today. . . . . . .   . . . altogether now - "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - la, la la, la la!!!"   x

You may remember a few posts back that I was talking about the LBD collection from Portsmouth College. I was so impressed with what Sarah Patterson and her students had achieved using amongst other things, black bin liners, bubble pack and polyester organza that I asked ICHF if we could display them at the Design & Technology Show. The organisers said Yes! and we had a display at the front of the hall. It looked fantastic.   Not only were the dresses at the D & T Show but Sarah and her clever students, along with their work will be exhibiting at the Fashion, Embroidery & Stitch Show at the NEC Birmingham in March next year. I am hoping that some of the garments will be featured in the daily fashion shows. Dedicated teachers like Sarah deserve a round of applause now and then. Well Done Sarah!!!! I had a lovely big stand to play on. I am very lucky to be a part of this show. It is only for educational professionals and it is my job to inspire teachers to

The Freudenberg Vilene Stand The Freudenberg Vilene Boys I was demonstrating on the Freudenberg Vilene Stand at the trade show and running their retailer workshops everyday. I love working at this show as there is always calm atmosphere compared to the very busy consumer shows that I demonstrate at. It is all very sociable and professional. Having to work with 3 lovely boys is no hardship either. It was great to catch up with the Freudenberg Vilene team, particularly Gemma who will be also be helping me on my stand at Fashion and Embroidery in March when I will be running the Vilene Workshop. More of that when I come back from Glasgow. The workshops were short teaching sessions once a day for 20 people lasting 45 minutes. They are quite a tight turn around. This year I was showing how to use heavy iron-on interfacing with a Big Shot Pro die cutting machine and then everyone had a chance to decorate the boxes by ironing on sequins, glitter and foil. The iron-on interfacings have a g

  The fantastic art room at UCTC Yesterday saw me teaching a mixed group of year 10 students and teachers at  Uckfield Community Technical College We had a fast paced, slightly crazy day that was very, very enjoyable. I must say I occasionally find it hard to concentrate on teaching when I am enjoying the interaction with the students so much - I know it's not very professional - but there! The day had been set up by Clare Summons and Maggie Brand. Two very dedicated teachers who are full of energy and great ideas for their department. The art room that I was working in was full of incredible structures and art works - a very inspiring place in which to work . The idea was to demonstrate some of the latest techniques in textile art and for the students to try using painted Bondaweb and Tyvek.  As you will see from the samples they certainly got the idea. I hope to be going back to this college early in 2012 to continue the fun we had.  The samples were created using painted Bo

My first teaching session this year was at Harrow Way Community School in Andover on Tuesday the 4th January. I had been invited to design a workshop for students who are extending thier access to new textles techniques. The school has a great reputation for Art and D&T. Sylvia Harvey is the Head of Art & Design and is highly aware of the importance of art textiles within education.  torn, painted Bondaweb decorated with artichoke heart seeds, skeleton leaves and glitter I had an exhausting, fascinating, exciting and very educational day. As most of you know I teach adults and have very little experience with younger students. But I am learning very fast!! Because I have a stand at The Design & Technology Show every year I have become very aware of the lack of textile teaching in many schools, whether it comes in the form of fashion/dressmaking courses or art textiles. This is not the fault of the schools, they can only teach what they are told to. I think this will chan