A splendid sparkly sample. So - that's The NEC done and dusted, at least until August anyway. The Fashion, Embroidery & Stitch Show was great fun and was very busy. I have various roles at the show, it is my busiest show of the year. One of my roles is to run the Vilene Workshop. 5 x 45 minute workshops a day with 5 different tutors. This year it was Lynda Monk, me, Fran Holmes, Tina Francis and Jayne Routley. One of my workshops getting under way. The workshops are free and are always popular. I will be running similar workshops at Excel from Friday - www.fashionembroidery.co.uk/london/workshops. I will also be giving a lecture every day. These are some of the samples the ladies produced in 45 minutes. Lots of sparkle and twinkle on painted Bondaweb. My workshop is 'Sparkle and Twinkle' , using all manner of sparkle and transfer foils on painted Bondaweb. This process makes fabulous surfaces for stitch. The other tutors had sta

Baby wipe applique. I have had a busy and fun week. I made nine new videos with Jamie Malden of Colouricious on Thursday. We combined products from nid-noi.com and the printing blocks from colouricious.com/craft-supplies The new videos can be accessed on the left of the blog. They use polyester organza, Decovil 1, Decovil 1 light, S133, transfer foils and baby wipes!  It is always great fun making videos with Jamie - she relaxes you and we get a lot done.  Decovil 1 clutch bag decorated with transfer foil and a fossil printing block.    Decovil 1 decorated with torn newspaper strips, printed with small printing blocks and then defined with machine stitch. I thoroughly enjoyed creating the projects, particularly the printed polyester applique.  Printed polyester ironed onto Bondaweb and cut out with a soldering iron.  Decovil 1 light colour washed with a very dilute solution of acrylic paint and then decorated with torn newspaper. This was then print

  Hand cut leather embellished with felt, beads, machine and hand stitch. I am alternating posts between The Knitting and Stitching Show in Dublin and my last two workshops that were both newspaper based. Even you, dear reader, can only take sooo much newspaper! The work that I have selected to show you is what either fascinated and inspired me, or just tickled my fancy. There were some fabulous artists exhibiting at the show but I can only show you so much - so this is my choice. The work of the Irish graduates was a delight and two of them are featured here - the other - a graduate from the U.K. is also featured.  Amy Brannigan's work is very intricate and is based on lace patterns and the Irish Coastline. Leather is either cut by hand or a laser cutter to create beautiful layers and voided areas - a beautiful lace.    The work is reminiscent of seaweed washed up on the beach with all kinds of encrustations.   Laser cut leather encrusted with silk fibres,