Hello to my new followers! I t's a gorgeous (but chilly) morning in Brighton and I think I will attack the garden. All the hedges have gone berserk with the recent rain we have had. There isn't much colour in the garden at the moment all the annuals are looking a bit sad and my favourites, the Agapanthus are just starting to droop.  This sculpture is by Ptolemy and is made from recycled hubcaps. It is 4' long and resides on top of one of the many telegraph poles in my garden. I love this transition into Autumn, it's my favourite time of year. You can smell the change in the air and I start to feel my energy flooding back - and not before time. Having had a quiet August I have found it hard to get motivated. I have got lots of pre planning done for 2012. The Australia/New Zealand trip is on in April which is very exciting. I do have a confession to make though - those of you who have been following this will know - I have been very distracted by my 'boy shopping...

I dashed up to the NEC today to catch up with loads of friends ( Hello Jill and Tallulah) and to see what was happening with the show. As usual it is a very exciting show - not just for quilters. All kinds of textile art is featured there and if you are remotely tempted to go in the next three days I urge you to go. I had a chance to see my good mate Angie Hughes before the show got too busy - she is producing some fascinating work (as usual). Her stand no is Demo E at the back by the food and coffee shops. Angie before the rush started Some of Angies latest projects  Angie will be demonstrating on her stand for the whole show, lots of printing, foiling and painted Bondaweb. FABULOUS!!! If you do get there in the next three days - have great time!

  The ruins and the house at Nymans I have been mooning around this week, I just cant seem to get my act together. I think it is because it is August and nothing much is happening. I need to be busy to be busy  - does that make sense? I'm not very good at motivating myself.  Case in point is this blog. My sister and I took my parents to Nymans Gardens on Sunday and I had meant to post this on Monday!!!! Nymans has the most stunning gardens and grounds with added benefit of beautiful ruins. It is just off the A23 in East Sussex and is run by the National Trust. There is a great cafe there where you can buy meals and cakes and there is also a fantastic garden centre where you can buy the plants you see in the gardens and lots of other wonderful things like very reasonable garden furniture. It really is an excellent day out. Nymans Garden   The red border The planting, topiary and colour combinations are truly inspirational, even if you aren't into gardening, you...

I was lucky enough to attend the residential TSG summer school from the 26th - 30th July at Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire. Three tutors were delivering workshops and I choose Shelley Rhodes's class . The main exercise of the week was to develop new ideas and possibly a new piece of work based on manipulated photographs. As most of my students know - particularly those who have done 'Experimental Textiles', I am not keen on using photographs as a primary source for work. I have always preferred to use drawings, prints, anything else. However - I have now changed my mind. Shelley was an inspiration. She was a great tutor with a well planned structure to the week that kept all 16 students very busy and excited. Half way though the week I realised I was developing on an idea that has been lurking at the back of mind for some time.  Some of you may have seen my piece 'Capstones' at various shows. Capstones was based on a line of stones that capped a...

Well we had a very full on week. My girls worked hard and produced some great samples - at least one of which will be in my next book . Here is a selection - Liz Smith 1 - Layers of Vilene Spunbond CS 500 Tyvek and polyester organza, machine stitched onto dyed craft Vilene in a flower pattern. The layers were then zapped away with a heat gun and the rest taken away with a soldering iron. The beads for the stamen were added later to create a more three dimensional sample. Craft Vilene is an excellent background for zapping onto as it doesn't distress with heat. Liz Smith 2 -  Strips of painted Vilene Spunbond CS 800 and 700 have been cut into wavy edges with a soldering iron and ironed on to painted Bondaweb. Liz wasn't keen on the colour combinations she ended up with but I think they work well together. Marilyn 1 - Layers of painted Bondaweb layered with Vilene Spunbond CS 800 and 700 that has been cut with a soldering iron have been ironed a piece of han...

Here I am back at the Connaught Centre for the last time before it closes in September. I have worked there since 1996 and have made many good friends both with my colleagues and my students. It will be a sad end to a remarkable era of Adult Education. I am teaching a 4 day Hot Textiles workshop with 13 students on the course, it's a great group of ladies - 6 of whom were on the design course here 2 weeks ago - see 'Back to the coalface', They must be suckers for punishment!!!! The students are - Vonnie (2 trollies) Huguenet, Marilyn Donovan, Ann Davies, Dorothy Stevenson, Selma Eroglu, Teresa Surtees, Edwina Mlynowska, Sue Benn, Sue Walters, Liz Smith, Sarah Paterson, Caroline Eldefield and Liz Lundin. Today was the second day of the workshop and so far we have attacked, Bondaweb - painted and otherwise, Hot Spots and Tyvek with all the attendant use of heat tools. Tomorrow we will be working with various weights of Lutradur and then layering some fab surfaces. The grou...

12th - 15th July  -  I love teaching at Denman College .  Everyone is so well looked after and we always have great fun. This time it was a Federation event and I was delivering a Hot Texiles workshop.  The students attending this workshop were Carol Griffiths, Joan Huyton, Jean Jeffrey, Judith Jenkins and Yvonne Jordan. We had a great few days together.   Judith - Dyed Lutradur 130 decorated with dyed and painted newspaper and distressed Tyvek strips.  Yvonne- Yvonne hadn't used a soldering iron to cut fabric before so this was her first attempt - no bad eh! Bondaweb was applied to the back of the pink acetate satin. The backing paper was removed and the fabric was laid onto a smooth ceramic tile and cut with a soldering iron. Using a soldering iron give you more freedom for more complicated shapes than scissors. Once the shapes had been cut out they were ironed onto dyed Craft Vilene.   Carol - All the students had a try at layering ...