My new stencils - Are now sold out. The stencils are based on one my sketches of a shell I photographed on Moreaki beach on the South Island of New Zealand. The shell is tiny - my sketch is much larger than life size. I had decided to sell the stencil packs at my next show - Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch at the NEC next month - they will be £15 for a pack of 3. My new stencils are laser cut from 350 micron mylar and can be used for all sorts of applications. This post is showing you how to use them with KK Glue but they can be used with paints and sprays just like any other stencil. KK Glue - a very fine glue powder. The bottle has a screw top lid so you can return any surplus powder to the bottle. This retails for £5.9 0 for 50g.  KK Glue is washable up to 40 degrees but when using with transfer foil, the transfer foil is only washable up to  30 degrees.  There are holes on one side of the cap for sprinkling, the other side...

A stitched piece from one of the still life sessions on  Experimental Textiles.  I'm in a funny old place! I'm fast approaching a big birthday and planning some big changes. One decision I have made is that the next course of Experimental Textiles which runs from June 2016 - March 2017, will be my last.  I love this course - after all, I wrote it! But it is a tie every month and stops me traveling for longer periods of time. We are recruiting now - there are only 10 places, so if you are interested - have a look here. experimentaltextiles.com Feeling a bit nostalgic I have had look back at some of the work produced over the last 5 years and picked out a few pieces.  A gorgeous little felt bowl embellished with glass beads and and hand stitch.  Transfer printed applique and transfer foiling. A knitted wire bangle. The last weekend was the last session of ExTeXtra 1. This is the group that finished Experimental Textiles in March 2015 but...

 Nadines and Anna's vessels.  The past weekend was the 8th and penultimate session of Experimental Textiles 4. Their final session is next month so the energy within the group is starting to change. You get the impression the girls are starting to put their shoulders back and their chins up, ready for the last push. Their end of year show will be at the NEC at The Fashion, Embroidery & Stitch Show in March. As the course is not accredited, there is no pressure for the group to finish anything. They can concentrate on their work books and develop some of their samples from the course. It is up to them. Because of this I find the work and the course workbooks are generally of a higher standard than students who are on accredited courses that have to tick boxes. We have much more freedom and we self moderate. Having taught both types of course - I know which I prefer . . .     Catherine's cake. A great start to the weekend. Delicious. We had some...