Paper Cutting in Chipping Campden

I spent yesterday in the beautiful Cotswold town of Chipping Campden in an ancient barn that has been converted into a museum. I had been invited to run a paper cutting workshop, and duly rocked up with my resources and papers and knives.

Honestly - I can never believe that my students have never done this before - the results are amazing.

And the icing on the cake was a walk down the architecturally delightful high street and finding 'Cherry Press' - a joy for a type nut like me - full of typographic and printing memorabilia, beautifully curated and next time I need business cards I know where I'll be going! More of that tomorrow.

All in all a grand day out!

More wreath making

Spent a busy two hours back at Denman College with the ladies of Otmoor WI, and two hours is not very long to get a project up and running and finished but they managed it (mostly) and seemed delighted with the results.
Love some of the mixes of fabrics - calicos with tartans and gauzes, stripes with florals, net with chintz - pretty much anything goes and once you've mastered the rotary cutter, the ripping and the knotting, it's straight forward.

Fab results!

Shropshire ladies get creative

Spent a fun, busy and highly creative couple of days at the WI's Denman College with ladies form the Shropshire Federation. I did my usual intro to 'Super Creative Cushions', on Friday evening and showed them an array of textile possibilities and then I threw the ball into their court and waited to see what came back. They did not disappoint.

Saturday morning we hit the ground running, cutting, pinning, folding, embroidery, beading and buttoning - a veritable hive of industry. 

By Sunday lunchtime we had seven cushions and a baby's quilt to show for our efforts. 

Great fun and very rewarding!

Getting creative with ribbons

Adding a braid detail by hand

Applique monogram (BT), with couching,
beads and buttons were added later

Wildly colourful baby's quilt with knotted detail

Hand embroidery lifts printed rose

Pretty strip patchwork

Applique, large buttons and hand
stitched couching used to dramatic effect

Love the contrasting textures, silk, hessian and linen

Raggety Wreaths and Calico Decs

So my festive season got off the ground this week with a fun course at the Mill, in Banbury. Raggety wreaths and calico decorations is exactly that. Ripped and slashed fabric knotted on to a wreath former make fabulous and highly individual door decorations. And hand stitched calico stars, trees and hearts make perfect gifts.

Fancy having a go? Drop me a line

Tables of goodies

Busy ripping and knotting

Lovely mix of textures on this richly coloured wreath

The finished wreaths

Love this tree with it's buttons

Lovely selection of calico decs

Paper cut lamp shades

A few months ago, the lovely Faith at Ardington School of Craft suggested a new course, paper cut lampshades, which would run across two days; day one paper cutting with me and day two lamp shade making with Elizabeth Cake.
And today I dropped into one of Elizabeth's courses to learn the basic techniques and discuss variables and possibilities - so exciting! Such a treat to be on a course rather than teaching it.
So after a bit of head scratching and puzzlement, I produced my first lampshade and am pretty chuffed. I used a heavy velvety paper that was remaindered from my college days, qualifying it as vintage, and brown wrapping paper. When the lamp is off you aren't aware of the cut out design but as soon as it lights up its secret is revealed!

If you fancy having a go at this March 16th and 17th are the dates. Great fun and I shall be making some more samples to inspire would be students.

Inside the lampshade showing the paper cut

All lit up and looking lovely - rather pleased!!

Paper cutting in ancient surroundings

I have had a long standing assignation with the WI ladies of Knowle and surrounding area, and yesterday was the big day. I drove up the night before and did a bit of a recce so that Tuesday would start smoothly and it did. Our location was the beautiful ancient building that now houses Knowle library. It dates back to the 1400's  making my cottage seem rather modern with it's 1610 date tag. We were upstairs surrounded in what felt like the heart of the building with many a sweeping beam and leaded windows - a truly special place. We had a busy day of designing and cutting and everyone departed with a completed piece of work - smiles all round.

Love this pink themed window on Knowle High Street

The back of the library - new beams integrated with
original ancient timbers

The front of the library

Our work space, steeped in history and full of
activity

Some Christmas themed cuts

An intricate wedding cake cut

A family heart

Teddy for a grand child

Balloons for a new baby

Patchwork success!

Have just got back from a very busy morning at Denman College with eleven lovely ladies from the Glamorgan WI Federation - all signed up for a two hour patchworking work shop with yours truly.
I was a little nervous about my new crazy patchwork super fast glasses case project but I needn't have worried. Everyone finished and some added buttons and beaded seams and ribbon and the resulting cases looked great. So I now have a new swift intro in patchwork - always useful when time is of the essence!

Lovely array of glasses cases

Beaded seam on this case made from shirts and
a scrap of liberty tana lawn

Love the bead and button embellishments