Saw myself in SewHip magazine

Got my copy of the May issue with my recycled pendants and key tags article featured today. Busting with excitement! Made myself travel sick on the way home trying to read the whole issue in the car as I couldn't wait until I got home. Oops!

Available from WHSmith and other newsagents, and I think as an online subscription. See http://sewhip.wordpress.com/ for more information.

Bletchley Park - Alice and Bob

A detail of my piece 'Alice and Bob' which celebrates the background story of Alice and Bob in the history of cryptography. This was shown as part of the Secret Messages Exhibition held at Bletchley Park in association with the Quilters' Guild on 25th and 26th February. The exhibition was a great success and saw 1500 people through the doors on the first day alone!

My piece was contructed from recycled papers and a found silk scarf. Constructed with hand and machine stitch. I was intrigued by the mythology that has grown up around the mysterious relationship and secret messages that fly between Alice and Bob (A sends a message to B), and wanted to develop an ethereal piece. The typewritten texts that are visible through the layers include translations into Binary code, Enigma code and Morse code.

Crisps selected for York exhibition

This is my piece made from recycled crisp packets selected for a new exhibition at the Quilt Museum and Art Gallery, opening on 4th May. Sixty 20cm squares were selected by Contemporary Quilt to be joined together into a larger piece to represent the UK entry for Celebrating Diversity, organised by the European Quilt Association.  

Crisps – a celebration ...

A French exchange girl came to stay with me when I was 11. The girl was very, very homesick and simply didn’t stop crying. My elder brother’s bi-lingual girlfriend had to be summoned over to speak to her in French (my skills hadn’t got much past “Bonjour, je m’appelle …”). I decided I would give her my favourite Pickled Onion Monster Munch – how could that fail to cheer her up I thought? But I only made things worse and the Monster Munch made her cry even more (even the Roast Beef flavour was no better if she couldn’t take the extreme of the Pickled Onion). Her horror was equivalent to the horror I felt when faced, six months later, with a tray of bubbling snails emerging from a French oven (but at least I didn’t cry).

I think this was the point where I began to understand that there were some things that are typically ‘British’. Crisps abroad are very disappointing and bland. You get salted, or occasionally some paprika (though admittedly they are catching up a little more these days). But over here – what a celebration of Britishness and diversity all rolled in to one. What other culture would have Cajun Squirrel, Builder’s Breakfast or Onion Bhaji flavour limited editions?

The technique used is essentially a crazy patchwork.

Sewing retreat in Sew Hip shows & events

Pleased and excited to see that my creative textiles retreat at the Really Big Dream Company in France from 6-12 May is featured in the April issue of Sew Hip magazine. Find me on page 54!

Also coming up in Sew Hip, is my article on making pendants and key rings from recycled scraps which will be featured in issue 39 (out at the end of March) and my denim jeans cushion with lettering applique which will be in issue 40 (out at the end of April).

Invited to do another artist-in-residence day at Baylis Court

Haven't got a date fixed yet, but I am delighted to have been asked to return to Baylis Court School in Slough again for another workshop day to inspire their textile students. The theme is 'Recycle' and the students have been exploring artists such as Cas Holmes, Natalie Chanin and Alison Willoughby.
Right up my street ... I can't wait. It was a lovely experience last year and the girls were really enthusiatic. The school is a Specialist Arts College and received an Outstanding Ofsted report in 2008.

2011 - exploring structures

SewHip magazine feature

Very excited to say I'll be busy over Christmas, working on a project to be featured in SewHip magazine in the spring. Watch this space ...

Pictures of Dublin

Here are pictures of Dublin ... a few more can be found at the end of the album to be found on my Make Something of it website

Thank you everyone who joined me for a fantastic couple of days, really inspiring to see what you all achieved in such a short space of time. And thank you for the positive feedback - it was great to feel that you got something out of the workshop and will be taking it on to more creations.


For a more leisurely approach to exploring your creativity with recycled fabrics - join me in Burgundy for a workshop retreat with the Really Big Dream Company from 6-12 May.

Recycled workshops at Knitting & Stitching Shows, London & Dublin

Phew, such a busy time! Just back from Dublin and with Alexandra Palace over too, I've had a great time and met lots of lovely ladies who joined me for my recycled notebook covers, and lettering applique workshops. I'll post some piccys as soon as I can.
Can't wait for Harrogate K&S ... I'll be there on 25th and 26th November, where I'm doing 6 workshops. Lucky there is no weight limit on suitcases on the train. I bearly scraped on my Dublin flight with 20.2kg with enough materials for 4 workshops.
 
Hope to see you there!

Fashion fixers day

Great fun at Fashion fixers at South Hill Park. Some really creative work by the students - using heat transfer printing (top) with the other Jane to transform a lacy underslip, and building up an exciting mix of colours and textures (above).

My skirt  - made from a man's knitted cotton pullover, with box pleat and frilled edge. Very pleased with how this turned out, with the raspberry pink polkadot underskirt.

A quick and easy denim bag to go with it.

The full outfit, with a recycled t-shirt scarf. Needs a bit more work to make the scarf more exciting - some printing would be great because the edge didn't go as wavy because the t-shirt wasn't quite stretchy enough. And some customising of the Betty Boop t-shirt. But the glitter print of Betty's dress is a perfect match for the raspberry scarf and polka dot voile of the skirt - so I love it.
And now its over to the Fashion Fixers for more work before the show on 16th April and the pop-up shop coming soon in Bracknell.

Fashion fixers

Looking forward to supporting the Fashion Fixers event which is happening next weekend (26/27th March) for young people with the Missed Out youth forum at South Hill Park in Bracknell. The weekend is billed as 'The Apprentice meets Scrapheap Challenge' while upcycling fashion to raise money for the 125 Project from the Kerith Centre, a charity set up to build a dormitory for young girls in Zambia to keep them safe while they finish their education away from home.

Upcycling workshops at Leighton Park School

A rather nerve-wracking and snowy journey started my day at Leighton Park School in Reading. But as soon as I had arrived, unpacked my stuff and thawed out over a cup of tea with the textiles teacher, Jo, I had a fantastic day from start to finish.

The school collected a huge variety of old clothes, old bags, belts and bits and bobs. And then the students arrived and were excited to get started. We looked at samples and ideas and then launched straight in. We made a lacy cloche hat from old tops, bags from old dresses and skirts, a mini-puffball skirt from a fitted sheet and chopped and restyled blouses and dresses into funky new creations.

The day was divided into two groups, with the older students and sixth-form in the morning, and the younger ones down to year 7 in the afternoon.

A nautical fitted-sheet being transformed into a puff-ball mini.

Works in progress - Chopping and changing a dress (above) and a funky bag (below)

Everyone enjoyed themselves, were keen to do more upcycling, and to add more finishing touches to their pieces when they got home. The only down-note was that the snowy weather meant that the Fair Trade fashion show planned for the parents and the students in the evening had to be cancelled. However, it will be rescheduled for January, and the extra time will mean even more unique, fabulous 'upcycled' creations for the students to model.