3-dimensional line and (not so much) stitch

I've been on a 4-day course with Michael Brennand-Wood at West Dean College. It was great. I only touched a sewing machine twice and picked up a needle about three times, but I bent wire, twisted shapes, used wooden frames and well and truly took my ideas into 3-dimensions.

I was very nervous, over excited and over-awed to be working with an artist that I had seen at the Cloth & Culture Now exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich, and again at the Stroud International Textile Festival. But Michael was incredibly friendly, approachable and informative. It was great to be able to ask questions over breakfast after a talk the evening before – I never think of my questions at the right moment for Q&A.

The college was lovely. A beautiful building, landscape and gardens. Well equipped workshops and yummy food. I ate far too many puddings. I would recommend it!

Pictures coming soon, when I find my camera again.

We Felt United!

Felt – intertwined, bound together, forever as one – United .

2009 is the United Nation's International Year of Natural Fibres. On October 3rd, 2009 - feltmakers from around the globe celebrated by joining together and displaying their felt. It will be the first annual International Day of Felt. The theme was set as yellow through to red. I joined in by making felt with my children's pre-school. We made bunting to decorate their room. The children (all aged 2-4) were fascinated by the feel of the fluffy fibres and each laid out fibres across their yellow triangle of pre-felt. Then we rolled, rubbed and scrubbed with hot soapy water. Our favourite bit was to rub with a Lego Duplo brick across the net over the felt and create lots of bubbles.

All the creations will become part of an online exhibition at FeltUnited.com created by artists Elis Vermeulen (Holland) and Cynthia Reynolds (Norway) after 17th October.

Wider view of ReOrsa exhibition

Here is the exhibition populated by people rather than buffet food!

ReOrsa exhibition success

The ReOrsa event in Bracknell was a success. Here is my exhibit pictured at the Private View. There was lots of people at the Private View, and the gallery room overall looked great. The whole event was apparantly very busy on the Saturday with lots going on in the street and plenty of people through the doors of the exhibition. Unfortunately I couldn't be there on the busiest day. It was a great thrill to be included and on a roll of "You've got to be in it to win it" excitement, I entered my pieces for the Open Art Exhibition for Poole - ReOpen

Discard/salvage

I'm working on how to hang my new pieces. This one is very light and I want it to be as 'floaty' as possible in contrast to its pair which is VERY heavy and made out of five pairs of trousers. Fingers crossed it all works ready for submitting to ReOrsa on Sunday.

ReOrsa exhibition, Bracknell: 17-20 September

I'm participating in 'Art on Broadway'. The exhibition will open with a private view on Wednesday 16th from 5-7pm, and will be open from 11am-4pm from Thursday to Saturday 20th.

More information www.reorsa.org

Open studios - closed

Just to say the planned Open Studios for S.E. Berkshire has been abandoned for September 09. Hopefully it will be an event that will happen sometime in the future.

Festival of Quilts - Birmingham NEC

My eyeballs ached! There was much to see and much to enjoy. A set of four of my small journal quilts were on display with the Contemporary Quilt group.

The piece pictured above was intriguing - sorry, I don't know its creator, I didn't buy a catalogue.

Minerva Arts Centre, Llandidloes

Travelling through Wales for our family summer holiday meant I could visit the Summer Exhibition of the Quilt Association at Llandidloes. My Thin Blue Line quilt was selected to be included in the exhibition, so it was very exciting to be able to see it 'in situ'. http://www.quilt.org.uk/

Photographs were taken, but they have disappeared onto my other half's laptop. My favourite pieces were by Becky Knight - http://www.beckyknight.co.uk/ I was fascinated by the effects created by the quilts containing pebbles and pills.

Opening up for an Open Studios in SE Berks

The area I live in is planning to hold its first ever Open Studios event on the 26th-27th September 2009. Its an event for South East Berkshire (or in other words, Bracknell, Ascot, Wokingham and more or less anywhere between but not in Reading and Windsor).

I hope to join in with my friends from my EquilARTeral textile group. Its a scary prospect but it could be really exciting too. We're waiting for more information from the organisers (the Independent Arts Forum) ... so in the meantime I'm busy trying to work on our group project 'Connected:disconnected', in the hope that I will have enough to show by September!