ITS THE SIXTH DAY ALREADY

The exhibition is still going strong, with lots of visitors, who have provided us with wonderful comments.  I am spending a week swanning around with a huge, ginormous head!

Today I am going to show elements of the final wall hangings.  We should be holding more exhibitions in future around & about so you maybe will get the chance to view the entire pieces

The remit for these was to use NON-WOVEN fabrics.  Hand stitch can also be used with the machine stitch.  Sounds easy but think of how many fabrics are actually woven!

Monochromatic piece showing translucent effects, inspired by design work in colour & shape & line. A lovely piece much admired.

This section is part of a family tree, it has the names embroidered of all the members of this students family both alive & deceased.  Therefore, I have hidden the surname.  The 'trunk' is a beautifully crafted piece using many threads & techniques.  Very popular especially when the student is there to tell her story of how it came about.

Part of a duo of pieces on the theme of Urban environment.  This piece was inspired by a lesson where the students had a timed group walk & photograph.  Three photographs were superimposed to produce stunning pieces of textiles, using paper mostly

This student has a love of flowers & Japan & used the floral theme throughout the course.  All of the fabrics in the vibrant intensely stitched hanging are non woven, a very effective use of colour

This is an outstanding piece, all constructed from metal & all machine stitched & riveted together.  The metal was treated with many different processes to create such wonderful colours & it was embellished with beads, studs & charms, a triumph of machine embroidery.

Tomorrow is the FINAL day & will produce some sample pieces for you to view, it will be so sad to remove it from the studio, but it will be the start of the new term with the beginning of the MASTER CLASSES - DESIGN TO STITCH.
There are just a few spaces for machine embroidery level 2 (all the pictures shown are level 3) on a Wednesday evening.  Email me on shelaghfolgate@aol.com if you are interested.

The exhibition next year will show my Patchwork & Quilting City & Guilds & non-vocational students work.  The flip side of me that I dont often show on my blog - note to self to rectify this, this year.
The technical skill that some students possess is mind blowing & I am looking forward to starting new classes which are PROJECT based.  Separate classes in Hand patchwork, applique & quilting fortnightly & machine patchwork projects monthly.
All courses are now either full or have limited space available, please contact Bee Inspired for an update (01536 514646)
It will be all systems planning next week, so I had better really enjoy tomorrow before my big head gets well and truely deflated :-)

ON THE FIFTH DAY

There was lunch with an 'old' friend in the Mews cafe, where steak was the yummy of the day.  It is also a fantastic day for my family with the birth of the first Franklin to carry on our branch of the name.  So its a huge welcome to Demi, I wish him to be blessed with health, wealth & happiness & congratulations to my nephew & his wife, also my borther & sister-in-law, we are all so very delighted x

I have just returned from the exhibition where I met one of SMASHEE girls - Liz Gordon, who was sporting a fabulous bag she had made with the front pocket being Phoenix from the workshops, lovely to meet you Liz, thank you so much for coming, we all appreciate it greatly, I hope that you got lots & lots of ideas for stitch
Today's eye candy is mixed, starting with this outstanding piece on watersoluble fabric, this student has made a really difficult technique into her own, by completing not one 3D piece but many

How she managed to get such intricate stitching to lay so flat, well it is a complete mastery of this technique, look at the fabulous lace along the edges

If you live near then please come & view this & the other beautiful pieces

A beautiful vibrant box, made with stitched silk, dificult to work with, with so many pieces.  This etui has a box underneath, pockets & a lovely heart pin cushion & is for this students grand-daughter.  The purple on the open flap is all machining, I would love this in my bedroom for jewellery.

You need a high degree of skill to tackle an item such as making a shoe.  Stitching on silk with quite a basic machine, ALL of the item above was constructed by this student, the execution was superb.  This is truely an outstanding piece of created stitched textile

This working clock shows skill with the Smashing machine & uses a subject close to my heart of Tintern Abbey, what a clever presentation

This student has considerable dressmaking, tailoring & digitizing skills.  This waitcoat was made on faux suede, quite a difficult fabric to hoop for the digitized design which was based on her colour work!  The use of a sun style punch to punch out shapes to display colour work was so effectively desplayed that it inspired a waistcoat!  That is the value of design based courses, you never know what will 'grab' your imagination

Well I had better do some work now, before all my creative juices are depleated; please return tomorrow for another helping, thanks for looking x

FOURTH DAY

I am watching Jessica Ennis in the Hepthalon of the World Championships, our only hope for gold now.  Gutted for Mo Farrah, screaming at the TV gave me a really sore throat.  Then the huge shock of Usain Bolt false starting, what a shock.  I am so annoyed at being cheated out of a fabulous final, as no doubt most of the athletic world is.

Todays eye candy of the exhibition is jewellery.

A very innovative way of displaying some of the required passementerie

Lovely colour scheme

This is an innovative method, developed by this student, after trialling out extensively the technique

No work of my own, due to the championships & the English bank holiday break.  Having a creative rest for a few days.  Have sent my muse away for a holiday, in the hopes of much refreshment when she comes back!!

Back tomorrow with more to see, thanks for reading x

THIRD DAY

More from the exhibition, even though it is closed today
Super wire photos, promised yesterday

Today I shall show another of the experimental pieces, which are manipulation of fabric

Part of the qualification is concerned with display of textile items.  It is very interesting to see how everyone takes this on board

I insist that they consider colour when doing these pieces, or they could end up with a very messy presentation.  See how beautiful these  pieces are.

This shape has been explored in the Shape design unit, bringing forward & connecting both of the required units.

I seem to have forgotten to take some of them & some of my pictures are not very good, shall do better hopefully when the sun is out!
Back tomorrow with more eye candy!

Oh by the way the final piece for Teapots is displayed on the brain blog

ON THE SECOND DAY...

There were lots of visitors, with really nice comments

Part of the craft element (Creative Machine Embroidery) requires experimenting with various processes. 

This image shows some of the experimental wire & metal pieces.  Believe it or not but the colour in these is achieved by thread, all the wire or metal had to be covered with stitch, students were then sent away to construct an inappropriate piece of metal texture. 

The results are fascinating & diverse. 

More on these tomorrow

One of the craft assignments is to make an accessory, all of this bag has been constructed with thread.  I must take a better image. 
This was a difficult construction creating a 'stiff' bag with a handle frame, only achieved because of this students exceptional skill with construction

The colours are glorious & I would love a bag like this.

To show how diverse my students are, this is a bag by a different student using recycling as her theme, these are jeans, heavily stitched.  A very useful bag for folders or even shopping. 

The edging of the applied stitched pieces was particulary good given the thickness of the fabric.

Here a clutch style evening bag has been constructed using the stitch patterns on a sewing machine.  This is not digitized but freeform manipulation of the stitches.  This bag also has a lovely lining.

Finally for todays 'bag fest' is this students hand bag featuring the use of a twin needle & these 'flowers' are completely stitched on rings, taking further a suggestion of an idea that I came up with.  This bag is based on the Design unit for colour & features the theme of flowers that ran through most of this students work.

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing some of these images. 
It would be lovely if you could leave a comment, I know that the learners would appreciate the feedback
They decided that they didnt want their names added to my blog, but I am sure that some of them would welcome commissions.
Back tomorrow with more x
Thank you for reading x

EXHIBITION 2011

The fabulous exhibition is in full swing today, even though it threw it down with the usual coming up to bank holiday rain, actually looked like a hose pipe had been turned on the mews at one stage, we had many people visit & it was lovely to see some old friends & students.
The local paper arrived to photograph some of us & one was pressganged into a solo performance.  Musch hilarity was had by all.  Cake arrived & was very naughtily (is that actually a word?) scoffed & we explored last nights TV & the fast approaching anniversary of the loss of our beloved Princess Diana

Back again tomorrow for another helping of being surrounded by outstanding pieces of Machine Embroidery, ooh they are  talented, this lot, I am so proud of them. x

Here is the beginning of the images

More to follow each day - pardon the quality, hoping for better pictures when its not so dark & dull

A trip to the local art shop was also in order & for those in the know ;-) I think I might have cracked the splashing!!!!!!

ITS FINISHED

This morning I finished the TINTERN book it has 12 pages double sided & I am quite pleased with it.  I could have carried on with it but wanted to move on to other pieces, so I was strict with myself

I bound it with my Zutter & a lovely large black spring.  I thought about adding things to the spring, but I don't want it to look tacky.
I need to photograph it in daylight as I forgot today in my haste to start a new piece
Over on the creative brain edges blog I have posted pictures of the start of a collage of teapot images & my trials at finding a suitable format
This is the format before stitch

This is the Japanese teapot, I shall post the details in the next newsletter.  Sign up on the blog to receive it, its FREE

Tomorrow is the setting up of the City & Guilds MACHINE EMBROIDERY Level 3 students exhibition - called SATELLITES

It is open 10am to 2pm each day

from Friday 26th, Saturday 27th, Tuesday 30th, Wednesday 31st August & Thursday 1st September

Gosh is it really nearly September!!!

Do pop in if you can

Bee Inspired Studio

Market Street Mews

Kettering

Northamptonshire

I will take some images to show you the fantastic work that they have been creating over the last two years

Off to sleep now, thanks for reading x

MORE TINTERN

The initial idea to create a book came really fast & I thought that I would 'just' (ha) add all the pages, hmmm I should know me by now you'd think :-)
So much faffing and enjoyment is being had playing with the little pages
Here is the one from the last post, I think this is nearly there now & am debating about beads - what do you think?

Much has been added giving the layered effect, it actually had the word TINTERN across it, which is ghostly in real life, oh the wonders of layers

Other pages are in progress as well

This one is finished & has the start of my prose - it says Wander far away to ancient lands

I have used the door way above and an image of 3 doors with planks of wood & nails mostly & the green is a little fern growing out of the wall all on its own, strangely compelling

This is another double page spread, there are singles & doubles.
This one needs further work to link across the pages, I might add an arch or some planks - this will sit quietly until the idea strikes.  The copper does carry across it is hard to see, but there is copper , quite a bit on the black on the right hand side - the walls at night!
Look at the left hand side and you will see the image of the 3 doors, planks & nails

I have created the covers & they are busily drying for me & I am hmmm & ahhh about a shape for the front cover.  Really I just want to use texture.  I am trying to stay away from negative shapes & cut out lines as that is what Carolyn was playing with, however some lines and mark making will have to appear
If you click on the images, they should enlarge.
Remember this is all inspired by Stephanie Redfern - but is fast becoming mine x

TINTERN BOOK

It is a beautiful day here and the ice-cream van is playing a jolly tune as I write this.  I have a stupid head cold grrrr
I have been busy working in my Tintern book, started in the Steph Redfern workshop last week
This is a double page spread, its not finished yet as I am multi-layering it

Its heavy duty water colour paper

My desk is littered with organza, treasure wax, gleam, mica pigment, inks, stazon, white pen, white and black acrylic, a roller, glue stick, stencil, mask, tooth brush, sponge stamps, stamp chips, all to create the piece above.  Certainly is not a cheap 'hobby' oh and walnut ink as well !

Pages are coming along nicely and I will post more when I have cleaned up a bit, I have hidden the other pure white pages as I know how messy I am (even wearing an apron - wow )

Must get the washing in as the sun is fast disappearing behind our house

CREATIVE HOLIDAY

Hi, I have just returned from....a fabulous workshop...with...an very talented & inspiring tutor...at ... a great venue...along with a really good friend & 6 other lovely people.  Brain hurts today!!

Our tutor Steph Redfern http://www.sredtextiles.co.uk/ has just won a first at the festival of quilts in Birmingham with her book - STONE BIRD
Please check out her website & blog for images as I dont feel that I should post her work her on my blog.

I love her work

The venue was the RBSA in Birmingham, a lovely gallery with the most incredible pieces of jewellery & ceramics.  It is the Jewellery quarter of Birmingham
There was a huge church & small park nearby

We were fortunate with the weather being just right.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn - wow the most comfortable beds & 6 floors up Birmingham was laid out like a bumpy bedspread for us.  The lights at night were fabulous

Our evening meal was by the canal as it was getting dusk, such a beautiful area, vibrant, alive & historical.

Day two saw bleary eyes and 4 hours sleep

I have produced a few pieces of work which are now ready for stitch

The end of the holiday saw the most terrifying white knuckle ride the wrong way through Birmingham, I wonder what the pedestrian on the crossing saw as I hurtled towards him with a gigantic black monster stuck to my bumper, how we all escaped well.....

So it was to KFC we went with shaky legs - the only blot on a terrific couple of days

Teaser time! Arctextural Elements

FESTIVAL OF QUILTS 2011

Still tired from yesterday and all the efforts with tidying the studio and store room, still a bit more to do but am fed up with it at the moment so the last few boxes will have to remain unsorted!
Lovely trip to Birmingham yesterday, so funny riding alongside the coach of people that we know and Carolyn waving , I was driving so didint see anyone as you would expect at 70 mph in the central lane of the M6.  Whizzed there with no hold ups.

I never know if to go see the quilts or shops first.  Ended up going to see Stephanie Redfern who we found out had won one of the categories with Stone Bird.  We are booked into a workshop with her next week and had a fabulous chat.  On the way to view Stone Bird we got side tracked by 20th Century yarns. Oooh we were so lucky to get there really early as they had a few bargain bags of scrims, velvet & wool felt, most of which went home with one of us, so much for not buying anything.  The book was outstanding

We looked for a quilt angel to turn the pages and a tall gruff bloke let us see about 4 of about 20 pages, he was not your usual happy angel, everything that I returned there was a huge crowd so not many pictures but you can buy her book, which we both did.  Its not a how to do but an eye candy book which is high quality printing, visit her site HERE

Lucky me to do a 2 day workshop, I feel really fired up as I have admired her work for 2 years

Also in the same area were the art clothes and 3D items and this:

Astonishing

Left hand side

By KATE CROSSLEY of Oxford

Called A BOX OF DELIGHTS

(thank you Julie)

Part of the right hand side

I am so sorry but I dont know the name of the maker.  The labels dont put the names WHY? If they print a number they must be able to print the name as well, it is so very annoying to have to buy the brochure and look up the names, its archaic in this computer age.  If anyone knows then please would they leave a comment or email me

Whilst we are on comments - is it easy or hard to leave comments on my blog?  Does anyone know how to improve it?  I do so love to see you comments

Back to FOQ

From this area I wandered around, along the demonstrators which I found quite disappointing as most of them were demo -ing the same stuff as last year.  Some had books out showing the stuff they demoed last year, some had the exact same stuff as for many years.  I didnt think it was as busy as last year

There were many more seats, nice seats and table and a really strange bright pink carpet, only slightly better than the awful orange carpet, that of migraines

Walking around I spied Sandra Meech & one of the groups she is part of Studio21

Wonderful group of ladies.

Their exhibition was all connected textiles. All with a tiny red bird and in a little area they had made metres of cloth with printing on, on tables they had laid out bits of fabrics and fibres left from their exhibits and asked if anyone wanted to stitch on the cloth which they are going to display on a blank wall opposite their booth.

I jumped at the chance

This is what I stitched, the theme was to do with CONTINUUM - a sense of place - and as I have been working with Dale on the brain edges blog on teapots & my teapots are actually houses I chose that theme.  I must have been there half an hour, then Carolyn walked by and joined in and did X marks the spot

We were asked to sign it also

I suggested that they displayed each days efforts on the wall and we were thrilled to see at the end of the show that they did this

Sandra Meech & Jill Flower

The white area is where my stitching is, so I am being exhibited at FOQ lol

Here is a tired Jill Flower writing on the wall & here is her outstanding piece

Home Sweet Home

Papers & stitch

It was terrific, magazine papers, scrim, machine made lace and stitch and this along with Stone Bird was the show highlight - oh and a quilt from the American Museum at Bath, which I was not allowed to photograph.

Thank you ladies of studio 21 for such a fabulous time, if you are going over the weekend please call in & stitch & say Shelagh says hi

I think that it miht be exhibited in full at Alexander Palace in October.  I hope so & I hope that it is huge, it was nearly all used up, here is another section

If you did a bit or do a bit will you leave a comment or email me please

shelaghfolgate@aol.com

After this it was lunch time and then another wander around the quilts

PAM HOLLAND from Australia

The winning miniature by the artist who won the Championship quilt last year.  The quilting, by machine was so small vermechelli it was mind blowing, my only critism is that the binding was much to thick & large, it was machine stitched with little motifs so looked like a border and it was the most outstanding craftsmanship
Just a few pictures, sorry no names for the reasons stated, but they are taken with my phone and details cant be clearly seen, I am never too sure if to post them or not without names, the miniature was Kumiku ? I loved the Rhino and also a fab quilt which was huge of a Bedhouin Guide in the desert it was uplifting & the very best of Patchwork & Quilting to me

I hope you have enjoyed sharing in my day out, it was met by the usual getting lost when leaving the FOQ, which happens nearly every year due to the really stupid signposts that send you to the north & south M42 & M6, we dashed to the chippie, dashed home, stuffed our faces and went to our BOAT meeting.  More about that in another post x

QUILTERS PEACEFUL RIOT

Wonderful day out at Festival of Quilts - legs feel like they belong to someone else, ouch
2 highlights Sandra Meech group & Steph Redfern Stone Bird
Shall post more tomorrow as need to go to bed x
Oh and the Meercats were hysterically funny

LONDON

My London is on fire.  I am so sad that a few complete brainless idiots have caused such pain to so many people, homes, livihoods, property.
I was in hospital 30 years ago watching riots like these and thought that I would never see this again in my life time.  Please spare a thought for the emergency services, the police, fire & ambulance, in some cases the fire fighters could not be guaranteed safety.  As the mother of a fire fighter this fills my heart and soul with complete dread.
I have just seen that the rioting is spreading throughout the country.

This is totally shocking & upsetting