A selection of Tyvek brooches I’m working on for the Baumber Walled Garden Arts & Craft Event on 27th May.
Tyvek
Merino and Silk Collars…..
Today’s students were Jenny, Felicia and Anne, three friends from the Derby area who travelled up for the day to make Merino and Silk Collars.
As you can see from the photos of their finished work the ladies did a wonderful job and achieved some fabulous textures. They even got done in time for a quick Tyvek demonstration and each made a Tyvek brooch.
Felicia’s finished collar
Jenny’s finished collar
Anne’s finished collar
Jenny, Anne and Felicia…..all hoping the damp, cold weather continues a while longer!
It was a pleasure working with you ladies. I hope you all enjoy wearing your new creations and go on to make lots more!
Forest Floor Workshop…..
Last Saturday I travelled back up to one of my favourite workshop venues, the Simply Stitch studio in East Keswick. It was for the first of a new class I’ve put together which I’m calling my Forest Floor Workshop.
12 ladies took part in the two day workshop exploring the use of heat manipulative materials including Tyvek fabric, Tyvek paper, Lutradur and polyester fabrics which we painted, stitched, cut and distressed using heat tools and soldering irons. For the majority it would be the first time they have worked with any of these materials and tools.
Our theme for the weekend was the forest floor and it was great to see that some of the ladies, like Juliet and Julie, had been out foraging for inspiration!
The samples that were created included a variety of leaves, bark, twigs, lichen, etc…..anything you might see on a walk through the woods, and a few things you might never see too!!
Carolyn arrived with her hand heavily bandaged and the intention of just watching the others. That idea lasted all of a few minutes and she turned out to be one of the most prolific sample makers of the group!
Janet and Jackie were looking very proud of their hessian and Lutradur “twigs” and rightly so!!
The ladies threw themselves whole heartedly into experimenting with the various materials and created some wonderful pieces of work with fabulous textures.
Once again a big thank you to Nicola for being such a great host and to all of the ladies who took part. I’m looking forward to seeing some of you again when I return to East Keswick in June.
Tyvek Leaf…..
Today’s workshop was for four lovely ladies from the Nottingham area. Freda and her friends had seen my Tyvek Leaf on Pinterest and got in touch to say they fancied having a go at making one for themselves.
Trisha and Carol
Freda and Pat
Non of them had used Tyvek previously so we looked at the various colouring mediums that can be applied, discussed the difference between the paper and fabric versions and saw how each reacted to heat.
With lots of chatting and laughter (hearing us from the hallway my other half swears I put something illegal in the homemade soup!) the day was gone before we knew it!
Work in progress
Each of the ladies produced some wonderful work which they will mount on their chosen papers and put in a box frame once they get home.
Thanks to all for being such eager students….I’m already looking forward to hosting you again on your return visit for Feltmaking!
Forest Floor…..
I’m currently working on samples for a heat manipulative mixed media workshop with the theme “Forest Floor”. This is the first sample in the series in which I’ve used painted and heat distressed Tyvek and Lutradur, combined with natural tree bark, a leaf and hand embroidery.
The first of the workshops will be held at Simply Stitch, East Keswick on April 7th & 8th. On day one we will be painting on, and experimenting with, various heat manipulative materials. Using an iron, soldering iron and heat tool we will be working with Tyvek paper and fabric, various weights of Lutradur and polyester. There will be the opportunity to include hand and machine stitching in your work.
On day two we will use the samples we have made, or create new ones, adding stitching and found objects to build up a layered, highly textured piece of work inspired by the “Forest Floor”.
Autumn Leaf skeleton made from Lutradur
On April 25th I will be running a one day “Forest Floor” workshop at All Sewn Up by Debs in Horncastle. For this session we will be using the iron, soldering iron and heat tool to manipulate Tyvek paper and lightweight Lutradur. Once they’ve been distressed these materials will be combined with natural tree bark and hand stitching to create our beautiful, layered Forest Floor. This class is suitable for all abilities and is a great introduction to working with Lutradur and Tyvek.
Tyvek Leaves at Alford….
Today saw the first of my workshops at the Alford Craft Market Centre. Alford Craft Market is a not for profit organisation promoting quality Lincolnshire Crafts run entirely by volunteers. The shop is stocked with a wide variety of hand-made items including ceramics, felting, textiles and jewellery to name just a few. There are always a variety of classes and workshops to choose from including pottery and glass, felting, textiles, etc. Classes are held in the Big Lottery funded studio at the rear of the Craft Market Shop.
I had five ladies in the studio today making Tyvek Leaves. It was a lovely group and a relaxing day, this is how they got on…..
Annie’s leaf
Jo’s leaf
Rose’s leaf
Allison’s leaf
Molly’s leaf
Next month we may be using some Tyvek again along with various other materials including Lutradur, Vilene, cellophane, fabric, paper and found objects when we spend the day creating with mixed media.
Lincs In Stitches 