Delft Quilt….

September 13, 2014February 8, 2015 / Karen Lane / 10 Comments

Hand embroidered Delph Quilt designed and made by Liz Hands

Delft Quilt by Liz Hands

I first saw a version of this Delft quilt a few months ago at a show in Woodhall Spa. There were lots of quilts on display but this one really caught my eye as it was so dramatic and fresh and the hand embroidered detailing was fabulous. I immediately fell in love with it and, after talking to its owner, I discovered that she had made it during a series of workshops run by Liz Hands at Stitchcraft in Grantham. The next day I called Stitchcraft and booked straight onto the next “Delft Quilt” course which is being held one day a month and started this Wednesday.

Although I love the traditional blue Delft shades I chose to make my quilt using these gorgeous, fresh teals with matching embroidery threads. For the background fabric I am using a delicate ivory patterned cotton.

First of 25 blocks

There are ten of us on the course and it’s a very friendly bunch. Liz has a relaxed style of teaching and is very approachable, which is great for someone like me who hasn’t made a quilt before. This week I almost completed my first block during the class (just got to finish the 2nd leaf) and I now have the next three blocks cut out and bonded to the background fabric ready to embroider at home. All I need now is time……..

The first four blocks cut out and bonded to the background fabric.

Sock it to em…..

August 7, 2014August 8, 2014 / Karen Lane / Leave a comment

Earlier this year a friend of mine, Nancy, started her own business called Nancy Byrne Theatre Arts, teaching dance and theatre skills to youngsters aged 3 years and over. This lady has the most amazing talent and her enthusiasm and rapport with the children is second to non! I was delighted when Nancy asked if I would like to be involved by providing occasional craft workshops to fit in with the theme of her full day workshops.

For my first session I was asked to help the children design and decorate masks which could be worn later that day for their mini performance of the Lion King. We used paper plates and card to make a variety of animal faces including elephants, monkeys, zebras, etc. The kids had a lot of fun and did a great job of the masks. I was so pleased I hung around to see the show as it went down a storm with the mums and dads who came to watch!

This morning I held another session for Nancy, working with two groups of youngsters, and we had great fun designing and creating sock puppets to be used in a theatrical performance later in the day. The kids each chose their colour schemes and decorations and, with a bit of help, set to sticking everything together. One of the girls showed great initiative and set herself up as the resident hairstylist, snipping and styling the woolly locks for those who fancied something a bit different for their puppet! Unfortunately I couldn’t stay for the performance this afternoon but I am sure they all had a terrific time and I will have to check out Nancy’s Facebook page to see how it went.

Spiky Vessels Workshop…

June 12, 2014October 12, 2015 / Karen Lane / Leave a comment

Eight of the finished vessels displayed on a window ledge. looking particularly alien-like

A few of the awesome finished vessels!

Several months ago I discovered a website showcasing the fabulous work of a lady called Jenny Pepper. I was very excited to see that Jenny holds workshops, not a million miles away, and immediately got myself booked onto two of them. Earlier this month I rode up to Scarborough to attend Jenny’s ‘Spiky Vessels’ Workshop which was being held in the beautiful village of Hutton Buscel, just a few miles outside of Scarborough.

The fibres have been laid for the basic vessels and now the spikes and craters are being added.

Hard at work applying the spikes and craters.

The workshop was fun, informative and very inspiring. Jenny demonstrated various techniques for creating spikes, holes, craters and frills to add to a 3-D vessel. The day was very well structured but at the same time the session was quite relaxed and we were encouraged to work at our own pace rather than trying to keep up with each other – great for me as I always seem to be the last to finish! It was fascinating to learn how useful ‘pre-felt’ can be and since coming home I have made myself quite a supply of it in various colours ready for future projects. The pieces we made were really designed to be ‘samples’ but I think we all came to see them as more than this once they were finished….they seem to have an alien quality and every one of them was unique.

My vessel in the making

It was a great day all round and lovely to meet the other felters. I am looking forward to meeting up with many of them again at Jenny’s ‘Multiple Resist Workshop in July.

My finished 3D vessel complete with spikes, holes and craters

My finished vessel

Autumn Leaf – 3D Picture

November 25, 2013 / Karen Lane / Leave a comment

This beautiful 3D picture was one of several produced by Sheila during our needle felting workshops. Sheila worked with Merino wool and other mixed fibres, on a white felt background, to create a stunning autumnal scene. The picture focuses on the fallen leaf which was felted separately and added loosely in order to create a 3D element to the artwork. Felt is a fantastic medium for creating pictures – you don’t have to have the ability to paint but once you have mastered the basic techniques of felting you can produce fabulous artwork using the wool as your paint substitute. Adding other mediums such as organza or tulle fabrics, metallic threads, beads, etc. can also provide interest and added depth to your work. Keep watching for more great examples of felting produced in our workshops.

Needle felted autum leaf – 3D picture.

Birthday Celebration Workshop

November 19, 2013November 20, 2013 / Karen Lane / Leave a comment

Last weekend I was invited to host a Needle Felting Workshop for a group of friends as part of a birthday celebration. Its a great idea for a group activity which is fun, creative and results in everyone learning a new skill. The ladies were shown how to felt using Merino wool and were supplied with lots of other materials and threads to use as embellishments. Non of the group had tried this before but at the end of the session everyone took away a beautiful, unique hand made brooch of their own design. I hope you all enjoyed the afternoon and look forward to seeing some of you ladies again at future workshops.

Needle Felting at Joseph Banks

November 19, 2013November 19, 2013 / Karen Lane / Leave a comment

The second of the Felting Workshops, held at the Joseph Banks Centre in Horncastle, saw the ladies creating fabulous needle felted pictures with the intention of applying them to greetings cards. All equipment and materials were provided as well as lots of images and examples for inspiration.

November Needle Felting Workshops

November 6, 2013November 19, 2013 / Karen Lane / Leave a comment

My love of needle felting is fast growing into an obsession! So much so that I decided I had to share my interest with others and found myself, last Saturday, launching the first of the November Needle Felting Workshops which are being held in The Joseph Banks Centre on Bridge Street in Horncastle. We had a packed house with a lovely bunch of ladies, some had tried needle felting in the past while others were completely new to it. Various techniques were shown and discussed and everyone was given the option of selecting their preferred method of working. All equipment and materials were supplied, including fabulous Merino wool and by the end of the two hours everyone agreed they had had a good time and each of them had produced a beautiful, unique felted brooch to take home. One of the ladies contacted me the day after to say she had been wearing her brooch while out shopping and had received lots of admiring comments – not bad for a first attempt!

I will be holding the next session on Saturday 9th November from 10am – 12noon. All ages/abilities welcome but please note that numbers are limited so please refer to the poster for contact details as booking is essential.