About Me

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Sudbury, Suffolk, United Kingdom
I am a textile artist living on the Suffolk Essex border. I am a member of the Out of the Fold Textile Group and East Anglian Stitched Textiles (EAST) I am the Principal Tutor for Creative Stitch which offers courses in Creative Patchwork and Quilting and Creative Stitch Textiles. I teach each year at the Knitting & Stitching Shows and Festival of Quilts. I also offer workshops and talks to groups throughout the UK in person and via zoom. I am also a member of the QGBI and the specialist Contemporary Quilt Group and STARS (formerly Suffolk West Embroiderers Guild)

Friday 15 July 2016

All bleached out in Ickleton

It all got a bit hot and steamy in Ickleton Village in Cambridgeshire on Wednesday. We had a fun day removing colour from black cotton and linen with discharge paste and household bleach. Here are just some of the results. 
Abigail's splendid piece using  allium heads as inspiration


Wendy's piece with rectangles

Detail from Abi's piece with marks made using the top of a toothpick box!




Monday 11 July 2016

Log Cabin for Cambridge WI

Knocked up a quick 4 block log cabin today as a sample for the Cambridge WI workshop in August. I used the remains of a jellyroll donated to me by Teresa Harvey (thanks Teresa) It is a Moda one in the Zen Chic range designed by Brigitte Heidland. 
I like the softer monochrome effect of using just black, grey and cream. Wish I had picked a dark red for the centre squares though.........



Saturday 9 July 2016

Gorgeous bit of cloth


Just discharged some black linen to create a new piece of work for the 'Ebb and Flow' exhibition by Tin Hut Textiles www.tinhuttextiles.co.uk on Snape Maltings in Sept. Quite pleased with it. Now it needs lots of lovely stitch. 

Black linen wholecloth discharged and bleached

Thursday 7 July 2016

City & Guild Grad Show 2016 - so proud of my girls

The Creative Stitch Suffolk Graduate Show took place in Wickham Market in the last weekend in June with lots of lovely work on show by students completing courses in Patchwork and Quilting and Machine Embroidery. Here are some pics of the Final Quilts produced by my graduating students. Lots of hours (some of them in the middle of the night) blood, sweat and tears but it all came together.

Anna Woodhead - inspired by the four elements. All fabrics are dyed or discharged

Dawn Bowen - inspired by church tiles and using all naturally dyed fabrics. Dawn was the winner of best Patchwork and Quilting student

Diane Tompkins - clam shells goes large using all hand dyed fabrics

Gillian Celliers - a student based in South Africa. Commercial batik fabrics.

Jean Heath - inspired by Japanese Boro. All hand stitched.

Pam Garland - a colour code quilt from original design work on shape. Dyed silk. 

Sian Nunn - a quilt to promote her quilt frame business - watch out for it at a show near you 

Sue O'Riordan - inspired by a window in York Minster. All fabric is dyed, printed or discharged. Sue's work has been selected for the City & guilds Gallery at Festival of Quilts 2016

Teresa Harvey - a lovely textured piece using naturally dyed fabric with lots of hand stitching

Tree Martin - inspired by Iron Bridge. All dyed, printed or discharged fabrics. Tree's work has been selected for the City & Guilds Gallery at the Festival of Quilts 2016
The City & Guilds courses starting in Sept 2016 are now FULL but you can still sign up as a distance learning student. For more information go to www.creativestitchsuffolk.co.uk

Cottenham Ninepatchers

Last day for the Patchwork for Beginners class at Cottenham College and eight (mostly) completed quilts. Well done.