City and Guilds Graduate Show

My very first cohort of City & Guilds students are about to complete their 2 year Certificate course in Patchwork and Quilting.
They have been a brilliant first group and an absolute pleasure to teach. 
You will be able to see their work - in all it's glorious variety - at the Graduate Show coming up at the end of June 2013. 
If you are thinking about doing a City & Guilds course then come along and see the standard of the work which can be achieved.

Dates: Sat 29th and Sun 30th June 2013
Times: 10.00am - 5.00pm
Venue: Wickham Market Village Hall
             Wickham Market
             Suffolk
             IP15 5AU
Traders: ArtVanGo, GillSew and Eye Fabric shop
Tombola
Sales Table
Refreshments


Here is a tiny glimpse of just some of the final quilts now being completed.........................

Susan Shanley

Tricia Dickson

Marie Paddon

Plus there will be work there from the Certificate Machine Embroidery course and Diploma work from both P & Q and ME - lots to see.
City and Guilds Courses


     

Festival of Quilts

Just been adding content to the Festival of Quilts website for my Quilting in Action stand. I will be next to Yvonne Brown in the run of QIA stands near the cafe area. This is a row for professional quilters and textile artists - proper grown up stuff! This is a fantastic opportunity and I am now planning what to take for my stand.

I plan to show off 3 of the techniques which I offer as workshops and sell packs with everything included to make a framed piece. Fingers crossed the visitors to the FOQ will like them. This is an example of the Paper Mania  piece made from painted newspaper, vilene and sheers - all stitched and burned back with a soldering iron.

Uttoxeter Workshops

What a lovely time I had at the British Quilt and Stitch Show in Uttoxoter last weekend. My first trip to Staffordshire and I was made very welcome by 3 enthusiastic groups of stitchers at my Texture Adventure Workshops. Everyone made a 6" square ready to be framed - not bad for 2 hours work. Don't they look good when all laid out together - I think a feel a big piece coming on! 

The Friday girls

The Saturday crowd

The Sunday specials

British Quilt and Stitch Village

Having taught workshops locally in East Anglia, I am taking my first steps out into the world beyond and will be teaching my Texture Adventures workshop at the British Quilt and Stitch Village at Uttoxeter this weekend. This used to be the Trentham Gardens Show which has now moved to Uttoxeter Racecourse - my workshop will be in a stable block!

You can also find me on stand 74 in the first floor Platinum Suite with a display of some of my work where I will be demonstrating the Texture Adventures Technique.

www.quiltandstitchvillage.com

TThis is a piece called Sweet Diamonds made for the Diamond Jubilee challenge as part of the exhibition last weekend by the Essex and Suffolk Quilters group based in Colchester. Not quite the traditional red, white and blue but more experiments using quality street wrappers and lots of layers of sheers all stitched and burnt back. I am fast running out of wrappers so thank goodness Christmas is coming - save all your QS cellophanes for me.

Out of the Fold Textile Group will be exhibiting at 'Textiles in the Church' in the church at Bradfield St Clare, Suffolk from Friday 24th August 2012 until Monday 27th August and then again for the weekend 1st and 2nd September. 10.00am until 5pm each day. This is not a new exhibition and will largely feature work which has been previously shown at Cavern 4 in Bury St Edmunds or at Textiles in Focus at Cottenham. However I am submitting a newly finished small framed piece called 'Blueberry Bright' which started life as a teaching sample for Texture Adventures and then started to come alive with more stitching. I think it turned out out quite well.

  

Texture Adventures

I ran a 2 day workshop at the end of July as part of Creative Stitch Suffolk called 'Texture Adventures. I had 11 lovely ladies in a room with 12 sewing machines, 3 soldering irons and 4 heatguns going on what must have been the hottest day of the year. We spent 2 days playing with sheers, lutradur, tyvek and other burnable fabrics to create a variety of textured surfaces. Here are some of the experimental pieces created.

 A lovely delicate piece by Barbara Comish incorporating painted newspaper.

 A lively use of colour by Dorna Owen

This was Liz Aylett's very first attempt at free machine stitching (and on a borrowed machine).Didn't she do well!

Textured chenille sample by Pat Keenan using a recycled chiffon scarf - it works really well.

Sue Smith is starting the City & Guilds Machine Embroidery course with Annette Morgan at Creative Stitch Suffolk in September  - you are going to love it Sue!

Distressed lutradur piece by Val Watts


I will be offering another Texture Adventures course later in the year so watch out on my website www.marymcintosh.co.uk for details