Getting ready. . .

The Platform Gallery in Clitheroe is now showcasing the works of selected makers from Lancashire and Yorkshire in their 2016 Craft Open.....

..... and I'm making final preparations for my exhibition there starting on the 15th March. These are hints of some of the pieces that will be there.

The exhibition in Clitheroe runs until 9th April. Opening times can be found by following this link. Do check before you visit - it is closed on Sundays and Bank Holidays, which will mean it will not be open on Good Friday or Easter Monday.

There is also still time to visit the East Riding Open Art Exhibition in Beverley, where my work is

on display until February 13th. Further details of opening times are here

A Hint of Things to Come . . .

In September, I will be exhibiting some new work as part of a Group Exhibition with Diverse Threads. Exhibition details can be found under the Exhibitions tab, but here's a sneak preview of work in progress.

Finishing the stitching - after many hours of free-machining

Detail from the finished piece

Exhibition Time . . . again

It's nearly time for Prism's annual exhibition in London. This year, there's a new venue - Hoxton Arches Gallery which is just by Hoxton Station. The exhibition runs for nearly two weeks this time, and has late openings on Thursdays and Fridays.

The gallery is just next to the station.

This is just a taster of the work I will be showing - my take on Lines of Communication.

Hanging by a Thread (detail)

My work is all packed and ready to deliver - it promises to be a fantastic exhibition in this new venue, and with the Geffrye Museum nearby there's the makings of a really good day out.

A Big Surprise

I've had some work accepted into the Platform Gallery Craft Open Exhibition in Clitheroe.The exhibition opened yesterday and runs until July 4th. Further details are on the Exhibitions page

My pieces are cut and stitched paper developing from work I exhibited at the Knitting and Stitching Shows last year.

Echoes II (detail)

The big surprise is that I've been awarded the Selectors' Prize for Innovation - totally unexpected, and for once I was practically speechless. There's a nice picture here on the Gallery's twitter page, and if that isn't enough there's a slightly fuzzy one here.

The prize comes with the opportunity to have a showcase in an exhibition at the gallery later this year, so (as they say) watch this space.

Knitting and Stitching - Well, mostly stitching

This week (Thursday to Sunday) is the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate.

Prism has a stand in the Textile Gallery (I believe it's going to be TG520) and a piece of my work will be on display there.
It's a contrast to the thread and wire that I had in the Mall Galleries exhibition, as this is cut paper. It's still got a code in it though.

Missing - Paper and Stitch

I'll be stewarding on Saturday and Sunday afternoons if you want to come and say hello.

A couple of weeks ago, I taught a Children's Workshop for the Quilt Museum in York, and these are some of the results.

A selection of bookcovers made at the workshop

Some of the children had never used a sewing machine before, and by the end of the session they had mastered quarter inch seams, working with interfacing, oversewing edges and programming the machines to write their names. It was a lovely session to teach.

Which leads me to a blog 'By Helen' I came across recently from one of the participants on my Introduction to Free Machine Embroidery class that I also taught at the Quilt Museum this summer. The blog post which can be found by clicking here is a lovely review of the session and shows what we got up to. If you belong to a group that would like me to run a similar class, contact me for details

Coast Gallery

I think there are just a few days left to see some of my work at Coast Gallery and Tea Room near Scarborough. The gallery is full of lovely work, much of it with a Coastal theme. And the food in the tea-rooms is delicious!!!

A Busy Fortnight Ahead!

Just recently, the emphasis of what I do has shifted from Exhibitions to Workshops. I have a very busy fortnight coming up....

On Saturday, I'm giving an adult workshop - an introduction to free machine embroidery, and on the following two Wednesdays I'm giving children's workshops, using reverse applique to create a little bird brooch and bondaweb applique to make a needlecase (which could easily also be a phone case). All of these are taking place at the Quilt Museum in York. I believe there are still a few places left on the Children's workshops. All the details are here - Quilt Museum website

In the midst of that I'm taking a trip to Suffolk on the 9th and 10th of August to demonstrate the making of Suffolk Puffs at the Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket. I'm hoping for lots of visitors to also have a go, so that we can give our little caterpillar a bit more of a body - he's not very long at the moment! If you happen to be passing, details of the Steam and Craft weekend are here - Museum of East Anglian Life website

And then it's back to exhibitions. I will be with Prism at the Knitting and Stitching Shows this Autumn, and I already have plans to be involved in at least 3 exhibitions next year.