Over the Christmas period I’m delighted to be displaying my work in two places in York. I have a collection of my newest felted bowls, vases and jewellery in the lovely ‘Pyramid Gallery’ which is my absolute favourite gallery in York; a wonderful, two storey Aladdin’s cave of beautiful things. When planning this new exhibition I changed my supplier for my jewellery fixings too so my felted beads now sit alongside beautiful new sterling silver components. I’m really pleased wi

Today’s workshop was another festive one, it was a Christmas Decoration Making session. I’ve been really looking forward to running this session and I arrived in Knit and Stitch really early to set up the materials, lay out each person’s kit for the day, put the mince pies and shortbread into wee bowls and arrange the examples I’d already made. Everyone arrived and once settled with teas and coffees, started planning which decoration to make first. I’d prepared sheets with te

This weekend’s a workshop double whammy, after a fab candle making session yesterday, it’s a silk painting workshop today. I run silk painting in the gorgeous wee craft shop on Gillygate, The York Makery. My eight booked ladies turned up nice and early and we got started on some festive silk painting, with everyone choosing or in some cases designing their four scenes for the fronts of their Christmas cards. Starting with the gutta outlines we then moved on to using the colou

Today’s class is another one run through City of York Council and we were in the same space as the Soap making class of a fortnight ago; a cookery room in Huntington School. Before my twelve learners arrived for the day I laid out each of their work spaces with moulds and equipment and arranged the central tables so that throughout the day folk could come to one spot to measure out and collect their waxes, wicks, fragrance chips and colour flakes for each candle. The five can

Between now and Christmas I’m teaching a different workshop each weekend. This weekend’s class (Sat 12 November) was soap making. I ran it through City of York Council so they handled the bookings side of things and provided the teaching space, a cookery room in Huntington School. Every learner had a hob and work space. In each workspace I’d set out moulds and equipment and in the centre of the room I set up a station where everyone could come and collect their clear or opaqu

This was the second of two workshops for the Osbaldwick Owls this summer. I turned up at Osbaldwick primary school once more, this time with boxes chock full of silk painting supplies. There were a fair few familiar faces from last week which was lovely. After a quick round of hello from last weeks soap makers I got to setting up. As with last week, I worked with the kids in groups of 6, setting each of them up with a square of stretched silk; some blank, some with letters pr

Over the summer I’ve ran several more felt making for beginner’s classes. I love showing people how to make felt and guiding them through the various steps, through to seeing their finished pieces of felted fabric…. but I’ve already said all that on this blog in previous posts. I’m writing this post really just as an excuse to show off the pictures of the work completed on the last two classes as I’m just so thrilled with them all! Quite a few people turned up with set ideas

During August 2016, I’m delighted to announce that I will be one of the artists displaying work in the brand new ‘Just Makers’ gallery and shop in Ripley Castle. Based just opposite the café in the castle grounds, this lovely shop is packed full of gorgeous hand-made treasures and I’m very pleased to part of their opening line-up. My line of silk painted, crocheted and (of course) felted items will be on display until the beginning of September. To find out more about just ma

Following the success of my residency in Northumbria, I was really excited about my 8 days as artist in Residence in Burton Agnes Hall. I arrived early on Monday 13th June to set up the summer house with my framed felted pieces and a table of felted bowls, vessels, workshop info and crochet bits and pieces. Then I got myself unpacked into the wee flat above the café in the courtyard, my new home for the next 8 days. My fellow artist in the summer house was a lovely woman call