Author Archives: Kathleen

Quick and Easy Organza Flowers for Festival of Quilts (NEC Birmingham)

When asked to do two one hour slots on the learning curve at the Festival of Quilts I was stumped by what I could offer. This meant my brain had to gear up and extract yet another project from thin air and these simple flowers that are made to look quite complicated were born.

Based on what I normally do they are much simpler and the need for a soldering iron is an option for these as they can be achieved to the same standard with or without using one.

They are great because this is another project that uses up all my waste scrap organza and makes me feel good as every last bit of organza is working for me and not going on the studio floor or worst still in the bin.
The sewing thread is simple black machine thread and its colour acts as a strong contrasting edge showing off the simple flower design which is only enhanced by layering several shapes together and adding some beads to their centres and making some beaded and wired loops to splay out from behind. They make stunning corsages and are relatively quick to make. I tried them on quilted and appliqués squares and they looked stunning as they were in relief to the appliqué and instantly I had another project to further there use.
They would look lovely as decorations to evening bags and quickly make a fascinator with a few feathers added.
Anyway the ladies at the show hopefully were excited enough by my samples to take their stitched flowers home and finish them completely to see their potential.

I’m now off to make some more flower arrangements to decorate the quilt I am inspired to make for my stand at Alexander Palace and to launch these delightful flowers as a new kit.

New Zealand travels and future inspirations

I have been teaching in Taupo for a week and this is the view I get up to every morning . It’s so spectacular that this picture doesn’t really do it justice

We then travelled over the mountains to Napier an Art Deco town that was rebuilt with all the houses in this style after an earthquake completely flattened it

Then we stayed with Sheryl at Palmaston North and had a wonderful lamb roast and talked craft

Visited Vicky and her family . Vicky is Carolyn’s friend and we couldn’t be in New Zealand with out them catching up. Vicky took us up mount Taranaki a volcano which she had climbed. Carolyn and I declined this and settled for a close up look and photo opportunities instead.

After this we stayed with Sharon one of the other tutors from the Taupo symposium on her farm where we were made so welcome and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Olivia and seeing all her beautiful patchwork . She is one clever little girl who will go far.

Th next day we completed our circle of the island by driving round the coast to Rotorua.

The terrains in New Zealand is to die for and the roads are so quite that I drove for 3hours plus and only saw a handful of cars. Roads are so quite and almost scary in the absence of people and cars. Mountain roads are so twisty and windy that your arms hurt to drive the car. Good thing is that cars are all automatic so gear changing is not an issue and you can’t get lost coz there are not enough roads to loose your way. I have though lay enjoyed my stay in New Zealand and have a bucket load of pictures to base a life times work on. I can’t wait to use my pictures to inspire embroideries and patchwork in the future.

I could go on for ever about the life style on the islands .Its so like England but isn’t England an is a pleasure to experience.

New Zealand Taupo symposium

The lovely ladies in my two day machine embroidered and soldered panels workshop amazed me with their colour choices and wonderful applications of the technique to produce wonderful hangings. They were also my Guinea pigs for working the designs as they are to be the new kits to be launched at Alley Pally this October.

I must say a big thank you to each of them for helping me out by doing this.

Take a look at their well earned pieces. They’re amazing

Gala dinner at Taupo New Zealand

Carolyn and I out for dinner in Taupo. We dressed to the theme of “Winter Wonderland. And went off to the dinner and entertainment. Came home with Jennie Rayment and several other of the tutors in a taxi as we were all tired and in need of our beds. It’s hard going teaching all day and then going out to a big function when all you really won’t to do is chill out in you room with your slippers on and watch the telly or prep for your next days classes.

Taupo Symposium New Zealand

What a well organised and wonderful symposium . My classroom is fine considering we are utilising the science classroom and the facilities are good throughout the college . The symposium team are looking after all of us international teachers and have organised a sight seeing trip along with a bus to take us all back and fort to the college. Picknick type lunches have been provided each day with yummy sandwiches and cake packed in a cardboard lunch box.( this is a really good idea) and today at lunch time I managed to sneak off to a lecture at lunch time by Susan Cleaveland from the USA. Boy she did make me laugh.

My first workshop was a two day one called Waterfall panel. The ladies were amazing and we got some pretty awesome pieces finished or nearly finished over the two days.

I was so impressed with their work that I just had to put it up so you could see it.

New Zealand I Have Arrived

I arrived in New Zealand yesterday absolutely wrecked from flying. But after a good nights sleep and a quick stop for breakfast Carolyn and I set off across the country for Taupe. We drove the hired car down from Auckland and really enjoyed seeing the wonderful scenery and the mountains with their caps covered in snow. It is the end part of the winter over here but the temperature over here today was 16 degrees with bright blue skies so felt very like English weather, although the people here are wearing scarfs and saying it is cold. Our hotel is gorgeous and right on the lake edge with huge glass windows to take in the view. It was a relief to unpack my suitcase and find all my class bits and bobs still in tack. although the two hangings i brought over will need an iron, but they are in tact

New Zealand Panic

Ahhhhhh!!

I have sent all my teaching samples out to New Zealand with Royal Mail 5 day guaranteed and signed for. I’ve tracked it and it is saying it has been delivered but the ladies on the other side of the world say it has not been delivered yet. I’m going to have a nervous breakdown if they have gone missing as there’s no way I can redo them all in a week.

I thought the flying was going to be the thing that got me stressed but I was wrong.

Snowflake mask

With just over a week to go before I depart to the other side of the world I have got round to getting my mask made. No pressure involved you here me say. Don’t be fooled I am up against it but it will get done even if I have to sew snowflakes on the plane or when I get there.

Must confess that there will be no snowflakes in this house this Christmas as I will be snow flaked out. Lol

Anyway this is it so far. I’m now off to make the covered wire to give the mask some height and movement when I attach smaller flakes on to it that should wiggle around I little as I move about.

Thread painted and embroidered pictures

9 ladies from in and around Bedfordshire came together to learn how to put and impression of a view down on to fabric before filling it in with simple embroidery stitches, bringing it to life. We spent the first part of the morning getting comfy with the paint and then moved on to choosing thread colours and the joy of just sitting and sewing.

Below are a selection of what the ladies achieved. I was very pleased with the outcome