NEC

I really did have the most amazing time over the four days of the Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch show.

I went up to Birmingham on the Wednesday to set the stand up – and took these photos but the lighting wasn’t on fully so they are a bit on the dark side.

Never thought to take one of the fascia with my name on it – would have been something to bore the pants off the family with, if they weren’t so bored already. :)

There were five tutors throughout the day all teaching workshops using Vilene products. I showed how to create these folded pocket books made from Spunbond (Lutradur) and using gesso and silk paints to colour the surface. Everyone thought they were fabulous, the workshop was fully booked for the whole four days and the few spare kits I had made up were snapped up on the first morning! 

If you were one of the unlucky ones who didn’t manage to get on the workshop or buy one of the kits just drop me an email and I will put some more together.

I took the camera intending to take hundreds of photos throughout the show. Oh no, I hear you all yelling, well lucky you, I forgot all about it again until the Sunday but managed to snap some of the ladies busy constructing their folded pocket books.

I also demonstrated the technique I used to create these..

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a simple technique with some amazing results. The technique for creating the surface and using it to construct a simple hardback book  as in the top photograph should, hopefully, be in the next edition of ‘Workshop on the Web’.

The same technique was also used to create these oversized beads – about 4” (10cms) long. They were just a bit of nonsense I made with some offcuts of my very first batch of fabric using this technique. And the reason I am telling you this is because someone run off with one – just the one.  Those of you that know me will believe me when I say to that person that if you had asked me, you could have had all of them.  I had to smile though as goodness knows what they intend on doing with just one of them. :)

I did, of course, meet some fantastic people over the four days and received some really wonderful comments. I met  bloggers,  old friends and new – Gina, Gill, Julie, Lyn and Denise. Some of the other exhibitors, traders and demonstrators all came over to say hello and showed an interest in what I was doing. I met ladies from three different groups that I have workshops booked for in the coming months plus some from workshops I have already taken. I also met Gill from an online group and some ladies from the EG in North Wales that are all friends of Carol. I surprised one lady when I recognised her from last year while I was demonstrating with ArtVanGo. I know she reads my blog, so hello again and I hope you managed to fold the papers from the sample I gave you. I’m pretty good with faces – it’s just everything else that eludes me. :) So if I have forgotten anyone I do apologise.

I also had a ‘strange request’ – in the words of the lady herself. She asked if I could email her a photo of this hanging. She has been looking for some floor tiles for some time but has been unable to explain to anyone exactly what it is she is looking for – until she saw my hanging that is. :))

And thank you Pauline for such a lovely comment on my last blog. :)