Jam-packed July

Well I think you will agree we have had a surprisingly summery summer so far, and I don't know about you but this has increasingly become one of the busiest times of the year for me, and this July has been particularly busy. As well as going to Stitch Camp earlier in the month, I did the 10k Cardiff Race for life which proved to be a great day out. Here we are with the finish line in view (actually the real finish line was the pub afterwards....):

Next on the agenda was a long weekend at Warwick Folk Festival. As well as enjoying some great music and festival fun it was a great opportunity for me to meet up with my family who live a fair distance away. I volunteered as a steward which I can recommend - not just because it pays your ticket, but it is an enjoyable experience to be part of the event and supporting the organisers to make it a pleasurable and relaxed experience for everyone. It's also an opportunity to give Betsy (my tent) an outing - Betsy is very popular with other campers and I reckon she has her own fanclub. Quite a few folks were taking pictures of her so I dare say she's doing the rounds on the internet.

It was a real roaster of a weekend so I was glad to be pitched next to the fire buckets!

Then, before I'd finished unpacking from the weekend, it was all systems go setting up the Stitches Coven creative textiles exhibition, followed by our  launch event the following day. This year's work has been inspired by architecture, and here's a picture of our group installation of doors within a door - I'm afraid it's not the best photo so do urge you to pop in to see it and all the other pieces in the flesh at Swansea Grand Theatre (1st floor, white room). The exhibition runs up to and including Fri 15th August - if you are able to go, do leave us a comment/message in the comments book -  it would be lovely to hear from you.

Group Installation, Doors

One of my offerings, called Bridging

And if you fancy seeing more textile creations (you can't have too much of that now, can you??) why not go along to see the Dylan Thomas inspired exhibition by 'big sister' group, Itchy Fingers. This will include the show stopping Llareggub Village Installation Piece, a miniature manifestation of this imaginary village in textile form - definitely not to be missed. “Dylan in Stitches” will be showing at the Taliesin Art Centre, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea. SA2 8PZ. Our private view will be on Friday 15th August 2014 from 6-8pm. Sarah Hopkins will be opening the event and you are invited to what promises to be an exciting evening. The exhibition will run from 15th August until 20th September 2014. 

Well, with all this going on you may not be surprised to hear that after some early enthusiasm my garden has been languishing somewhat from neglect! - But I have had the beginnings of a runner been harvest - whoooop!

Over to you

Well that's it for now - I hope you are having a lovely summer. Have you been busy too, or are you wisely taking time to relax in the glorious sunshine we've been having? Let me know what you've been up to by commenting below - I'd love to hear from you about your summer frolics.

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Stitch Camp 2014

I had a wonderful time away with Sian Martin's Distant Stitch Summer School at Farncombe Estate near Broadway in the Cotswolds. This consisted of a long weekend with one of 2  accomplished artist/tutors where we were immersed in textile art & Design for the duration. Distant Stitch is an online 'school' for people to learn textile arts, and is a great option for those who need flexibility, but also those seeking to undertake City & Guilds courses which (sadly) are now rarely available as  local courses you can physically attend. As well as having ongoing support via email etc, each student has the opportunity to attend the Distant Stitch Summer School.

I find the most challenging aspects of creative textiles is getting started with ideas and interpreting them into textile art pieces, so I opted for Rosemary Campbell's class which  focussed on this very  topic.This was the first Distant Stitch outing for me, and I had a lovely time meeting fellow students as well as gaining inspiration and learning by the bucketload!

The weekend ran from Fri pm to Mon am and was really intensive, with long days in the studio running from 9am to 9.30pm - hense the term Stitch Camp! You could take time out whenever you wanted but, like most of the students, I wanted to make the most of my time there, immersed in all that creativity. This was made all the more possible by the fact you didn't have to consider anything else - all meals, refreshments etc were provided and the accommodation was great with fabulous grounds and breathtaking views.

Farncombe Estate

Rose proved to be a fantastic tutor - positive & encouraging, but also pushing us out from our comfort zones to help us move forward on our individual creative journeys. A mine of information and inspiration about textile design & composition, Rose walked us through the process of coming up with strong, developed designs that take several steps along from, but still relate to the original source of inspiration. All heady sounding stuff, but her delightfully wicked sense of humour and relaxed approach made this great fun.

Here are my efforts - I looked at 2 subjects - the New Birmingham Library which I'm currently fascinated by, and the Chelsea Hotel in New York.

These working designs will I think be great starting points from which to develop into textile pieces, and I'm fired up now with loads of tips and ideas about how to use these in compositions and carry them forward.

You can see what the other students got up to on the Distant Stitch  Facebook page - I'm sure you'll agree they're a talented bunch.

This was my first Distant Stitch Summer School, but not my first Stitch Camp. The last couple of years I have attended the TSG (Textile Study Group) Summer Schools which I would also highly recommend - if you are lucky enough to get a place. These provide ongoing creative development for artists and tutors but  they are open to anyone - less accomplished stitchers are welcome, and I found everyone to be friendly and encouraging. Although they are a fair investment they offer excellent value and attending a stitch camp can really help boost your knowledge, skills and individual development. All in all I have found they provide a great opportunity for touching base with your passion, resetting your compass and planning the next steps of your creative journey, as well as meeting others who share your interest in textiles.

Over to You

Have you attended a stitch camp or similar such as a residential course or retreat? If so, did you enjoy it and find it a valuable experience? If you haven't attended, do you think you'd be tempted in the future?
 
By the way, for those of you who live in the Swansea Area, local textiles group Stitches Coven are putting on their annual exhibition at Swansea Grand Theatre from 29 July to the 15th August. If you are in the area do come long to our launch evening on Tues 29th July, 7-9pm.

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