What a show!

  This is where I have spent a fantastic Friday!

I love a wander around the Creative stitches shows and this one was excellent.  I intended to buy double sided stick tape (The makes me remember Blue Peter!), blank cards with apertures, and some delights for nieces birthday.  I am pleased to report that I found all of the above.  Wouldn't it be great if I followed this with .... and then I came home!

Of course I didn't.

I found some delightful stencils and pearlised paint (which I have given to my parents to wrap up for my birthday.)  It will be a while before I can share what I create with these.

I found some cute buttons which I intend to use to make panels to decorate jute bags.

Here's a panel I have already completed. it just needs attaching to the bag and it will be ready to go.

I also met a fantastic textile artist called Gillian Travis.  She creates large wall hangings based on images she has seen whilst travelling through India.  My friends and I had quite a chat with her and she has even suggested that she would be happy to come to St Annes to do a workshop if there were as many as 6 people interested.  I think I might have a chat with some of my local buddies to see if that is a possibility.

She has 3 kits on her stand that had come from a cooperative in Pushkar.  I just love it when I met fascinating people.  I'm longing to read her book.  I might promise myself an hour wit it tomorrow when I have finished my work.  As I am typing I rattling on to my poor unsuspecting husband about going to India.  I'm sure he nodded when I said we could go for our 25th wedding anniversary ....just 5 years away, but there's nothing like planning ahead.

I have also chatted with Kim Thittichai from Nid noi.

I bought some soluble fleece from her and have already started my stitching on it. It was this piece that made me have a go.

I then moved on to see the work of Wendy Dolan.

I have had a go at this type of work myself and I love the way she has created such a variety of textures.

These people are totally inspirational.

Finally, I had a look at some of the work of some participants of the embroiders guild competition.