Time flies........

Oh my goodness where does the time go!  It has been an age since I sat to write my blog, I guess I must have been busy, but with what I am not sure.

We have had a short, but very lovely couple of days up on Dartmoor.  We treated ourselves to a new larger tent, so with all this beautiful weather we just had to do a trial run before we take the grandchildren away next week.  It all worked well and we didn't even have 'words' putting it up or even taking it down!! I was rather impressed!  

Breakfast Treat

So today,as the grandchildren will be arriving later and chaos will descend on the house, we decided to treated ourselves to breakfast at Off the Path Coffee Co, which I have passed on regular walks with the Gorgeous Girl.  I have always fancied stopping for a coffee, but had never quite managed too.  It was a lovely treat and as we walked there and back I don't feel at all guilty!!

Inspired by the Sea

Since the last blog we have also had the Collage workshop at St Eval.  It was a fabulous day and I am so delighted with the work that my students created.  Talented ladies I think you will agree. 

All the fabric was created during the workshops

Please pop onto my website for full details of all my Autumn workshops.  

And now for week 27 of my Challenge 2018, a little late I realise but there you go!  I used a little more of the monoprint fabric from week 26, chopped it up a little and then sandwiched between bubblewrap.  I rather like the finished effect, which is a little different.  

Week 27

Only a short blog today I am afraid, as now I am off to do some baking for the little ones.  Not sure if I will be blogging next week as this time I think I have a good excuse for being busy!!

Thank you for popping by......

Carolyn 

 

Trains and Boats and Planes............

Well here we are again!  

After a very hot and busy long weekend up in Plymouth it is good to be home with slightly cooler weather and a little breeze.  

Not too happy to see the sea mist though!!!!!  

It was Armed Forces Day in Plymouth over the weekend, so we spent a lovely day enjoying and celebrating all things Military and of course the historic sights of Plymouth Hoe.  Plymouth was my home from the age of 12, until I got married and sitting soaking up the sights and atmosphere on Saturday it felt like it was wrapping itself around me once again, like a familiar and welcome comfort blanket (or should I say quilt!!).   

Armed Forces Day

 The Gorgeous Girl and I stayed up for a couple extra days and bravely caught the train home at the end of our visit.  I say 'bravely' because it was the G G's first adventure on a train, and I am not so sure she was overly impressed by it.  Three quarters of the journey saw her on my lap shaking to the extreme, but she survived and as you see, today she is back to her normal self (sporting her rather cool summer 'fur-do'!!).  

Back Home!

Amazingly I have produced 26 pieces of work for my Challenge 2018, and number 27 is well on its way too.  After saying in January I would be surprised if I managed half a dozen, I am rather pleased with myself!!  

Challenge Week 26

Last weeks is not a finished piece but is another sample of a technique.  

Mono-printing is another lovely way to create your own piece of coloured fabric.  I used Acrylic paints and old sheeting to make this sample. 

 

 I am not an Artist in so much as I find drawing difficult, stick people and houses are probably my limit, but I do love most things 'abstract' and colour and shapes are definitely my 'thing'.  I guess that is why I like collages so much and from the Art world, the work of Wassily Kandinsk in particular. 

A couple years ago I was treated to a pottery painting morning with by one of my daughters.  It was a fabulous morning, spent with my daughter and my grand-daughters and although this is by no means 'perfect', I really love my plate.  The inspiration for it came from Kandinsky's 'Circle in a Circle'.  I am promising myself to do a similar one in fabric at some point!  

Homage to Kandinsky

Well, I guess that is it for now, the sun is trying to break through again and I should probably get a wriggle on with a few tasks................oh phew, that silly thought has passed, and I am sure that I just heard my sewing room calling!!

Thank you for popping by and maybe catch you next time when I will hopefully have a new programme of Autumn dates ready.

Carolyn

Summer Colours........

Wow, what perfect Summer weather we are enjoying at the moment.........hooray and long may it last!!  

  This beautiful bloom was growing in my parents garden, and I really couldn't resist taking a photo.  

Perfect Bloom

To me this bright and cheerful colour depicts the Summer perfectly!!  

The sunshine always makes you want to be outside, so sewing has gone out of the window a bit recently, and the garden has been calling.  

I am not the best gardener in the world but I do know what I like and I have just been treated to a beautiful David Austen 'Charlotte' rose.  It too has a yellow flower and I am really looking forward to seeing grow.  And which hopefully I won't kill!!  No pressure!!

Charlotte - David Austen

I just love the Old English Roses, they smell so gorgeous.

 I get most upset when a perfect looking bloom has no smell.........what's that all about??

I will post another photo later when the blooms open!!

Now to my Challenge 2018, Week 25.  I used one of my transfer dyed papers and although the manufacturers instructions said that it wouldn't work on cotton........it did and perfectly too!!  And no I didn't treat the cotton first!!

So there you go don't believe everything you read.  

Challenge 2018 - Week 25

I have a really lovely book about manipulating fabric and delved into it for this weeks technique.  With the aid of a cooling tray I teased damp fabric through the squares to create the mock 'smocking'.  

An excellent cheat! 

French Knots and Cross-hatch stitches added extra texture. 

Now back to the sunshine........

Until next time 'Thank you' for popping by....

Carolyn

Two for the price of one!!

Its been another busy week here at Younique Textiles!

 

So today I am posting the last 2 weeks of my Challenge 2018.

Week 23  - 4 June 18

This first one, Week 23, could well be my favourite so far, have I said that before??

 While rummaging through my hand-dyed fabrics I found a piece of grey Inktense coloured fabric.  It matched perfectly with a piece of painted Bondaweb (which was probably painted at the same time) and along with the fabric paper from the previous week, this piece soon came together.  

A little dissolvable fabric, a washer and some little Mother of Pearl buttons, and hey presto all done.

Week 24 - 11 June 18

Week 24, is another weave, oops, but there is a little twist.  The background is painted Bondaweb, ironed onto Sew-in Vylene.  The weave itself is made from strips of a melted plastic wallet with snippets of thread and fabric inside.  Extra detail comes from tied quilting and strips of silk. I am not sure that the photo does it justice but you get the idea.  As you may have guessed already, I really like to add different textures to my work in what ever form that may be.

Friend or a light lunch!

I was away for a couple days at the beginning of the week, staying with my parents and while I was away the 'Gorgeous Girl' found a new 'friend' (photos courtesy of my husband).  She is just such a gentle soul!  And the baby Blue Tit remained un-perturbed by the meeting.

'Bobby' Blue Tit

 The on Thursday I ran Day 1 of my workshops at St Eval.  I always get so nervous before hand, but it was a super day.  If you follow me on Facebook you will have seen these photos and more already, but I felt they needed an extra airing.  

For the love of stitching!

 I love this photo for no other reason than the fact that this lady has always maintained that she has a 'dislike' of hand-sewing.  Not any more, after using her Transfer Dyed papers to create a new fabric and practising a few hand-stitches , she just need to work out which one to use to embellish it.  I think we will work towards this masterpiece becoming a treasured cushion.  

Love the results of these Stencils

This second photo is also important from the fact that the first attempt to stencil by this lady produced a fabric that she was not so happy with, but with just a gentle nudge and some reassurance, her second one is just perfect.  Stencilling is now something she will happily do again in future projects. 

The essence of patchwork and reason for running workshops, is to share knowledge and to encourage, I think. 

A reason for coming on a workshop....... is having the space and time to practice new techniques in a relaxed, supportive and hopefully inspiring environment.

Nothing is ever 'wrong' at my workshops.  Although, there are of course guidelines and boundaries, it is more about developing your own individual style.  

Talking about workshops, due to family commitments, I have moved my Porthole Cushion workshop at Coast and Country Crafts and Quilts to 14th November.  Please contact Sally directly if you would like to book onto it.  

Porthole Cushion

Well I guess that's all for this week.

Thank you, again, for popping by.

Carolyn

 

Inspiration is never far away...........

Some weeks the words for my blog flow easily, at other times it takes a little more effort!  I have a feeling this my be one of those weeks.......so this could be a shortie!

Challenge 2018 - Week 22

I mentioned last week that I really needed to move away from my comfort zone for the next Challenge.  So I decided to poke my nose into one of my favourite mixed media books to get an idea.  This is the result.  

I do like a bit of dissolvable fabric so I made the most of the moment and did a long awaited extended version.  I had hope to make a second piece each week but sadly that hasn't happen, but I am rather happy with this one. 

Expanded - Week 22

It is also on fabric paper and mounted onto some beautifully textured watercolour paper.  

Now to think about next weeks.........

I reckon that these will be a good basis for another round of workshops, so watch this space for more details.

The Sewing Studio is now taking bookings for the workshops that I am running with them.  Full details can be found at The Sewing Studio, and by following the link on my website, if you are interested.  Thank you.

Before I go...........here are a couple photos taken on our walks at Brodick, Isle of Arran and Bedruthan Steps, North Cornwall.  

Habour Wall - Brodick - Isles of Arran

Although both are of course 'man-made', they do have a very interesting quality with their textures and patterns.  

Cornish Wall - Coastal Path - Bedruthan

Inspiration is never far away if we only open our eyes!!

Thank you again for popping by......

Carolyn

Never a dull moment.........

Well, what a weekend......one minute we are walking the Coastal Path to Bude, having a quite 98th Birthday celebration, then back home for a street BBQ!!  

Sea Pinks - Coastal Path - Bude

But that's not enough for us, oh no!! Next morning was spent packing up our camping equipment (last minute decision!!) followed by a Gin tasting evening with friends! Phew!!

Our camping equipment got an airing at Acton Field Campsite with two of our children and their families.  We were blessed with beautiful weather, and although it was only a very short break, it was super.  

Chapman's Pool

I have spent several holidays in the Bournemouth area as a child, but didn't really know much about the Swanage side.  It was beautiful.  Picture perfect villages and of course a very impressive Corfe Castle.

Chapman's Pool - Anchor

I have also managed to finish Week 21 of my Challenge 2018.  I like a bit of manipulated fabric, and although this one is okay, I am hoping that now I am half way through my Challenge I will be able to move away from my comfort zone.  I think I need to be a little more daring!

Week 21

One thing is becoming clear though, I do rather like hand stitching!  Not the neat and tidy embroidery that my Nana would have done but large and expressive stitches that are very happy to be random and rough!

  Although my greatest passion for quilting/textiles comes from the freedom of creating something in mixed media with very few rules, I do, now and again like to touch base with the traditionalist in me that likes to test my accuracy in making the 'perfect' block!!

Sunday Lunch - Prep 

So, welcome to my 'Sunday Lunch' Quilt.  It is still in the preparation stage, but it is coming along nicely.  There will be a pattern available once it is finished and of course I will post a photo of the completed quilt.

There we go, that should keep me busy until the next round of workshops start on Thursday 14th June!

Thank you again for popping by...

Carolyn

From fabric painting to house painting...........

Is it only a week since our lovely break in Scotland and The Lakes? 

How time flies!

 We are now completely back to normal again and can be found painting the outside of the house!!  The weather has been spectacular and it has be great have an excuse for being outside!  Exhausting though!!

I have decided to leave last weeks Challenge 2018 un-finished, complete with tacking stitches and papers in place.  At a later point I intend to make a larger version that will be completed!!

So, to this weeks Challenge........I really enjoyed making the samples for my latest workshops and so decided to use a few snippets in a small collage.  It is of course in my favourite colour!!  

Challenge 2018 - Week 20

Before we went away I had the Collage workshop at St Eval and now that we are settled back I thought that I would include a couple photos from our day.  It was a super, very cosy with just a couple of us, but nevertheless it was lovely.  

Younique Collage Workshop

 One of my ladies had been to all 3 workshops and so was able to use samples from them.  The master stroke was to over-lay a transfer dyed sheer which just added an extra dimension.   

Adding Finishing Touches

My other lady found a small twig on her way to the workshop which was the perfect addition to her piece of art.  It included the fabric paper that she created at the previous workshop.

 

Perfect Hanging

I am looking forward to running this course again in a few weeks, and seeing what stunning pieces of work will be produced then.  For now though it is back to a slightly larger paint brush and finish the house!!

Thank you for popping by. 

Carolyn

   

Workout and Workshops

My Challenge 2018 for the week we were away had to be something that I could take with me and easily pick up and do.  So, I drew a quick sketch (I'm no artist) of Mawgan Porth and took a selection of hand dyed fabrics away with me to work with.
  

Week 19 - work in progress 

It just needs a few decorative stitches to bring it to life and complete it.

In the meantime back to our Northern Adventures

After a few days in Scotland we treated ourselves to a 'Break the Journey' overnight stay at Ings by Windermere, which turned into two!!

A long way up!

 A stunning walk up to Stickle Tarn along Stickle Ghylls which was a workout for the heart and knees, but I'm pleased to say both behaved and were up to the challenge.  

Stickle Ghyll

I could have found a new outlet for my affections and need to have a strong word with my 10 year old self that prevented me venturing back to the Lakes in the past!!

My Flickr page will have more photos from Scotland and The Lakes.  If you would like to take a look please click on 'My Inspiration' at the side of this blog  .

Getting back to all things textile, I am excited to say that following a meeting with Stacey & Darius I will shortly be running some workshops at The Sewing Studio Redruth.  

The first one will be '5 metres of Hemp' on Friday 10th August.  

Snap-shot of '5 metres of Hemp'

This is a collage using purchased fabric with a design that can be extended with stitch.

Other dates are:

Friday 7 September Vintage Wall Hanging. 

Snap-shot of Vintage Wall Hanging

Following a pattern make a personalised wall-hanging with photo fabric, lace and buttons

Friday 26 October Christmas Collage.  

Snap-shot of Christmas Collage

Using your own creativity make a seasonal wall art collage using scraps of purchased Christmas fabric, decorated with hand and machine stitch.

Friday 23 November Angus Cushion.  

Snap-shot of Angus

A very popular workshop that I am delighted to run again. The cushion mixes wool, linen and various weights of cotton together with a photo of your choice on photo fabric. 

Also at the Catalina room St Eval I will be re-running the 3 part Collage workshop for those of you that missed it first time and have had your appetite whetted.  There will be plenty of hands on practise as well as demonstrations of each technique.  All you need to bring is an apron, some fabric scraps and a little free spirit, the rest including all paints, dyes and papers will be available each day.  If nothing else the coffee and biscuits are pretty good!

Thursday 14 June - Day 1 - Transfer Dyes, Stencils & Mark Making #1

Thursday 28th June - Day 2 - Fabric Paper, Painting Fabric & Mark Making #2

Thursday 12 July - Day 3 - Create your own Collage

I will be adding to these dates shortly with new workshops trying out different techniques.  

The details for all my workshops can be found on my website.  

Bookings for the Catalina Room are via my website but for The Sewing Studio or Coast and Country they are via their websites, thank you.

Thank you again for popping by.  

Carolyn

From Fabric Paper to the Isle of Arran........

Again a little delay in my blogging..........this time due to a rather lovely break in Scotland followed by a couple nights in the Lake District!

 

But before we get to that...............Day Two of the Collage Workshop at 

St Eval, was a fabulous day, thank you Ladies.

Inktense Blocks

We had a great time adding colour to fabric with my favourite medium - Inktense Blocks 

Fabric Paper

Making some beautiful pieces of Fabric Paper! 

First Free Machining

And also investigating 'mark-making' with Free Machining and another spot of Hand Stitching. 

It was great to see my enthusiasm for these techniques rubbing off.....

Artist at work!

  I'm looking forward to seeing which of these new and 'younique' fabrics will be used in the collages at this weeks Workshop.  Photos will of course follow. 

  

Not wanting to miss out on any opportunity, I couldn't resist showing the ladies the effect of heat (in the form of an iron) being applied to a beautifully painted plastic bag which had been used to protect the table! The resulting texture will most likely become part of my Challenge 2018 at some point!

Talking of my Challenge, I seem to have a little catching up to do, so here are the latest two that I have finished.

Challenge 2018 - Week 17

 Week 17 is another weave.  While I was getting samples ready for last workshop I used a small piece of muslin to 'mop-up' the excess paint.  

The resulting fabric was rather lovely and so I used it for the challenge. 

Challenge 2018 - Week 18

Challenge 2018 - Week 18 is a study of stitches on a piece of Inktense painted fabric.  I have been making samples up for the workshops and loved the simplicity of the stitches, so decided to use them to add texture to the fabric.   

Now back to our northern adventures.....

Arran in the Sunset

Every now and then we all need to step away from the norm and take a little time out. 

This was us, so a trip to Scotland was called for to visit our oldest and dearest Friends. 

Corsewall Point

The weather was very kind and showed Ayrshire off at its very best. 

Brodick - Isle of Arran

We also had a long a-waited trip to the Isle of Arran, which was planned to perfection with flat calm seas for both the out-going and home-coming ferry crossings. We whiled away several hours beach combing in the glorious sunshine and came home with some rather lovely 'finds'.  

Brodick Beach - Isle of Arran

The Gorgeous Girl was a superstar and had the greatest fun with her oldest pal. 

I was very spoilt, while we where there and was treated to a 'school loom' from WeftBlown, which I am so excited about using.  

I love doing a bit of weaving, (you may have noticed if you follow my blog) and have wanted a loom for a while now.  

It will be an adventure experimenting so please watch this space for my attempts. 

Thank you again for popping by, there will be more on our adventures in the north in my next blog......

Carolyn