A workshop with Julie Arkell

I was very very excited a couple of months ago when I spotted a listing in Craft Magazine for a solo show of Julie Arkell's work. I rang up the gallery straight away and asked if any talks or workshops were planned, it turned out they were running a brooch making workshop for just £20. I booked it there and then - before they'd even put it on the website!

I'm a big fan of Julie's work, it's charming, funny, a little dark in places, and best of all it's mostly made with paper and glue.

The only problem was the workshop and exhibition were in Liverpool, which meant a very early start, on the Sunday that the clocks changed which made it feel even earlier!

I arrived at Bluecoat Display Centre a little bleary, and was stunned at what a lovely place it is, a real community arts space. It's been there since the 50s and is fabulous, I'd LOVE a place like it near me!

And the exhibition of Julie Arkell's work was just utterly charming.

After a little talk by Julie we went to the workshops space to get making. 

The brooches were in a style inspired by one Julie had seen at the Imperial War Museum, and were made in a wonderfully simple and effective way. 

We cut a shape from cardboard, wrapped it with wool, then stitched fabric to it. Then embellishments could be added.

The results were really lovely.

With the workshop over I headed back for another wander around the exhibition, and found what is my favourite little bit of Arkell embroidery so far - 

I throughly recommend paying the Bluecoat a visit!

Brooches

My new range of brooches! I'll be listing them on etsy and folksy soon, and I'll be doing custom ones, so if you want one with a particular hair style, or even a portrait brooch then do get in touch. They are crafted in the same way as my puppet dolls, so each is one of a kind. They are backed with hard wearing fabric on to which a 1" brooch pin has been hand stitched. You might recognise the fabric, it's what Ingrid's skirt was made from!

Duckpond Market

Well I did it! My first art/craft market! It was a great day, so friendly and some wonderful stalls. I had a bit of a crisis the night before when I realised that no table was provided, but with some creative improvisation I got around not having anything to use (thank you to Mr Roselullabydolls for stopping me from panicking for long enough to think something up!)

I sold 2 dolls and and plenty of postcards, there was also a lot of interest in my portrait dolls, I'm very glad I put together some literature to give to people about them.

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I didn't sell a single brooch though, which I was rather disappointed about, but I think I need to look at how I present them, I'm not sure that many people realised what they were, and I was so busy talking to everyone about portraits that I didn't explain them.

I'm really looking forward to next week up in Cambridge, and next month back at Duckpond!

Real life places to see my work!

So far, almost all my dolls have been sold online, but over the next couple of weeks I'm going to take part in my first ever art/craft markets!

This Sunday - 21st Feb - I'm going to be at Duckpond Market in Ruislip. I've visited this market a few times, and it's just gorgeous. Started up by a local woman last year it's turned in to a roaring success, with high quality arts and crafts, a farmers market, children's activities and lots of fun entertainers.

Then on Saturday 27th Feb I'll be up in Cambridge at the Made-it Market. This is a brand new event which is taking place in 'The Shop' which is a fabulous community art initiative.

Towards the end of March my work will be part of a group exhibition in a shop window in Camden, and there are other exhibitions coming up around Harrow and further afield.

So I'm very busy trying to get lots of dolls and doll brooches made!

It's a terrifying thing, putting your work that you put your heart into out there for all to see, but even more terrifying is sitting next to it and seeing everyone's reactions!

I've been putting a lot of thought into how I'm going to display my dolls, something which as a trained set designer should come very naturally, but most sets I've designed don't have to be transported on the bus and erected in half an hour!

Currently I'm planning on using two of the cardboard dolls houses I blogged about here as the main display areas for my dolls, but I need to think about how to show off my brooches, postcards, literature about custom 'portrait' dolls (which I still need to create!) , business cards, guest book and of course prices! I'm sure I'll make plenty of mistakes to learn from!

If any of you have wise words on the best and worst ways to display things at art/craft fairs then please pass them on!

If you want to be kept up to date with events my work will feature in then do sign up to my facebook fanpage.

I've made a brooch...

...and I'm not sure what I think of it! I like it but I'm not sure other people will! what do you think? shall I make more?