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!

A new cuddly doll

This young lady was a commission, she needed to have some removable clothes, different textures and some crinkly sounds...

Her wrap and skirt can be taken off to reveal a cotton romper suit underneath, every piece of fabric has a different texture and her wrap makes a lovely crinkly sound which will hopefully please the little girl who's birthday present it is.

On my table today...

Today I'll be mainly giving these guys some skin, and cutting out a fabric doll....

A rather good idea

Make stencils out of paper plates, it works fabulously for little ones.

A paper cut from start to finish.

This weekend I finished a commissioned piece, a paper cut of Hampton Court Palace to be used as a projection for a theatre show.
I was given a set of pictures, and told that the director liked the chimneys, I chose to work from these two images.

So I then did some rough sketches, which I refined into this design

I then placed the design on top of a sheet of watercolour paper and drew over every line, pressing down so it appeared underneath like this.

Then I spent a very very long time cutting it all out.

I cursed myself for putting so many tiny windows in the design, but eventually I finished every little bit, and it was done.

and I just had to sweep up ALOT of this...

Pinner Craft Club is go!

Tonight was the second meeting of Pinner craft club - a group for boys and girls aged 8 and over who'd like to learn crafty skills. To start with we're learning to knit, everyone's working on making a very simple little teddy. Come along to Pinner Library on Thursday at 6pm if you'd like to join in.

The aftermath

I ran my second preschooler art workshop in Ruislip today, a lot of squidging, stamping, sticking and painting went on and this is what was left behind...

We made bugs from paper bowls, drinking straws, paint, tissue paper and of course googly eyes.

Playing with the shaving foam was my favourite activity though!

Something is most definitely afoot around here...

It's hard to believe just over a fortnight ago all this was covered in a thick layer of snow.

Start them young!

Greta's been interested in pens and pencils for a while but mostly just for doing this with...

Today however she figured out how to do this!

On my table today...

A drawing of Hampton Court Palace which will hopefully turn into a papercut soon - so long as the drawing is approved by the director of the show which it's to be projected in, fingers crossed!

Workshops are go!!!!

I spent a lovely morning yesterday running the first of my preschooler art and crafts workshops at Manor Farm in Ruislip. We mixed colours, made puppets out of envelopes, squidged playdough, did some fabulous sticking and stamping and drawing, then had a story and some songs to finish.
We're very lucky to be in a lovely space - the 'Stables' next to the cafe. It's just been refurbished, and we were the first event to happen there! It's spacious and clean with it's own entrance, toilets and changing facilities and a kitchen!
I've got lots of plans for future weeks - next Tuesday morning will definitely involve shaving foam!
If you'd like to join us then park for free at Winston Churchill Hall and follow the arrows. We start at 10.30am and the session costs £3 per child (siblings under a year free).

Selling myself

The worst part of my job is having to be my own marketing department. I find it totally excruciating.
Today I've had to write a blurb explaining that I am utterly wonderful for a grant application, drum up business for my preschool workshops that start tomorrow, and have a meeting about marketing Harrow Open Studios.
Having enough confidence to show people things that I've made, let alone then having enough to tell people that they should pay me money to own those things...well that's a lot more confidence than I possess really.
Once upon a time I'm sure I must have had all the confidence in the world, just like this little girl who happily tells anyone who'll listen that she's 'a very good artist'. Which of course she is.

Hand me downs

The day before yesterday Martha arrived back from a couple of nights at my parents with my old doll's pram, and a doll my Grandma once gave me, with an outfit she had knitted for him.

There's something very poignant about a hand knitted item which was made by someone who is now long dead. I think about that poignancy a lot as my other Grandmother - Gran - was a prolific knitter and my girls now wear some of the many cardigans she knitted for me and my sister

I may be a sentimental fool, but I like to think a little of their love for me is in each stitch, and that love is being passed on down the generations when Martha and Greta wear or play with things they made.

I only know my mother's father through things he made, as he died long before I was born, but I feel I know him well, and Martha knows about him too, as she grows up with his work on her living room wall.

And when she spins around in a princess outfit made by my Mum, looking rather a lot like the lady in the poster painted by my Grandad,

I like to think that the things I make will live for longer than me, so that even if my creations never reach a wider audience than my family they will still let my great grandchildren understand a little about me and my world.