21 January 2016 : Lynda Monk workshop
We are all of the same opinion that this was one of the best, most active & well organised workshops we have ever attended. Lynda could not have prepared more rigorously & our pre-purchased kits were perfect. We enjoyed making our vessels with the kumin felt & gesso. The thermofax machine was amazing & how much we could create in a few hours! Then there was the enjoyment of the heat gun & powders. There wasn't a spare minute. We went home very happy if not utterly exhausted!!!!
20 January 2016: Lynda Monk : Creative Surfaces
Our first talk of 2016 was a virtual sell out, as we were captivated by the skills of Lynda Monk & her techniques . We loved the vessels she created & how she painted them with just 3 stock colours. The thermo screen printing was popular & the versatility of lutrador & kumin felt left us to ponder many future projects. Luckily Lynda has written many books- much more eloquent than I can describe here.
18 November 2015 : Fiona Nisbet: Textile Artist
Fiona is a member of www.shropshireweavers.co.uk & she gave us a detailed insight into silk, & how the various processes create the products we use today, & as a dyer & spinner how she uses them. It was very interesting to learn the words used, as many of us had heard of them but never appreciated the origins. Even the silk worm diet created a different silk ranging from 'tatta' silk from eating mulberry leaves to oak silk moth creating wild 'tussah' silk. These silk cocoons can spin a massive amount of silk for the 'throster' to unravel & 'denier' is derived from the number of cocoons used for a thread. Then there is 'reel silk' & 'noil' which when stretched creates 'handkerchief' or 'silk cap'. I loved the fact you could buy a 'brick' of cone silk.
