TTD Spring Play Day

Artists Studios Available

I'm Looking For...

Hello and welcome to the December issue of The Textile Directory newsletter. This month we have some workshops for budding artists to tell you about that took place at The Knitting & Stitching Shows this year. We also have a fantastic opportunity for 8 textile artists to come and join us for a Play Day at VSM, so read on for details of how to apply. This is our last newsletter before Christmas so the team at The Textile Directory would like to wish you are very merry Christmas and we will see you all again in the new year.

Best Wishes Sara

Ann Dingsdale

Laura Long

Cockpit Arts and Creative Exhibitions Support Textile Artists

A new project was launched at The Knitting & Stitching shows this year to support the graduates exhibiting at the events, as well as other budding textile artists, with the aim of helping them to launch their careers. The project took place between show organisers, Creative Exhibitions, and Cockpit Arts, a unique business incubator which supports and promotes designer-makers through all stages of their business development.

At Birmingham NEC, Ellen O’Hara, Business Development Manager at Cockpit Arts, delivered a two-hour workshop, called ‘Business Start Up Basics’. The session began with a short talk on what to consider when setting up your business, followed by some exercises and a question and answer session.

At the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in October, Cockpit also organised a seminar with two guest speakers from among their textile designers, and an afternoon of one-to-one surgeries. The two Cockpit designers, Laura Long and Ann Dingsdale, had very different backgrounds and were able to offer inspiring insights into entering a career in textiles. Both artists discussed their journeys, from starting up their businesses to where they are today, with Laura giving the perspective of a new graduate and Ann speaking as a second careerist.

The project was very well received by all who took part. One, a handbag designer looking to set up her own label, commented, ‘That was just what I was looking for. It answered a lot of my questions but also made me aware of other areas that I need to look into before starting up my own business.’

You can find out more information about The Knitting & Stitching Show at www.twistedthread.com and about the workshops available through Cockpit Arts at www.cockpitarts.com under ‘Supporting Designer-Makers‘.

Get Into The Christmas Spirit With the Textile Directory Bookstore

We have been adding even more books to our new bookstore in the last month, so make sure you have a browse through to see what’s new. We have highlighted a few books in this article that are fantastic for the Christmas season, so have a look through the books below for inspiration for some extra-special handmade gifts.

Simply Sparkling Christmas Beading

By Dorothy Wood

£12.99

DELIVERY: UK Free, Europe £10, Rest of World £15

This book features over 35 gorgeous gifts and delightful decorations guaranteed to sparkle. Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions cover a huge range of techniques, including bead loom weaving, bead stitches, bead embroidery and beads and wire. There is also a range of last minute variation projects ideal for when time is tight.

To buy this book please click here

Design Source Book 07: Christmas Designs

By Elaine Hill

£4.95

DELIVERY: UK Free, £10 Europe, £15 Rest of World

Many beautifully illustrated pictures, motifs, borders and patterns are contained in this festive collection of decorative designs: Christmas trees, presents, holly, ivy, garlands, Father Christmas, children and more. Craftspeople, artists, needleworkers and all those interested in creating their own original ideas and projects will find a sparkling array of inspirational ideas within these pages.

To buy this book please click here

To browse through our complete range of books available please visit www.thetextiledirectorybookstore.com

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Knitting Naturally with Farm Yarn

Farm Yarn is a Wiltshire-based yarn company who specialise in providing natural and organic yarns. They are currently providing a fantastic range of alpaca yarns and will be supplying a range of sheep wool very soon, all of which will be personally sourced by Farm Yarn’s owners, Volker and Eileen, from UK farms. Volker says, “We visit each of the farms personally so that we can be sure they meet our expectations. We always like to be sure the farms are smallholdings and ideally organically certified. It is also important to us that the animals have names and not numbers – we like to see that the animals are loved.”

Volker was born in Germany, where he first trained as a joiner before moving to England. He had always wanted to work with natural materials and it was his daily walk past an alpaca farm on his way to work that finally made his mind up about what he would like to do. Volker told me, “My wife is originally from Ecuador and we were planning to move there to run our own alpaca farm. But then we found some in the UK and decided we would try it here instead.” Volker produced Farm Yarns first knitting yarns with his own alpacas, but has now expanded to provide natural and organic yarns from other parts of the UK. He also imports some natural alpaca yarns from Peru where they have specialist mills.

Six months ago Volker and Eileen started a second company, called Ermeling, which uses the yarns they produce to create scarves and baby clothes. All Ermeling’s garments are hand knitted here in the UK by specialist knitters, some of whom have over 40 years experience of producing premium knitwear. At the moment the couple are focused on producing scarves and baby clothes, but they are always keen to develop with fashion trends, using only natural and organic wool. So far Volker has sourced all the designers himself, but he would be very happy to receive applications from any eco-friendly designers who would like to work with him. You can get in touch with Volker at info@farmyarn.co.uk.

For more information about Farm Yarns and their range of yarns please visit www.farmyarn.co.uk. If you would like to have a go at knitting your own scarf then Volker recommends using their range of chunky alpaca wools. A free scarf pattern will be included with any order of chunky yarn made through the website, please read more about the special offer here.

For those of you who don’t have the time to knit a scarf yourselves why not treat yourself to one from the Ermeling website. The current designs start at £25.00, ranging to £39.00 for the 07/08 winter collection, please visit www.ermeling.co.uk for more details.

The Textile Directory Spring Play Day

Here at The Textile Directory we have a fantastic opportunity for 8 textile artists or designers to join us at the VSM (UK) headquarters in Redditch, Worcestershire for our Spring Play Day. Here is your chance to celebrate the end of winter and really get creative, with Husqvarna sewing machines, embellisher machines and quilting machines all provided for your use. Come and escape for the day, restore the creative batteries and get ready for a spring and summer full of inspiration!

The Spring Play Day will take place on Tuesday 4 March from 10 until 4. Lunch will be provided and the whole day is completely free of charge. We can arrange accommodation close by for you if you need to arrive the night before.

If you would like to apply for one of only 8 places, please email Sara at admin@thetextiledirectory.com with Play Day in the subject line. Please include a short paragraph telling us why you deserve a fun day away with The Textile Directory! Entries must be received by 31 January.

Book Review - Nuno Felt

Nuno Felt

By Liz Clay

Published by A & C Black

ISBN No: 978-0-7136-8601-2

Price: £16.99

Review by Bron Ellis

This beautifully produced new book by internationally known textile artist Liz Clay is a visual joy. It is a privilege to share the inspirations and techniques of a master of the technique. Felting seems to have become the ‘new knitting’, with many books being published on the subject recently. This book is special and concentrates on the making and designing of nuno felt, there is barely a rescued and felted old jumper in sight. It has a rare combination of excellent techniques and illustrations, complete with examples of Liz Clay’s beautiful and imaginative creations; it is not simply a project lead book and I think it is all the better for that.

The book illustrates the basic processes of nuno felt making and has key specialist tips highlighted in each section. This is followed by fibre and fabric choices, the dyeing of fibre, colour mixing and blending, combining processes such as shibori and cutwork stitching into the felts, and suggestions for surface embellishment The instructions and illustrations are comprehensive enough to inform a beginner but also to satisfy an expert felt maker. The result is a practical guide to making a wealth of beautiful and imaginative creations as well as a source of tips and methods for using this innovative felting process. I really enjoyed reading the book and was inspired and encouraged to start creating.

To buy this book please click here

Knit A Woolly Hat Pack

The Sailors' Society

The Sailors’ Society is a charity based in Southampton that exists to enhance and enrich seafarers’ lives throughout the world. There are 1.2 million sailors employed across the world, often spending weeks, if not months, at a time at sea. There are many ways The Society supports seafarers; by visiting them on their ships and offering them practical or spiritual support, transporting them to the nearest Seafarers’ Centre or town, and assisting when they are in difficulty. The most important objective for seafarers when they arrive in port is to contact their loved ones, something few can do while at sea.

During the winter months The Sailors’ Society runs a campaign to encourage knitters to create woolly hats, which they distribute throughout the year to sailors who are often unprepared for the cold conditions they encounter at sea. The Sailors’ Society loves to receive hand-knitted woolly hats, and last year they distributed over 21,000 hats worldwide to seafarers, as well as selling them on their website to generate much needed funds. If you would like to knit a woolly hat and need a pattern to help you, please call The Sailors’ Society on 023 8051 5950.

This year The Sailors’ Society has introduced some fantastic Christmas gift ideas to help support their valuable work. One of their most popular gifts is a knitting pack containing everything required for the recipient to knit their own woolly hat. Also available are tea towels and tasty Christmas puddings, as well as a fantastic range of charity gifts. For more information about the gifts available please click here.

For more information about the Sailors’ Society, please visit www.biss.org.uk or email admin@biss.org.uk.

(The Sailors’ Society changed its name from The British & International Sailors’ Society on 1 December 2007)

Some examples of pieces made on the courses

Alison Victoria School of Sewing

Alison Victoria School of Sewing is the largest independent sewing school in the UK and is based in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire. The school is run by fashion and textiles tutor Alison Smith and has courses available in tailoring, corsetry and dress making, as well as various creative courses for students to learn more about creating accessories such as jewellery, bags, cushions and hair corsages. It is also the only school in the UK to teach bridal wear.

While the majority of the classes are taught by Alison herself, she has also recruited several other tutors who provide courses in their speciality subjects. There are a variety of courses available including one-day workshop and 2-3 day classes. The school is also a City and Guilds approved centre. Alison has just announced her course programme for 2008, which features some very exciting new courses such as ‘The Tailored Skirt’ and ‘The Felting Machine’.

The school attracts pupils from all over the UK as well as Europe and even Australia. Alison says, “We get many women from other countries who have come to the UK for their husband’s work and like to take some sewing classes while they are here. Ashby de la Zouch is a lovely town and we can recommend several local B&Bs for those students who have had to travel to join us.”

The sewing school has two teaching rooms above Alison’s fabric shop, which is the only shop in the UK that sells the complete range of supplies needed for bra and corsetry making. The shop provides a full mail order service and has this week been launched online so please visit www.schoolofsewing.co.uk and click through to the fabric shop to stock up on your corsetry materials.

For more information about the school, or for a full list of the courses and workshops available please visit www.schoolofsewing.co.uk. You can also contact Alison at alison@schoolofsewing.co.uk or by calling 01530 416300.

Artist Studios Available

Farfield Mill Arts & Heritage Centre, based in Sedbergh, Cumbria, have a few studio spaces becoming available in the new year. Farfield Mill is home to 15 studios, which are occupied by an exciting variety of artists and craftworkers. As well as the studios, the Mill also hosts resident artist exhibitions and is a thriving retail space with a fully licensed tearoom. Farfield Mill is striving towards becoming a centre of excellence for textiles, art, design and manufacture, so priority will be given to textile artists when considering studio applications.

The sizes of the studios range from 130 sq feet to 480 sq feet, with a price of £6.50 per sq foot. Power is supplied to all units and charged quarterly, with some studios also having water facilities.

If you would like to be considered for studio space please contact Clare Hamilton on 015396 21505 or email clarehamilton@farfieldmill.org

I'm looking for...

Costume designer and dressmaker Kate Dicey has been in touch with us as she is looking for suppliers of various fabrics she would like to use in her work. Firstly she is keen to find a supplier of wicking fabrics, as used for climbing and hi-tech sports clothes. She would also like to find some stage fabrics that light up, and wool and silk jersey fabrics. Do you sell any of these or can you tell us who does? If so please email details to me at admin@thetextiledirectory.com and I will pass them on to Kate.

Diary Dates

For more information about any of the events listed please click here.