Fashion Students Go to Great Lengths to Learn New Skills

Made in the Middle

Carol Coleman's Fibredancing

Fibredancing - 3 copies to give away

Hello and welcome to the new-look Textile Directory Newsletter. In the last month we have visited an exhibition in Leamington Spa and met several fantastic textile artists. You can read more about them in the articles below. We will also be visiting the Festival of Quilts later this month so hopefully we will see lots of you there. As always, if you have any thoughts or comments about the newsletter, please send them to us at admin@thetextiledirectory.com

Best wishes

Sara

Fashion Students Go to Great Lengths to Learn New Skills

Living in the UK many of us take our education for granted, but two students studying for HND Fashion and Textiles at Barnet College know just how hard gaining these qualifications can be. These two students, Rose Kaleke and Alla Madison, have both had to leave their home countries behind in order to further their careers.

Before she came to England, Rose was running her own boutique in Malawi selling women’s clothes and accessories, while Alla had her own dressmaking business in Estonia. Both decided that they needed to improve their skills, and so began their very individual journeys to the UK and Barnet College.   Rose had owned her boutique for five years, travelling to South Africa, Dubai and Thailand to buy her stock. She says, “Most of the time I was losing money as I had to offer discounts to customers who still needed to take the garments for alterations. I thought there must be a way to improve my business and make my customers happy”.

So, Rose decided to move to the UK and study fashion. Many of her friends were opposed to the idea, partly due to her age, but also because it was unheard of for a woman to leave her husband behind. Despite this Rose was determined and, with the backing of her husband, Rose sold her business, enrolled at a private university and came to the UK.

Rose had a successful time at the university and was included on the Deans list of achievements, but she later had to leave for personal reasons. While searching for somewhere to continue her studies she came across a prospectus for Barnet College.

The cost of flying home means that she hasn’t seen her family for three years, but she knows it is a necessary sacrifice. She has been awarded a place at Bournemouth University to top up her qualification to a BA (Hons) degree, and intends to return home next year once that is completed.

Once back in Malawi Rose would like to run her own boutique again, “employing people with disabilities because it can be hard for them to find employment.” She concludes, “One day I would like to export my own label to neighbouring countries, and even to Europe”.

Like Rose, Alla came to England to improve her skills as a dressmaker. In 2002, along with her husband and daughter, Alla moved to a house in Barnsley where she studied English, IT and Art at Barnsley College, while they waited for permanent residency to be granted. In 2005 they moved down to London and Alla enrolled at Barnet College.

Once the course is over Alla has been offered a place at the London University of the Arts, where she will study for a BA (Hons) degree in Bespoke Tailoring. After completing her education Alla hopes she will get a job in London so she and her family can remain in England.

Alla says she has enjoyed studying at the college, and has overcome many difficulties along the way. She says, “I didn’t understand English very well at first, so my work did not show the standards I could have reached. But the teachers helped me a lot and for that I will be forever grateful.”

If you would like more information about applying for a course at Barnet College then please visit www.barnet.ac.uk

Kousa/Cross Over

Kousa/Cross Over is a textile exhibition by artists Hillu Liebelt and Asako Ishizaki. The pair first met when Hillu visited Asako’s home country of Japan in November last year and since then they have been working on this exhibition of textile and fibre pieces. Both artists have a similar approach to translating ideas into a textile medium so their work complements each other well.

Hillu says, “One of the reasons I went to Japan was to teach at the Kawashima Textile School in Kyoto and Asako was the director there at the time. We have been working on this exhibition ever since and are both really looking forward to it.”

The exhibition runs from 9 September-20 October 2007 at The Grace Barrand Design Centre in Surrey. For more information please visit www.gracebarrand.com

Made in the Middle

The wealth of creativity on display includes furniture, lighting, ceramics, glass, jewellery, metalwork and textiles from both recent graduates and makers with international reputations. Some of the fabulous textiles on display include weavings by Ermine Jackson, wall pieces by Karina Thompson, felt vessels by Deborah Roberts, fashion accessories by Sian Fletcher and large-scale work by Ranbir Kaur and Sally Greaves-Lord.

After the tour of the exhibition I had the opportunity to meet with several of the artists at the event and discuss their work. Scroll down to the articles below or click on the links above to read more about them.

Made in the Middle runs until 2 September at Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum, before going on tour around the West Midlands. For details of the dates and venues please click here.

Book Review by Gabrielle of Wearable Expressions

Fibredancing

Book One: Brooches, Bracelets, Rings & Things

By Carol Coleman

Published by Word4Word

ISBN: 0-9551677-9-9

Price: £9.50 plus postage

Fibredancing by Carol Coleman is a marvellous introduction to a technique in which even the novice can achieve success. The projects will have your mind dancing with possibilities for personal adornment. Starting with the basics of equipment (most of which you probably already have at hand) and materials, Carol details techniques in easy to follow, step-by-step directions.

The written word is accompanied by detailed, sequential photographs throughout and what is learned in one project easily translates to the next. Using the art of free-machine embroidery there is no limit to what the mind can conceive and create - whether brooch, bracelet, neckpiece, dress, cloak or even tiara! Carol’s creations are truly art to wear: combining the conventional with the unexpected to create something which is unique, beautiful, versatile and well designed - work which is most certainly a Wearable Expression!

To buy this book please click here

Books to give away

This month we have 3 copies of Carol Coleman’s new book Fibredancing to giveaway (see review here). For your chance to win please email your name and address to admin@thetextiledirectory.com with ‘book’ in the subject line. Good luck!

Have you got a book in you?

If you are an artist or designer you may have considered writing a book. Perhaps you have students or friends who say you should? Well, help is at hand. With their workshops Publish Your Book! and Market Your Book!, Word4Word, publishers of The Textile Directory, have helped dozens of people fulfil their dream of publishing.

Whether you are interested in publishing independently or through one of the major publishing houses such as Batsford or Search Press, these workshops offer lots of information and advice about how to go about it. Click here to find out more or call Sue on 01386 760405 for a chat.

www.w4wdp.com

Don't miss September's newsletter!

Coming in September, for TTD Newsletter subscribers only, we have a fantastic prize draw for a Pffaf Smart 350P Embeliisher Machine worth £249!

If you're reading this newsletter because a friend forwarded it to you or it's on someone else's computer, make sure you go to The Textile Directory online and sign up now to be sure to receive your copy and invitation to enter the draw in September.

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Karina Thompson

While at the Made in the Middle exhibition I met Birmingham-based artist Karina Thompson who produces textile wall hangings for private interiors and public spaces. She set up her own studio 16 years ago and since then has been exhibiting in the UK, Europe and the USA. She has been commissioned by Aardman Animations, Salisbury District Hospital and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines to create various textile pieces in the past.

Karina’s latest project is a collaboration with VSM (UK) Ltd to produce some new textile pieces using 4D stitch. The project will focus on the body and medical images, such as the rhythm of the heart and lungs, and recreate them as embroidered images. It is hoped that this work will seek to question the nature and purpose of stitch at the start of the 21st century, as well as illuminate the patterns within our bodies. One of the aims of the project is to dispel the myth that artists are only capable of creative work. As Karina says, “Artists tend not to be seen as mathematical – this project aims to dispute this.”

Karina will be using existing medical scanning hardware and the images it produces as her starting point, as well as investigating the technology of digital stitchery. The project is currently being finalised, but you can see some of Karina’s fascinating working samples in our photographs. She says, “In terms of final materials its all a bit vague. But I am working with a variety of standard sewing threads and a range of fabrics including polyester, cotton and silk, alongside some more untraditional materials such as paper, plastics and metal leaf.”

Mike Harris, a director at VSM (UK) Ltd, is very excited to be working with Karina. He says, “Our collaboration with Karina has inspired everyone within the company…the most important thing is that we have had fun working with her.”

The exact nature of the final pieces is still unknown but the intention is for them to be large-scale works suitable for permanent display in public places. We will let you know once we hear more!

If you would like more information about Karina please visit her website www.karinathompson.co.uk

Ranbir Kaur

Ranbir was one of the artists exhibiting work at Made in the Middle who I was lucky enough to meet during my tour. She has been working with textiles for 32 years, travelling extensively across the world, and had many interesting stories to tell. Ranbir aims to keep her Indian culture alive in England through producing colourful textiles and Rangoli designs (large-scale art works created outside on the ground using materials such as sand, powders and beans).

She has travelled across South Africa, Australia, Seattle, Greece, Spain, France and the Canary Islands to demonstrate her work. Ranbir has exhibited at over 250 festivals locally, nationally and internationally, where amazingly she has never had any rain!

All Ranbir’s Rangoli art works are unplanned, but she says she never has any difficulty sourcing inspiration. She explains, “I never find it hard to come up with an idea as I just work with the materials I’ve got. I need to picture something in my mind and then it just flows”.

Ranbir works with coloured rice, sand and sawdust, beans, lentils and coconut, amongst other materials. She told me, “I always keep a few things in the car to use when I’m doing a new project – things like bangles and marbles - to help inspire the designs”.

Ranbir has done commissions for several restaurants, hotels and businesses. She once did a project for Volvo, the car manufacturers, where she had to create two designs – one on the car bonnet and one around the edge of the car. Afterwards the car was lifted out of the design, as nobody wanted to drive over it!

She also recalled a story from when she was in the Canary Islands exhibiting work at an outdoor festival. She saw a lady wearing a beautiful dress and decided to depict the design on the floor once the lady had gone. Despite only seeing the dress for around 20 minutes, Ranbir was able to recreate it using lentils, chillies and beans, and the lady recognised it later when she returned for the festival.

So how does Ranbir remember things so clearly? “I don’t know, I think it must be a gift! I can picture in my mind the steps that I will need to take and the colours I will need and then the idea just flows.”

Ranbir also teaches children in primary schools and secondary schools to help them bring their ideas together. She says, “when you bring a project you’re not always clear in your mind where it’s going. I teach children to play around and help get their ideas to flow.” Ranbir also holds workshops and provides one-to-one tuition for adults in community centres, colleges and hospitals. If you would like to attend one of her workshops please contact Ranbir on the email address below and she will send you a leaflet.

Ranbir is exhibiting at Bilston Craft Gallery in Wolverhampton from 11 August-1 September. The exhibition, called Colours of Asia, will feature her textiles, rangoli work, beadwork, dolls and clay pieces.

Sally Greaves-Lord

Sally Greaves-Lord is a textile artist from Sutton Coldfield who is currently exhibiting work at the Made in the Middle exhibition at Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum. Sally’s work is created by hand painting and dyeing onto silk or cotton cloth. She uses a variety of materials and techniques to create different styles and textures in her work.

Sally has recently been practicing with different techniques to create a bleached effect on her textile pieces. She says, “You get beautiful effects with bleaching agents but I wanted to play around with other techniques, so I took more of a painter’s approach – using dyes and pigments.” Sally paints layers onto a silk background and then distresses the pigments to give different colours. She also scratches some of the pigment layers away to show the colours underneath and rubs some areas away in water to give different textures.

Sally works mainly to commission and has previously created a painted backdrop for the BBC, a mosaic design at Hammersmith Station and designed window installations in Bangkok. She also produced two large processional banners for Sheffield Cathedral in 2002, which was one of her favourite jobs. She says, “I loved doing that as you don’t often get to produce large-scale textiles that will be moving. Usually they are framed and kept in one place or hung on a wall.”

Sally’s current project is for Leeds General Infirmary and will be completed in December this year. She has a 26 metre corridor space, which will feature 23 textile pieces. Sally says, “the pieces will be largely abstract, but they are all inspired by the theme of the garden.”

As well as all her public and private commissions, Sally produces work to be held in collections. Currently she has work at The V&A Museum, The Crafts Council, Bankfield Museum and two museums in Japan. She has also created pieces for several corporate collections, including BUPA, Arthur Anderson and the Long Term Credit Bank of Japan. 

If you would like more information about Sally and her work then please email her at Sally.greaves-lord@virgin.net

Ermine Jackson

Ermine Jackson was one of the artists I met who is exhibiting work at Made in the Middle. She produces woven designs out of packaging, plastic bags, newspapers and magazines for interiors and fashion. The colour of each piece is determined by the colours and patterns used on the paper, making each one unique.

Ermine creates her pieces by deconstructing the packaging and then weaving it into the fabrics. She also often creates her own yarns to weave the papers through, in order to achieve subtle textures and colours in her work. She develops a range of weft yarns by changing the quality and texture of the material used through various techniques and processes. She has incorporated ceramic beads into some of her weavings and says that bringing other found objects into her work is something she is working on at the moment.

As well as producing her artworks, Ermine also holds workshops where she teaches children “how to make art without spending lots of money”. She encourages them to make pictures and badges from newspapers and magazines and teaches them new skills. She also demonstrates how the loom works, and shows them how to make cloth. This loom-work is something Ermine would like to develop further, citing “working on industrial looms creating screens and blinds” as one of her next challenges.

Currently Ermine is preparing to create a fashion piece for a competition in Sewing World Magazine. She told me, “I am looking for a fashion designer who can cut the patterns and make them look really unusual. I want somebody who will be able to work with my fabrics so we can create something that makes a statement, rather than a fashionable or functional piece.”

if you would like to collaborate with Ermine to create her unusual fashion piece then please email her at erminejackson@hotmail.com

Congratulations

To Annette Haidemenos from Leicester, Rosene Simpson from Birmingham, Patricia Greaves from Ainsdale, Joyce Rowen from Derby, Anne Turner from Buckfast, Devon, Homera Khan from Birmingham, Ann Bunston from Taunton, Diane Watson from Boston, Pen Harrison from Ludlow and Kath Danswan from Swindon, who are the ten lucky winners of a pair of tickets to the Festival of Quilts at Birmingham NEC. If you weren’t successful this time why not have another go in this month’s competition?

New and Renewed Listings in TTD

Below is a list of the new listing enhancements added to our website in July. Please take a look at their websites and if you contact them don’t forget to mention us!

Inkberrow Design Centre

www.inkberrowdesigncentre.com

Ledbury Artplace (Angie Hughes)

www.ledburyartplace.com                                          

21st Century Beads

www.beadmaster.com

Daisy Chains                                                        www.artsandcrafts.co.uk

If you would like to appear in this list in September, enhance your listing today by calling 01386 760406. This costs just £5 per month and will give you links directly to your own email address and website. Plus, if you set up your enhancement by direct debit we will give you three months extra absolutely free.

Diary Dates

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