Request for reviewers

Hello and welcome to the September edition of The Textile Directory Newsletter. This month we have a fabulous Smart 350p embellisher machine to giveaway, courtesy of VSM (UK) Ltd. Please see below for details of how to enter the competition. We would also like to thank Myfanwy Hart who has supplied us with a project for you all to try with your embellishers. If you have a go at it don’t forget to send us your photographs! Thank you also to our other sponsors of this special issue - please click on their banners below to visit their websites and source all you need to complete your embellisher projects.

As always we would love to hear from you if you have any thoughts or comments about the newsletter or The Textile Directory.

Best wishes

Sara

admin@thetextiledirectory.com

The Smart 350P Embellisher

The Textile Directory is very happy to announce that we have a Smart 350P embellisher to giveaway to one lucky newsletter subscriber, courtesy of VSM (UK) Ltd in Redditch.

The embellisher is a ‘punching machine’, rather than a sewing machine and works with several specially shaped needles, without the need for thread. All you need are some scraps of fabric, yarn, wool, felt, denim, silk – each material results in a different effect! Just lay two or more materials on top of each other and the needles of the embellisher mesh the fibres of the fabrics together.

There are several important features of the Smart 350P:

No thread is required

The machine simply meshes the fibres together

Auto needles up

Every time you remove your foot from the foot control, the needles automatically stop in the up position. This makes it easy for you to move your project while creating and also protects the needles from breaking.

Adjustable height

The scale on the needle guard helps you set the correct working height for your project.

Needle guard

A needle guard covers the needles for safety while punching.

Slender free arm

The slender free arm makes it easy to embellish around small, narrow projects such as jeans’ legs, sleeves, etc.

Large working area

The large working area makes it easier for you when working on large projects.

Built in accessory tray

The integrated accessory tray is convenient and handy; it keeps your needles and gadgets in place.

To find out more about the uses of these fantastic machines, and to find out how you could win one, please see the articles below.

How One Artist Uses Her Embellisher Machine...

The popularity of the embellisher machine was demonstrated when textile artist Sue Allan joined The Textile Directory at The Knitting and Stitching Show in London last year after winning our Design Award. She then spent all the money she had earned at the show on buying an embellisher!

Sue creates fabulous dolls, as well as bags, cushions, buttons and other interior accessories, and has used the embellisher in much of her work. She has found it particularly useful for adding patterns and motifs to her handmade felt bags, as you can see from our photograph.

Like all textile artists, Sue loves to experiment with the machine and has found that it can create many different effects – her favourites are using it with felt and crochet. She is also very keen to see how the embellisher works with handmade papers.

Sue says, ‘The embellisher machine has got so much potential. In the past I’ve always had to do needlefelting by hand but this makes it so much quicker. It does take a bit of practice if you are aiming for a specific shape, but if you’re felting a large area it’s brilliant.’

You can see more of Sue’s fabulous work at www.sewsister.co.uk or at her online shop www.notonthehighstreet.com/sewsister

Book Review - Embellish and Stitch

Embellish and Stitch

By Maggie Grey and Valerie Campbell-Harding

ISBN: 978-0-9555371-0-3

Price: £14 (plus £2 p&p)

Reviewed by Sue Allan

This book is a really inspiring introduction for anyone new to dry needle felting or for those who have recently purchased an embellisher. However, best of all, this book provides those who have done some experimenting with ideas of where to go next.

The book has a clear but concise introduction to the embellisher and its alternatives. The exercises suggested by the authors are simple to follow so instil confidence in the reader to try them out for themselves. This kind of inspiration is an invaluable way to find your feet with a new technique or piece of equipment before branching out.

The book is broken into concise and easily accessible chapters leaving you to try a bit at a time rather than overwhelming you with too much information. Each section of the book is full of beautiful images that are accompanied by clear descriptions as to how each sample was achieved.

In the introduction the authors state, ‘by hand or machine, you’ll find a range of exciting options being explored throughout’ - they certainly do just that and more.

Embellish and Stitch is available from http://www.embellishandstitch.com

A Quick and Easy Necklace Made Using the Embellisher, by Myfanwy Hart

I have taught this several times within a larger workshop. It is useful for using up the bits and pieces we so often have lying around! As with all projects, please read the method through before starting, it will help you to choose your materials. The art of working on the Embellisher is called ‘meshing’.

Materials:

A piece of felt approx 5” (13cm) x 3” (8cm). Choose the colour carefully as it will influence the look of your finished piece (see method).

A piece of fancy fabric (I used silk metallic tissue) slightly larger than the felt, or scraps of several fabrics - enough to cover the felt as below.

A length of fancy knitting yarn (I usually start with about 4m as the yarn is used double, you could use shorter lengths of two yarns)

Large eyed tapestry needle (suitable for the knitting yarn)

A small selection of beads with thread and needle of a suitable size (If you are worried about threading a small eyed needle it is useful to note that an embroidery needle, size 10, will fit through the hole of most small beads.)

Scissors

Method:

• Place your fancy fabric onto the felt. Working from the fabric side, use your embellisher to mesh the two pieces together. Start in the middle and work outwards. You will create texture as you work and the fabric will ‘shrink’ to fit the felt.
• Lay your sample upside down on a flat surface. Fold along the long sides so that the edges meet in the middle of the back (the felt side). Working from this side, carefully mesh in a straight line along these edges only to seal them and form two channels. 
• Turn your piece over. You will see that the felt has been pushed through and now forms a line down the centre. 
• Cut into the desired number of segments, and then decorate the ‘felt’ centre with beads of your choice.
• Cut your fancy yarn into two equal lengths and thread one through each channel of your first beaded segment. Tie these together into a loose knot on each side of the segment; you will need to adjust the position shortly.  Add the other segments in the same manner, again making sure that all knots are loose.
• Stand in front of a mirror and drape the necklace. Note where you need to adjust the knots to enable the necklace to lie flat. Adjust, and then knot the rest of the cord.
• The samples were finished off with a knot (which lies at the back of the neck) and the excess cord trimmed.

Variations:

• Use machine wrapped cords instead of a fancy yarn. 
• Decorate with machine embroidery before making the channels
• Make one ‘bead’ and add larger decorations.
• Stitch with French Knots instead of using beads.
• Make a matching bracelet
• There are many more ideas to try – I’m sure you can think of several already.

Myfanwy Hart is a textile artist and tutor who runs several workshops on the embellisher. For more information please email her at sales@winifredcottage.co.uk

An embellisher machine!

For your chance to win a fantastic Smart 350p embellisher worth £249 simply email your name and address to admin@thetextiledirectory.com with ‘Embellisher’ in the subject line.

To read more about the embellisher, please click here or visit www.pfaff.com

Good luck!

Congratulations

Congratulations to Wendy Sharp from Ampleforth, Ellie Beharrell from Knutsford and Evie Arnott from Bognor Regis who are the three lucky winners of a copy of Carol Coleman’s new book Fibredancing. If you weren’t one of the successful ones you can still purchase the book for just £9.50 plus postage by clicking here.

Linda Rudkin

Linda Rudkin is a textile artist who works with natural dyes. She began working with textiles after starting a C&G Creative Embroidery course when she found herself with too much spare time following her retirement. Previously Linda had worked as a secondary school English teacher for 22 years.

So, what prompted her love of textiles? ‘When researching the History of Embroidery as part of my course I visited The Bayeux Tapestry and it is no exaggeration to say that this was a life-changing experience. Leaving aside the extraordinary scale and narrative detail, it was the vibrancy of the colours, almost a thousand years old and produced entirely from natural resources, that really intrigued me.’

Once she arrived home, Linda decided to have a go at creating some of her own samples using ‘a bag of frozen blackberries from the previous season’s crop, a few onion skins, and some golden rod flowers and leaves from the garden.’ Her range of samples grew and she now has a collection of 58 different sample boards.

In spring 2004 Linda had her first magazine article published and she also organised a solo exhibition at her local museum. These two events led to several requests to talk to interested groups, including Guilds of embroiderers, spinners, weavers, dyers and quilters, WIs and historical societies. Linda is still doing these talks and sees them as the trigger to her new career.

Last month saw the publication of Linda’s first book, Natural Dyes. She says, ‘So many people had asked when ‘the book’ would appear, so having little idea about how to proceed, I contacted Sue at Word4Word (publishers of The Textile Directory). I received a very encouraging email in which Sue recommended several publishers that she thought might be interested. Within a few weeks, I had a contract with A&C Black to write Natural Dyes for their ‘Textile Handbook’ series. Writing the text was not too taxing, given my background as an English teacher, but I had greatly underestimated how long it would take to put together 100 suitable images, especially since some of the articles I wanted to use still needed finishing off! However the deadline was met and it was with a real sense of achievement and pleasure that Natural Dyes went to print on time!’ You can read a review of Linda’s new book by clicking here.

Linda will be exhibiting at Creative Stitches in Exeter from 27-30 September. She will be showcasing a selection of her sample boards alongside pieces of textile art created exclusively with natural-dyed fabric.

If you would like more information about Linda and her work please email her at rudkin2@aol.com

Book Review - Hot Textiles by Kim Thittichai

Hot Textiles

By Kim Thittichai

Published By Batsford

ISBN: 978 0 7134 9040 4

Price: £18.99 (plus £3 UK postage)

Reviewed by Jenny Lewis

Hot Textiles, as the title suggests, is an exciting book that explores the effects of various heat sources when applied to a range of interesting and unusual materials. The book invites you to be experimental and find new substances that will melt, distort or bond. It encourages you to take a heat gun, soldering iron or conventional iron and apply it to Bondaweb, Thermagauze, Lutradur, Lazertran, Magic film, Cello-foil or Tyvek to see what results are achieved. Carrier bags, sweet wrappers, old chiffon scarves, nylons and other re-cycleable materials may be used to great effect.

The book’s aim is to inspire and is not a gallery of finished art-works, although some are included. It is a collection of experimental samples showing how original materials can be changed, by heat, into new and tantalising creations.

Part One describes the tools used to make textiles ‘hot’. Part Two discusses methods, techniques and embellishments. It is lavishly illustrated and accompanied by a descriptive text packed with information.

To buy this book, please click here to download an order form.

Request for reviewers

We would love to hear from anybody who would like to have a go at writing a book review. We are sent lots of review copies of textile art books here to our offices and would love to get more of them reviewed and posted up on the website. If you would like to have a go at writing one then email me at admin@thetextiledirectory.com and I will send you a list of the books available. Please could you also include a list of your preferred textile-related subjects.

The Festival of Quilts: A Visitor's Report

By Kate Wells

Kate Wells was one of ten winners in our July Newsletter who received a pair of tickets to The Festival of Quilts at Birmingham NEC. Here is her report of the day:

“Hats off to Twisted Thread for The Festival of Quilts! As the catalogue indicated there really was something for everyone – rather a lot of it too. By mid-afternoon the tea stops were full of dazed quilters recharging for the final foray or giving in to exhaustion while proudly sharing their bags full of spoils across the tables.

My daughter (currently on the BA Embroidery course at Manchester) and I decided to be selective – to start with! Our ‘star find’ was the Bosnia Quilt Workshop stand right at the end of the afternoon. We would have missed it but for a wrong turn. Their display made our hearts stop. Imagine the spiritual plainness and depth of an Amish Quilt and then a Rothko canvas while rebuilding a war-torn Bosnian village. Artist Lucia Feinig-Giesinger designs the cloth and colour layout, and has trained 12 women who hand-stitch subtle patterns across the quilts. They earn their living and self esteem through this beautiful work.

The rest of the feast for us was mainly in the Gallery spending good time with ‘Quilt 2007’, and enjoying Sarah Impey’s ‘Quiltblog’ and Elizabeth Brimelow’s ‘Tiree’ – a poised and gentle collage quilt. Tiny hand-stitched illustrative works from India kept popping up in the shows – east meeting west – delightful.

Jo Budd’s stand simply sang with easy expanses of abstract colour reflecting sea, sand and boats. Pauline Burbidge’s ‘Quiltline’ collection was strikingly refreshing. ‘The Third European Quilt Triennial’ had some wonderful work on show. Zig-zags of competition screens were very mixed until finding the winner of the miniature quilts. We tried the ‘Freestyle’ machine quilting frame and were seriously tempted, picked up leaflets and ran out of time to explore the many workshops and demonstration areas.

In all – an inspiring day.”

Forge Mill Needle Museum

Forge Mill Needle Museum in Redditch is the only water-powered needle scouring mill left in the world. The mill shows visitors original working Victorian machinery and the fascinating, and sometimes gruesome, story of needle making in Victorian times. The models and recreated scenes also show how Redditch came to dominate the world needle trade.

Forge Mill began its life as an iron forge at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1730 it was converted into a needle scouring mill, which is still on the site today in the two story West Wing. Incredibly the machinery was still in use commercially until May 1958. Attached to the West Wing is the Barrelling shop where the needles were dried, and the Stone Crushing Mill where the old pointing stones were crushed into scouring powder.

Since the 19th century needles have been made two at a time, and the museum takes visitors through each stage in the process. The museum also arranges Victorian-themed trips for schools, where the children have the opportunity to compete for a job as a needle maker.

Located just 30 minutes from Birmingham, a trip to Forge Mill would be a great addition to your visit to The Knitting and Stitching Show later this month. Admission to the museum is £3.80 for adults, £2.80 for concessions and 65p for children.

For more information please visit www.redditchbc.gov.uk or call 01527 62509.

Not yet listed?

If you haven’t yet taken a listing on The Textile Directory website, why not sign up today? It only takes a few minutes. If you would like to get more from your listing then we recommend the silver listing option, which includes direct links to your own email address and website for only £60 plus VAT per year. Our recent customer survey revealed that 83% of visitors use the links to visit other websites, so why not make sure yours is one of them? Please click here to get listed today. If you are already listed but would like to upgrade to a linked listing give Sara a call on 01386 760406 and she will arrange that for you.

New Enhanced Listings in TTD

Golden Threads (renewed)

www.goldenthreads.co.uk

Online Fabrics

www.online-fabrics.co.uk

Art In The Frame Foundation (renewed)

www.mnlg.com

Painters Craft Box (renewed)

www.craft-box.com

The Silk Route (renewed)

www.thesilkroute.co.uk

Sewfine Sewing Machines

www.sewfine.co.uk

The Linen Shop (renewed)

www.thelinenshop.biz

Contemporary Textile Fair

www.landmarkartscentre.org

If you would like to appear in this list in October, enhance your listing today by calling 01386 760406. This costs from just £5 per month and will give you links directly to your own email address and website. Plus, if you arrange to pay for your enhancement annually by standing order we will give you three months extra absolutely free.

Diary Dates

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