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Sara Drinkwater

Holly Edwards

Hello and welcome to the April edition of The Textile Directory Newsletter. This month we have enjoyed having work experience student Ellen Brigden with us. She has worked on a few of the articles in the newsletter and you can also click here to read her review of 49 ½ Skirts: Create Your Own Custom Couture.

We also have a great competition for those of you who like trying out new textile techniques to attend a fantastic workshop with freelance embroiderer and tutor Tracy A Franklin, so please read on for more details.

If you would like to get in touch with either of us then you can do so at the usual address: admin@thetextiledirectory.com or by calling 01386 760406 (though for the next few days you will have to speak to me as Holly is enjoying a well earned break in sunny Cyprus!)

Best wishes Sara

The Textile Directory's Spellbinding Textiles Competition - Call For Entries

Here at The Textile Directory we are very excited to announce our Spellbinding Textiles Competition, which is open to anybody who has an interest in any area of textiles. So if your passion is for fashion, interiors, textile art and design or 3D work then this competition is for you. The theme of the competition is magic and entrants are invited to produce a textile-related item based on their interpretation of this theme.

The overall winner of the competition will receive £1000 to spend on Pfaff products, to suit their individual sewing needs. Whether you yearn for a new sewing or quilting machine, want to update your overlocker or fancy trying out some of the latest software then enter the competition and you could win just that!

There will also be an exhibition of the 30 best entries we receive at The Forge Mill Needle Museum in Redditch in February 2009.

The closing date of the competition is 31 October 2008. Anybody wishing to enter the competition will need to submit 3-4 images of their finished piece plus a short artists’ statement by this date to admin@thetextiledirectory.com. Or you can post your images on a CD to The Textile Directory, 8 King Charles Court, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 4RF.

A gallery of all the entries we receive will also be included on The Textile Directory website.

For more information please visit www.thetextiledirectory.com/competition

Tracy's Studio in Fowlers Yard

Tracy A Franklin Hand Embroidery Workshops

Tracy A Franklin runs a variety of hand embroidery workshops from her studio in Fowlers Yard, Durham. She originally joined The Royal School of Needlework in 1991 as an apprentice and went on to become a teacher, which she admits is something ‘I never thought I would I do!’

In 2001 Tracy left the school to become a freelance embroiderer and tutor and has since set up her own City & Guilds courses – Embroidery and Design Certificate and Embroidery and Design Diploma – with fellow tutor Julia Triston. The courses are taught under the business name of stitchbusiness and have been running for almost two years. They currently have eleven registered students – nine working for a certificate and two for a diploma. Both courses take place one day a week for two years, so Tracy and Julia are looking forward to seeing their first set of students complete the course later this year.

Tracy says, ‘It’s been very challenging but also a lot of fun. It has revived my teaching and I see things from a different angle now. The students taking the courses range in age quite a lot – some are retired and doing the course for fulfilment, while others are hoping to make a career from it. I would love to see some of the students go on to become tutors and some will hopefully become professional artists as well.’

Tracy also runs her own one and two-day workshops from the studios in silk shading, goldwork and contemporary whitework. These are all taster sessions into the techniques so that students can finish the day knowing the basics and ready to embark on their own projects. Tracy says, ‘I have spent years perfecting these techniques and so these workshops teach students what I have learnt.’

There will be an open day at Tracy’s studio in Fowlers Yard on Saturday 19 July for people who are interested in applying for the City & Guilds courses. This will be a fantastic opportunity for students to meet Tracy and Julia and discuss their individual needs with them. In the meantime if you would like more information please visit www.tracyafranklin.com or email Tracy at tracy@tracyafranklin.com

Amy Hutchins

Cressida Bell

Fabric Of Time

By Ellen Brigden

‘Fabric of Time’ is coming to West Sussex for the first time this April, for what promises to be an eclectic and vibrant mix of exhibitors for visitors of all ages. With over 25 exhibitors in three categories including, ‘inspiration’, ‘progression of time’ and ‘educational’ there is sure to be something for everyone. Those exhibiting include Royal College of Art Graduate Cressida Bell, who specialises in textiles and interiors and Amy Hutchins with her ethical fashions. There will be plenty to see and do, with inspiration and advice on hand from specialists in all textile areas.

Diary Dates

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