A rather lovely book cover decoration. Newspaper layered with painted Bondaweb decorated with glitter and die cut newspaper shapes bonded onto a book cover. Have just had a FAB three days teaching at Foredown Tower and Yes! it was using newspaper AGAIN!!! Are you fed up with it yet? I hope not, I am teaching a similar course at Art Van Go next week. This course was 'A new starting point'. Foredown Tower is a great place to teach - it is an old water tower that now houses one of the very few camera obscura left in the country. The camera is on the top floor of the building. The views all around the building are stunning. The teaching room is on the middle floor. Both these floors are accessed by an external metal staircase, very wide and very strong but not good for disabled access. It can be a bit annoying in wet weather but it kind of adds to the charm of the place.   The girls hard at it. I like teaching there so much I have booked the tower for s

Mary's beautiful composition of painted Bondaweb, newspaper, foils, gilding flake and jewel dots - and seaweed! Every now and then in your teaching life you come across a 'super' group. 'Super' in the the way they work together, share their materials and experience and of course they produce some fabulous work. It is particularly unusual to find this on a three day course - it is something I would associate with much longer course. Nine students who have never met before with the widest divide of experience and age from 17 to much older, experience ranged from very little through City and guilds up to degrees and a PHD in textiles based subjects. "Where sheep may safely graze . . "  The view outside the workshop door - sigh . . . it is so beautiful. Of course, being at West Dean College  www.westdean.org.uk helped, what with stunning surroundings, space to work and wonderful food it would be difficult to find anywhere else more suited t

Painted Bondaweb ironed onto a cream background fabric and decorated with gilding flake, sequins and foil. My first job back in this lovely green and very wet country was an afternoon lecture and workshop hosted by the Winchester Branch of the Embroiderers Guild . What an organised and helpful branch they are. There was definitely the buzz of a vibrant and focused group, they made me feel very energised. Does that make sense? My lecture went well - it was my first time talking about my 'Textile Travels' and it seemed to be well received. I stayed that night with Susan Chapman, www.susanchapman.com Susan lives close to where I would be teaching the next day so it all worked out very well. We had a great evening catching up with most of what we had been up to since we had seen other last at Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch at the NEC in March. We both had so much to talk about - the main source of conversation was Susan's new house - FABULOUS. I'm only a little