I’ve really enjoyed creating in August. The month started off with the Helen Dardik workshop in Rotterdam which was beautiful and inspiring. The month and art has flourished from there.
I created an illustrated map, an instructional illustration for #PortfolioClub, an illustrated Recipe prompted by Flow Magazine’s book 50 Ways To Draw Your Beautiful Ordinary Life. I also created a party invitation book cover and stitched/painted self portrait.
I added new items to my Folksy shop as we start to get ready for the busy festive period.
To learn more about this latest work follow these links❤️
I was delighted to see that @Helendardik was holding a workshop on this side of the Atlantic. So immediately booked on the course in Rotterdam.
Helen furnished the beautiful Rotterdam studio with boundless beautiful bouquets. Wonderful teaching with a lovely group of creative people.
I had seen and followed Helen’s work. Always wondering how she achieved the effects with paint, to create her stunning pieces. I was keen to learn from Helen.
Lovely to meet Helen. I felt like I’d stepped into Instagram. I learned so much and had a truly lovely day. .
I continue to explore the techniques, and materials, here are my favourite pieces so far….
Continuing my bird work. 😊
When I accidentally dropped a huge blog of opera pink on my brand new sheet of paper this snail character emerged.
Sweet flower in the garden
Tulip repeat pattern assembled in #pixelmator
Love all life – response to the horrific mass shootings in the US that day.
Cornflower BluesFlowers, butterflies and balloons
Self portrait following this style. Created in stitch and paint to represent my favourite mediums
Love how the pinks pop against the blues.
Summer Party themed painting
Even being blue can be beautiful
Helen has a workshop planned in Canada in September. I highly recommend her workshops, more info at her website
This one day workshop gives the opportunity to bring stitch into the fabric design process. Stitching before and/or after transferring designs onto the fabric gives some beautiful effects and is fun to explore.
You can bring your own sewing machine or use one of the studio’s machines.
This fabric design was created from a wax relief print of free machine embroidery, I then stitched into the printed fabric.
The above fabric became the body of this doll. She combines fabric design dye techniques, stitch and my favourite things including tulips and butterflies.After hand painting and printing this design I placed a fleecy layer behind it and a titched details
Stitching fabric waves onto this fabric print to add texture and depth to the sea.
This small fabric bird was printed using plant sample from in and around our garden. Then stitched to create the pretty bird.
Come along and try these techniques and enjoy creating something truly unique.
With just a week until my fabric design workshop here’s some inspiration of the lovely things that I’ve created using the techniques I’ll be sharing on Saturday 9th March.
Oo and I have a new recipe (description ) for what I do:
Main ingredient of sunshine, dose of nature’s wonder, spoonful of heartwarming colour, a delight of details and sprinkle of nostalgia – art to uplift.
☺️
The sublimation printing techniques for transferring colour into fabrics have been used in the following projects, you can click on them to learn about them…
To read testimonials from my workshop ‘trial run’ click here.
To book visit the Stitched Up and Fleeced textile studio venue website.
This art workshop is supported by the wonderful, colourful, Sheffield company Colourcraft Ltd.
Have a wonderful week. I’m so looking forward to the workshop, to sharing the lovely techniques and seeing the magic appear on the fabric, and the joy that brings.
I’m delighted to have received these testimonials after a run through of my upcoming workshop, which will take place at Stitched Up And Fleeced in Sheffield on 9th March from 10-12:30.
“The workshop had a relaxed environment in which I felt comfortable asking for help or any questions about the work. The organisation of the workshop meant it was enjoyable and the time given meant I wasn’t rushed into completing my design. I am very happy with what I produced and the skills and knowledge about heat press and the dyes I developed during the process.” AGR, Sheffield.
“I thoroughly enjoyed trying a totally new skill. Instructions were very clear and the group dynamic made the whole experience much fun. It was great to see the vibrant finished result emerge from my own design. It was rewarding to complete the task from beginning to end in just a few hours.” JPS Chesterfield.
“Amazing evening experiencing the ‘Magical’ creation, made possible by the unique experience of Kim and her Heat Press techniques.” MK, Manchester.
The workshop provides the opportunity to create a design and transfer it onto fabric for use in a fashion, sewing or craft project.
Priced at just £30 it’s a lovely, great value experience for some quality ‘you time’ or a lovely early Mother’s Day gift.
With just a month to my lovely Heat Press workshop (10-12:30 9th March Sheffield) here are some examples and samples of what you could choose to make.
Of course there really aren’t any limits, the possibilities are infinite.
Whether you want to paint, print, cut paper pieces, make patterns or pictures – it’s your workshop and time to indulge in play with colour and fabrics.
This is an opportunity to create your own unique design and transfer it onto fabric. During the workshop you will be guided through steps to create a bespoke design and transfer it onto a fabric of your choice for use in whatever textile, sewing or craft project you wish. You will learn about products, techniques and equipment, how different fabrics respond to the process and how best to prepare them. You will be inspired by what your designs could become. This workshop is supported by ‘Colourcraft’.
The workshop can be booked through the venue website at
Celebrating 3 years: It’s now three years since I began focussing on art and making. After injuring my knee I decided to follow my heart and felt a need to let out the colour and creative potential that I instinctively knew was within me.
Switching to a less commercial line of work has not been easy and has taken courage and conviction, but as I continue to explore and my work evolves I’m keen to see what I’ll be creating next.
The highlights of the past three years have been two Art and Design year long course Distinctions, a solo art exhibition, and being commissioned by customers to create bespoke artworks and gifts.
Collage of my favourite 9 from the past 3 years…
Latest work: My latest creation is an embroidered work for a dear friend, inspired by an image. I felt real flow in this work and felt guided in creating it by some artistic wisdom that joined me while I hand and machine appliquéd and stitched.
Image of Pippin and image of the work.
The picture that the textile portrait is based on. The colourful textile portrait on repurposed cross stitch fabric that I have dyed created using appliqué including felt I have made with iridescent fabric that was formerly a curtain in my Sheffield studio, machine embroidery, free motion embroidery and hand stitching.
This work grew out of the paintings and embroideries of dogs over the past few years.
Workshop Development: Exciting news is that I’m developing a heat press workshop. This will given people the opportunities to develop a design and print it onto fabric in just 2 hours. Watch this space for news and dates. if you’re not signed up to receive Inspire news then you can do so by typing your email address into the box above.
My favourite pieces created in fabrics dyes using the Heat Press
Work in progress: Miniature plants need a miniature place to grow so I’ve been building a greenhouse in Fab lolly sticks with a Magnum stick for decoration. I’ve also tried a more rustic ones from twigs pruned from my Japanese Acer. Need to eat a fab lolly or two more to be able to complete the roof structure. I’m considering whether to plant miniature climbing plants with the rustic greenhouse to encourage them to grown up and within it.
Greenhouse picture 1 &2
Ceramics: I’m exploring ceramics, its not an area I’ve studied before so I’m learning hand building techniques. More on that when the pieces have been fired.
Sneak peek at two of my biscuit fired pieces
Commission Time: Christmas is coming and its traditionally a time for commissioned artworks for loved ones, providing a bespoke gift made for them. My deadline this year for commission requests, to be ready in time for Christmas is 31st October. Please email me and I’ll help determine all that’s needed to begin the creation of your unique artwork.
Thanks for the support in the past three years and here’s to the future. To creativity, and beyond!
October is #Inktober: I’m taking the #Inktober challenge again this year. My intention is to try to illustrate the prompt words simply and clearly. You can see my ink creations in my Instagram ‘stories’.
I was asked to make a colourful cushion featuring a bird and flowers with this drawing from a lovely customer:
I thought about whether I might seek such a fabric design, but I didn’t have the desire to go hunting for a fabric, so I designed my own.
Having found painted designs that the dye colours can mush together I decided to try a collage technique, as developed in some of my favourite work, my paper cut pictures.
I firstly prepared papers by carefully painting them with transfer dyes then cut and assembled pieces to build a design. I liked the composition on a cute practice design (above), but felt that the colours lacked texture and depth. So I tried wax relief frottage techniques learned at UAL Chelsea and also hand-painted my favourite flowers inspired by our own garden and a visit to the wonderful tulip gardens of Keukenhof and the Botanical Garden in Leiden earlier this year. I challenged myself to limit colours to the wine red, golden yellow and turquoise Colourcraft Transfer Dyes.
I cut shapes and enjoyed assembling these to form the design for the main panel of the cushion.
April was a bright and creative month, here are the highlights from my Instagram feed. Enjoy!
Better late than never!
First up was a cupcake themed cushion that I made for a close relation.
Lush pink, grey and teal design. It was a huge pattern repeat so I made a booster cushion with different parts of the design front and back. As I know I’ll be asked the question, the fabric was from Direct Knit and Sew in Sheffield.
Ta da! Here’s the finished cushion. It really was a work of love as it was for someone I love and I love the outcome. The pink ribbon edging the cushion really makes the colours pop.
I made pretty bunting for my sewing space. Dyeing the fabric using sublimation inks and then stitching into and embellishing the panels. The satin ribbon feels gorgeous.
I used trational machine stitch, love the clear acrylic foot – it’s an essential tool for me, and also used free machine embroidery.
The little boat and clouds are from fabric that I dyed at a workshop last summer at Stitched Up And Fleeced textile studio in Sheffield.
I tried something a little different with my Paperart on one of my favourite icons for a happy day, Ice-cream.
I repainted my Maison du Monde Smile sign to make it more me, white emulsion the flicked my favourite paint colours.
This large canvas happened out of a study for another piece. As it was drying we decided we quite liked it so this is how it is completed, for now. 😊
The above canvas artwork was created using a drag method I had been playing with.
The final make of the month was a peg bag using bright screen printed fabric, printed by a fellow student.
Here are stories that relate to these artworks. Enjoy seeing the backstories.
