Oh yes, it is that time of year again as I gear up for Festival of Quilts. The show runs from Thursday 30th July to Sunday 2nd August at the NEC, Birmingham and is the biggest quilt show in Europe.

It is, by some distance, my biggest event of the year. I didn’t take a stand last year because of the house move. I took a stand this year because I expected the house move to be done. It isn’t but that is a whole depressing blog post that you don’t want me to write! So my stand this year is, along with the InStitches stand, adjacent to The Creative Textile Studio which Hazel, Terry and myself run. We’re really grateful to the show organisers for agreeing to put our stands next to the studio. It makes running the studio easier but, more importantly, it extends the demonstrating area as I will be breakdown printing on my stand for the full four days and Hazel / Terry will be using thermal screens and textile inks on theirs.

The most important thing that I’m working on right now is a new book ‘Breakdown Printing’ which I will launch at the show. Details to follow but I’m really excited about it!

Around the book work, I’m getting everything else ready which includes buying in more stock of dyes, chemicals, screens etc. and there have been a couple of changes. The big one, that actually makes me rather sad, is that the UK manufacturer of wood-framed screens that I’ve used for years has closed down. They were the last manufacturer in the UK but struggled with the double hit of increased costs and decreased demand as more schools and colleges replace screen printing with digital printing. The good news, I found a manufacturer in Spain who ships to the UK so I will have lots of screens to sell at Festival. The bad news - a price increase particularly on the smallest sized frame. I’ll set the exact price once they have been delivered and I know the customs / duty / admin fees but I have had quotes from UK manufacturers of metal-framed screens and wood is still cheaper. In the meantime I still have a handful of screens in my online shop from the old supplier………

A small change has been to Soda Ash. I buy all my dyes and chemicals from Kemtex and they have seen interruptions in supply so have had to find a new manufacturer of Soda Ash. The change - the new stuff is significantly denser so if you use by volume (as I do) you will need to reduce how much you use. I used to use 3 heaped tablespoons per litre of water when making soda solution - I now use 2 heaped tablespoons. I’ve added a label to the packets to explain. If you buy from another retailer and it looks different, this is probably why.

And then there are Wonky Print Inspiration Packs and Absolutely Darling Hand Dyed Packs to make, leaflets to get printed, signage to print and laminate, stand ‘stuff’ to check and pack, and a whole bunch of boxes to tick!

If you’re at the show, please stop buy and say hello! (And maybe buy the new book ….)

Beautiful beach on Iona

We’re back from our Highland adventure and it was wonderful. We toured Mull, Iona and Skye with stops in Fortwilliam and Largs on the way up and down. I had intended taking lots and lots of photos but actually too many looked similar and they really didn’t capture the beauty of the landscapes. I loved Fionnphort in Mull and the island of Iona in the sunshine - the beaches were turquoise and crystal clear. We could have been in the Caribbean if it wasn’t for the somewhat cooler weather! And Calgary Beach, Skye, on a cold wet day. We visited potteries, craft shops and distillery shops (Tobermory was very impressive). And found some great places to eat - Penny Gate Lodge Restaurant on Mull and Bog Myrtle on Skye really stood out. We came home with several bottles of gin and whisky, a rather lovely ceramic plate and happy memories.

Not so happy was the house move emotional rollercoaster we’ve had over the last month - good news, bad news, good news, bad news rinse and repeat. In theory we are due to complete mid June but we still haven’t exchanged contracts and it is looking like the date will get pushed out. It is, frankly, infuriating.

But I had one very good piece of news recently - the latest quilt in my Shoreline series has been accepted into SAQA Wide Horizons. Having the time to make art has been a good thing to come out of the whole house move stuff ….

Shoreline V

After a long period of rejection after rejection I’m absolutely delighted to let you know that Shoreline IV (above) has been juried into Quilt Visions 2026! There were 33 pieces selected from 323 entries … which makes it even more special. I did a very happy Happy Dance when I heard! My heartfelt thanks to the jurors Carolyn Ducey, Justin Ming Young and David Van Burkirk.

The early pieces in the Shoreline series were calmer but, as my frustration at the snail like pace of our house sale has grown, the pieces have become striking, more jarring. And no, we still haven’t moved.

If you read my posts regularly you’ll know that I like to keep busy. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching my 3 day Luscious Layers workshop at Little Heath Barn in Bromsgrove a couple of weeks ago. Great students and some amazing work (examples below)! I’ll be teaching the same workshop next year from 30th June to 2nd July. You can’t book online yet but you can find more details and email Liske to register an interest by clicking here.

And finally I gave a talk yesterday to the Scottish Stitch and Textiles Garthering in Perth. I had expected to be making the relatively short drive over from Largs but, because of the retched house sale, I had to make the long drive up from Manchester. So the kind comments after my talk and the sales of lots of my fabric packs were very welcome. I am really hoping that I will be attending next years gathering as a member of a scottish textile group.

So what next …. in May myself, husband and beloved father-in-law are taking a Highland road trip visiting Mull, Iona and Skye and I’m looking forward to walking on lots of stunning beaches, eating well and picking up the odd bottle of locally distilled gin!. Of course we had been expecting to set off from Largs ……ho hum.

Doesn’t a year go by quickly! I’m very much looking forward to exhibiting at The Scottish Quilting Show at the SEC, Glasgow from Thursday 5th to Saturday 7th March. My stand number is K20 … if you turn left as you enter the show, I am on the furthest aisle opposite the Modern Quilters Guild stand. I will be demonstrating simple screen printing techniques on my stand and am giving a talk on Understanding Colour on Thursday at 2pm and Friday at 3pm. I’ll have my hand printed and dyed fabrics for sale as well as my books, dyes, auxiliary chemicals, screens and squeegees. Best buddy Ruth Brown will be helping out so I hope you can join us!

You know I really thought we would be living in Scotland by now but the house move is still ongoing. It is all very frustrating but I’ve been making good use of my studio whilst I still have it. I’m exhibiting a new Shoreline quilt in the professional makers category at the show ……..

Inspired by the North Ayrshire coast Shoreline III is an abstract interpretation of the colours and textures of the sea, the land and the sky. Shoreline IV is also complete but I can’t share yet and numbers V and VI are well on there way. The quiet joy that I get from making has done a great deal to keep me sane over the last few months! I’ve also spent time on my next book which I expect to publish in the summer. I’ve finished printing all the samples so should we, by some miracle, actually move house before then I will only need my laptop to finish it!

Hope to see some of you in Glasgow x.

You may have wondered why I haven’t been talking about my upcoming trip to the States to teach two workshops at the wonderful AhHaa School for the Arts in Telluride, Colorado. Well I’m very sad and very disappointed to say that we have had to cancel them.

While we started the multi-step visa process over six months ago, wait times have drastically increased under the current administration (find an article here with a company that the School have consulted with in the past few weeks). The School applied for premium processing in mid-August to get an answer by the end of the month, but were met with roadblocks and requests for more evidence of cultural uniqueness despite myself and Ah Haa submitting over 20 pages of supporting documentation including testimonials, articles, my CV and copies of my Bachelors and PhD certificates. (This is particularly galling as the first step in the visa process is to get a recommendation from an independent organisation that the workshops and myself as a teacher and artist meet the criteria for being culturally unique.) I don’t have any further evidence to give and, even if we got past this hurdle, the processing time for the final part of the process would take longer than the time we have left before the first class was due to start on the 25th September.

My heart goes out to the the team at the School who have invested so much time (and money) on what should have been a very straightforward process. And to the students we have let down. My art will continue to be exhibited at the School until the end of October but I’m sad that I won’t be able to see it in person. It sucks.

And in other news, because bad news always arrives with a friend, we lost our buyer (again) this week. They were put off by a request from their initial survey to get more specialist surveys. Ho hum. So we have decided to get the surveys done ourself and to get any recommended remedial work done before we put the house back on the market. We’re trying to stay positive …. those ice creams at Nardini’s will taste even sweeter when we do eventually get to Largs! And I’ll use the time to continue making art ……

I’m very excited that my solo exhibition ‘Beneath Our Feet’ at the AhHaa School for the Arts in Telluride, Colorado is now open and will run to the end of October. The gallery is open Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm. Telluride (and the School) are well worth a visit with lots of amazing places to visit and events scheduled through the year.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the exhibition in person and will be giving gallery talks on Thursday 25th September and Thursday 2nd October at 5.30pm. The gallery is only small but I love how Ruins 12 fills the end wall. I know it’s a long shot but it would be lovely to meet some of you there!

Where do I start …..

• Thank you to my wonderful friends and students who came to my open studio events. Especially Jane for her lovely gift and Geraldine who bought a very impressive and delicious cake. Thank you for buying art, fabric, jigsaws and books and for raising £63 for The Trussell Trust. And a very big thank you to Sharon who has found a home for those old quilts that would otherwise be heading for the recycling centre.

• Thank you to all the artists who volunteered to demonstrate and help in the Creative Textile Studio at Festival of Quilts. Hazel, Terry and myself really do appreciate the amount of time and cost that you spend to support the Studio. Couldn’t do it without you!

• Thank you to everyone who visited the Creative Textile Studio. I absolutely love introducing so many people to breakdown printing! Great questions, great comments. And thank you for buying my books and fabric from the sales table …. none of us get paid to set up the Studio or to work in the Studio so sales are always welcome.

• Thank you to the quilt judges who awarded Shoreline l (above) 2nd prize in the Art category. Shoreline ll was shortlisted for the awards. Such a positive response to new work is very empowering. I wasn’t sure if the muted colour palette would work but now my head is full of ideas on how to take the series forward.

Phew, it’s been a full on couple of weeks! In other news … we lost our buyer but within a week we had had 4 viewings and 3 offers so the big house move is back on! We’re not going to do any packing for a while which means that I have lots of free time to work in the studio. Time to get some ideas out of my head and onto fabric. Happy days!

A busy few days in the studio as I prepare for two upcoming events! Festival of Quilts and my upcoming workshops in Telluride, Colorado.

Yes it is Festival of Quilts time again. Where did the year go?? I’m not having a stand this year because of the house move but I will be demonstrating in The Creative Textile Studio on the mornings of Thursday 31st July and Friday 1st August and on the afternoon of Sunday 3rd August. This is the fourth year that myself and Hazel and Terry from InStitches have been organising the Studio and we are a well oiled machine! We each have our designated roles and a well tested packing list. I supply all the dyes, print paste, screens, squeegees and other stuff. So I’ve been busy mixing litres of print paste followed by thickened dyes. I’ve made six breakdown printing screens to use when demonstrating. I’ve also been getting some fabric packs ready to sell on the sales table. There won’t be many so if you fancy a Wonky Inspiration Print Pack you might want to visit the Studio early! We have a wonderful collection of artists demonstraing this year. You can find the timetable and more about each artist by clicking here.

(The Studio is a free feature within the show so the ‘book tickets’ button on the page is for buying tickets for the whole show).

Although it isn’t until the end of September I have been making colour blankets to take with me. I bought small quantities of each of the eight US sourced dyes we will be using during the two five day workshops to make them. I selected the colours online, trying to match as closely as possible to the eight colours (6 co-primaries + black + dark brown) that I use in my studio. Hmmm … so the colours on a screen don’t always match the exact colours that you get. I know this. I even have this disclaimer in my online shop. But it is always a pleasant / not so pleasant surprise …..I haven’t rinsed and washed the blankets yet but Houdini Blue is looking distinctly purple. I’m hoping that the colour shifts towards blue after washing in which case I can see why the colour is called Houdini! If not, well it has made some really lovely muted colours……

And finally, on the house move - we lost our buyer this week so it is back to square one. Knowing that this happens all the time and that it is just a delay doesn’t make it any easier. Thankfully we haven’t committed to anything in Scotland yet so we just need to take a deep breathe and get on with life. Which means that, when I get back from Festival, I’ll have time to get back to making art instead of packing. Which is a good thing.

Our house sale is going smoothly and it’s now time to pack up my studio. Which is heartbreaking but I know that I’ll end up with another beautiful studio eventually. That studio however is likely to be smaller than this one and I can’t take everything with me. So, a few months ago, I listed the art that isn’t moving with us on my website at really reduced prices. I’ll be taking the unsold pieces off the website in about 10 days and finding alternate homes for them. So if you haven’t had a look yet please do. You can find them here.

I’d also like to say thank you to those of you who have bought my Simply Screen Printing book from Amazon. If you live outside the UK this can save you a small fortune in shipping costs!

And thank you to TextileArtist.org. My workshop with them is going really well and I may have converted more people to the sheer joy that is breakdown printing.

In other news I will be shipping work for my upcoming exhibition in Telluride, Colorado next week. I thought you might like a peek at one of the new pieces. Here is Ruins 14: Lowrys Chimneys ……