First of all, a very big thank you to everyone who got in touch after my last post - your support means the world to me.

I have spent the last three weeks or so focussed 100% (well maybe 98%) on making art for my upcoming exhibition. And it has been wonderful! An unexpected heat wave has slowed me down a bit over the last couple of days but I’m one day ahead of schedule and, much more importantly, I’m really happy with the work I’m creating.

I will be making 3, possibly 4 new pieces and reworking an older piece. Doesn’t sound much but this includes two new, large pieces from my Ruins series. The last piece I made in this series was in 2019. Although I had some fabrics left over from then, there was nowhere near enough for the art I plan to create. So on Monday 21st August I started printing with the aim of printing 15 - 20 metres of fabric, more than I need right now but Ruins is an ongoing series. Since then I have finished the construction of Ruins 12 and have started quilting it. All of which is best explained in photos ….

1. (Above) The fabrics I already had.

2. (Below) Starting printing - I used 3 colours, rust brown, petrol green and half strength black.

3. Fabric printed using a wonky barcode breakdown printing screen.

4. I’ve got a big studio so I might as well use it … printing multiple pieces so that I can let the fabric dry a bit before adding another layer of print.

5. The dreaded rinsing and washing stage - has to be done!

6. Five days worth of printing, ironed and pinned to my design wall. Too much ‘light’ and too much ‘rust’.

7. Dyeing some darker fabric - I included some pieces of light printed fabric which were a bit ‘underwhelming’.

8. Printing darker, grungier fabrics.

9. The final palette of printed and dyed fabrics.

10. Adding small details to some of the fabrics using stencils, thermofax screens and textile inks.

11. Everything cut into mostly 2.5 x 6.5 inch rectangles. Scraps cut into 2.5 x 3.5 inch pieces. No cherry picking, just cut everything.

12. Shuffle fabrics, close eyes and pick pieces at random. Lay them out just as they come.

13. Layout with specific areas in light, medium and dark values. Layout loose on my big bench then sew short ends together and pin to my design wall.

14. Create my quilt sandwich with hand dyed cotton backing fabric and acrylic felt wadding. Draw parallel lines on the felt and start attaching long strips using the stitch and flip method. First piece, face up.

15. Second piece, face down.

16. Sew one quarter inch from line drawn on the felt. Flip the fabric over so front face is now showing. Add next strip, face down. Stitch. Flip. Add next strip …..

17. Once all the pieces are attached I can start quilting.

Of course its a little more complicated than this but you get my drift. And it will all make sense when the quilt is finished!

When I started work on my upcoming exhibition 11 days ago, it had been 347 days since I last did any physical work on my ‘art’. 347 days. Even though I knew about the exhibition at the end of last year. Even though my head has been full of ideas and plans. 347 days.

A solo exhibition in a venue like Salford Art Museum and Gallery is a dream and I know in my heart that I’m not going to be producing my best work because I haven’t been able to start work earlier.

The reason …..well the same reason many working artists don’t get any time to actually create art ….. money. We are blessed to live in a big house with a big studio in the garden. But we still have a mortgage and the energy bills / running costs are frightening meaning I have to earn a certain amount to balance the books. Not a problem when workshop take up is good and 80% of my ‘profit’ comes from teaching. But take up hasn’t been good since last summer and so I have had to run some workshops with just two students, to write another book, to sell more stuff through my online shop and to print and dye lots and lots of fabric to sell at shows etc. Long, long hours without the same level of ‘profit’. Don’t get me wrong, I love every part of my studio life but 347 days? And the prospect that, realistically, there will be no time for art once this exhibition is hung?

Something has to change. After a lot of discussion me and hubby have decided to pull forward our plans to downsize and move to Scotland. Small house + no mortgage = lower income needed = Leah can make some art + spend more time with hubby. We were always going to move in 3 - 4 years, we just can’t see any ‘benefit’ from waiting until then.

So 2024 will be the last year I teach in my studio in Manchester. We will start the move in January 2025 and expect it to take a year (mostly because we need a small house with a suitable studio attached). Not sure exactly what I’ll be able to offer in 2025 but I do intend teaching 4 times a year from 2026 onwards. This maybe in my own studio or in a space that I rent or I may teach in other peoples studios. Time will tell. And I will still be writing books - the next one will be a new edition of my breakdown printing book - and offering online workshops. And I’ll still be doing the Glasgow show in March and Festival of Quilts in August. I’m not retiring but I am taking the pressure off and actively shifting the focus of my life back onto making art.

However that’s for 2025, there’s a lot to keep me busy before then!

I am absolutely delighted to let you know that my next solo exhibition will be at Salford Museum and Art Gallery from Saturday 16th December this year to Sunday 14th April 2024. It is called Beneath Our Feet and will feature a mixture of existing and new art from my Ruins, Traces (coal mining) and Artefacts series.

My art is most often inspired by the industrial heritage of the region I live in and by my personal connections with those industries. Living in Salford I am surrounded by the remnants of the textile industry and by the ghosts of our mining communities. More recently I have referenced the pottery of local company, Pilkington’s Tile and Pottery Company in my Artefact series. Salford Museum and Art Gallery is the perfect venue for my work. I will be exhibiting in the North Gallery which sits next to their Pilkington Gallery. The Museum houses the Pilkington Company archives and I’m hoping to include items from the archive in my work.

Museums and Galleries are inundated by submissions for exhibition space and I’m humbled (and still rather overwhelmed) to have been selected. The North Gallery is a beautiful open space with an arched glass ceiling and great lighting which will be perfect for my large pieces. The Museum has other galleries showing works from solo artists, from collectives and from their own collection as well as a cute shop and a seriously good cafe! If you live locally it is always worth a visit.

Nearer the time I will share details of a preview event and the artists talks I hope to give.

I have known about the exhibition since late last year but am only now able to work on it properly. Life and the need to earn a living have got in the way but I have a mostly clear path (minus some teaching, family stuff etc) and have spent some serious time planning the layout of the gallery and the production of the new pieces. My studio is a blank canvas. I’m aiming for 10.5 square metres of finished art by the 11th December. Wish me luck!

Festival of Quilts is over and I am totally exhausted but happy. A super massive thank you to everyone who stopped by the stand, who bought fabric packs, books and more and who booked workshops. And a big hello to those who signed up for this blog. And, of course, a super sized thank you to son Joe and buddy Ruth Brown for helping run the stand - I honestly could not do it without them!

I’d also like thank everyone who visited The Creative Textile Studio. Myself, Hazel and Terry are enormously grateful to all the artists who demonstrated in the studio and rather proud of how good the Studio looked. If you get the opportunity to give feedback to the show organisers please let them know if you enjoyed visiting the studio!

Festival is a massive social event as well. I get to catch up (albeit very briefly) with so many friends and I get to make new friends. Love it!

But now I need a bit of a lie down. Tomorrow is my 60th birthday and hubby and me are taking a week off to celebrate it with our family. Lots of good food and drink plus a rare opportunity to get all 3 of our children and their families in one place! I think I’ve earned it!

And then it will be on to the next big project, which is a very exciting one! Watch this space x

Festival of Quilts starts on Thursday and I am (nearly) ready! I’ve got a bigger stand this year, B50 in Hall 9 (if you stand with your back to the theatre entrance you should be able to see it). We had a great show last year but it was exhausting with just me and best buddy, Ruth, so this year we are going to be joined by my son Joe. Some of you will know him as he’s done shows with me in the past. I’m hoping this gives me a little more time to chat to old friends, meet new friends and possibly look at some of the wonderful galleries. If you don’t have a ticket yet please use the code LEAHHIGGINS23 to get a £2 discount. If you’re at the show please come and say hello!

As well as promoting next years workshops I’m hoping to get some sign-ups to my last 2023 workshop - Simply Screen Printing (the Full Monty) which runs from 2nd to 6th October. I will be offering the workshop at a 20% discount during the show and, because not everyone can make the show, I’m offering it at a 20% discount online from the 1st to 31st August - just use the discount code SSP5DAYDISCOUNT. The workshop normally costs £450 so you’ll save £90.

I will be taking lots of my hand printed and dyed fabric packs (112 Wonky Print + 35 Absolutely Hand Dyed). I’ll have lots of copies of my latest book, Simply Screen Printing along with my book on translating colour theory into colour practice, Colour Your Palette. I will also be taking all the remaining copies of my Breakdown Your Palette book to the show. I only have about 30 left. I’m not going to reprint the book as I’m planning to write a new version either next year or the year after, so once they’re gone they’re gone! (The digital version of the book will still be available). And I’ll be taking Procion dyes, soda etc, screen and squeegees. In fact, I will be taking as much stuff as I can physically get into mine and Joes cars!

And finally, both myself and Ruth will be demonstrating in The Creative Textile Studio which can be found to the left of the theatre. Ruth will be demonstrating different book binding techniques all day Friday, Saturday morning and Sunday morning. I’ll be demonstrating simple screen printing techniques on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. I’ll be demonstrating on my stand as well. Phew, I need a lie down and we’ve not even set off yet!

I’m very excited to announce that I will be teaching a new five day workshop in 2024 called Luscious Layers. It is aimed at those with experience of using Procion MX dyes to add colour to fabric but who want to take their work further.

When you are learning a new surface design technique there is a natural tendency to just use that technique to create a single layer of colour, mark, texture, line or shape. In this workshop you will combine multiple techniques on pieces of fabric, building layers of colour, mark, textile, line and shape. You will create complex beautiful art cloth; fabric that can simply be framed or hung, fabric that can be enhanced by stitch, fabric that can be used in conjuncture with other fabrics to create spectacular wall art, fabric that can be used to make truly unique clothing.

I’ll be running the workshop twice - on the 3rd to 7th June 2024 and on the 19th to 23rd August 2024. The cost is £450 with a £150 deposit payable on booking. You can find out more about the workshop here.

I’ve also added the other workshops that I will be teaching in 2024 to my website. Please click on the titles below for more details.

Breakdown Your Palette, 5 day, £450

Simply Screen Printing (the Full Monty), 5 day, £450

Simply Screen Printing 2 day, £180

Colour Your Palette, 5 day, £475

Thank you to those who booked workshops with my 2024 guest tutors. The workshop with Stewart Kelly sold out within a couple of days but there are still places on the workshops by Amanda J Clayton, Clare Bullock and Polly Pollock. Click on their names for more details!

Its going to be a busy 2024!

It is that time of year when I set the studio calendar for the following year and I am very, very excited to announce the four guest tutors who will be teaching here at Urban Studio North in 2024. I love finding great tutors who push the boundaries of textile and stitch, using diverse materials and exploring different techniques and working practices. Please follow the links below to find out more about the tutors and their workshops. All workshops are available to book now.

Adventures in Experimental Coiled Basketry with Polly Pollock, 11th to 14th March 2024, £420 including £120 deposit.

Coiled basketry is one of basketry’s most versatile techniques offering a multitude of possibilities for making formal baskets right through to abstract sculptural forms. Coiling is different from other basketry techniques in that it is a stitched technique (as opposed to woven), and has many references to constructed textiles. 

The workshop uses the theme of “Seed Pods” which have wonderful organic forms, structures and textures, and will provide interesting jumping-off points for this 4-day course. You’ll be shown several ways of starting, which you use will depend on what materials you choose to work with.  You will then be free to choose how to take your work forwards, with plenty of guidance to help you decide how you want to progress be that with a more formal basket, or more experimental abstract form - the choice will be yours.

Metamorphosis with Stewart Kelly, 30th April to 3rd May 2024, £380 including £180 deposit.

A welcome return by Stewart as the workshop he is teaching this September sold out within day! The course encourages participants to develop a personal language through the exploration of combining drawing, colour, paper, fabric, and stitched textiles. This will be an experimental course, focusing on exploration, and the process of discovery through making. Therefore, the workshop must not be seen as a complete experience, where you will complete a ‘project’, rather you will conclude with ideas, potentials and an expanded tool kit for your own development.

Versatility of Felt with Clare Bullock, 20th to 24th May 2024, £475 including £175 deposit.

Felt is a very versatile fabric, you can make almost anything from it. In this 5 day workshop you will study a different technique each day. By the end of the five days you will have firm knowledge in felt making, a selection of samples and written instructions to guide you on your felting journey.

Quietly Composed with Amanda J Clayton, 9th to 12th September 2024, £420 including £120 deposit.

The course ‘Quietly Composed’ is aimed at those artists, embroiderers’ and textile specialists in particular, who wish to explore observational starting points and develop personal ideas through cloth and hand stitch.

Enjoy the calming nature of hand stitch whilst absorbing the serendipity of composition, with a pared down palette of neutrals you will explore the techniques of cutwork, darning, applique, layering and inlay using transparent qualities as well as your favourite cloth qualities. You will work towards developing an individual series of work from your own visual language.  

So that means 17 days for me to get through my lists. And right know it is all about Wonky Print Inspiration Print Packs and Absolutely Darling Hand Dyed Packs. Yes I am printing and dyeing fabric like a mad woman. I have 52 print packs completed and 45 packs where the fabrics have been printed and dyed but ‘just’ need rinsing, washing, drying, ironing, cutting, folding and labelling. My target is 120. Hmmm. I have 9 dyed fabric packs with a target of 50. Hmmmmmmmmmm ………… I may need to lower my expectations. Or stop sleeping. And it would really help if it could stop raining.

Still, I really love printing and dyeing fabric so I am in my element! The studio is full of colour and I’m as happy as a pig in a bath full of gin and chocolate! Not that there is time for gin. There is always time for chocolate.

Find me on stand B50 and if you haven’t already bought your ticket, use the code LEAHHIGGINS23 to a get a £2 discount.

Not that I’m panicking but there are only 25 days until Festival of Quilts opens at the NEC, Birmingham on Thursday 3rd August. You can find me on stand B50 near the theatre. Given that we set up on the Tuesday that means that I have 23 days to finish my preparations. OK so I am now panicking!

Being me, I have lists that ensure I pack everything needed to ‘build’ the stand and the display on the walls (note to self: must design and order leaflets!!!). I have lists that tell me how many pots of dye, bags of Urea etc that I need to prepare and how many screens and squeegees to order (more than slightly anxious that the screens might not arrive in time!). I have a checklist from the organisers for all the things that they require. I have arranged my workshops for next year (four great guest tutors that I’ll tell you about soon) but need to get the webpages set up. And I have a provisional target for the number of Wonky Print Inspiration Packs and Absolutely Darling Hand Dyed Packs I will need (a target is great but the reality is that it will be as many as I can get made between now and then).

And then there is The Creative Textile Studio which is to the left of the theatre at this years show. As part of the collective that organises and runs this wonderful space I have a long list of things to prepare and bring. Including dyeing 6 large pieces of fabric to wrap around the fronts of the demonstrator benches. Aiming for six different colours (including turquoise, officially the best colour in the world ever!).

Who needs sleep!

I hope to see lots of you during the show, if you haven’t already bought your ticket you can use the code LEAHHIGGINS23 to get £2 discount of the price of standard and concessionary tickets.