I’m delighted (and somewhat relieved) that 2024 workshop sales are going well as I know that a workshop isn’t cheap especially if you have to travel and book accommodation. I really appreciate your support.

I have places left on two of my guest tutor workshops. Amanda J Clayton is a highly recommended tutor. Her workshop ‘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.’ 

Images of her signature inlay technique can be seen above along with items that might provide inspiration during the workshop. The four day workshop runs from the 9th to 12th September and there are two places left. You can find out much more here.

I also have one place left on Clare Bullock’s Versatility of Felt five day workshop. Clare is an incredibly generous and inspiring teacher and during this 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.

‘Felt making is like marmite, you either love it or you hate it. This 5 day workshop is designed to make you fall in love with it. Felt is a very versatile fabric, you can make almost anything from it. Clares’ by-line is "If you can think it you can felt it". You are only limited by your imagination’.

Examples of her beautiful pods can be seen below. The five day workshop runs from 20th to 24th May and you can find out much more here.

My new workshop, Luscious Layers, sold out really quickly so I have just added new dates to the website - the extra workshop will run from Monday 23rd to Friday 27th September next year. I’m really looking forward to this one as we will work with multiple surface design techniques to create layered, complex beautiful art cloth. You can find out more here.

I’ve also added an extra Breakdown Your Palette workshop from Monday 12th to Friday 16th August next year. This is my most popular workshop and I love it! Breakdown printing is my favourite technique and the basis for most of my art. You can find out more here.

In other news I’m still stitching like a woman possessed …. 30 days until I need to drop off the art for my upcoming exhibition. Blimey …..

Printed using a screen made with a washable PVA glue resist.

Taking a quick break from quilting ….. I have one place left on my five day Simply Screen Printing - The Full Monty workshop on Monday 2nd to Friday 6th October. I’m offering it at a 20% discount so £360 instead of £450. You can find out more about the workshop here. The workshop is suitable for beginners and for those you want to add more screen printing techniques to their tool kit. Please email me if you have questions.

Looking forward to 2024, I only have one place left on my new workshop Luscious Layers running from Monday 3rd to 7th June 2024. This workshop isn’t suitable for beginners as it assumes a basic knowledge of screen printing and other ‘wet process’ techniques. I’m really looking forward to teaching this workshop as it is all about adding multiple layers of colour, mark, texture, line and shape to fabric to create beautiful, complex art cloth. You can find out more here.

And if you’ve been thinking about doing my Breakdown Your Palette workshop the only places left are on the workshop running from Monday 1st to Friday 5th July 2024. You can find out more here.

And now for the bad news …. unfortunately I’ve had to put up the price of my screens by an average of 19% (actual increase depends on the size of screen). I could probably source cheaper screens from outside the UK but I prefer to continue to buy from the small family company that I’ve been using for years. That said, a well looked after screen will last for years and years.

Now, back to quilting ….

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.  

And on to my next ‘big project’. I’ve started filming an online workshop based on my latest book Simply Screen Printing. It’s been over 2 years since I filmed my Breakdown Your Palette online workshop and so a steep learning curve figuring out camera positions and video editing. Challenging but fun! I have to fit filming around teaching so I’m not expecting to launch the online workshop until September.

So in the meantime how about some wonderful breakdown printed fabrics. I had the great pleasure of being joined in the studio by a group of six lovely women from Scotland this week. A big thank you to Heather, Helen, Irene C, Irene M, Mags and Kelly for filling my days with beautiful fabric and laughter! I love my job!

And off we went again, this time with 12 new students for a three day workshop in the lovely Moonah Art Centre in Hobart. Temporary print surfaces fastened to our tables, we started with a little colour work - what else! - before moving on to a range of simple screen printing techniques. You will not be surprised to hear that there was plenty of breakdown printing along with some open screen work, some printing with loose paper resists and some masking tape resist screens. Most of the students in the group were new to screen printing but they all ‘got it’ really quickly and produced an amazing amount of work in just three days.

We had a lovely enclosed courtyard where we were able to eat lunch, dry fabric and dry breakdown screens. And they were very patient when I lost my voice (too much talking) and could only croak out instructions. As with every workshop I was tired at the end of each day but the happy, satisfied type of tired that comes from working in a group of creative, enthusiastic artists playing with colour, mark and shape. Yet again I find that I love my job!

And then there is the eye candy! In no particular order ……

I still have more to share from my Australian adventure but my feet are now firmly back on the ground and I’m hoping that I can entice some of you onto the workshops I will be running in my studio in Manchester over the next couple of months.

You can find out more about these workshops on clicking on their names but briefly -

Simply Screen Printing 2-day workshop on 10th and 11th June - this workshop is a basic introduction to screen printing using Procion dyes and is suitable for absolute beginners. You’ll learn how to use a screen on it’s own and with things like paper, string and masking tape to print 5 to 8 pieces of fabric. You’ll also get a brief introduction to breakdown printing. The cost is £180.

Breakdown Your Palette 5-day workshop 12th to 16th June 2023 - my favourite workshop, five whole days breakdown printing. Again this workshop is suitable for beginners and those with screen printing experience. We start by looking at colour when using Prion dyes before working our way through lots and lots of different ways to make and print breakdown screens. Along the way we also look at combining breakdown printing with discharge and you have the option to dye some fabrics to go with your printed fabrics. You can expect to print 8 - 15 pieces of fabric depending on how quickly you work. The cost is £450.

Simply Screen Printing (The Full Monty) 5-day workshop on 19th to 23rd June - we start with the basics as covered in the 2-day version of this workshop before moving on to a greater range of screen printing techniques. This workshop essential includes everything in my Simply Screen Printing book. We will use paper, string, thin plastic, masking tape, freezer paper, washable PVA, flour paste and sticky back plastic to add resists to our screen and fabric. We will mostly use Procion dyes but will also look at how to use a screen with discharge media and with textile inks. You have the option to dye some fabrics to go with your printed fabrics. You can expect to print 8 - 15 pieces of fabric depending on how quickly you work. The cost is £450.