Sample made for my new Artefact series

My art goals for 2022 are simple. Make more. Submit more. The need to earn a living and to care for my family are what they are and mean that making art has to fit around them. One of the reasons I left industry and started teaching in my studio was to get a much better balance between these three parts of my life and it was, despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, the best decision I’ve ever made. I now have periods of time, mostly in the winter, when I can work on my art full time and without interruption. This is great for developing new ideas and starting on new series. But if I am going to make more art this year I need to figure out how to always have a piece or pieces part made that I can work on when I only have a few hours or a few days free.

I love making big art but the composition / construction stage really needs space (my big print bench and my design wall as a minimum, yes I’m spoilt) and time because I really don’t want to be unpinning hundreds of bits of fabric from my design wall each time I need it for a workshop. Whereas the quilting stage just needs room to get my sewing machine out. And a bit of clean space to fold / roll the quilt so that I can get it through the tiny throat on my machine. So, before my teaching schedule really kicks in in March I need to prepare several ‘backgrounds’ to use in Artefact and Cadence pieces. I can then spend the spring and summer quilting these backgrounds and adding the foreground details. Unfortunately I don’t completely ‘design’ my pieces early on in the process. My ideas evolve as I stitch. I don’t 100% decide on foreground details until I have finished the construction, and sometimes the quilting of the background. Inevitably some of the backgrounds that I prepare over the coming weeks will need to be cropped as I add those foreground details. Which feels wasteful but I’m hoping allows me to make more art this year.

My other goal is to submit more. I used to be good at keeping a list of upcoming calls for entry to curated shows and submitting proposals for gallery space but got out of the habit in 2020 when I lost touch with my art practise. I started submitting pieces again last year and have had some success with Cadence pieces but I need to build on this. I need a steady flow of new work to make this possible. And I need to become OK with rejection again. Because rejection is part of making art and cannot be a reason to hit the gin bottle and avoid the studio!

So my art goals are simple. Make more. Submit more.

My studio is a ‘bit of a tip’. Unlike our inglorious prime minister I won’t be asking somebody to pay for eye-wateringly expensive wallpaper to make it look pretty. Because my tip is a glorious tip! Everything has been moved about so that I can photograph some new pieces. Which is a sign that not only have I been creating new pieces but that I love them!

Because I work intuitively with my fabrics the early pieces in a new series are often not quite right or are, frankly, rubbish, and they don’t always get photographed. That was certainly the case with the Cadence series but then I was starting from a low point in terms of my artistic confidence. My new series has been fermenting inside my head for quite some time but I only unleashed it onto fabric once I had regained confidence in my creative process. There have been a few false starts, and yes I have printed (and thrown away) some butt ugly fabric, but I am actually rather pleased with the first two finished pieces. I’m not quite ready to share images of the full quilts but I am ready to talk about my inspirations and to tease you with a couple of images.

My new series is called Artefact. It is inspired by our relationship with man-made objects, especially those made with material taken straight from the earth and shaped into tools and decorative objects. Those objects which are collected and proudly displayed; those which are passed down within families; those that tell us about our past; and those that are lost to us. As a source of inspiration this has the potential to go in many different directions but I’m starting by referencing the vases and pots made by Pilkington Tile & Pottery Company. Their manufacturing site, which is now derelict, is only a few miles from where I live and I remember when their factory shop selling cheap tiles was still open. As with my Ruins series and my series on coal mining I like to work on subjects to which I feel some connection. And, as always I am inspired by our industrial heritage. In the detail shot below I used a breakdown printing technique to print the vase. I used a variety of printing techniques to create the fabrics used to make the background. I hope you like the result as much as I do!

Artefact 1 (detail)

Cadence 7

I hope you have all had the best Christmas possible and wish you a very Happy, Healthy and Creative New Year. Ours was still a little quieter than pre-pandemic as we chose to restrict our activities in the run up to Christmas Day so that we could celebrate as a family. The highlight, for me, was playing a new ‘cheaters’ addition of Monopoly on Boxing Day with Joe (son), Riley (grandson) and son Callum and his wife Lulu who came up from London for Christmas. Who knew that Callum was such a cheat!! Nothing fancy but so special.

It is that time of year when many of us look back at the previous year and make some plans for the following year. 2021 started in a pretty bleak place here in the UK and was a year in which too many families lost loved ones and all of us were affected by the stress and uncertainty that comes with lockdowns and restrictions. But 2021 was not a repeat of 2020, we are in a better place than we were thanks to vaccines, home testing and better treatments for Covid. Our NHS, social care workers and scientists are truly amazing.

When I look back at my year I see a lot more positives than negatives - life has not been ‘normal’ but it has been good. And you guys played a part in that - the support I have had from those of you who read this blog, buy from my shop or sign up for one of my workshops has been brilliant. I would especially like to take the time to thank those of you who have taken the time to sent me an email or card. You have made me laugh, made me cry and made me feel loved and supported, thank you.

So, my positives …..

I have found my way back to MAKING ART! Big happy dance!!! And it feels so good. I started the year tentatively working on pieces that were ‘process’ driven. I had no inspiration as such other than the joy of making. Using colours I love and my favourite breakdown printing techniques I have made a series of pieces called Cadence. The early pieces were rubbish but I kept going and have made some pieces that I think are beautiful. And, it turns out, that others agreed - Cadence 7 won the Art category at Festival of Quilts in the summer. (Yes, I got tearful!) This affirmation that I was on the right track has given me confidence in my creative process, something I lost in 2020. There will be more Cadence quilts as they are just joyful to make but I have ended 2021 making the first pieces in a new series …. I don’t want to jinx it so haven’t posted any images yet but I am rather happy with it so far.

I caught up on the majority of workshops that had been delayed from 2020. There was plenty of rearranging during the year and I’m grateful for the patience and understanding of my fabulous students. Alongside those workshops that had already been scheduled for 2021 this meant I taught many workshops ‘back to back’ which was exhausting but so, so satisfying. I also had three guest tutors in the studio; Ruth Brown, Rosie James and Christine Chester which was fun. I kept my Covid safe practices in place throughout the year and will do so into 2022. Thank you to my students for complying with this - the studio has felt like a safe place the whole time.

I am also rather proud of myself for developing my first online workshop. It was a massive learning curve completed in a short period of time whilst the studio was closed over the winter. I launched Breakdown Your Palette in March and have loved the interaction with students from all over the world.

Launching that online workshop also helped raise money for YoungMinds, a charity that supports young people with mental health issues. In total we raised £345, thank you. Definitely a positive.

Despite everything, when I look at the positives, 2021 was, on balance an OK year. And despite the uncertainty we face going into 2022 I’m looking forward to sharing many more positives with you.

Leah x

Self Portrait by Pippa Wardman

I love seeing the fabrics that my students print and dye during workshops - their work is so varied and inspirational. But I don’t often get to see what happens next - how they use their fabrics. I suspect that many pieces are put away in cupboards, but I hope that, at the very least, they get pulled out every so often and stroked lovingly. However earlier this autumn I asked my students to send me photos of work made using fabrics created here at Urban Studio North. And wow! The variety of work is amazing and I’m grateful for their help. I have put together a gallery of their work which can be accessed via the workshop page on my website. Have a look!

(And, whilst I’m here, a quick reminder that the last date you can place orders for delivery in the UK before Christmas is this Wednesday, the 15th.)

Stitched sample by Hilary Kimber using the selvedges from breakdown printed fabrics.

Although the last posting date is later I’m setting Wednesday 15th December as a cut off for pre-Christmas orders as I plan on taking a long break over Christmas and the New Year. Orders placed later than this will be posted at the start of January. (Unless I get a bit bored and fancy a trip to the Post Office!). I thought you might also like to know that I’ve added a few more new Wonky Print Inspiration Packs to my online shop.

I have now finished teaching for this year. The bad weather this week meant postponing the last two days teaching but other than that I’m happy, and relieved, to have been able to teach so many workshops this year. Despite the worries about the new variant we are much better place compared to this time last year. The rollout of vaccines has been amazing but I’m very grateful for the great attitude of all my students this year. We’ve worn masks, washed and sanitised hands, taken lateral flow tests and made sure that the studio has been a safe environment for all of us. Thank you to each and every one of year!

With no teaching scheduled until the end of January I can now turn all of my attention to making art. I’ve removed the plastic screens and re-arranged the benches to make the studio feel more ‘mine’. I’ve pinned all my ‘work in progress’ up on the design wall. And hidden the stock of chocolate biscuits so my beloved family can’t help themselves. Chocolate, and lots of strong coffee are an essential part of my creative process! The next quilt in the Cadence series is ready to quilt and I’ve got a completely new series in the development stage. So plenty to keep me busy!

Leah x

The weather in the UK has been awful for the last few days so I thought you might appreciate some eye candy! Last week I had the very great pleasure of welcoming Christine Chester to my studio. She taught her 5 day Poetry of Decay class and it was fabulous. It is a mixed media workshop in which students add layers and layers of texture and colour to paper and cloth. Christine worked the students hard but the results were worth it. My thanks to Christine and especially to the students - Inge, Pippa, Chris, Gill, Ruth, Judy and Lesley.

It is that time of year when you may be looking for Christmas presents for others, or dropping big hints about things you would like yourself. So, always being happy to help, I have added some new products to my online shop that you might like.

I’ve put together some new Wonky Print Packs and some packs of hand dyed fabric. The fabrics are all ones that I’ve made whilst teaching or when demonstrating breakdown printing at Festival of Quilts in the summer. Each pack contains approx. 1 metre of fabric and includes some ‘nearly solid’ colours that co-ordinated with the printed fabrics.

I’ve also added some new Thermofax Screen designs. Most are designs that I’ve used in my older art quilts and that my students have really liked to use in the studio. Deco 1 (below) is a completely new design that I’m rather pleased with.

Together we have raised £336 this year for the charity YoungMinds. I’d really like to add to that total so I have had some beautiful ceramic mugs made that feature my quilt Cadence 7. Each mug costs £12 including a £2 donation to YoungMinds. I hope you like them.

Although I spend a lot of my time printing I also teach my students lots of ways to dye their fabrics. I’ve put together a Beginners Hand Dyeing Kit in two colourways. Each kit contains three 50g pots of dye, soda ash, urea, a graduated measuring pot and a detailed instruction booklet that covers bag dyeing, dyeing a colour wheel, gradation dyeing, layered dyeing, tray dyeing and high immersion bucket dyeing. The Spring kit contains Acid Lemon, Magenta and Turquoise dyes and the Autumn kit contains Golden Yellow, Scarlet and Royal Blue dyes. The kits contain enough dyes etc to dye over eight metres of fabric and (I think) are a good place to start if you have never done any dyeing with Procion MX dyes.

And finally, if your loved ones are worried that they might buy you the wrong thing how about suggesting one of my Gift Cards (available in £20, £50 and £100 units).

And that is the blatant plugging over for now ….. I might add a few more Wonky Print Packs when I’ve caught up with my backlog of rinsing, washing and ironing my printed fabrics!

I am delighted to announce that bookbinder and textile artist Ruth Brown will be giving two workshops in my studio next year. I sat in on the workshop she gave this year and it was brilliant. Ruth provides all the materials along with detailed notes. No prior knowledge is assumed and her demonstrations are well thought out and inspiring. You can find out more about Ruth here.

Ruth will be teaching a repeat of Books for Textile Artists from 30th August to 2nd September 2022. You can find more details and book here. In this workshop you will make -

·         A blizzard book - a folded book to contain business cards.

·         A crown book - a variation on the blizzard book with removable pages

·         The Secret Belgian Binding - this gives a book which opens completely flat and has a cover which will turn back on itself. The cover pieces and the spine piece are woven together with a crisscross effect. The signatures (pages) are then sewn on to the weaving.

·         A long stitch binding where there is a wraparound cover and the signatures are sewn through the cover.

·         A Drum Leaf binding - this is a binding where each pair of pages is a spread with no stitching in the centre, making it a lovely way to display art work or photographs. The version we make will have a case binding (a hard back).

She will be teaching More Books for Textile Artists from 21st to 24th June 2022. You don’t have to have done the previous workshop to do this one as no previous knowledge is required. You can find out more about the workshop and book here. In this workshop you will make -

·         A single section, stub binding.

·         An A6 hard back notebook covered with hand-dyed fabric book cloth.

·         An elegant Origata binding.

·         An A5 twin needle Coptic stitch sketchbook with cloth covered hard covers. This intriguing stitch formation gives a more stable book than the more common single needle version.

·         A travel journal with laminated book cloth covers, an elastic closure and a storage pocket at the back.

In the meantime, if you’d like to spend time in the studio before winter sets in then I have a few places left on my workshops this autumn. Including one space on my two day Simply Screen Printing workshop that has become available because of a cancellation. Have a look at my Workshops page for more details.

Bye for now, Leah

A very big thank you to Rosie James for teaching in my studio this week! I love her work and it was great to see her processes. The students loved it!

Here are just a few images of students work. In order: Jan, Janet, Ali, Tracey (x2), Sam, Kate and Sarah