It was an honour to be invited to teach at the Fibre Art event in Ballarat last month and just a little intimidating. One of the other tutors was the brilliant Ester Bornemisza who’s work I have admired for over 20 years so I knew I needed to do a good job! Thankfully my students made that that job so easy. All 12 had previous experience with Procion dyes and 10 out the 12 had experience screen printing and they absolutely flew! Being honest I think I learnt just as much from them as they learnt from me.

We started by looking at colour and specifically colour when using Procion dyes before moving onto different screen printing techniques. Inevitably the group did a lot of breakdown printing but I was also delighted to see great results from loose paper resists. Along the way the whole group helped print a long strip of fabric that was raffled at the end of the event … it raised $70 for the India Project that the Fibre Arts team run.

On the final evening each of the tutors set up a display of their students work. I asked each of my students to pick their favourite two pieces and I think our ‘exhibition’ looked amazing.

Maybe because it was a residential workshop the students really ‘gelled’. So much so that we set up a public Facebook group called Breakdown Printing Australia so that we could keep in touch and, hopefully, grow the love of breakdown printing (which IMHO is pretty blinking amazing) in the region.

So much fabric was printed …… below is some yummy eye candy! I had a wonderful time.

I really enjoyed my short stay in Melbourne. I took a ride around the city on the old city circle tram, wondered around the Docklands area loving the architecture (and the fish and chips and beer), and stopped by Federation Square where I enjoyed the new Goddess exhibition at ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) and had a wonder around the Ian Potter Centre (part of the National Gallery of Victoria). And had a lovely meal with my brother-in-law Damian and wife Sandra in the lanes.

The city was busy and bustling with so much more to see and do but what impressed me most was the architecture. Lots of quite unique buildings and skyscrapers packed into a relatively small space …. total eye candy, massive source of inspiration …. oh how I wish there were more hours in each day!

…. after my 18 day adventure in Australia! I arrived home last Wednesday evening after a 38 hour door to door journey. Needless to say I was very tired and the jet lag has been ghastly but I also felt overwhelmed. Overwhelmed that I had been invited to teach a couple of workshops on the other side of the world and overwhelmed by the visual overload from all the places I visited. It’s going to take me a while to come back down to earth!

I shared lots of photos via Instagram and Facebook whilst I was travelling and will write a series of posts over the next couple of weeks sharing lots of them with you. But this first post is a thank you post.

Thank you to the receptionist at my hotel in Melbourne who took one look at me when I arrived late in the evening, gave me my room card and let me check in properly the next day - small kindnesses mean a lot when you can barely stand up straight let alone fill in a form!

Thank you to Glenys Mann and her team for inviting me to teach a five day workshop in the Fibre Arts event in Ballarat. Thank you to my amazingly talented Ballarat students; Julia, Fiona, Gina, Myra, Ange, Leslie, Lisa, Rae, Mardi, Lynne, Lyn and Jeanette. The gin was fabulous darlings! An especially big thank you to Fiona who supplied all the equipment I needed to teach the class, helped me set up before the workshop and helped me clear up afterwards - couldn’t have done it without her!

Thank you to the other tutors and students in Ballarat - I meet so many lovely people from Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Our textile community is a special one.

Thank you to Roz for meeting me at Hobart airport and to Ann and Michael for letting me use their beautiful apartment. It was a great base for my stay in Tasmania although the hill it was on was a killer!

Thank you to Chris and Roz of Stitching and Beyond for inviting me to teach a three day workshop in Hobart and for doing such a good job supplying everything we needed for the workshop. All those sauce bottles! Thank you to another set of talented, enthusiastic students; Chris, Leanne, Karen, Lesley, Margaret, Sue, Robyn, Roz, Jen, Lisa and Sally. You all did an amazing amount of work for a three day class. An especially big thank you to Robyn and Sally for buying the colour references and my printed fabrics and for Jen for passing the money onto local charity Loaves & Fishes.

Thank you to Stephanie at Can Do Books for agreeing to stock my Simply Screen Printing book in Australia which will save buyers lots of money on shipping. You can email her via the website if you want to be put on the waiting list.

And finally, thank you to my family for ‘coping’ while I was away …… it was very nice to come home to clean house.

Leah x

It is only a few days now until I head to Australia to teach a couple of workshops. I’m excited but the control freak in me is vaguely terrified because I can’t pack up my studio and take it with me. Nor did it make any sense to ship dyes over from the UK when the availability of different dye colours varies regionally.

Although there are lots of different Procion dye colours available I teach colour theory and colour mixing using two yellows, two reds, two blues, a black and a dark brown. So one of the lists I had to send the organizer was a list of the dye colours they should buy from a supplier in Australia. Selecting colours online is not ideal - I’ve lost count of the number of different coloured ‘turquoise’ threads I brought during lockdown in search of the ‘perfect’ turquoise for my Cadence quilts. But I did my best - I picked a lemony yellow, an orangy yellow, a blue-biased red (magenta), a yellow-biased red (scarlet), a turquoise, a blue with a slight red bias, a neutral black and a dark looking brown. And, being the control freak I am, I also ordered some of each dye to be shipped to the UK so that I could recreate my colour references for an Australian audience.

Oh boy. The first colour reference I made was a colour exchange between lemon yellow and magenta (above left). The lemon yellow was a perfect match for the acid lemon I use in my studio. So far so good! The magenta wasn’t, it had a much stronger blue bias than I’m used to……. and the colours I mixed using the Australian lemon yellow and magenta looked distinctly brown compared with my ‘UK’ colour exchange (above, right). Some bad language was used. I persevered, making more colour exchanges with the two Australian blues. Some more bad language was used and I had to deploy the gin.

The next day, after a somewhat slow and fuzzy start, I realised that I would need to find a solution. Keeping my fingers crossed that none of my Australian students would want to use a strong red wasn’t a great solution. I needed to find a strong red that would give me orangey reds when mixed with yellows and lovely violets and fuchsias when mixed with blues. So I made a colour exchange between the two Australian reds hoping that the ‘blueness’ of the magenta would balance out the yellow bias of the scarlet without creating a muted reddish brown. And it worked! The gin bottle could go back in the cupboard!

And I was able to mix some really lovely orangey reds by combing it with the orangey yellow. Phew!!

I’ll be posting lots of images on Instagram as I travel and during the workshops - if there are any more surprises I’m hoping that they are of the good variety and, if not, that I can figure out a solution whilst looking calm, collected and totally professional. And without resorting to the gin!

You can find me on instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/leahhigginsartist/

Some weeks are just good. Mine got off to a cracking start with an email from textileartist.org to let me know that their article ‘Discover: The power of print’ had just been published online. I feel honoured (and rather chuffed) to be included in this article on five textile artists who use print in their work. I’m in great company as the article also highlights the work of Amerjeet Nandhra, Sue Hotchkis, Bobbi Baugh and Ross Belton. We all use print in very different ways to create very different styles of art but we all exploit the serendipity of the hand printing process. If you haven’t heard of textileartist.org I really recommend that you take a look at their website and sign up to their newsletter. The breadth and quality of work they feature is amazing and they are a great resource for all textile fans.

On Monday evening I gave a talk ‘Understanding Colour’ to Seaside Stitchers in Blackpool. As always it is an honour to be invited to talk to a group although I could have waffled on about colour for far longer than my allotted hour! They are a lovely group of embroiderers, quilters and textile lovers and I really enjoyed chatting with them after the talk. You can follow the link above to their Facebook page.

Life is challenging for everybody right now and I am grateful to the 172 people who brought my new book Simply Screen Printing in February and March. As a result I have just donated £172 on your behalf to The Trussell Trust. Making a living as an artist is tough and I only get to pay my bills because of your continued support - thank you!

The frustrating bit …. the cost of posting books internationally. Unfortunately, when I started shipping the new book, I discovered that there are no longer any ‘cheap’ options for posting parcels weighing over 2kg outside of the UK. I kept my postage rates the same until the end of March but have now had to increase them. There is still a significant difference between International Economy and International Standard for parcels weighing up to 2kg but once you get above 2kg the difference is much smaller and pricing can vary from day to day. I shop around every time I’m sending out a parcel that weighs over 2kg and, typically, the standard rate will get you delivery via courier within a few days and the economy rate will get you delivery via a courier in 2 - 3 weeks. If I happen to get a rate that is cheaper than you have paid I will refund the difference.

What also made this week a good one was a few days away from home with hubby staying in Morecambe. I’m going to be on a plane to Melbourne on our 40th wedding anniversary so this was an early anniversary present to ourselves. The weather was a bit rubbish but the AirBnB was amazing and had great views across the estuary (when the rain stopped). I took some ‘moody’ grey photos of the horizon line, sand and rocks - inspiration for a project?? Maybe when I get a free moment!

A big thank you to everybody who stopped by my stand at the Sewing for Pleasure show last week and especially to all those who brought a copy of my new book Simply Screen Printing. I am donating £1 from every book sold before the end of March to the Trussell Trust so if you are thinking about buying it, now would be a good time!

And Hello! to all new subscribers to this post. I waffle on about lots of stuff in my posts, I hope you enjoy them.

So. The book is published. The two shows are history. I’ve had two afternoon naps and I’m raring to go. What next? That would be my upcoming trip to Australia to teach a five day workshop in Ballarat and a three workshop in Hobart, Tasmania. I fly out on Saturday 8th April and can’t wait! The flights, accommodation, visa etc are all organised but I still have my workshop preparation to do. The dyes we will be using are, unsurprisingly, slightly different colours to the ones I use in my studio so I’m going to be recreating some of my colour references over the next few days. I also need to pull together notes for the students - the workshops combine elements from three of the workshops I teach in my studio so I have some copy and pasting to do!

And then there are the none studio things that need doing before I travel. Yes, I’m going to have to do some housework. I should probably also do some gardening (but I’m hoping it rains lots over the next couple of weeks). I need to sort out food / supermarket deliveries so that husband doesn’t starve (or order pizza every single evening). I need to buy some new knickers (OK so nobody would ever know but packing a collection of knackered knickers is just tempting fate). And decide which handbag to take - currently thinking a small cross over my body type one for passport, tickets etc and a rather large one as my carry on. It’s a big decision ……….

…. that I am exhibiting at Sewing for Pleasure at the NEC, Birmingham from this Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th. I will have a joint stand (number J05) with Ruth Brown again and you can come along and see me demonstrating screen printing and Ruth demonstrating how printed fabrics can be used to create glorious covers for the books she binds.

Ruth will have some book making kits for sale and I will have my usual collection of kits, books, fabrics, screens and dyes etc. Although I don’t have as many Wonky Print Inspiration Packs or Absolutely Darling Hand Dyed Packs as I would like ……. I had a very good show in Glasgow last week!

So, a big, big thank you to everybody who stopped by my stand in Glasgow! And a big ‘look forward to seeing you’ to everybody who is planning a trip to Birmingham!

Leah x

I’m delighted / frankly relieved that my new book Simply Screen Printing has arrived and I’m busy shipping out orders. Thank you to everyone who has ordered online! And although it is a drop in the ocean, £1 from every book sold before the end of March is going to The Trussell Trust, supporting food banks and fighting food poverty. The book will have its physical ‘launch’ this Thursday at the Scottish Quilting Show as the SECC, Glasgow. I will be busy demonstrating some of the screen printing techniques featured in the book.

Why relieved …… well ……. I had organised the heck out of everything with son Joe due to take delivery of the books on Thursday 23rd. I’d printed out orders, ordered book mailers, etc, etc. All before setting off for my annual retreat in the Lake District last Sunday. Good company, good food, stunning surroundings and time to stitch, read and to treat myself to an afternoon nap. I spent time quilting the books cover star, a piece of fabric printed using a string mask on the fabric (see above). As always the retreat worked its magic and all the stress of recent weeks melted away.

A pallet of books arrived at 8.30am on Thursday. Joe rang me with the good news. I asked him to open a few boxes to check that everything was OK. He said he didn’t know what to look for. I said to do it anyway and check for things like pages falling out, uncut pages etc. Ten minutes later he rang me. He had spotted an obvious error …. they weren’t my books! All that stress that had melted away made an unwelcome return ….. my language was a little ripe! Several phone calls later the printer rang me to say that they had located my books and they were on a truck on the way to Fleet in Hampshire (about 200 miles from sunny Manchester) but would be re-routed and would arrive on Friday morning. Which they did. But, boy, I could have done without the drama!

That said I think they look brill and I am rather proud of myself. Not that I think I’ll start work on the next book just yet!

Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered my new book Simply Screen Printing. The printers are busy doing their thing and we’re still on schedule to start shipping at the end of this month. I’m donating £1 to The Trussell Trust for every copy sold before the end of March, so please, if you’re thinking of buying a copy, do so before then - it is horrible that so many people need to use food banks but they do and every £1 helps.

I’ve had time for (several) large gin and tonics and a long lie down since getting the book to the finishing line and I’m now looking forward to the two shows I will be exhibiting at in March. I will be doing both shows with my good friend, and talented book binder, Ruth Brown. We’re having combined stands at both shows. I will be demonstrating screen printing (including breakdown printing) and Ruth will be demonstrating how (my) printed and dyed fabrics can be converted into book cloth for use in a range of wonderful book forms. I’ve been busy printing lots of fabulous fabric for my Wonky Print Inspiration Packs and will have lots of fabric as well as my books, dyes and other stuff at each show to lead you into temptation …..

The first show is the lovely Scottish Quilting Show at the SECC in Glasgow from Thursday 2nd to Saturday 4th March. It isn’t a big show but it is probably my favourite. Every year they have more and more great displays with lots of tutors, like me, demonstrating and sharing our knowledge. And I get to see my daughter, who lives in Glasgow. You can get 40% off the ticket price using the code SPRING 40. You can find us on stand M03.

The second show is the Sewing for Pleasure Show at the NEC in Birmingham from Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th March. The show is part of a much larger event and well worth a visit for all crafters, not just those working with textiles. Ruth and I will be on stand SE23 and you can use the same SPRING40 code to get a discount on your tickets.

Also in March I have a new Creative Surface Design class starting. The course is spread of 5 weekends between March and mid-October and is aimed at students who have already learnt lots of different techniques but need something ‘more’ to help them turn their ideas into a finished form. I demonstrate techniques as required but this is a more design lead program with lots of one-to-one support from me both during the sessions in the studio and in between. There are still places available. The deposit is £180 with further payments of £180 taken during each of the first four sessions so the cost is spread over a long period. Below are two quilts completed by one of my Creative Surface Design students, Anna Owen. The piece on the left is called Brink and the one on the right Barrier.. She focused on printing a collection of fabrics that could pieced together - and the finished quilts are gorgeous. Have a look here if you are interested!