The Most Excellent David Hockney & The Arrival of Spring - Saltaire

David Hockney

 
On a recent trip to Saltaire, I went to visit Salt's Mill and took in David Hockney's The Arrival of Spring.  These drawings catalogue the changing seasons on Woldgate, near Bridlington in East Yorkshire. They are a series of fantastic iPad drawings made from late 2010 through 2011.  Using the iPad allowed Hockney to complete them quickly and it was always planned that they would be printed out at a large scale.

Here are a few of the wonderful artworks ...

From The Arrival of Spring series - David Hockney

From The Arrival of Spring series - David Hockney

From The Arrival of Spring series - David Hockney

From The Arrival of Spring series - David Hockney

   
If you are in or near Saltaire do take a trip to Salt's Mill.  Apart from David Hockney's works there are restaurants and cafes, an excellent bookshop and all manner of other interesting stuff from jewellery to chairs to art supplies - to mention just some of my favourites!

There is also a nice parade of shops and cafes on Victoria Road and Victoria Hall is often home to vintage and makers events (e.g. Rose and Brown Vintage - which is where I got my vintage suitcase - take a look here & Saltaire Inspired.)  There is ample parking at Salt's Mill and there is also a carpark on Victoria Road.  

Makes a great day out rain or shine!

New in at Ebbing Tide, Filey

Flower button bracelets - great with jeans or pretty with a dress

   
I have just delivered some new stock to Ebbing Tide at Neil's Gallery in Filey.  They now have some colourful flower button bracelets, my Made by Me Bird kits in a selection of yummy colours, and a new stock of Liberty print fabric necklaces. ....Oh & a new mermaid has just swum by.  Here's a flavour:

Made by Me Bird kits in lots of yummy colours - great to make yourself!

Liberty print fabric necklaces - lovely Spring colours

A new mermaid brooch has just swum in!

The weather's warming up - why not take a trip to the seaside and take a look at Ebbing Tide!

Wonderful Workshop with Di Tinker Foster at Hope & Elvis

Di Tinker Foster's soldered story boxes

    

Thoroughly enjoyed a recent workshop at Hope & Elvis with Di Tinker Foster.  Di is the queen of soldering and was sharing her skills so we could all make tiny story boxes.  Her own work is fantastic - I especially liked her travelling art kit and her remembrance poppies.

Remembrance poppy story boxes - Di Tinker Foster

Badges, tickets and the soldering queue

        
Di had made us all some fab name badges which came with some tickets for the soldering queue.

Boxes & treasure

  
First we had to select our boxes and some treasure to fill them with.  Then it was a case of arranging the contents, adding the glass and foiling it.  We were then ready to solder ...

Foiled and ready to solder

Soldering station

   
It was quite a learning curve and fine fun. Here are my finished treasures with added sparkle ...

My treasures

  
I think I may have become a tinkerette! 

As for Hope & Elvis - it's a fab and magical place with all sorts of intriguing bits and bobs and artwork.  I love it there.  And Louise Presley who runs it is very welcoming and organises the most fantastic selection of workshops for those who like all things textile, mixed media and arty.  

A selection of Hope & Elvis treasures

  
We were doubly lucky with a welcome at the beginning of the day from another Louise (of Sew Green Fox children's sewing workshops) to make our day complete.

Do take a look at what Hope & Elvis has to offer - you won't be disappointed.

Hayley Mills-Styles comes to York

Hayley Mills-Styles

    
Recently Hayley Mills-Styles came to the City of York Embroiderers' Guild to tell us about her work.  Hayley describes herself as a thread artist and is based in Leeds. Taught to sew by her Grandma, Hayley studied Textile Practice at Huddersfield University and then went on to do a Masters in Textiles at Manchester Metropolitan University.  Although Hayley has made things from a young age, her degree work has taught her to think about the reasons behind her making.  She likes to tell stories using fabric and thread, some of which are autobiographical, some are about the lives of others or about memory and place.

Hayley Mills Styles - Sofa patches from the Deconstruct/Reconstruct project

  
Hayley found a sofa like that of her grandparents and took it apart and worked on it to create memory pieces.

Hayley Mills-Styles - Pieces from the Warm & the Cold project

  
Working on a project entitled the Warm and the Cold (title taken from the poem by Ted Hughes) with Arthur & Martha (poet Philip Davenport & artist Lois Blackburn), Hayley helped homeless people in Manchester capture some of their thoughts on warmth and cold in stitch.

Hayley Mills-Styles - Map Portraits from 365 Leeds Stories

  
Hayley created map portraits as part of a collaborative project about Leeds residents - 365 Leeds Stories. Workshops were held in a pub and residents embroidered onto maps printed onto cotton.

Hayley's current work is inspired by the Yorkshire coast and the poem Sea Fever by John Masefield.  She likes to go beachcombing on Runswick Bay and uses the found items in her work.  Photography is also important. Hayley doesn't keep sketchbooks prefering to keep a journal detailing how she makes things and what she has done. Starting with a photo, Hayley will wonder how to recreate it in stitch and it will inspire techniques e.g. couching, wrapping threads, dorset buttons etc.  In doing this she builds what Bren Boardman describes as "artistic muscle".  For her machine embroidery, Hayley uses a Pfaff Creative 3.0 sewing/embroidery machine and filmoplast as a stabiliser in some of her work and aquasol (solufleece) which is a strong soluble fabric, unlikely to tear, for other pieces.

Hayley Mills Styles - Digital machine embroidery (detail) from current work inspired by the Yorkshire coast.

If you're York based, you may have seen Hayley's work in the recent "Made to Measure" exhibition at the Lotte Inch Gallery on Bootham.

It was an interesting talk all about Hayley's work together with helpful tips on useful products.

Yarnstorming at the Open Shop with Lucy Monkman Illustration & O'Crumbs

On Saturday 5 March, three York Makers headed off to the Open Shop in New Earswick, York to run workshops or offer tips on the things they do.  I ran a yarnstorming workshop where we made a banner for the Open Shop.

Everyone getting busy, knitting & finger knitting

Cakes available all day to keep us going

French knitting machine in use and some finger knitting on show

Helen & Sam's fish

    

Hello in place in the Open Shop

    
Nicola from O'Crumbs had delicious cakes available and was offering advice and tips.  The cakes were very yummy - I know I ate three!

Delicious cakes from O'Crumbs

     
In the afternoon Lucy Monkman held a card making workshop.  There was a lot of fantastic collage going on.  Take a look:

Busy collage card making

Fantastic sheep & flower cards

     
Thanks go to Liz Foster - Art & Design for many of the photos above.  Liz can be found in the Open Shop on Friday afternoons running the Open Art session.  She is also doing some Public Office & Trade School sessions - take a look in the Open Shop Events listing.

New in at the wonderful Kunsthuis Gallery, Crayke

A selection of Hippystitch stock can now be found at the Kunsthuis Gallery, Crayke.

People & Places Brooches and Map Pouches

Raku Button Brooches

Vintage Button brooches

Femmes Fatales Brooches

All the above are in stock and a selection of knitted wire bird brooches too.

Blue tit knitted wire bird brooch

The Gallery has regular exhibitions - currently it's ZWART-WIT (Black - White) until Sunday 20 March 2016.  Apart from the gallery & shop there's also a fab cafe, wildlife garden, plant sales and car park (and it's free entry) or you could just go for a walk.  Here are a few garden snaps to whet your appetite...

The Kunsthuis Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm.  Why not take a look - it's lovely!

 

Jacqueline James and her remarkable rugs

Rug detail - Jacqueline James

Recently Jacqueline James came to the City of York Embroiderers' Guild to tell us about her rug making career.   Working with a linen warp and a wool or cotton weft and using a shaft switching technique invented by Peter Collingwood, Jacqueline creates unique reversible rugs.  One of a small number of British rug weavers, she takes inspiration from the bright colours of India, pattern, landscape, patchwork, Kaffe Fassett, and loves to grade colour in her work.  Dyeing her own yarn using a weft ikat method also features in her work.

Here are some pictures of Jacqueline's work giving a flavour of her love of colour and pattern ...

Rug detail - Jacqueline James

Rug detail - Jacqueline James

Rug detail - Jacqueline James

Rug detail - Jacqueline James

Samples - Jacqueline James

Jacqueline works largely to commision which has included work in the British Library, altar frontals for York Minster, Westminster Abbey, & Clifton Parish Church to name but a few.  You may have visited her during York Open Studios or seen some of her varied textile work with schools.

You can find out more about Jacqueline James and her fab rugs here.