Carole shares her star cushions

Carole's star cushions are featured as a project in the latest edition of British Patchwork and Quilting......... out now

Mary in Stitch Magazine

Mary McIntosh's Texture Adventures technique features in Stitch Magazine this month.

Stitch magazine Oct/Nov edition 2016

Mary teaches this technique of layering fabrics with sheers, stitching and then cutting back as a workshop to groups and also sells packs to create an 8" panel

Page 44 of Stitch Magazine

Texture Adventures project (detail)

To order a pack or to find a list of Mary's workshops please email her on:

maryelmcintosh@gmail.com or visit www.marymcintosh.co.uk 

Janet's off on tour again

Janet Valentine will be showing a quilt selected as part of 'The Living World' touring exhibition 2016 - 2017

Daisy, Daisy, Daisies by Janet Valentine

Janet says "The piece is called Daisy, Daisy, Daisies and was inspired by the thousands of daisies that grow in my garden each summer. I leave the front lawn to grow, allowing the wild flowers to seed and helping the wildlife.

It was stencilled and roller painted with fabric paints after dyeing the fabric. Machine stitching and couching.

The tour dates and venues are as follows:

• Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts, Westpoint Centre, Exeter: 22-25 September 2016
• Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts, EventCity, Manchester: 2-4 February 2017
• The Scottish Quilting Show, SECC, Glasgow: 2-5 March 2017
• Fashion & Embroidery, NEC, Birmingham: 16-19 March 2017
• Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts, Eikon Centre, Belfast: 30 March – 1 April 2017
• Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts, HIC, Harrogate: 6-8 April 2017
• Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts, ExCeL, London: 20-22 April 2017

Daisy, Daisy, Daisies (detail)

Miss Monet makes a dramatic entrance

The exquisite Miss Monet corset and skirt created by Karen Frost was modelled at the Fashion Show at the International Festival Of Quilts at the NEC in Birmingham this week.

Made from recycled calico coffin covers which have been silk painted, appliqued, embellished with smocking, sheers, buttons, beads, and well as being machine quilted and hand embroidered.

Karen's first ever attempt at smocking!  Bodice detail.

Congratulations to Karen on being invited to take part in this prestigious event and she will be back in her sewing room soon as she has been invited back for 2017!

Alumni on show

Out of the Fold are proud to have been selected as the guest exhibitors at the Creative Stitch Suffolk City and Guilds Graduate Show in Wickham Market on Sat 25th and Sun 26th June 2016

Out of the Fold was initially formed, ten years ago, of students graduating from City and Guilds courses in patchwork and quilting and have been joined through the years by others with qualifications in creative embroidery and other textile crafts. OOTF members have since all gone on to develop their skills and to make work in their own style.

We wish this new set of Graduates the best of luck for the future and look forward to following their textile careers.

Karen and Helen published!

The new book by Val Holmes includes work by Out Of the Fold members Helen Marchant and Karen Frost. 

Published May 2016

 Helen made 'Priscilla' for the Out of the Fold Gallery at the Knitting and Stitching Show in 2014 where it was seen by Val Holmes, then preparing her book on Experimental Corsets, who asked Helen if it may be included in the book. Here she is looking rather fabulous.

Priscilla by Helen Marchant

At the same show Val saw the beautiful fairytale jacket created by Karen and asked her to create a brand new and unique corset in a similar style for her book. Inspired by the Fairy Queen from A Midsummer's Nights Dream this is the result.

Titania's Corset by Karen Frost

'Experimental Corsets' is published by Batsford and is available now

Out of the Fold goes Out of County

Lynne, Janet and local Essex girl Carole were the OOTF ambassadors at a presentation of the group's work to Romford Embroiderers.

Lynne setting out the display

 On show was 'Out of Line' - the most recent joint exhibit made by Out of the Fold plus two or three pieces of work by each group member showing the breath and variety or textile art created during the last 10 years.

The presentation was warmly received with one comment:
"this is the most professionally produced body of work by a textile group we have seen"

Work by members of Romford Embroiderers Guild can currently be seen on Show at Hedingham Castle as part of the Capability Brown celebrations
www.embroiderersguildeast.org.uk

Karen to take to the catwalk

Karen Frost has been invited to take part in the Festival of Quilts Wearable Art Fashion Show at the NEC in Birmingham this August.

So following on from her fantastic 'Once Upon a Time' fairytale inspired jacket made for the Knitting and Stitching exhibition in 2014 and the sumptuous bodice made for the Bury St Edmunds exhibition in 2015, Karen will once again be stitching far into the night to make a new piece of work.

Karen Frost Jacket detail

Best of the East at Makit

Several Out Of The Fold members will have work on display at the Makit Fair in Peterborough on Sunday 8th May www.makitfairs.com as part of the Best Of The East exhibition. This showcases textile work by quilters, embroiderers, lacemakers and other crafts from all over the East Anglian region.

Look out for work from Lynne Pretty, Janet Valentine, Penny Bamber, Lynette Domoney, Jane Rowland and Mary McIntosh

Mechanical Disaster (detail) by Jane Rowland

Tipsy Stitcher (detail) by Mary McIntosh

Jane wins at Blackthorpe

Jane Rowland's piece made for the Quilters Guild Suffolk Suitcase collection was awarded first prize at the Blackthorpe Barn exhibition this weekend. The suitcase collection, also containing Suffolk inspired pieces by OOTF members Lynne Pretty and Janet Valentine, will be available for groups to share throughout the region.

The Ewes Have It Too by Jane Rowland

Jane says:

THE EWES HAVE IT TOO  (A2 size)

The sheep represent a link between my childhood on a mixed farm in Kenya, and Suffolk where I now live.  Suffolk used to have an important wool trade and in recent years I have learned to spin at a local Guild.

Recycled ice-dyed calico and African wax print fabrics.  Screen printing, machine applique, hand stitching and quilting.

Blackthorpe Barn Exhibition

Lynne Pretty (detail from Out of Line)

The Quilters Guild Big Exhibition at Blackthorpe Barn, just off junction 45 of the A14 near Bury St Edmunds, is now on from Sat 30th April until Monday 2nd May 2016. 10am - 4pm each day.

Karen Frost (detail from Out of Line)

There are lots of beautiful, mostly traditional, quilts on display from all over the region and well worth a visit. Excellent cake too!

Lynne and Jane mounted the Out of the Fold exhibit yesterday and it looks great. All twelve members of the group has made a 6" wide textile piece in their own style and they hang together in an exhibition called Out of Line.

Here is a glimpse of some of the pieces to entice you along to see the whole thing.

Jane Rowland

Janet Valentine

Marion Baker

Suffolk Suitcase Collection

Jane has been working for  piece for the Quilters Guild Region 8 new suitcase collection inspired by our Suffolk and Essex region which will go on display at the Blackthorpe Barns Big Exhibition on  Saturday 30th April - Monday 2nd May 2016.

Here is just a tiny corner to give you a taster for the whole thing.

Jane Rowland

Out of Line

Out of the Fold have created a new display of work which will be first revealed at the Quilter's Guild Big Exhibition at Blackthorpe Barns on Saturday 30th April until Monday 2nd May 2016  www. region-eight.quiltersguild.org.uk

Each member of the group has produced a piece of work only 6" wide but at any length in their own style and they will hang together as one piece called 'Out Of Line'

Here is a little glimpse of some of the pieces and to see the whole thing please come along to the show where there will be lots of beautiful quilts from throughout the region.

Caroline

Daphne

Lynette

Helen

More ripped and revealed (and coloured)

After the rip and reveal Mary had some pleasing results

Orange tissue laid over dyed fabric just clings to the stitching after the 'rip'

Tissue first coloured with leaf shapes using oil pastel

But liked it better with colour added to darken

Diluted acrylic paint flooded through from the back

The second piece received the same treatment

Tissue transferred to a cream fabric

Cream fabric and tissue coloured

More rip and reveal

Penny produced several pieces using the gesso paper lamination technique - these two are particularly good

Gesso lamination - rip and reveal

On the second day of the workshop with Christine Chester we layered tissue paper with fabric, stitched, painted with gesso and laid another piece of fabric on top. We then had to wait to let it dry overnight before we could rip them apart. The results are varied, but interesting, and will provide backgrounds to be stitched and made up into finished work.

Helen's piece which had tissue shapes overlaid with a whole sheet of tissue.

Jane's piece using collaged tissue.Stitch stayed on the left, tissue and stitch marks transferred to the right 

Lynne's pieces using tissue coloured with oil pastels

Guest workshop member Marie used printed tissue with interesting results

 More to follow..............

Christine Chester Workshop

We have just spent a brilliant two days with Christine Chester who travelled all the way from Eastbourne to Suffolk to run a workshop on paper lamination. Christine is an excellent tutor and everyone produced several pieces of laminated fabric ready to layer up and stitch - watch out for these being made up into finished pieces and appearing in an exhibition in the near future. Here are just some of them......................

Christine demonstrating lamination

Mary's copper beech using painted newspaper

Guest member Marie Paddon's piece using images of her own gelliprints

Jane's transparent lamination using newspaper and a thermofax screen

Jane's piece using an old map

Jane layering up two laminations and starting to stitch

Lynne has gone all Japanese - again

Daphne's garden 

Marion's beautifully delicate piece

Christine reviewing work and giving feedback

The gesso lamination pieces are drying ready for the 'rip and reveal' tomorrow - so watch out for more photos