Sprout 2015

Women of the Cloth are delighted to be returning to Sprout Community Arts in Furzedown for the fourth year.

We’ll be there from 24 November to 7 December, with a private view on Monday 23 November, 6-9pm – everyone welcome.

Carol will have some lovely nuno felted pieces and will be running her ever-popular workshops on mirror embroidery, nuno felting, making felt slippers and a special after-school workshop focusing on tassels and pompoms.

Kim will be showing her latest batch of upcycled hand dyed indigo shibori scarves, along with a new product line of ecoprinted clothing and accessories. Ecoprinting uses real leaves bundled up with fabric and steamed or simmered for a few hours – the prolonged contact with the fabric results in the foliage leaving marks on the fabric.

We’re also delighted to have four guest artists joining us this year. They include:

Gabriela Szulman

Gabriela is an artist and maker who creates prints, greeting cards, jewellery and scarves with images inspired by memory, nostalgia and a love of everything vintage. Gabriela will also be running a decoupage workshop and demonstrating how to upcycle furniture with Carol.

Black Cactus

Anna Jackson of Black Cactus is a textile artist and designer maker specialising in printing. Lush texture, colour and enjoyment of the raw material are all expressed in her pieces.

AnotherEarthling

AnotherEarthling is the work of Mary Jones, a 3D textile artist from north London. Inspired by a love of the woods, Mary uses the needle felting technique to make a range of animal forms, from tiny creatures that rest in your palm to life-sized animal sculptures, an ethical alternative to traditional taxidermy, and a huge range of animal character masks.

Loren Zeisler

Loren knits scarves and snoods using one-off combinations of colours and yarns. She also makes jewellery using vintage beads, and sparkling Christmas ornaments.

Workshops

As mentioned above, we’ll also be running several workshops at Sprout – details below. Prices include all materials. Places are limited, so please book in advance on Eventbrite.

Wednesday 25 November, 6.30-9pm
SHISHA MIRROR EMBROIDERY
Spend an enjoyable evening learning to stitch on little Indian mirrors to add adornment to your stitching projects, then add rings of different stitches around them using colourful threads and beads.
£35


Saturday 28 November, 10.30am-4pm
MAKE YOUR OWN FELT SLIPPERS
Make a pair of handmade felt slippers using soft sheep fleece, soap and water.  Choose any colours you like to suit you and your style.  The beauty of making felt slippers is that you can finish shaping them on your own feet for a perfect fit.  They are warm and breathable, light as a feather and so comfy you’ll hardly know you’re wearing them.  It’s like having your feet hugged (according to one of Carol’s workshop participants!). £55



Sunday 29 November, 2-5pm
NEEDLE FELTED ANIMALS
Sculpt with wool! In this workshop you will learn to make an adorable unique needle felted small animal with Mary. All it takes is wool fibre and a barbed needle – fun, easy and very satisfying! £35


Tuesday 1 December, 10am-1pm
SHOE DECOUPAGE
Transform a pair of boring, plain shoes into something unique and eye-catching using just paper and glue. During this workshop, you will select papers from Gabriela’s extensive collection to transform a pair of shoes into your unique creation through decoupage. Gabriela will guide you through the design process and show you all the tricks involved in applying very thin paper to a flexible surface. Bring an old pair of shoes or sandals made from leather or plastic, with as little embellishment as possible. If in doubt, bring a couple of pairs and we can choose the best one once you’re here. £35 (bring your own shoes – all other materials provided)


Tuesday 1 December, 2-5pm
UPCYCLING FURNITURE DEMONSTRATION
Carol and Gabriela will demonstrate how to upcycle old furniture very economically, using paint effects and decoupage. They will be on hand to answer questions and share tips, and tell you all about their first furniture upcycling workshop next January.


Wednesday 2 December, 6.30-9pm
DESIGN YOUR OWN WRIST CUFFS
Make a unique collection of metallic wrist cuffs with Anna. Design six pieces in the patterns and colours of your choice to create your own fabulous selection of wrist candy. Tools will be on hand for you to ensure they are a custom fit. An original gift idea, if you can part with any of them! £35 


Thursday 3 December, 4-6pm
AFTER-SCHOOL TASSELS AND POMPOMS
Using colourful yarns, threads and beads we’ll make a selection of tassels and pompoms to make into a charm which you can hang on your bedroom door handle or on the handle of a bag.
£5 per child aged 7 up




Saturday 5 December, 10.30am-4pm
NUNO FELTED WRIST WARMERS
Nuno felting involves fusing wool and silk fibres onto fabric to create texture and strength, using just soap and water with rubbing and rolling. In this workshop you will create a few small samples with different fabrics, then make a pair of beautiful silk and wool wrist warmers. No more boring gloves! £55


Sunday 6 December, 10.30am-4pm
NEEDLE FELTED MASKS
In this workshop you’ll learn to make a beautiful, unique animal character mask with Mary. These masks are full of life and expression – they can be also be worn on the forehead as a headdress, perfect for festivals, wild nights and masked balls. £55

 

Places on all these workshops are limited – please book on Eventbrite. If you have any queries, please email womenofthecloth2012@gmail.com

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Christmas sale & workshops

1 to 10 December – daily from 10am 

at Sprout Community Arts, 74 Moyser Road, London SW16 6SQ

Private View – Monday 1 December 6-9pm

Join us for our third annual Christmas show at Sprout, a lovely community arts space in Streatham, south London.  Several guest artists will be joining us to create a wonderful display of colourful textile artworks, wearables and all manner of unique handmade gifts.

If you’d like to learn some new craft skills, enrol for one of our workshops in weaving, textile jewellery, feltmaking or embroidery – see the timetable below.

Women of the Cloth

Carol will be showing her latest work in nuno felt, including wearables such as tactile cosy scarves, snoods and arm wear,  felt and stitch collages plus the ever popular winter warmers in handmade felt such as hottie covers and tea cosies . As a feltmaker, Carol continues to indulge her love of mixing colours and textures using fibre and cloth. Join her for a feltmaking or embroidery workshop.

Over the summer Joan has been developing a new line in wrapped and beaded textile jewellery.  She has enjoyed both making and wearing some of the pieces and, having received some very positive feedback and healthy sales at our Lambeth Open event, she is continuing to expand the styles and colours.  She will also be showing her latest woven vessels and wall hangings.  Join Joan for a jewellery-making workshop on Sunday 7 December (see below).

Kim will be there with her latest batch of upcycled hand-dyed indigo shibori pieces, plus a few scarves dyed with rust and other natural dyes.  She continues to develop her sculptural felting techniques, attending workshops with Andrea Graham and Maria Friese, and has a new line of cutwork felted scarves and felted ruffle collars for the festive season. You can keep up with her work on her Flextiles blog.

Guest artists

Sister-duo AfroRetro will be showing their funky handmade jewellery, accessories and clothing inspired by their Ugandan and British heritage. Gorgeous Ugandan fabrics, bark cloth and palm leaves are among the materials which give their work such unique texture and pattern.

Linda Firth is a fine art textile artist working in south London.  The work she will be showing uses handmade felt embellished with collage and stitch.

Weaver Jackie Bennett’s work is driven by the urge to experiment and sample yarns.  She favours plant fibres: cotton, hemp, linen, jute, bamboo, silk and wool.  Another lover of colour and texture, Jackie responds to inspirations both rural and urban, ranging from trees to buildings.  She is also concerned with vision and the loss of sight.

Loren Zeisler is also inspired by beautiful yarns and natural fibres, combining them in different ways so that each of her knitted items  is a one-off.  She loves making things that have a function as well as being decorative, and each project – textiles, jewellery, ornaments – starts with thoughts on colour and evolves from there.

Janet Thompson’s ever popular needlefelted dogs will be with us once more and Janet will run a weekday workshop for those who would like to learn to make their own woolly pooch.  Janet’s dogs are full of character and fun, each with its own unique personality.  Perfect gifts for animal lovers at Christmas.

Making handmade products has enabled Susan of Wolle + Hide to show her passion for wonderful materials using simple shapes that show off the beauty and texture of the cloth and leather with fresh colour combinations.  Her fashion accessories mix rural and urban aesthetics for design conscious women and men.

Helena, Sue and Christabel are all stitchers also contributing smaller handmade Christmas decorations and gift items, including bags for children, pincushions and purses in colourful fabrics to add even more variety to our offerings at Sprout this year.

So come and visit us or email us on womenofthecloth2012@gmail.com to book a workshop place from the list below.

Workshops

Needlefelted dogs with Janet
Tuesday 2 December, 11am-3pm, £35
Learn how to needlefelt a little dog using simply sheep fleece and a special needle.  Once you have learnt the basic techniques, you’ll add characterful details to your new best friend!

Shisha mirrorwork embroidery with Carol
Tuesday 2 December, 6.30-9pm,  £20
Learn how to sew on these small round mirrors, Indian-style, and add them to your handmade Christmas decorations. Play with colourful threads.

Hanging decorative bird with Helena
Saturday 6 December, 10.30am-12.30pm,  £22.50
This workshop will give you the chance to practise your sewing skills and learn new ones while you make an individually crafted textile decoration using sequins, ribbons, bright colours and decorative fabrics.

Felting with Carol
Saturday 6 December, 1.30-5.30pm, £20
Make your own felt teacosy or hot water bottle cover using colourful sheep fleece, soap and water.  Fast results with lovely, tactile materials – great makes for Christmas gifts.

Textile jewellery with Joan
Sunday 7 December, 11am-4pm, £35
Learn contemporary textile jewellery making techniques using colourful fibres, yarns, threads and beads.  Select colours and textures to match your wardrobe or experiment with something new.

Stitching and beading with Helena
Sunday 7 December, 2.30-6pm, £35
An extension of Helena’s Saturday class to develop stitch and bead work and explore your own ideas.  The aim is to make one complete bird decoration to hang on your tree or give as a handmade gift.

Upcycling with Afroretro

Monday 8 December, 18.30-21.00, £15

In this workshop sisters Ann and Lilly will teach you handprinting techniques to upcycle an unloved tee into a statement piece ready for the festive season, embellished with colour, sequins, & lots of fun.

Lambeth Open on 4-5 October

We’re delighted to announce that Women of the Cloth will be taking part in Lambeth Open again this year on 4 and 5 October. There are more artists and artisans taking part in Streatham this year, so why not make a day of it and take the opportunity to discover the creative talent on your doorstep?

As a member of Women of the Cloth, this will be Carol’s third Lambeth Open event. She will be showing her latest work in nuno felt, including wearables such as tactile cosy scarves and items of textile jewellery, plus a small flock of her needlefelted birds. As a feltmaker Carol continues to develop her range of skills and methods through experimentation, and to indulge her love of mixing colours and textures using fibre and cloth. Once a year new inspiration and learning comes from attending workshops with world-renowned tutors, most recently Inge Bauer.

Carol will be running a needlefelted birds workshop on the Sunday, 5th October, from 2-5 pm at a cost of £25 including materials and a cuppa.  Needlefelting is relaxing, absorbing, anyone can do it and it’s a bit addictive!

Email us at womenofthecloth2012@gmail.com to book a place.

This summer Joan has been lucky enough to spend two months in France.  Taking a rest from weaving and sitting on the terrace with a cold glass of wine in her hand, looking at the riot of colour in the garden,  she was inspired to have a go at making textile jewellery.  She has enjoyed both making and wearing some of the pieces and, having received some very positive feedback, she is continuing to expand the styles and colours into an autumn range.

Kim has spent the summer experimenting with rust and natural dyes, which has been fascinating and occasionally frustrating! (You can read more about this on her Flextiles blog.) She has also continued to develop her sculptural felting techniques, attending workshops with Andrea Graham and Maria Friese, and has a new line of cutwork felted scarves for the autumn/winter season, alongside her best-selling upcycled hand-dyed indigo shibori pieces.

Guest artist duo AfroRetro will also be showing their funky handmade jewellery, accessories and clothing inspired by their Ugandan and British heritage.  They will be running a series of mini-make workshops on Saturday 4th October during which you can try your hand at making a lavender bag, a bookmark, an oyster card holder, a card or various other small items using colourful african fabrics, palm leaves and bark cloth and simple stitching techniques.  These mini workshops are £5 each including materials.  Email us at womenofthecloth2012@gmail.com

Lambeth Open takes place on 4 and 5 October, 10am-6pm. Women of the Cloth will be at 27 Mount Ephraim Lane, Streatham, SW16 1JE. We hope to see you there!

Open House in May

Kim and Carol will be taking part in the Dulwich Artists’ Open House event during the weekend of 10th & 11th May at 28 Worlingham Road, East Dulwich, SE22 9HD

CLOTH AND CAMERA

We will be joining members of the South London Photography group in the home of one of our guest artists Dianne Brown, whose colourful upcycled rag-rugs were such a hit at our recent residency at the Avent Gallery.  There will be plenty of other open houses in the surrounding streets, so come and browse for unique handmade arts & crafts, then stop for coffee or lunch in a local cafe or pub!

 

 

Jeannie Avent guest artists

We’re delighted to welcome four guest textile artists at our exhibition at Jeannie Avent Gallery in East Dulwich on 3-15 April.

Mary Rodriguez

In her work Mary is keen to explore the frontier between printmaking and sewing, using lino prints, monoprints, and quilting plus hand and machine embroidery, involving repetitions of abstract shapes and fortuitous overlays of colour and textures.

 

 

Robyn Archer

Robyn Parker is a textile designer working with digital print. Her company, Archie Mac London, is all about telling stories, and produces kaleidoscopic textile products that are heavily influenced by childhood.

Robyn is running two lino printing workshops on 10 and 12 April.
 
 

Dianne Brown

Dianne makes colourful rag rugs using mainly recycled material. The only other ingredients needed are patience and an unlimited supply of time. Back home these rugs were called “podgers” because of the way the material is pushed (or podged) through the backing fabric. No two are alike. Dianne also makes patchwork items and cushions to indulge her love of fabrics.
 
 

Janet Thompson

Janet makes quirky characterful dogs, owls, deer and little groupings of other creatures using simply sheep’s fleece and some barbed needles. You can commission a felted sculpture of your own favourite pet, or that of a friend as a gift, or join Janet’s workshop on Monday 14 April and learn to make your own!

 

For full details of all workshops, see here.