Give me a T, give me an R!!!

Melamine Trays using original stitch design by Tina Francis

So my final large show of the year happened a couple of weeks ago at Harrogate, it's a great place and as ever the Knitting and Stitching Show delivered the people and the smiles.  I was lucky to be exhibiting next to Margaret Glackin Ceramics who I first met back at BCTF in April this year. Her Yarn Bowls have gone from strength to strength this year and what is really great about her work is the uniqueness of the glazes (each one has it's own history, much the same as my kit designs), it's always a pleasure to exhibit next to people dedicated to their practice.

Whilst at Knitting and Stitching Show I quietly launched the first two of my melamine tray designs, it has taken 2 years for me to get to this stage.  I stitched the work using recycled wool and then got them scanned by Martin Christie and then used them on cards and mugs for a while before being sure that they would work on trays and tableware.  I am really pleased with the results and will be adding more shapes and designs in the coming year, you can find them here Trays and Tableware. Most importantly for me they are a UK product from start to finish, from design, stitch, to imaging and finally to the production of the trays which is completed in Coventry. Even though they use stitch the designs fit into any type of home so whether you live the urban dream (like me)or have roses around your door I am sure they will be at home. It's really interesting to see where stitch designs can go.

Since coming back from the show I have been working on some bespoke Brooch designs for Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery which will hopefully be stocked by them in the new year sometime I am also working on a large tapestry kit for which again I hope will be stocked there in the future.  It's been a great excuse to visit the museum every day, there is so much to see there and also so much to remember!

I am also working on some new designs to be launched at Craft Hobby and Stitch International in February, this will be my second time at this trade only show and my final time in the Bright Sparks Pavilion.

Even though I take part in a trade show which sounds quite grand(!)I am still a really small business and so I am looking forward to supporting other small businesses on Small Business Saturday on 6th December. At this time of year when we are thinking of what to buy people it's always good to try and buy from independent businesses if you can because it really helps keep the high street alive. Earlier in the year I exhibited next to Sarah Hamilton a print maker from South East London who has recently started her Just a Card Campaign, the idea behind it came from a gallery owner who had had to close who said "If everyone who had complimented our beautiful gallery had bought just a card then we would still be open".  So even if you buy a card this Saturday from a small business you really will be making a difference.

So happy shopping, making and baking and of course stitching!

Tina

  

Christmas is a coming!

Tina Francis Tapestry Copyright 2014

So this year has gone super fast!  I've moved house, moved studio and have been really enjoying myself.  But tapestry waits for no one and so whilst living the life of Riley I have been working hard on my first seasonal design, Gingerbread House.   

I was introduced to ginger bread house decorating by a good American friend of mine, each year she would bake and assemble ginger bread houses for a group of friends and we would arrive sweets in hand to decorate them whilst we caught up on each others festive plans.  I since held my own parties and it's a great way to have a calm evening catching up at the busiest time of the year.

My gingerbread design is printed here in the UK and is available as a full kit, printed canvas only or a block chart.  It makes a great cross stitch too!

There are some fantastic tapestry needlepoint kits for the festive season around that once stitched will become beloved heirlooms. I love the new kit from One Off Needlework of a Poinsettia a favourite plant of mine.  The great thing about this design is that it can be used as a glasses case or a cushion insert, just lovely.  Also at One Off Needlework is a beautiful range of Christmas Stockings my favourite is Black Garland but that might be because it has my brothers name on it! 

Also great on the Christmas Stocking front is the range from Jolly Red, real fun designs here with my fave being Christmas Alphabet which is just so jolly!  I love the way that both Jolly Red and One Off Needleworks stockings have space to add your own name.

Finally in this kit round up (!) take a look at the Winter Sampler by Elizabeth Bradley, a fantastic use of winter berries and a dream of a house make this a really special kit to stitch, every time I look at it I see something else.

So it seems that my new kit is in great company and who knows maybe I will have another to add to the list next year.

The Autumn shows are in full swing now, I am just back from Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally.  This years event was bigger than ever lasting 5 days and having a late night opening event on the Thursday evening. I was in the same spot as last year and so it was great to meet up with people again.  My workshops were popular and everyone left with a smart needlepoint brooch attached to their lapel.  I am already chomping at the bit with workshop ideas for next year!

I am getting ready for Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate but in the meantime have two events that I am really looking forward to. The first is this coming Thursday and is a Christmas Fair being held at the Copthorne Hotel in Birmingham for Edwards Trust. Edwards Trust supports children and families in times of serious illness and bereavement, it is a great charity and I am really pleased to have s mall stand there selling my wares.  Secondly I will be doing a talk and workshop at Birmingham Embroiderers Guild all about using your stash and making a beautiful brooch with scraps of wool, I am really fortunate to have been asked to do this and hope it lives up to the quality of speakers they have all year round.

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Hazy shades of Autumn!

A Distant Shore - Tina Francis

So the Autumn shows are upon us, not sure where this year has gone but tapestry waits for no one!

I will be at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace from 8th until 12th October - that's right 5 whole days this year! As well as being on my stand I will also be running two workshops at 1pm on Wednesday and Friday so if you come by my stand and it is not me there then I will be back within the hour!  There are some fantastic exhibitors on the same aisle as me this year, I am a relative new comer to this aisle with this only being my second time many of the exhibitors have been stalwarts of this row for many a year!

My stand is TGC5 (TG stands for Textile Gallery) and to my left is the blaze of colour that is The Thread Studio, what an amazing mix of colour and texture.  All the way from Australia each year they bring so many silks and yarns that it is hard to know where to start.  My favourite are their hand dyed threads which are based around different themes currently I love "Cottage Garden".  

To my right are the fabulous Thermofax Screens, printing is a real love of mine that I continue to be part of with my printed canvas designs.  Thermofax have hundreds of designs for printing on to fabric but can also make you your own screen from your own design!! Think of the possibilities! Along with the screen the range of inks is just delicious.

So so far on our row you have drooled over the fantastic threads and silks, said hi to me and ordered your bespoke screen what you need now is some fabric to put them on!  Committed to Cloth have been running courses and educating people for a long time in the art of fabric manipulation and design.  They run some fantastic courses and alwys have interesting books to inspire and delight you.  Make sure you spend a while there.

As you turn away from the Committed to Cloth stand look behind you and see the fantastic knits of Sophies Wild Woollens a real trail blazer of the woollen world, what I particuarly like about Sophies business is that she uses local people to create and finish the clothes.  It's the finishing for me that makes these garments stand apart, just look at the buttons!

The warmth of wool turns to the warmth of the sun as next to Sophies Wild Woollens is The African Fabric Shop but it's not just fabric that makes a colourful explosion their range of baskets  is a joy to see.  There's no manufacture here, handmade and hand picked they really have a place in every home and oh yes they are fairly traded too! Really knowledgeable about their products its great to learn from this stand.

There's more knowledge to be had on the next stand belonging to Kate Haxell who has no less than 14 books under her belt! I am hoping that there will be some lavender hearts on her stand to make us all feel happy and relaxed! With a wide range of yarn ideas from Kate where better to stop next than her next door neighbour Habu Textiles who stock Japanese yarns and textiles.  At the start of the fair it is amazing to see just how many people make a bee line for this stand having waited for their chance to re-stock from this supplier who resides in New York!

So phew!  There you have it the people I will be sharing the days with at Ally Pally, I hope that you will be amongst them too!

Happy Stitching!

Tina

Weaving along the queue

Tina Francis Tapestry copyright 2014

Over the past few blogs I have been looking at the blogs and work of other makers that will be either exhibiting alongside me at The Handmade Fair or whose blogs I go to time and again for an inspirational tea break.  I will be writing a blog soon regarding all the fantastic exhibitors who will be in the Textile Gallery at the Knitting and Stitching Show Alexandra Palace rows c and d! But this time I want to tell you about a little adventure that I had at the weekend.

Saturday 30th August was Liberty Call 2014, where Libertys flings open their doors to makers and designers and gives them the opportunity to meet the head buyers for their particular products.  It is a long old day with queues of designers and makers snaking around Libertys from the early morning.  In order to take part you have to apply and register and then turn up on the day, this is meant to keep numbers to a manageable amount but I met quite a few people who had just turned up on the day.  Not really cricket because it just makes more work for everyone involved.

When you are a small business and working closely with your designs it is always good to come up for air and really review the products and designs you have been working so hard on.  I took a range of tapestry kits for printed canvases and also for counted canvases. You have 3 minutes to discuss your work and listen to the advice, so it is pretty intense!  I received some great advice and feedback about my designs and a lot of food for thought about the direction my work could take. I would really recommend it.

As you know I really want people to "Use their Stash" and my weave pattern for this is very popular with many of you having stitched unique designs with your stash of wools. The weave kits are popular at shows and can be tailored for your own homes, I love creating a bespoke weave design probably best of all!

You'll see an example at the top of the page of my Rainbow Weave kit which looks even brighter in "the flesh" and which will be coming along with me to The Handmade Fair and returning to The Knitting and Stitching Shows later in the year where it always brightens up the dark Autumn days!

I met some great people in the queue at the Liberty call and will be following them on their next ventures. It really is fantastic to see so many people following their hearts and making beautiful products, there is so much talent out there.  The whole event was filmed and so maybe you will see a clip of me on the next Libertys TV series, if I only make it to the cutting room floor then do please come and visit me in the Autumn at the retail shows.

Oh yes and if you are in Cumbria please do go and visit Farfield Mill in Sedbergh where my work is being exhibited next to some fantastic makers who all use good old wool! (More next time about this exhibition)

Happy Stitching!

Tina

Handmade legacy!

All images copyright the artist (listed below)

Montage created by Tina Francis from Web images

Those of you who read this blog on regular basis (thanks pals!) will know that my bespoke stitching only uses second hand wool, I am as much interested in the story behind who owned the wool as I am in the new piece I create.  Some of my second hand stitching has been used to create the tapestry needlepoint kits that I sell but of course these kits contain new wool! Taking a look at my stand neighbours at The Handmade Fair there seems to be a common theme of tradition and memory woven into our practices, lets take a look at the people that will surround me at the end of September.

Firstly The Littlecote Soap Co. founded by Elaine Stavert 12 years ago after a life-changing move from a London television career to a farm in the heart of the Buckinghamshire countryside. Inspired by the surrounding countryside and her favourite things in life, each ethical range is made from traditional recipes with exclusively designed perfumes that are quintessentially English with contemporary twists. This all sounds a bit like the good-life and yes it seems that it is because one of the ranges is based on gin and tonic!

Bobo Stitch has a very special piece of history in the making as the company is named after their daughter Olive, see their site for the full story. Whilst the kits used traditional cross stitch the patterns created are really something quite special and heirlooms in the making.

Speaking of tradition the work by Chachoulie concentrates on recycling the rich embroidery of Palestine, a country that has a rich heritage in cross stitch. The national dress of the region is defined by its embroidery and each dress tells a story with its colours, patterns and shapes, revealing not only which village the wearer is from but also her marital status.

Rima set up her company to showcase her creativity through the cultural identity of Palestine and to keep the folk craft of the region at the front end of fashion. 

Onward! How will you have the time to visit us all! The powerhouse that is Puntobelle design all their own fabrics and then use them to create really useful products, I am particuarly looking forward to the Travel Wallet which will set anyone,s holiday off to a great start. Some of these patterns are already design classics and so will be around for a long time!

Whilst Puntobelle use their own fabrics for their designs Creative Quilting bring you fantastic fabrics for all your quilting needs. Set up with just 5 bolts of fabric in 1989 the shop now boasts 2000 bolts! Hopefully a good selection of them will be making their way to the fair. A huge amount of quilting knowledge will be there for the taking on this stand, don't miss out on asking for advice if you want to start working with fabric.

There is a Norwegian saying about if you want to sing you will always find your song which I was reminded of when I read how printer Sarah Hamilton describes her work which revolves around colour for her the colours must sing which I can appreciate being a tapestry artist! Sarahs prints have a Scandinavian feel but are also based on her love of 1950's fabrics and among others Eric Ravilious and Georges Braque (a Tina Francis favourite). Sharing a stand with Sarah will be another print maker called Gabriela Szulman whose work is inspired by the nature of memories, over the years she has saved family photographs and printed ephemera from the 1940s and 1950s to create beautiful collages which are now being used for a new range of scarves that will be launched at the fair.

Using family memorabilia is taken to the next level by The Hutton Emporium who will be exhibiting work from members of the Hutton Family. This exciting mix of styles and practices will be great to see, I will be trying to find a link in the styles! Emma Hutton is a jeweller who adds history to her pieces by giving them a worn and cherished look with different pattination techniques.

After a long day at a show I like to sit down and look at something really beautiful for a while before I start to pack away and this time I will be looking at the fantastic hand painted and naturally dyed wools of Watercolours and Lace. I am very interested in the way that a naturally dyed wool can bring immediate texture to any piece especially as some of the dyes are from right here in the UK.

Phew!!

So there we go just a few of the stands in the West Tent that I will be sharing my time with from 19th to 21st September. I will be blogging more soon about other stand holders that I know whose work is nothing less than fantastic.

Happy Stitching!

Tina

Learning as we go

Tina Francis Tapestry 2014

Being a lover of a well designed brochure it is a joy for me at this time of year to sit back and look at all the night school classes that are available, it reminds me of my night school days in London making a stained glass window for a chip shop and completing my City and Guilds in technical drawing amongst other things! Living in the Jewellery Quarter I am thinking that a jewellery class of some description really must be on the cards this Autumn. 

I wouldn't really be here without the night classes I attended in Brighton where Cath Bristow taught me how to print and Kim Thittichai taught me how to develop an idea. So now it's my turn to run some workshops which I am very excited about, I hope to have more in the future so watch this space!

Firstly I am running a workshop at Farfield Mill in Sedburgh on 5th October.  It's a day long class as we will be creating two samples using my old favourite second hand wool! The morning will see us stitching a small sample using all the random wool's in my stash and in the afternoon we will print onto tapestry canvas and use stitch to highlight, take a look at the image at the top of this blog. 

Secondly at Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace I will be running a short one hour session yet again using the wool from my ever growing stash to create tapestry stitched brooches.

Tina Francis 2014

I love how second hand wool is always a bit knobbly creating it's own texture!

I have other workshops closer to home in the Autumn which I will put up on the blog and my website soon.

Finally if you have caught the learning bug then why not come along to The Handmade Fair where a full price ticket includes a choice of workshops, talks and makes.  There are some great names running workshops and seminars, if anyone goes to Kaffe Fassets can they please come along to my stand in the Marquee afterwards and tell me all about it it would be fantastic to learn from him.

Off now to look at the courses available here in Birmingham!

Happy Stitching!

Tina

Having a good look around!

Tina Francis Tapestry 2014

I've been concentrating on my Autumn designs over the last week and it seems crazy how fast this year is going, i seem to have almost kept to my blog schedule and have been thinking about the artists and makers who's blogs and sites I really look forward to reading and thought I would share them with you.

First off Kim Thittichai her blog can reached via her website and is a delightful mix of fantastic inspirational images and tales of her teaching travels.  There is a lot of inspiration here with colour and cake featuring in equal measure!  if you are thinking of taking one of Kims courses read through some of the blog posts to get a flavour of what they entail.

Carrying on with colourful inspiration Colouricious is a fantastic site to see what is new in the textile world and a great site for instructional "videos".  Whenever you have a wet Sunday afternoon take a trip to this site and watch quality artists showing you the latest techniques. Actually you don't really need a wet Sunday but I was just helping you out there!

The blog of my tapestry mentor Wendy Hope-Falkner of One Off Needlework always provides me with a sniff of country air and makes me smile.  Her kits are great especially if you want to start your kids young as she has a great range of small kits.

Staying with the Wendy theme, Wendy Ward of MIY Workshop writes about the classes she teaches at her workshop in Brighton and also fantastic sewing tips.  If you are just getting into sewing then a look at this site will leave you ready to buy the equipment needed and still have enough to buy the fabric to make a garment with.

I love a splash of colour on a Monday and so Bright Bazaar is a must visit for me. Always colourful, always inspirational and for me as a nosey parker always very interesting to see what people get up o at the weekend!

Finally a new site that has caught my eye this month is GD UK Style who pioneer eco interiors, I love the mix of style and artisan on this site its a great place to find something unusual and new.

I will write more about my fave shops in a few weeks which you may be able to go to now the summer is here.

Happy Stitching!