Its in the paper it must be true!

Where has the year gone?  Since my last post I have been in London for London Craft Week, run an Open Studios event at The Custard Factory in Birmingham, helped run a workshop for the Glass Biennale and oh yes am now part of a pop up Art School.  Life has been busy and I am a little tired out so have had to rest (Dr's orders).

So where to start the month of May has been designated Craft and Design Month for a few years now with many makers opening their studios and inviting people in to see the process and also the resulting products.  This year saw the first London Craft Week and it was a great success, all across London there were talks, demonstrations and a huge celebration of Craft.  Now don't get me wrong we are not experiencing a renaissance in making, that has still being happening I think it is more that we are experiencing and renaissance in interest. I was exhibiting and demonstrating at Craft Central, it is always a great place to catch up with old friends and also to check out what is new.  Cockpit Arts were also open and I cannot wait to get in touch with Beat Woven and see whether there is room for patterns made from music to cross over into stitch. Looking forward to next year when I hope to be taking part again.

Custard Factory in Birmingham is a hive of activity, full of makers, artists, illustrators, digital businesses not to mention the fantastic ground floor retailers.  Having run Open Studio events before I decided to rally the troops this year and run an event on a Saturday (we have previously opened on Friday nights).  A fantastic set of Artists opened their doors, the Custard Factory is large and a bit maze like so we had to run guided tours which whilst not ideal gave people a taster of all that we do.  In the winter we will be running another event and hoping that people can come and go as they please - our thinking caps are on!  Take a look at the great artists and makers that were part of the event here Custard Factory.

Phew!  On to Cannon Hill Art School, which is just one of the best projects I have been involved in for a very long time.  I am a student going to Art School, I've got a lanyard and everything. Taking it's lead from Black Mountain College, Trevor Pitt from A3 Projects has somehow created an Art School run out of the MAC in Birmingham that has embraced all comers and will ultimately lead to an exhibi.tion in the MAC.  Our tutors are all practicing artists at the top of their game mine is Philip Duckworth of Juneau Projects check them out - brilliant. We have had lectures from Cornelia Parker, Gavin Wade and Peter Jenkinson.  We have seen behind the world of a contemporary art exhibtion by hearing from Kathrin Bohm and we will get to be involved in our own show at the Mac in July. I have met some great people and am really looking forward to staying in touch with them and putting on shows real soon.

One of the people I have met at Art School is Robyn Smith her work in glass is astounding and as part of the Glass Biennale she was exhibiting her work in St Johns Church in Stourbridge. Robyn was running upcyling workshops as part of the exhibition, I rolled my sleeves up and got stuck in! 

So busy, busy, busy!  The Christmas designs are coming on but before that I will be inviting you to come to the first every Jewellery Quarter Festival here in Birmingham! There will be Open Studios aplenty (including me!) where you will be able to see sandblasting, corset making, stone cutting, glass fusing, 3d printing and so much more!

Hope to see you soon but in the meantime check out the lovely article that Sew magazine published in their July issue!

Happy Stitching!

Stitching the night away!

Tina Francis - Hexagon - Photo courtesy Martin Christie

So March flew past in a haze of shows and stitching! I have been exhibiting for the last two weekends at Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch at the NEC and EXCEL.  Both shows were fantastic and as I was on an education stand I got to talk about stitch from morn til night!

At the NEC I was opposite Stephanie Redfern who had a really large space this year exhibiting work specifically made for the show.  Stephs work is really colourful and the composition is something that can only be learned after years working at your practice.  It was good to be opposite her because she exhibits reguarly at RBSA and I had admired her exhibition called Found last year, I had sent her an email but it was great to tell her face to face how much I enjoyed it.  Do take some time to read her delightful blog, so interesting and a great way to spend some time with a cuppa and a cake.

Next door to me at NEC was Sally Holman who specialises in quilting and is the author of many books, her landscapes are very popular and her step by step instructions make her a must see at any show. Birmingham Silk Painters did a roaring trade in silk scenes showing people how to paint onto silk, they had some fantastic work on display.  It's amazing how quiet people become when they are painting on to silk, it really is a joy to watch.

Every day I ran a mono printing workshop on the Vilene education stand, we made some great samples using the smallest amount of water based acrylic, by combining bondaweb and pelmet vilene we started to form the beginnings of some really textured designs.  My workshop was straight after Fran Holmes an artist whose work is beautiful and ethereal, her stand was black and white which really highlighted the work on show it's amazing how an all white exhibit can make you think of colour and movement but that is exactly what she achieved.

Onto Excel the following week it seemed a bit groundhog day-ish but there were many different exhibitors as well as the those from NEC. The Excel show is relatively new and so it's great to see so many people coming along wanting to learn about stitch and textiles.  The fantastic Brenda Kiligrew had made the journey south from Redditch and the fashion show was a great hit with everyone, it is fantastic to see designers of the future! My stand was next to the ever chipper Val Hughes a trailblazer of felt construction her teaching manner was something I could not get enough of and hope to put a little bit of the knowledge I gained into my workshops.  She has a book out very soon and it is fantastic, step by step instructions written in her approachable style, fantastic images and a great story running through it. 

As ever my dear friend and mentor Kim Thittichai was on hand at both shows to chivvy me along, it's great to be invited to run workshops under her guidance but even better just to have a good old laugh together!  Kim gave lectures each day (along with a workshop - no stopping her!) about KK Glue and Hot Spots, KK Glue is a very exciting product as it is a washable powder glue.  A little goes a long way and I love the muted blended edges it gives to a design.

So a good time was had by all, I'd like to thank my helpers who came and looked after the stand whilst I was running the workshops I really appreciated it!

So what next!!!??? Well from Friday 3rd until Monday 6th I am in an exhibition at Custard Factory which is being run by The Cobalt Blue, it's called Rational Grid and features geometric artists in a wide range of mediums.  It's going to be a great exhibition and on Friday evening will be part of the regular Digbeth First Friday happening, so why not come along and see the exhibition as well as what else happens in Digbeth every first Friday.  One of my favourite parts of First Friday is Digbeth Dining club which takes place every Friday and sometimes Saturday in Spotlight. A whole range of street food waiting for you to try, I am also looking forward to visiting Centrala for their "I Bring you Flowers" exhibit. After the weekend I will be working on some new designs, sending out orders and generally stitching until May, Craft and Design Month but more of that next time!

Happy Stitching!

The year is flying by!

So the year is cracking on!  I don't seem to have stopped except for last week when I went on a 5 day holiday (phew the luxury!). I went to Toulouse and enjoyed a little syringe of sunshine! But now back to it with two of the best shows of the season.

I am at Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch at the NEC from 19th March until 22nd March.  This is a great show as it is really 3 shows in one!  Sewing for Pleasure is where you will find everything you need for sewing, pacthworking and quilting.  There are some great free workshops which I would love to do if only I didn't have to be on my stand!!  Try and get to take part in a Vilene Sewing Club Workshop run by the multi talented author and craft inspirer extraordinaire Laura Strutt of Made Peachy, some great ideas my favourite (as you know I like to Use Stash!) is Fabric Key Fob where you will make the most of your scraps to create a fantastic key fob.  Also in the Sewing for Pleasure area there are on stand workshops, I like West End Embroidery who will be demonstrating new stitches for canvas work.

The next area in the show is dedicated to HobbyCrafts from cake decorating to fine art to papercraft to felting it's all here.  I particuarly like wandering down the art aisles and watch people paint and draw quite relaxing in such a busy show. House of Zandra is a great stand if you love papercraft and I see that they are demonstrating felt kits too for all you owl lovers! 

Finally Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch is where you come to learn and take part in everything in textile design and beyond.  A highlight for me is always the Fashion Show run by Brenda Killigrew and students of the IDC Academy of Fashion and Textiles it's an opportunity to spot designers of the future and marvel in the creativity.  This area also has many exhibition stands dedicated to textile artists I am looking forward to "Dressed to Quilt" by Ineke Berlyn which will show quilts designed on a shift dress pattern, I will be interested to see how a shape can determine the design. There are so many great textile artists in one area that you could spend the whole day here, taking in (of course) workshops on the Vilene Education Stand where you can book onto a workshop run by Kim Thittichai entitled Sparkle and Twinkle, if you know Kims work you will no doubt be familiar with her use of Bondaweb but if you can get onto her workshop you will find out that there is so much knowledge behind the processes and designs, I've heard that Geckos are going to be available and also Hot Spots!!! After a workshop stay a while in this area and feast on textile art from around the world.  After being inspired by all you have seen why not take the plunge and start a new Craft?  Top of my list as usual (apart from Tapestry Needlepoint of course!) is weaving, take a look at the small kits and inspiration by my good friends Juko Designs it really is amazing what can be achieved with very little wool and texture.

So I hope to see you at the three shows in one show, what was that oh yes my stand is K20 do pop on by and see some secondhand wool stitch work!

If you can't get to Birmingham it all happens again but this time with cake(!) at Excel the following weekend.

What a lot of links! Happy Stitching!

Tina

Weaving on!

Pink Weave by Janet Elstob, Copyright Janet Elstob 2015

It's great when you receive a note from a satisfied customer and this week seems to have been my week!  My Weave design kits are counted kits and come in many different colourways, they can seem a challenge to get started but once you are into the swing they are really enjoyable to get on with.  Each kit comes with a separate chart for each colour and you follow them in order to get a fantastic weave result. It's amazing how so few colours can make such a pleasing result.  The above image came in from Janet who when we met at Knitting and Stitching Show described how she wanted a special cushion for a rattan chair in a light place.  Well here is the result using my Pink Weave Kit.  The stitching on this is just perfect and I love how the basket weave of the chair is echoed in the finished piece.
This kit uses Appletons Wools and can be provided as a bespoke item in your own favourite colourways (prices from £70 to £90), you receive a bespoke set of colourblock charts and before I make up the kit you get to see a mock up of the finished colourway, I can even send you some wool colours.  As you know I am always encouraging people to Use Your Stash and so this design is available as a colour chart only which enables you to use the wool you have got rather than me providing it in the kit.
Continuing with all this weave and Stash I spent a really great day with Solihull Embroiderers Guild on Tuesday talking about my favourite subject, me! Ha ha not completely I talked about how I got into this tapestry needlepoint world and also showed examples of my work where I had used other peoples stash to create unique weave pieces.

Photo courtesy Martin Christie

What I find amazing about talking to Guild members is not just how interested they are in quality work but also how a simple idea like my weave design can spark a whole list of possibilities and discussion.  We roamed from stitch control, to emotional control, to maths, to physics, to memories of their moms pattern boxes.  It was a fantastic day and I have definitely come away with more ideas than I went in with!

The trade and stitch shows are nearly with us, I am exhibiting at Craft, Hobby and Stitch International next weekend and then on to Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch in March where I will be exhibiting a lot of my weave pieces and also demonstrating the processes.

I'm off now to look create another bespoke weave chart ready to send out after the weekend!

Until next time, happy stitching!

Tina

What's cooking?

Tina Francis Tapestry copyright - Pavilion Tops

At this time of year we all look back and then forward so I thought I'd head the blog with an image of my first ever kit Pavilion Tops, still popular in the UK and worldwide it makes me smile when I see it thinking of all the places this design has taken me.

But hey lets not dwell on the past one design does not make a Spring (!) it's time to concentrate on the first few months of the year and look at what i will be doing when and where (yes it's all about me this time!!).

As you will know I moved back to Birmingham in 2014 and met with some great new people, a special mention to Birmingham Embroiderers Guild who have been a great inspiration and have accepted me into the fold!  We had a great time in November making stitched brooches and I am happy to see some members using the pattern for their own work.  Keeping it Guild (!) my first talk of the year will be at Solihull Embroiderers Guild on 3rd February, I will be talking about how I got into the tapestry needlepoint world and also encouraging people to "Use their Stash" as it's great to have a project that does not cost too much at the start of the year. 

"Use Your Stash" is gaining momentum and I am always following others that like to use what they already have.  "My Make do and Mend Year" was an experiment and has now become a lifestyle choice for Jen, take a look at the blog I am really interested in this years challenge to make a piece of clothing per month, lot's of ideas and inspiration on this blog.

Talking about using what we have already got my new design for Spring is based on an old wall where the wallpaper has been stripped, I found it in Vittoria Works in The Jewellery Quarter a building which is being brought back to life by The Ruskin Mill Trust and will be a great place for young people to learn skills and become part of the community in the later half of this year.

Tina Francis Tapestry Copyright - What lies beneath

It's no good having new designs if you are not going to be showing them, I am exhibiting again at Craft, Hobby and Stitch International this is trade fair only so not open to the general public but will feature new designs from me and also the first trade outing for my trays.  It's a great show to gauge interest in all crafts and I am really looking forward to meeting up with Juko Designs who will be at the NEC for the first time and also saying a big hello to Hawthorn Handmade who I met last time and who have followed me and boosted me up throughout the year.

My next show is at Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch to say that I am over excited about being given the opportunity to exhibit here would be the understatement of the year (yes I know it's only a few days old), I will have a stand displaying gallery work from my woven series and will also be exhibiting two small pieces which are the start of a new exhibition for 2016 called "Interrupted" and of course "Use Your Stash" will be making an appearance! I will be running a daily one hour workshop called "On your Mono Marks" which will use Freudenburg Vilene products and mono printing techniques, I really enjoyed running last years workshop "The Start of Something (thanks Kim Thittichai for trusting and letting me loose on the general public!) which is where I met Birmingham Embroiderers Guild, so my blog has come full circle and that really is a great start to the year!

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Tina  

  

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!