Maggie Grey workshop

This is what I accomplished yesterday. All my bits laid out on a meat tray.

I had been looking forward to this workshop for months and I was not disappointed. I managed to get all the samples done - which is probably a workshop first for me. I usually start well, but tail off dismally!

Maggie is a very good teacher and her samples were most inspirational. Some of them were immediately recognisable from her books (she was most generous in signing copies - I took 5 different ones, but unfortunately forgot to check the other bookcase and left 2 others behind). I took lots of photos, but can't reproduce them here.

She showed us a number of techniques. I didn't have time for copious note taking yesterday, but I wrote down headings and I have filled in what I remembered today.

1. Watersoluble paper stamped with puff paint or expandaprint.

We stitched straight lines first, stamped and then zapped with our heat guns. Then we wet the paper so it began to dissolve and pulled and shaped the pulp. The results went out into the sun to dry, which took most of the day. At the end of the day we painted them with acrylic paint. Note to self: a dry brush is essential!

2. Stitching on Romeo

We drew a rectangle on the Romeo and stitched a multitude of diagonal lines close together. After anchoring the lines with another rectangle and cutting away the excess we pinned the piece to a tray and washed out most of the watersoluble. The result was an organic piece which we manipulated into a 3D shape.

Maggie also had samples of beading, couching and stitching on the rectangle, but we didn't have time to try that.

3. Working with Metal

We heated copper shim to get colour, then used a ballpoint pen to draw a design on the back. For further colour we could spray with alcohol inks or paint with acrylic paint and rub most of it off before it dried. I tried the inks.

4. Felt and Gesso Lace

Here we used gesso as a resist on acrylic felt, then applied heat to melt away the areas where the gesso was absent. The felt was then painted.

We are now supposed to assemble all these bits into a piece of art, adding stitching, beading and other bits to complement the basics. I plan to try this tomorrow.

This is Jennie's piece. Love the extra bits - especially the rusty bottle top.