Distant Stitch Summer School 2013

I've tried half a dozen times to use Windows Live Writer for this post, but it won't transfer what I've saved as a draft, so I guess I'll have to do it the old fashioned way.  It will take ages to post every picture individually instead of posting a photo album, so I'll not be showing so many photos.  It really is ridiculous that in this day and age, it is so difficult and time consuming to do something that ought to be easy and quick!  My laptop came very close to being hurled through the window.  Only a welcome glass of wine from my husband rescued it in the nick of time!  OK, rant over, now here's the post.

What a wonderful Summer School we had this year.  The weather was glorious, the company great, scenery stunning and the workshops inspirational.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  Sue Dove was a generous and inspirational tutor and I enjoyed being able to see her work and sketchbooks and find out something about her working method.

 

 

Sue showed us how to produce a pattern for an abstract embroidery using collage.  First we cut or tore shapes out of coloured pages from a glossy magazine and glued them onto cartridge paper with spaces in between.  We then used oil pastels to fill in the spaces between, changing colour and tone regularly.  Finally we turned the page over and cut it into a variety of squares and rectangles.  Sue showed us how to use various methods to frame these shapes.  She also showed us how to make monoprints on fabric and paper, using oil paint and acrylic paint mixed with a fabric medium.  She encouraged us to try to fill our sketchbooks with ideas.  Here are some pages from my sketchbook:

Here are some pictures of other students' work.  First Sue's class:

And now, Louise's class:

After the summer school, my husband and I had a week's holiday in Malvern, meeting family members we hadn't seen for years.  A lovely week, eating too much, talking too much and walking in the beautiful Malvern hills.  We got home at 6 pm, after a 10 hour drive, to find a message on the answerphone from friends from Caithness.  We had invited them to visit, although we hadn't specified a time.  Their message said they were in Aberdeen and would like to come to stay for a few days, arriving the following morning.  It was lovely to see two of our favourite people, but a bit of a rush to iron sheets, plan and shop for meals and make ready the spare bedroom, all in one hectic evening!  After they left, there was just time to catch up with the washing and colour some fabrics ready for Chapter 3 of Module 3 ...

...before an Upper Deeside Artist Society workshop in monoprinting with Ali Brown.

A busy and wonderful few weeks, full of sunshine, friendship and creativity.  Maybe I really have died and gone to heaven!  :)