Sunday 9 March 2014

Mandy Pattullo Workshop


Hello Sunshine!!! I can't believe this weekend is wonderful, sunshine and real warmth, and the garden is cheering up no end. I took a Sunday stroll around Gill Acres this afternoon and thought you might like to see how the rockery beneath my sewing room window is shaping up; the crocus have it to themselves at the moment but it won't be long before more colour blossoms forth.

Yesterday was just as lovely, weatherwise, and Yvonne and I sped across-county to Swanton Novers to spend the day at Jane-Ann's studio taking part in a wonderful workshop with Mandy Pattullo. If you have never seen her work, do google her name and see her original and stunning textiles. The workshop Mandy taught us was The Enchanted Forest, and is a fabric collage technique using pieces of vintage patchwork quilt as the background, or pieces of vintage sheet, 'altered' with emulsion paint and embellished with image transfer flower sprigs. An outline of our chosen animal or bird was traced onto our background pieces, and collaged and stitched to give a very impressionistic idea of the original drawing.

Herr are a few photographs of Mandy's work - excuse the poor quality of photo as the pieces were mounted and wrapped and the light bounced around a bit!



This hare is my favourite and I was very tempted to buy it, but Mandy told me to hang on as I might want to make my own version! And she was right. I have (with permission) traced her template and intend to have a go at it myself. I did manage to come home with the one similar to the stag above.



So here are some initial shots and a few of how our worked had progressed when we packed in at the close of workshop. We all have work to do before completing our pieces, but I think we all came away quite pleased with ourselves and impressed with our progress.


             My photocopy of a drawing from a beautiful book, but I have forgotten the details!


               Yvonne gets cracking with transferring her image to her piece of altered sheet.


             I have selected my fabrics and cut and pinned them. It was surprisingly intense work!


                  Sharon has stitched in most of her outline and begun to pin her fabrics down.


                          Jane-Ann is pinning her tiny pieces to her fox mask outline.


                                  Red is at the selection and first pinning stage here.


Fen has chosen to work with altered sheeting, like Yvonne, and has stitched her outline and begun pinning.


                                              Me , beginning to stitch, close-up.



Pauline is working on sheeting, and has an outline of a photograph of one of her beautiful Haflinger horses, who I showed you in the Open Studios post last year. Below you can see how she had progressed by the end of the workshop.. She is choosing to work mostly with stitch in her piece.


And here are the final photographs. We all have more to do at home - this is very intensive work!


Fen's owl


Red's hare


Yvonne's hare


Sharon's bird


Jane-Ann's fox


My hare.


Close-up of my hare. Some seed-heads to be stitched on the quilt as well.

And there we have it, a very full day's work, in wonderful surroundings, and we had gorgeous weather to boot. If you get the chance to do a Mandy Pattullo workshop - jump at it, she is an extremely interesting woman, excellent tutor and very generous of her time, fabric stash, and images!

Enjoy the weather too, I think it is with us for another week.... oh to be in England now that some sunshine is here...or words to that effect!

28 comments:

  1. Speechless.................. I soooo want to do a workshop, I spoke to Mandy at Ally pally- sadly I am not in the right part of the country so if I want one I will have to organise the event!! May get to do that yet! Love the work you all did, all pieces to be proud of!
    As for me, I just cleaned the house and attacked the garden! Hx

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    1. Ah, Heather, housework - displacement therapy! Yes, we had the chance of this 1-day workshop because Mandy was visiting relatives in Norfolk and agreed to fit a 2 day class into one day. I guess unless you can easily get to Northumberland you would have to get together with a group and try and get her to come to you - but the travel expenses would be pretty steep I'd think. Still, never say never, there may be some way around it. You should contact her and chat, she is really lovely. Lx

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  2. These are amazing and quite different to anything I've seen before. My favourites are the stag and the hare, I can't wait to see your finished, the sketch is really good.
    The weather has been wonderful hasn't it, makes the weekend so much more relaxing!

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    1. It was totally new to all of us, though I have seen this type of fabric collage before. And use, we have had two great days though temps down for Monday ....hoping for mre sunshine after that! Lx

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  3. Wow Lynne they're gorgeous - so lovely to see something different now and then - your hare is fab! I can see lots more coming from that direction. Great weather up here in Staffordshire too - very difficult to get anything done though when you're out basking (my excuse and I'm sticking with it!) Enjoy x Jane

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    1. You jolly well enjoy the sunshine while it lasts! I so enjoyed the workshop - came hom shattered though! Lx

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  4. Lynne these are amazing, your hare is wonderful.....it really is painting with fabric and thread isn't it! I've been out in the garden too today, supping tea and potting up plants....nothing too strenuous! :) x

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    1. That's what I like to hear, Ada! Enjoy it while you may. Thank you, yes, this is a very painterly method of collaging and quite addictive too. So little fabric is required, but you do need a fairly wide choice if you see what I mean. Lx

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  5. WOW!! These are stunning! I have never seen anything like them before, there are some really talented people around. When I saw the top Hare, I thought that was yours, until I scrolled down, how did I guess you would create the Hare? Maybe I am remembering your fab lino prints! Well done Lynne, its beautiful. Love the sunny garden photo xx

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    1. Ha! Nice one Karen, yes, the hare is one of my favourite images and several of us chose to work with a hare image. Lx

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  6. Wow! I especially love the hares!
    I would love to do a workshop with Mandy!

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    1. Jump at the chance if it comes your way, Gill. She teaches several different workshops, I would love to do her folk flowers one. The thing is to have a supply of vintage quilts to cut up as backgrounds, that is not always easy for the rest of us, but Mandy seems to always find them!

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  7. how amazing. I love all these pieces, what talented stitchers you are.

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  8. Thanks Kath, some lovely work here, isn't there? Lx

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  9. Well they all look fabulous.. I prefer the simpler, flatter background as I think too much quilting tends to distract from the wonderful applique and stitching... but just love hares so all of them would appeal. I have at last started to amass some brushed cotton fabrics in tartans, checks and so on to make my 'home comforts' quilt. Yes I know it's coming up to the time of year when you don't want to be struggling with a quilt - and here I am optimistic about our weather you'll note! But I have lots of applique to do on some of the squares first, and this is a long term project after all. I plan on hand quilting around each square, a simple running stitch, but not sure what sort of thread to use... or really what colour since all the fabrics are different, though there is a bluey theme going on. Any advice?

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    1. Hi Edwina, thanks for visiting. Well now, my own preference is for the quilted background, because I just love the idea of the elderly quilt being re-used and the scraps are recycled too. In reality the animals stand out well once they have been stitched and their outline is emphasised.
      I always used proper quilting thread, and had reels in fawn, pale pink, pale blue and pale green. But since making my family quilts which are largely multi-coloured fabric, I have taken to using one strand of 21st Century Yarns 4 ply stranded cotton. Just heavy enough to quilt with using a slightly bigger stitch. The shades I use are variegated, either in brights, for a bright quilt or in paler shades for my DIL Krissie's quilt which was paler.You can see both quilts from the year they were here with us from NewZealand 2012, the Kiwi posts. Hope this is helpful! Lx

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  10. Beautiful work and I have seen something slightly similar before and found it enchanting! I couldn't tell from Mandy's finished work whether the very edges of the work are also sewn. If not, are they likely to lift or curl up? Also, are the finished items meant to be framed behind glass?

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    1. No, they are not routinely stitched down, Dc, unless they are caught in the outline stitching, which is often done last. The edges do not seem to curl up, and Mandy does not glaze her pieces. Really, textiles are best without glass - my personal feeling, and if you must glaze then use normal glass not the awful light reflecting stuff which just deadens everything it covers!

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  11. Oooh! I want to have a go at this!
    Thanks for sharing and your inspiration!
    Can't wait to see the finished articles.

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    1. I will be able to show mine and Yvonne's, and possibly Red's if she brings it to Jane-Anns at some point. Not sure how long it will take, mind you!

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  12. my goodness what a talented group you are!!! please show us the finished article - so far it looks wonderful and can i just say well done you for doing the workshop and for photographing each part of the progress as well!!! i don't know how i would have imagined that you would start a piece like this but daft as i am i hadn't thought of stitching the image first!!!! one day i WILL astound myself by producing something myself - i get loads of ideas from various blogs BUT never muster the energy to get started on ONE (too many ideas racing through my mind to concentrate on one work!!!!) i have recently decoupaged a lampshade that i was too tight to replace and last week i saw a photo of decoupaged old wooden hangers - now there's a nice easy project i could manage - life has been a bit more busy than i like it to be recently (both son's have needed help- i like the gentle approach but - hopefully - after this weekend things will return to normal - hope you have a good week and get sewing!!!xx

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    1. Hi Lynne! I was determined to get some decent photos myself, after having forgotten my camera at the Rag Rug display the other week! I am glad I did the workshop because it concentrated my mind - otherwise I am like you - too may ideas, too many things on the go, panic attack when a deadline approaches! And have a good week yourself - we have been promised decent weather - watch this space! Lx

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  13. Oh that sounds a fantastic day Lynne and I love the works in progress. Can't wait to see them when they're all completed. Love the hare. What a wonderfully fulfilling day you both enjoyed.
    Patricia x

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    1. Hi Patricia, thanks, yes it was a super day, and the sun shone, and we had the doors wide open and no cardis on - absolutely great! Lx

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  14. What a lovely thing to get into! The whole process sounds completely absorbing. Your hare is really good already - do show it when finished ... it'll be a beauty! xCathy

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    1. Hi Cathy, I should be doing a bit more to mine tomorrow at Stitch and Bitch. I'm also itching to start another one using Mandy's template - I've already picked out some of the fabrics. But I should really be concentrating on getting stuff together for Open Studios! Lx

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  15. Ohhhhh Lynne, I am sooooo jealous !!!!!
    (I get Mandy's newsletter, though I never will be able to visit
    one of her workshops, but I LOVE her work ... )
    It would have meant the world to me to be there with all of you !
    Great work !

    I missed a lot, due to the s l o w computer but now I can catch up ;-)
    Have a good weekend, Lynne !

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    1. Hi Els, nice to see you back! Yes, it was a great day and Mandy is a lovely teacher. If you check out her latest blog post our pieces are on there! Fame at last!!! Lx

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