Never heard of a gelli plate ... but boy do they make good collages!!

 

 

I'm just back from teaching the first Make it Personal workshop at the Bramble Patch - which was wonderful - but before I tell you about that, I need to catch up  a bit. I also taught  a very talented group of girls in Wragby Lincolnshire last week - the second day of their collage and applique workshop. Both days were hard work for the students, but hopefully fun and the group made some extraordinarily good work (and fed me some extraordinarily good lunches!). And quite amazingly, had never heard of a gelli plate!! - I love Lincolnshire to bits, but this is fairly typical of our style .. we are a few years behind .. and basically proud of it!! Anyway, after our detour into mono-printing .. we got done to the business in hand .. abstract fabric collages, with applique on top. So lets start with some general shots around the room. Apologies for the change in wall colours - I don't think the place was repainted between my visits, but I used a different camera second time, having sadly dropped and broken my main man (now replaced).

 

Sue and Enid getting stuck in, plus my usual pile of destruction in the foreground .. 

 

 

 

Carole and Clare deep in design and more mess of mine in the foreground ...

 

 

Mum and daughter, Brenda and Kate trying out pots and flowers ....

 

 

Carole and Margaret, also arranging their vases ..

 

 

 

ooooops - lunch!! ... how did that pop in there??

 

 

 

Katrina working hard and resisting the food just to her left

 

 

 

Sue and Jill - both teachers enjoying rest time....

 

 

Brenda, Frances and another Sue .. and I've crept into the foreground again ..

 

 

Ok - lets also have a look at that lunch ...

 

 

 

cutlery rolled in napkins .. posh in Wragby you know ,. I shall expect no less on future workshops ..

 

 

 

 

 

it is so long since I have been able to indulge in homemade sausage rolls . and these were sublime .. could have scoffed the whole plate by myself .. I didn't - thought it would look a trifle greedy

 

 

 

and talking of trifle ......

 

 

 

Every last thing homemade - thank you so much girls .. what a welcome ..

 

And now - this is what they managed to achieve in just two days ...

 

Brenda - who was worried and unsure at the start .. but had to admit she had achieved something pretty damn good by the end ...

 

 

Carole - who organised the workshop - a beautiful and generous bunch of daffs in her own jug .. gorgeous

 

 

 

Clare ... poor soul streaming with cold during our second session - but didn't let it stop her one jot ... dark blue silhouettes on a wonderful vibrant background ..

 

 

Enid - really wanted to get that perspective look and has succeeded quite beautifully with her wonderful daisies

 

 

 

 Frances - also a smidge unsure at the start ... but soon got into things and made this gorgeous and vibrant piece in complimentary purples and yellow ..

 

 

 

Jill - who joined us on day two, having had to miss the first session. Sue C had done a sterling job of helping her get her background in place and she managed to get this fantastic piece done  in just one day ..

 

 

Kate - who came with her mum Brenda and just quietly got on with making this yummy collage in the most beautiful pale yellow and wine tones ... so beautiful

 

 

Katrina started with just the blue daisies in this lovely blue and white piece, but then decided to just add a few yellow tulips to her jug, ending with this wonderful delicate piece ..

 

 

Sue F - who was convinced that as traditional patchworker this was going to be learning curve too far for her .. but it most certainly wasn't. This piece is fabulously loose and lively with diagonals and jaunty angles galore. Gorgeous colour combinations too - I loved it and Sue had to admit she was rather pleased with herself ..quite right too ..

 

 

Sue C (very important woman - she holds the purse strings!!) came with a definite plan of wanting to use these very jolly Echinacea flowers (inspired by a piece Carole had made at a previous workshop. I remembered Carole straight away as she cane to a small silhouette workshop and proceeded to make a large jug of very colourful flowers - I love that attitude) Sues background was a stunning delicate collage in blues .. to which she added that glorious jug and fabulous flowers .. and it works just so well

 

 

 

And talking of people who come to my workshops and take no notice of what I think they should be doing - here is lovely Margaret's beautiful collage of red poinsettia. Margaret determinedly does it her way and yet always comes up with the goods - and that is absolutely fine by me .. I love this very Christmassy piece

 

 

Margaret also brought this piece, form the previous workshop she had attended for me to see. I love it when students do this - all teachers will know what a thrill it is to see students complete a piece - especially when it is as lovely as this ... 

 

 

 

 

A lot of superlatives used here I know - but I was, and am again when I look at them, just so impressed with the quality of work produced - I would proudly have any one of these on my wall ... no doubt at all. And I think the girls are now going to be tempted to learn about that gelli plate! - together with some more surface preparation techniques - we just need to find a day. Their work certainly deserves some extra personal materials and I'm already imagining what wonderful stuff they will create.

 

But for now - here is one last image of the kind of treasure village halls frequently have lurking in their cupboards .. look at this plate ... what about that for some design inspiration??

Back soon with news of the next workshop .. Hilary x