Pat Archibald
Textile Artist Teacher Writer

Welcome to my web site.

Quiltmaking and teaching are passions of mine. My love of fabric started at an early age and having been co-owner of the shop, 'Purely Patchwork' in Scotland for ten years I have been able to share my love for fabrics and quilting with quiltmakers from all over the world.

On my web site you will find examples of my work together with details of my workshops and lectures that I offer to quilting groups and other organisations. I now teach from my studio and on a freelance basis, which gives me the opportunity to travel further afield to meet and work with enthusiastic students and textile artists. You can see the work of some of my students in the gallery.

My travels are a constant source of inspiration to me and probably my best known works to date relate to my Kilimanjaro climb. However, recent work has been about locations closer to home - the Highlands and Islands of Scotland - but adventures in Australia and New Zealand in 2003 are proving to be very inspirational!

I also enjoy developing patterns with full instructions for quilters. These patterns are easy to follow and are for quilters of all abilities. They can be found on the Design Kits page and can be ordered by emailing me.

My studio is relocating to the outskirts of the city of Edinburgh and is a warm, welcoming, creative space for students to learn traditional patchwork and quilting techniques or to explore and push back their own artistic boundaries in a more innovative way. Workshops and classes are geared to students of all levels. Studio Open Days and Forthcoming Exhibitions are listed on my Studio Events page.

I do hope you enjoy visiting my web site, if so please tell your friends!

Pat Archibald
Textile Artist and Teacher.

 

Autumn/Winter News

The 'Colours of Hong Kong' Exhibition held at the Dundas Street Gallery in October was a great success. An exotic but whirlwind trip to Hong Kong to dip into the colours and culture of the Far East led to new bodies of work for myself and Lesley Anne Derks, a painter. Although we only had a few days in Hong Kong we felt that we had achieved what we had set out to do and that was to see and feel colour in a completely new way set against stunning, modern architecture in a city very far removed from our own Edinburgh with its mediaeval skyline. The exhibition was a culmination of a year's work exploring new directions in our creativity. You can see images of the exhibition and individual pieces on the Gallery page. You can also see more of Lesley Anne's work by visiting www.laderks.co.uk.

Classes at St Brides Centre in Edinburgh started in September and will continue throughout 2008. This is a weekly class on a Thursday morning and in the weeks running up to Christmas it had a festive focus. The 16 students taking part were a hive of industry taking on board all the ideas and producing multiples for christmas presents. The students are now working on small quilts using a Sew-a-Row technique to explore new, quick and easy patchwork technques. The class continues after Easter and students can enrol directly with St Brides (0131 346 1405). Check Classes and Workshops page for dates.

Early in 2007 a group of my students embarked on designs for a body of textile work about 'snowdrops'. I added a couple of extra challenges into the designwork in that digital imagery had to be used as part of their creative journey and text had to appear in the smaller pieces of finished work. You can see the work of this group by visiting the Snowdrop Spectacular at Cambo House, Kingsbarns. visit the Studio Events page for more information.

I have updated the Diary page so do check if I am in your area.

Looking toAutumn 2008 I will be teaching at a new venue called Studio Patchwork near Toulouse in France. The course is called Traveller's Tales and you will be encouraged to turn your photos and memories of a favourite place into an 'art quilt'. So join me from 5 - 11 October 2008 in a wonderful part of France for a relaxing week of creativity and fun.

 

Spring/Summer News

The wet summer has had some compensation in that when I would normally have been working in the garden I have been busy in the studio.


The spring has been a very busy time for exhibitions. Having deadlines is a great way of making sure that quilts are finished. One quilt that has
been ‘work in progress’ for twelve years finally got quilted and bound ready to go on show at the St Bride’s Centre in Edinburgh. This was a lovely venue for an exhibition as there was plenty of wall space and high rafters that large quilts could be hung from. As St Bride’s is a venue for many stage and musical events visitors to the centre were able to see quilts for the first time out with a domestic context. Patchwork and quilting classes start at St Bride’s in October and there are still a few spaces available. Visit the Classes and Workshop page for dates and times. .


Classes are about to start up in the studio in August. The Creative Journey classes are becoming increasingly popular. This session the two half-day classes will be working from still life studies that they have created themselves, each study being unique to the maker. The students will photograph their still life study and from there we will explore different methods of creating designs and marking the cloth and paper to make some very individual pieces of work.


The All-Day Creative Journey class will study a couple of paragraphs of very descriptive prose and will then use the images conjured up in their mind as a starting point for exploration. As everyone sees things differently there should again be some very unique interpretations of the words.


I will be adding some new patterns to the Design Kits page. You will find that the new additions have an oriental influence which ties in nicely with the ‘Colours of Hong Kong’ exhibition that I am having later in the year. More details about that are on the Studio Events page.


As ever I am busy teaching around the UK and you can check out if I will be in your area by visiting the Diary page
.

Extra Winter News

At the end of my last newsletter I mentioned that I was on the move to Edinburgh. The move is now complete and a new workroom is up and running. The challenge will be whether I can remember where I have 'filed' everything. Classes start at the beginning of February; initially in my house until dedicated studio space is available. Details of classes can be found as usual on the Classes and Workshop page. New classes are being added so do keep checking - a monthly Monday evening class and a Friday afternoon class are new additions to the programme. With Spring around the corner one of projects to start the classes off is a lovely daffodil block which was inspired by a beautiful Victorian tile. I plan to add other flower blocks each month.

Looking towards the summer I will be teaching at Maison du Patchwork again (22 -27 July) so if you feel like a relaxing but creative week come and join me under the lime trees on the terrace at Isabel's beautiful house in Chateauponsac. Visit her website at www.lamaisondupatchwork.com. for more details.

Later in the year (September) I will be teaching weekly classes on a Thursday morning at St Brides Community Centre, Orwell Terrace in the Gorgie/Dalry area of Ediinburgh. St Brides is a wonderful centre with many activities going on from belly dancing to singing and art classes. The room that I will be using is light, bright and spacious and fitted with plenty tables, chairs and some sewing machines. Other enticements are an in-house cafe and a lovely exhibtion area. From 30 May to 29 June I will be exhibiting there so do come along and see the venue for yourselves. if you are interested in these patchwork and quilting classes at St Brides then do email me through the Contact page.

Winter News

In my last newsletter I talked about a wonderful collection of quilts, ‘A Calendar of Kings’, designed and made by students in one of my ‘Creative Journey’ classes. These quilts will be touring the country with Grosvenor Exhibitions at the beginning of 2007 starting in Ardingly 2 - 4th February, moving to Ingliston, Edinburgh 23 - 25 February, and then on to Exeter 9 - 11 March and finally to Chilford 16 - 18 March. You can read more about these quilts and the design process that the students went through in the December edition of the British Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.

There has been a second collection of quilts made by another group of ‘Creative Journey’ students again using one of George Mackay Brown’s poems, ‘Winter, An Island Boy’. This is a beautiful nine verse poem. Each student took a two-lined verse and interpreted the words through colour, shape and from to produce nine emotive pieces that move the viewer through the words of Mackay Brown. You will be able to see these quilts at all the above venues. There are four other pieces that will join the other collections. The makers of these four pieces chose a piece of prose or poetry that had a meaning to them and again explored the words in textiles. Do try and see these collections and enjoy the words of George Mackay Brown and the interpretation of them.

If you can’t make to any of the exhibition venues then you can see these quilts by going to the Gallery page and then click on Students Gallery.

New Creative Journey Courses start in February. Check the Classes and Workshops page for dates.

I have added new dates and venues to the Diary page so again check if I am in your area and if you would like me to teach a workshop or give a lecture then do contact me. Next year looks like another busy year with my work taking me to many new venues including an invitation to take part in Caithness Arts Festival.

I have added some new kits to the Design Kits page and these are proving to be very popular. All the projects contain most things you need in order to complete the project and are small and achievable in a weekend.

My other news is that for the meantime I will be moving from my studio in Larbert. My lease has come to an end and I will be relocating some of my classes to Edinburgh. This will be a very positive move as it will give me more time to work on pieces for an exhibition called ‘The Colours of Hong Kong’ to be held in the Dundas Gallery in Edinburgh from 13 – 21 October 2007. In July Lesley Anne Derks, one of the artists at Delta Studio, and myself went to Hong Kong to gather inspiration and images for new works. The colour, speed, vibrancy and noise of the city were overwhelming at times but the peace and tranquillity found in Lantau Island provided a wonderful counterbalance. So whilst watching the sun set over Kowloon we decided to embark on a joint exhibition – Lesley Anne’s cityscapes at night and my quilts……I will keep you posted.

Happy Quilting.

Summer/Autumn News

I mentioned in my last news update that some of my students had taking inspiration from a poem by George Mackay Brown, ‘A Calendar of Kings’. George Mackay Brown is one of Scotland’s best known poets, an Orcadian who wrote about his life, his observations of town life and the landscape around him and 2006 marks the tenth anniversary of his death. Whilst designing the pieces we looked at colour, repeating pattern, line and proportion, all the time thinking about the poem within its orcadian context; the richness of the archaeology and the Viking heritage. The continuity of the pieces was in the size – 24” x 40” and because the poem is about a journey through the year the colours quite naturally moved between each piece with out us even trying! By May each student had created a small piece that was her unique, artistic interpretation of a verse of the poem. In June the twelve pieces that made up this body of work travelled north to Orkney to be exhibited at the Old Ferry Terminal in Stromness to form a very special part of the St Magnus Festival.

Hanging the quilts in the Old Ferry Terminal was a joy as they could have been purpose made for the venue and looked fantastic against natural stone walls. The exhibition opened with a preview on Thursday 15th June. It was obvious from people’s reactions, the comments in the visitors’ book and the return visits that the exhibition had touched the hearts of many. Some of the visitors to the exhibition had know George Mackay Brown personally and their comments, and I think the highest accolade, was that ‘George would have loved this’. The months of research and work on stitching the quilts had paid off.

You can see these quilts by going to the Gallery page and then click on Students Gallery. These quilts will be touring with Grosvenor Exhibitions next year.

New Creative Journey Courses start in August and this time we will be working on ‘Visual Communication’ – how to compose a textile piece that holds the viewer’s attention and creates visual impact. I have recently been in Hong Kong studying the composition and symbolism of traditional Chinese paintings and no doubt some of this influence will find its way into the course. There are still some places on the half day courses – check your dates as it would be lovely to see you there.

Also on the Gallery page you can see a new quilt that I completed as part of the ‘Turning Point’ Exhibition at Loch Lomond Quilt Show. This was inspired by the theme ‘Castings and Turnings’ and my piece depicts the invention of the wheel and as a result the early organisation of trade and industry in the Bronze Age. On the left hand side of the panel you can see the copper and tin being heated to form the alloy bronze which is then poured and cast to turn into beautiful never ending Celtic designs.

Again the Diary page has been updated so do check that out and if I am in your area and you would like me to teach a workshop or give a lecture then do contact me. I have a new lecture called ‘Meaningful Colour’ which takes a look at the personality of colours, the history, tradition and culture of colour and how we can use this information to add spark, atmosphere and energy into our quiltmaking. I am thrilled to say that I have been asked again to teach at Maison du Patchwork at Chateauponsac near Limoges in July 2007. I had a wonderful time their last year, a fantastic group of students and wonderful results so do check the dates and come along not just to sew but also to relax under the lime trees on the terrace with a class on wine. I can’t recommend it enough!

Some new classes and workshops have been added to the programme. Kirsty, my daughter, is back teaching some more of her card and collage workshops where she uses hand dyed papers to create abstract and landscape pieces. Images of her classes' work can be seen in the Student’s Gallery.

The Design Kits are proving to be very popular. All the projects are small and achievable in a weekend and not only make lovely gifts to treat yourself with but are wonderful to give away to special friends.

Happy Quilting.

Winter/Spring News

Since my last newsletter I did manage to get down to some relaxed quiltmaking and you can see the resulting quilt, called ‘Celtic Moon’ in the Gallery. This quilt came about partly because I am intrigued with Celtic patterns and their never ending entwining cords and also because of my links with the Outer Isles (Harris in particular) and my concern over the demise of the Harris Tweed industry. In this piece you can see a very bold silver Celtic motif and surrounding stitched Celtic patterns linking with interwoven fabric strips. My idea with this piece is to illustrate the link between our Celtic heritage and the traditions of our native (Scottish) weaving industry.

This quilt sparked off some new ideas for kits which you can view on the Design Kits page. You will find a small kit to make a Celtic style pincushion and neck-purse in velvet. You will also find a new series of kits called ‘The Seasons’. The first two, ‘Summer’ and ‘Autumn’, are available with ‘Winter’ and Spring’ to follow. All these kits are aimed at keen beginners and come complete with full instructions.

I have updated the Diary page and you will see that I am out and about all over the UK and further afield. So check that out and if I am in your area and you would like me to teach a workshop or give a lecture then do contact me. I have a new lecture called ‘Meaningful Colour’ which takes a look at the personality of colours, the history, tradition and culture of colour and how we can use this information to add spark, atmosphere and energy into our quiltmaking.

Classes and Workshops are listed with some new day workshops planned for later in the year. The classes that Kirsty, my daughter, teaches have been very popular so she will be coming back to teach some more of her collage workshops where she uses hand dyed papers to create abstract and landscape pieces. Images of her classes work can be seen in the Student’s Gallery.

The new series of Creative Journey Classes have been a success and you should be able to see some of the resulting quilts exhibited in the Tourism Centre at Loch Lomond Shores throughout the Loch Lomond Quilt Show May 18 – 21.

One of the Creative Journey Classes has been taking inspiration from a poem by George Mackay Brown, ‘A Calendar of Kings’. Each student is creating a small piece that is her unique, artistic interpretation of a verse of the poem. The twelve pieces that will make up this body of work will travel north to Orkney to be exhibited at the ferry terminal in Stromness as part of the St Magnus Festival. George Mackay Brown was a native of Orkney and 2006 marks the tenth anniversary of his death so these quilts will form a very special part of the celebrations.

Several textile artists from all over the UK took part in a design project, inspired by the Falkirk Wheel, at Delta Studios some months ago and their resulting small, A4 sized pieces of work have now been put together to form an unusual wall piece. Instead of conventional fabric sashing I have used steel rods and chains to link the pieces. The final piece is now on display in the Visitor Centre at the Falkirk Wheel and the feedback from the staff and the public visiting the Wheel has been very positive. You can see an image of it in situ in the Students Gallery.

Happy Quilting.

Autumn News 2005

At last I have time to sit down and reflect on the last few months which have been a whirl of workshops, lectures, demonstrations and some quiltmaking and also time to open the book that one of my students has just lent me called 'In Praise of Slow' by Carl Honore, take on board some of his ideas and make more time for some enjoyable, unhurried and relaxing quiltmaking.

As I mentioned in my last newsletter I am a member of 'Turning Point', a Scottish exhibiting group. Without this group I doubt if I would have made another piece this year (and I think this is true of some of the other members of the group) but spurred on by each other and the challenge of producing a piece in time for Scottish Quilt Championships we produced quilts that together formed a spectrum of colour. Our individual colours were drawn in a lucky dip and my colour was yellow-green. My colour trail took me to Skane in Southern Sweden where the patchwork of the countryside and the windmills that cast ever lengthening shadows in their daily cycle of work inspired the piece 'Sunshine and Shadow Days' which you can see in the Gallery. This piece (15" x 60") is a whole cloth quilt that has been stencilled with overlapping windmill sails and then densely quilted and couched with decorative threads.

I had another very unexpected trip back to Aberdeen last month for the official opening of the Royal Aberdeen Childrens' Hospital by the Queen. The four artists that had been involved in the decoration of the chapel (Jennifer Jane Bayliss - stained glass, Alan Fyfe - hardwood furniture, Jean Burnett - calligrapher and myself) were introduced to the Queen and chatted about our work. The hospital was buzzing with excitement and you couldn't fail to get caught up in the party atmosphere. After lunch the four of us were given a tour of the new hospital to see the other commissioned works that have recently been installed. Grampion Health Board has a very generous allocation of money to procure/commission art for the hospitals in the area and this contributes to a better environment for staff and patients alike.

A new venture for me next year will be to teach City and Guilds at Perth College. We will be starting off with C&G Course 7702, 'First Steps in Patchwork and Quilting' in January. I am looking forward to this very much indeed and hope that we have enough students enrolling to make the course viable. Anyone interested in taking part in this course should contact the Faculty of Arts at Perth College (www.perth.ac.uk).

I have updated the Diary page on the website so check that out and if I am in your area and you would like me to teach a workshop or give a lecture then do contact me.

New Classes and Workshops are listed and you will see that Kirsty, my daughter will be coming to teach some of her popular classes where she uses hand dyed papers to create abstract and landscape collages. I have expanded the number of 'Creative Journey' classes that I teach to include an all-day class once a month for five sessions.

I hope that this finds you well and I look forward to hearing from you and meeting you at the shows over the next few months.

Happy Quilting.

Summer News 2005

The last few months has flown past. The ‘Creative Journey’ classes have been going exceptionally well with eleven students completing wonderful pieces which they entered in the Loch Lomond Quilt Show in the themed competition ‘Banks and Braes’. Marjory McKinven won First Prize in the beginners’ section with Sheila Dalgleish, Carol Jamieson and Moira Dow being awarded ‘Highly Commended’ certificates. You can view the stunning pieces created by all the students in the Gallery.


The Loch Lomond Quilt Show was a wonderful event to be involved in as a teacher. I had enthusiastic students from all over the UK and one lovely lady from Italy who was able to take back a finished piece from her class inspired by the landscape around Loch Lomond. As an exhibitor I had a new piece in the ‘Turning Point’ exhibit called ‘African Enigma’, (again you can see this in the Gallery). ‘Turning Point’ is a newly formed exhibiting group of ten Scottish quilt artists and at this, our inaugural exhibition we all worked to our own personal interpretation of the words ‘turning point’.

Fourteen members of Contemporary Quilt group had completed small textile pieces earlier in the year that were to become component parts of a larger structure. I had the job of putting the pieces together and rather than using conventional sashing I decided to link the pieces with steel rods and chains in time for the piece to be exhibited at Loch Lomond. You can view this piece in the Gallery. I am hoping that it will find a permanent home at the Falkirk Wheel.
Congratulations to Ruth, Patricia and Isabel for being so courageous in organising such a marvellous quilting event – we are looking forward to next year’s show!

My commissioned piece for the chapel in Aberdeen Royal Children’s Hospital is now complete and has now been installed. You will be able to view this piece in the Gallery. My inspiration for this piece is ‘new pathways and directions’. Four pathways representing Earth, Air, Fire and Water lead to a vanishing point on a low horizon. Four more pathways are superimposed on top leading to a second vanishing point on the higher horizon. The pathways intermingle and produce interesting colourations which can be seen as lochs, fields or mountains depending on your viewpoint. The piece is called ‘Aig Astar’ (Journeying).

In April I had my first venture south of the border to be a demonstrator at ‘Needlefest’ at the Royal Yorkshire Showground at Harrogate. I was clearly unprepared for such a large event and ran out of supplies on the Saturday afternoon but looking on the bright side I had a lighter car to drive back home and very little to unload into the studio at the other end. I’ll be back there in September for the Great Northern Quilt Show better prepared with more kits and classes to inspire. Check the Diary page for more venues that I will be visiting.

You will find a new button at the top of the page – the ‘Design Kits’ button. Three ranges of kits are now available, ‘Banks and Braes’, Windows on the World’ and ‘Gilded Velvets and Sheers’. These kits also form the basis of some of my classes and during the teaching I can introduce the students to many variations and adaptations of the kits so that each student will go home with a unique piece of work.

New Classes and Workshops are listed for August - December. The ‘Traditions with a Twist’ classes have a festive flavour to them in that the projects have a Christmas theme or can be used as special gifts. The ‘Sew-a-Row’ class focuses on traditional patchwork whilst the ‘Creative Journey’ offers an opportunity to develop more innovative skills. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Happy Quilting

Spring News 2005

The studio year started with groups of enthusiastic students attending the various workshops and course on offer.

Of particular interest have been the ‘creative journey’ courses of which I now have three separate groups pushing back their creative boundaries each month – two established groups and one group of twelve who are beginning their ‘creative journey’. These classes enable students to look at the various elements of good design (colour, shape, line proportion etc) and relate them in an energetic and positive way to their own work. The students work on a small scale (usually A3/A4) so that projects are manageable and achievable. Too often people start with enormous projects in mind only to falter at the first steps and loose enthusiasm quickly because the quilt is just too big a metaphorical mountain to climb.

My own personal work has been going well. Region 16 (Scotland) of the Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles commissioned me last year to do a piece for the ‘25 for 25’ collection. You can view the finished piece entitled ‘Moving On’ on the gallery page. The idea behind the piece is that as one door closes another door opens and the inspiration for the format (two separate quilted panels joined at the top) came from Japanese door curtains. The stormy left panel of the quilt is the past which moves into a tranquil new dawn on the right. The making of the quilt was a time for reflection on personal and world changes.

A new commission is underway for the chapel in the recently opened Aberdeen Royal Children’s hospital. This is a large piece that will complement wonderful stained glass panels that have already been installed. The subject matter of this new abstract piece will be ‘pathways and direction’. It is an honour to be doing such a piece and I get a thrill everyday that I work on it.

I do like feedback on classes, workshops, the website so do let me know your thoughts.

In the meantime happy quilting.

Winter 2004

The ‘Off the Wall’ textile art exhibition opened to the public on Saturday 6 November 2004 in the gallery at Delta Studios. The large, airy exhibition space was filled with 150 beautiful pieces of textile art; the majority of pieces coming from within the UK but some pieces coming from France, South Africa, and New Zealand. A selection of pieces on display can be seen on the Off The Wall Gallery page.

Careful thought had been put into the hanging of the exhibition to ensure that each piece was shown to advantage either on the walls or suspended from the ceiling. The three dimensional objects were grouped on low tables within the centre of the gallery. The quilts suspended from the ceiling formed intriguing visual pathways throughout the gallery that enabled the pieces to be viewed from different standpoints. The textiles were individually lit allowing each piece to bask in its own glory.

A catalogue has been produced to commemorate a wonderful exhibition. It includes 19 A5 postcards with images of all the exhibits printed in colour along with additional information about the exhibition and ongoing teaching programme at the gallery. The catalogue retails at £7.50 plus £1.50 P&P.

This year’s annual Open Studio will take place on Sunday 20 February from 1pm – 4pm. Come and join me for a glass of wine that day and find out about forthcoming classes in the studio.

On the Workshops and Classes page you will find a full list of classes for the next few months. I am delighted that my daughter, Kirsty, will be joining me to teach some classes. She graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2003 with an honours degree in Embroidery and a Masters degree in Art Gallery and Museum Studies. Kirsty works on a small scale and has a particular interest in making artist’s books. She will be passing on her skills in the three workshops listed in the programme.

The Diary page has been updated and you will see that I am out and about a great deal in 2005. If I am in your area and would like me to teach another workshop then do contact me.

My own Gallery has just been updated with some of my recent work. I hope you enjoy these pieces.

All good wishes for 2005.

Autumn 2004 News

The ‘Off the Wall’ exhibition is the major event of the autumn. The textile pieces have all been selected, the gallery staff are about to move into action at the beginning of the November to hang the exhibition and the catalogue is about to go to press as I write this. After months of preparation it will be wonderful to see the textiles ‘in the fabric’ so to speak rather than as digital images. Some of the transatlantic quilts have started to arrive and it is so exciting to unpack the boxes and unfold the pieces so that they have a chance to breathe before they are hung.

The supporting workshop programme for ‘Off the Wall’ has been well received – just a few places left on some of the classes. So don’t hesitate to take the plunge and try a workshop or two. They promise to be great fun and will give you the opportunity to dabble with techniques that don’t require the precision of traditional patchwork.

My own workshop programme has been updated with new classes from November through to June next year. I am delighted to say that my daughter Kirsty will be joining me to teach some workshops in the studio. She studied at Manchester Metropolitan University and graduated with a BA Hons in Embroidery. She then went on to get a Masters degree in ‘Museum and Gallery Studies’. Her ‘Creative Card’ classes are always popular and you will go away from the day with a multitude of new ideas and techniques to employ in your card making. As you will see from the 2005 programme we have ‘themed’ the weekends so you can come to either or both of the days in order to experiment with different media but using the same source material.

So don’t forget to take some time out to visit the exhibition at Delta Studios and be visually excited and inspired by the textiles on display. I look forward to meeting you there.

Pat

June/July 2004 News

Preparations for ‘0ff the Wall’, the exhibition of contemporary textile art to be hosted at Delta Studios, Larbert are well under way. From several hundred submissions, 140 pieces have been selected for display in November. The exhibition promises to be an exciting show of innovative, thought provoking and imaginative pieces.


To support the exhibition there is an exciting workshop programme which is designed to tempt people to try out techniques and processes that are not only fun but will lead to a greater awareness of the creative process. So click on the ‘Off the Wall’ button and find out more.
Over the two weekends of the exhibition (6,7 and 13,14 November) Studio One will be open to the public. Some of the other resident artists will also have their studios open and will be delighted to welcome visitors and show their work.

Students in the ‘Creative Journey’ class have been using ‘Structures’ as their theme for the last few months. Each time the class has met we have highlighted a technique (stencilling, transfer painting and 3D appliqué) which has linked into each individual’s interpretation of the theme. You will be able to see examples of their work by clicking on the Gallery button and then go to the Students Gallery. If you visit the ‘Off the Wall’ exhibition on 6,7 and 13,14 November you will be able to see more of their work on display in Studio One.

Check out the Studio Programme for new classes added to the ‘Traditions with a Twist’ classes which take place on the first Saturday of each month. I have been experimenting with organzas and velvets and have devised a class which incorporates a number of techniques into a small finished project which would make a lovely gift.

Meanwhile I am busy teaching both at the studio and at various venues around the UK and finding time to have a few creative moments as well. I have just finished a large commission called ‘ ‘ (White Days) which is about childhood memories on the island of Lewis. The owners have been kind enough to allow me to exhibit it at Festival of Quilts in the ‘Northern Exposure’ gallery and also at Ingliston in October. I will be at Ingliston myself, demonstrating various techniques on 1,2 3 October so do stop by, or come to the demonstrations – I will look forward to having a chat with you. Check out the Diary and if you find I am in your area and would like me to visit your group to give a workshop then do not hesitate to contact me.

Happy Quilting
Pat

 

May 2004 News

Battling with the ‘monster suitcase’ was a feature of this month as I travelled from one end of the UK to the other to teach. Quilters just don’t travel light. I will either have to reduce the clothes allowance even more or switch to miniature patchwork.

An invitation to attend the Quilters’ Guild AGM at Eastbourne as a teacher and speaker was a wonderful opportunity to meet many enthusiastic quilters and exchange ideas and information. A highlight of the weekend was hearing Gloria Loughman talk about her life and her inspiration for her quiltmaking. Her backdrop of beautiful quilts provided a visual treat as she gave her talk.

So from Eastbourne it was a quick stopover in Edinburgh before travelling to the north east of Scotland to teach in Fochabers. I know from previous experience that a get together of quilters in this part of the world is a wonderful community event. The day starts with coffee and a slice of legendary tea bread followed a couple of hours later by a buffet lunch. The energy expended on the quilting project made it a very well deserved meal. And after an action filled afternoon many of the quilt tops were nearing completion.

In the Workshop Programme you will find some additional dates for some workshops that have proved to be very popular so do check these out and email me if you are interested.

The first Wednesday of each month is now a relaxing but creative day at the Studio for quilters who want to work on their own projects but need some guidance and tuition. We take a break at midday to visit Torwood Garden Centre for lunch (highly recommended) before returning to finish the work in hand. There are still some places on these Wednesdays so again do email me if you would like more information.

Many of my recent quilts incorporate foiling techniques (See the Workshop Programme for details of a forthcoming workshop in ‘Learning to Work with Metallic Foils and Threads’). The special glue required to adhere the foil to fabric and a selection of different foils are available from the Studio. Book in to the workshop for an inspirational day or email me for more information about the foils.

Happy Quilting,
Pat

April 2004 News

March was an extremely busy month with a full class schedule and busy weekend programmes out and about in Scotland.
The students who are taking part in the ‘Creative Journey’ course have been having a wonderful time experimenting on calico with stencils and car spray paints. The paint effects are magical and when quilted and embellished the pieces become art forms in their own right! Some of these mini works of art will be appearing in the Students’ Gallery at a later date so keep checking!
The ‘Design-a-Quilt Class’ is also becoming very exciting. The students were all given a blueprint of a quilt at the start of the course – only lines and empty spaces to be filled with pattern and colour! Quite daunting but they all took up the challenge with enthusiasm. The planning of the quilt starts from the middle with a centre medallion to be designed and sewn. All the clues for successive blocks and borders are in the medallion. Month by month we will be looking for the clues and designing the rest of the quilt – the aim being that each quilt will be absolutely unique. Another aspect of this quilt is that we will be quilting-as-we-go so that with a bit of luck the quilts will be in use by Christmas!
One of my trips away was to Prestwick in Ayrshire to teach a wonderful group of ladies tips and techniques for producing square Mariner’s Compasses. Everyone achieved a beautiful compass by the end of the day and I am looking forward to hearing from the group how the blocks have been used.
The planning of the exhibition, Off The Wall, is going well with many fabulous submissions from all over the UK and further afield. It looks as if this is going to be one of the most exciting shows of textile art to be hosted in a private gallery of this size. I am also planning a full supporting programme of events with some of the exhibiting artists leading the workshops. This will be posted on my website shortly. So do mark the dates in your diary (6-14 November) and organise a visit to Delta Studios and book in for a workshop.
I am starting to plan Autumn and Christmas classes for later in the year so do keep checking the website for information about these and other exciting events that are in the pipeline.

Happy Quilting

Pat

March 2004 News

Dear Friends,
What a busy month we have had at Delta Studios! The current exhibition, ‘Toast – winter kindling for the soul,’ has been a huge success with hundreds of people discovering Delta Studios for the first time. Our guests found their visit intriguing, exciting and energising, not only in terms of fabulous artworks on display in the upstairs gallery, but also in the unexpected bonus of being able to see the resident artists at work in their own studios and being able to chat to them first hand about their techniques and inspiration. The occasional melodic playing of arpeggios and scales from Frank Campbell’s studio always provides a ‘high note’ to any visit as he meticulously works at repairing woodwind and brass instruments.

Plans for ‘Off the Wall,’ our contemporary textile art exhibition in November, are well underway and entries are starting to come in. So don’t hold back – download the entry form on the website and get your work on display in Scotland’s largest private exhibition space!

I am delighted and very privileged to have been selected to undertake the Scottish commission for the ’25 for 25’ collection for the Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles. I am very excited at the prospect of embarking on this piece and honoured that it will become part of a national collection.

In response to the overwhelming demand to the first Studio Programme you will find some duplicate and some new workshops added. Do check them out.

Some more venues have been added to my diary page so if you are looking at it and find that I am going to be in your area and would like me to visit your group then do email me.

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February News

The Studio has been open for a month now and despite a heavy snow fall I had many visitors to the first ‘Open Studio’. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces but also to meet some new ones as well. You will see on the Studio Events page that a second ‘Open Studio’ is planned for Sunday 15 February to coincide with the last day of the current art exhibition ‘toast’ in the upstairs gallery. This has been described as ‘winter kindling for the soul’ – very apt at this time of year!

Also on the Studio Events page you will find information about ‘Off the Wall’, a contemporary quilt and textile art exhibition that is planned for November this year. This promises to be a very exciting event and certainly dates to put in your diary.

As for my own work, I am finding the studio a delight to work in, not only from the point of view of the space but also from meeting with artists working in different media and the ensuing cross fertilisation of ideas.

If you are planning to be in the area then do contact me by email and I would be delighted to meet you.


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