Sunny Solfest!

3x3m Backdrop

Along with my friend and colleague Helen Tuck I was asked to make a stage backdrop and 12 music stand covers for Solfest this year. It sounded like a fun project so we said yes. Unfortunately due to timing and fabric issues it ended up being a little more stressful then we intended but it was still a lot of fun. We spent Sunday, along with the lovely Susan, dying and colouring the fabric, Monday I spent screen printing with a couple of the guys we support at The Heathlands Project and then Helen, Susan and I spent last night and today pinning and sewing like demons to get the backdrop finished. I'm really pleased with how it's turned out. It's one of those rare projects where I've had a vision of how something is going to look and it's actually turned out that way. If I say so myself it's rather marvellous. So, if you're at Solfest this weekend keep an eye out for all our hard work!

Dyed Fabrics

Screen printed logo

Pinning the first piece. We projected the image onto the cloth so we knew where to pin!

Building up the layers

Detail

Almost there...

Pinning at height

Fully pinned and partially sewn!

Detail of finished banner

Rockcliffe Banner

Some of the students I was working with. This picture was in the News and Star

After much stress and stitching I finally got the rings finished for the banner I've been making with Rockcliffe C of E Primary School. One of the teachers very kindly saved me much stress by putting the banner together for me ready for the torch parade through Carlisle. Whilst making the rings I realised that there is a very good reason why people don't make 3D banners; they're time consuming and don't hold their shape easily! However, the finished result was (I hope) worth all the effort.

Patches ready for stitching

Stitching the patches together

Ring made and drying off

I enjoyed working with the children and staff at the school so much and hope to work with them again. It was great working with enthusiastic people open to giving things a go and getting involved. After I'd worked with the children we did a 'parents evening' for parents and members of the community to come and see what the students had been up to and to have a go themselves. The patches resulting from this session were made into the red ring.

The rings laid out in my living room-this thing is huge!

Detail of the rings

Red ring

Red detail

Green detail (collagraphs)

Red detail (screen print)

Banner Making at Rockcliffe

Screen Printed Designs

My major project of last week was being at Rockcliffe C of E Primary School doing two days of banner making with the students. Last year I worked with the school as part of my job at Heathlands and it was such a nice place to work that I asked if they wanted a freelance artist to work with them. Luckily for me they said yes and said they wanted to do a banner for the Olympics. So, I put my thinking cap on and came up with a design. I'm currently somewhat regretting this design as it involves making 5 3D rings which are proving rather more problematic than I anticipated. However, the bit where I was in school working with the students was great fun.

Collagraph Patch

I worked with each different class group and taught each group a different printing technique. Each class group had chosen a colour and continent relating to the Olympic rings and looked at the Olympic values as a starting point for their designs. I got each group to print on their chosen colour fabric in the same colour (e.g. green on green) to keep the finished rings looking professional but I did use puff binder so that the designs would stand out and make the banner more tactile. Each child had a patch of fabric which they printed on and I'm currently sewing them all together to make the rings.I think the children really enjoyed the process and have come up with some great results. There are several things I would change were I to do this project again but that's all part of the experience!

Block Printed Patches

The staff were all really supportive, even though I turned their class rooms into mess pits and I hope to work with the school again. I'm looking forward to running an after school session for parents and members of the community to make the patches for the final ring next week.

Lino Printed Patch

(Almost) finished ring. This is going to be big

Lino Prints stitched together

Cyclist

Strip of patches hanging over my door