Created in the Courtyard

New dates for courses in 2011

2010-11-27T17:25:00.000Z

I know, I know. You've all been asking me to set some more dates for the courses but this is a busy time for the Gallery and I've taken my time looking ahead to 2011. So at last I can announce new dates for Created courses. They are all on the website click here to find out when your course is running.

It seems a good time to remind you that we now do gift vouchers for the courses and that we can run a course just for you and a group of friends. If you'd like to know more, then contact me at the gallery.

Felted Jewellery Part 1

2010-09-19T15:43:00.000+01:00

At long last I've started teaching the felted jewellery course. Pam, Margaret & Orlinda popped down to the courtyard today for the first of the three sessions. We worked on mastering the dark art of cord making for necklaces & bangles in session one. It's quite a trick to get the method just right and is definately not a beginners skill. The technique depends on to the felter's skill for success and the cords react to their felting 'touch'. We began by making some felt worms and moved on from that strange point. Life got tricker when we tried joining the worms to make a continuous cord but we battled on as practice makes perfect. By 1pm we were all ready for lunch and a bit of a rest. Exhausted but happy!

More crafty creative things to share with you.

2010-08-24T16:26:00.006+01:00

Last Friday I was overcome with excitement as I found myself the proud owner of a Bernina 830. Yes, the Rolls Royce of sewing machines. The original 1970s model, complete with attachments. Naturally I took it for a service & that's where my first recommendation comes. The Chesterfield Sewing Centre is tucked away in the 'awkward' bit of Chesterfield town centre on Stephenson Place. It's impossible to park outside but stroll round if you want some wool or a new sewing machine. I understand that they are hoping to start a knitting group at the cafe next door & that the Debbie Bliss wool is on its way. So pop in & tell them what you'd like to see stocked there.
A bit further away is the Harley Gallery & Artists Studios over on the Welbeck Estate (between Worksop & Mansfield). There you'll find Hope & Elvis (http://www.hopeandelvis.com/) the studio of Louise Presley. She runs 'All things vintage workshops' throughout the year. Her course information says 'whatever level of skills you hold this is a unique opportunity to work with reclaimed materials to create something truly personal.' A quick scan of the courses leaflet show that her next course on 12th September is on Sewing Know How for those who need to build their skills. More courses are Bookbinding, Loved Again & Tweed Bags...
Finally I would like to mention Dionne Swift new workshops to help you expand and progress your textile skills. Dionne says

"I'll help you to develop individual projects as well as inputting new ideas and techniques.There are no exams, course work or deadlines. We focus on enjoyment and learning new textile skills in friendly and welcoming environment. Work at your own pace and to your own direction.

As a core group develops I'm happy to be guided by their needs to dictate the course content and structure.Autumn Term 2010 explores stitch and composition, with exciting drawing techniques for textile enthusiasts. We will be developing images into stitched surfaces and print screens for the following term..."

The workshops run from 10am - 3 pm and include initial materials, tea/coffee and cake. If you would like further information get in touch:

Email : info@dionneswift.co.uk Website : http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/post-to-arts-news/www.dionneswift.co.uk

Go on, take a gander at any that take your fancy!

Too good to keep to myself.

2010-08-14T14:56:00.004+01:00

Now I'm going to do some sharing with you. It's because I love you and I think that you should know. I found these great resources through Twitter, but don't hold it against them. Twitter is not just for Stephen Fry & he'd probably not follow any of these people but you can. Or just go to their websites.
If you like cutting edge fabrics, ribbons & patterns try the Seamstar website for lots of ideas at http://www.seamstar.co.uk/ and blog http://www.seamstaruk.blogspot.com/. I'm completely in love with these fabrics and can feel a bit of retail therapy about to strike. I've got some very clear ideas about how I'm going to use my new stash. I just need to get down to the Courtyard & break out the sewing machine.
Another great website is from Backstitch http://www.backstitch.co.uk/. Again we've got fabric, patterns and craft items but also some articles to read over a coffee.
And finally... The Sewing Directory http://www.thesewingdirectory.co.uk/ which is a portal for all manner of stitchy, sewy things.
I hope that you enjoy this little briefing on what I've discovered. I'm in the mood for discovering new things at the moment and printed fabric is calling to me, again. So, as and when I find new leads I'll let you know.

Knitting and all that.

2010-07-31T14:54:00.002+01:00

Well I said I'd let you know how the knitting session went - it went well. I enjoyed myself and managed to adapt my plans when my knitting newcomer turned out to be not such a complete novice. We worked on her tension then did casting on and binding off. All went well & I hoped I gave her confidence to keep knitting without being put off by truely amazing knitters & their displays of dazzling knitting skills.

For those of you who'd just like to have a go, try the internet -its full of instructions. And google the Yarn Harlot. She does make me laugh.

Beginners Knitting

2010-07-29T12:31:00.002+01:00

I am trying something a bit new today. I'm teaching beginners knitting down at the Courtyard. As a latecomer to knitting I know the frustration of wanting to knit but just not being able to get your tension right. In my case, far to tight. Also, those patterns? Way to complex.
I loved the yarns and longed to use them but the 'lore' of knitting got in my way.
About 5 years ago I learnt to relax and love big needles. This meant that my tension was much looser and I began to explore the world of knitting. I just chose lovely yarn and made cushion covers. Throws work well, too. Its the very basic part of knitting but it suits me well.
My friend Becky Parker of Ludi & Co introduced me to 'painting with yarn' which means concentrating on colour & texture rather than fancy stitches. She opened my eyes to what beauty can be created by garter & stocking stitch.
So if your interested, give it a go. You can find lots of help online with videos on youtube & whole communities of knitters out there. As for me, well - Marcella would like a Stitch n Bitch group at Mesamis. Interested?

Feeling Creative?

2010-07-06T16:52:00.002+01:00

We've got some space on this Sunday's felted bookcover course if you are interested. It's part 1 of using a resist in feltmaking and suitable if you've done a little wet felting before. Those of you who have done the felted pot course with me in the past will find that this is something for you to try on similar lines. If anything, its easier than felting a pot.
I've taken my first booking on the 6 week 'Inspired by Design' course starting on Tuesday evenings in September. There won't be a lot of space so if you are interested, get your name down quickly.

Ready for the off.

2010-06-12T15:21:00.002+01:00

I've got the return of the Magnificient 3 tomorrow with Orlinda, Julie and Liz returning for Feltmaking for Beginners Part 2 - prefelt & trapping fibres. We had a great time when they did part 1 so I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning. I went down to the Courtyard yesterday to set up and make another felted bookcover. The bookcover course is a new one following Beginners Parts 1 & 2 and looks at using a resist in feltmaking. It is simpler than making felted pots and introduces the concept more gently. That's not to say that those of you who have done felted pots can't have a go at bookcovers. Be my (paying) guest!
Those who have spotted my rantings on building the new website will be happy to know that I have resolved most of the difficulties. I'm much calmer now. Strange how you can be driven mad by instructions which seem straightforward but don't work. Once you've put in that obvious (yet missing) step, hey presto the impossible is possible. It sits there looking at you as if to say "You only had to ask".

Battling with websites

2010-06-08T17:04:00.003+01:00

I have been battling with the new courses website (www.createdinthecourtyard.co.uk) for some weeks now. My initial struggle was to get all the pages set up with the courses & their descriptions, prices, dates and so on. The next struggle was to get the images on there. I am fond of a good image & it gives you the idea of what the course feels like as well as what it is you'll be making. But could I get any images on there? No, I blooming couldn't.
Taking a leaf from my geeky lodger Ben, I tried looking at the help forums. Hm. The 'no-help forums' I think you'll find. Or, to be fair, the 'here might be a bit of a clue what to do forum'. And I did get a clue, tried it out & hey presto! Images! On web pages! I did expect a fanfare but they just lay there on the screen as if to say 'what, what? It's obvious.'
So please, to humour me, go to the website. Browse the pages. Look at the courses calendar. If you get lost you can find your way back to here by looking for 'What's happening in the courtyard now' & clicking on it.
And if you find a course you fancy, contact me. Show me it was worth it.

Planet Maja Mihajlovic

2010-05-31T16:58:00.004+01:00

I've just got back from the only open studio I managed to attend this year. It was to see the work of Maja Mihajlovic and I'd encourage you to visit her website to see more of her work for yourself www.planetmaja.co.uk . Her studio is a wonderful construction at the bottom of her garden and seemed an orderly, peaceful place to work away from the family distractions. Maja was very approachable & clear in her description of how she makes her prints. Particularly I enjoyed her raven print but Robyn like the hare best.
She's turning her hand to well dressing in the next months which will be interesting to see. For those who are not familiar, well dressing is a Derbyshire custom involving clay, flower petals & water.
I'm not sure where you can buy her work but do try to track it down. It's worth finding.

Wordle

2010-05-19T17:37:00.004+01:00

I'm starting this posting with a response to the first felting course in Created in the Courtyard. Orlinda kindly made this on wordle.net and delivered it to me in the Gallery today. It is her response to taking part on Beginners Felting 1 with Julie & Liz. They were a jolly lovely group - I get a lot of those - fun to be with and keen to learn. They've signed up for Beginners 2 as a group where we'll cover trapping fibres & using prefelt in designs. There are spaces on the next Beginners 1, so ring me to book a place 07545581392.

The time for painting is over. Goodbye to all that...

2010-05-05T15:11:00.015+01:00

I have rather neglected you Courtyard followers in order that Spring Sunday at the gallery could happen. Which it did and very successful it was too. The best attended event so far at Created and superb cupcakes by Megan Brooks.

Now for the courtyard update. These photos were taken about 10 days ago by my friend Louise Broomhead when she popped in to see the gallery & the courtyard. I was in my painting garb (not my best look) but it does mean that these images are authentic.

Here I am standing next to the sink... behind me is the little 'office' where I'll be doing my machine work -needlefelting or sewing.
As you can see, we've used the same colours as Created Gallery so I'll feel at home (or should that be at work?). One of the differences of being in the Courtyard is that I will have no internet connection down there. So I can't busy myself update websites or answering emails. I can be reached on my mobile 07545581392 if you want to phone or text. And to my delight, I can get digital radio down there so 6Music for me or BBC7. Hurrah!

More Painting Progress.

2010-04-17T12:31:00.006+01:00

Yesterday I managed to get down to the Courtyard for the first time for a week - BCTF got right in the way. Dom had kindly bought me an enormous set of ladders as the ceiling is pretty high there. He'd got me fresh paint supplies at the same time so if anyone saw a paint splashed, scruffy woman bent forward with the weight of her backpack walking down Walton Road yesterday - it was me.

I took a flask of tea and a mini roll to keep me going which did work until teatime when I woofed my Friday tea. We are camping down there really as everything is still in the Gallery. Dom is coming down to the Courtyard tomorrow to help with painting and 'stuff'. He is aware that we need to get a move on if we're to be ready for Spring Sunday in the Gallery. Which means all my felting equipment and sewing things need to be moved out by then. I've given myself until the week beginning 10th May to sort out the Courtyard space ready for my first course on 16th May.

Bookings are starting to come in, even though I've not finished my course leaflet or put all the dates up on here. I promise to get the next set of details up over the course of this weekend. And to order the Sainsbury's shop (honest, Dom, I will do it). And if you see that scruffy woman tomorrow - stay away from her, she's probably covered in wet paint.

At last, some painting.

2010-04-10T13:32:00.004+01:00

I've really been struggling to get down to the Courtyard this week. It's a busy time at the moment with Clare heading off to BCTF in Harrogate and all the frantic activity that includes. Finally I made my way down Old Hall Road to Brampton Courtyard at about 3.30pm yesterday. I must have looked ridiculous as I was wearing my painting clothes (with examples of the paints we've used in various places over the last 5 years splashed or smeared) and carrying bags full of painting equipment. On my back was my rucksack with a large tin of paint inside. It's a good job that we only live 5 minutes away or there would have been a group of children following me to point and laugh. (No really, my painting clothes are dreadful.)

Three hours later, I had painted one wall yellow and the wall above the sink pink. Yes the same colours as the Gallery just so people will know that they are in Created. Not just because we had some of those paints easily available, no, no, no - er, yes. But the yellow is very cheery and the pink is well, pink.

I reluctantly locked up and headed off home for Friday tea - always a treat in our house. I'm away in Harrogate until late Tuesday so the Gallery is closed on Tuesday 13th April but open after that as usual. I'm planning to get back to the Courtyard on Friday 16th to paint the other walls and to inspect my work from yesterday. I'm starting to panic because this is a job of two parts: preparing the Courtyard & rearranging the Gallery. The big date is Sunday 25th April when I want to move furniture from the Gallery into the Courtyard. After that its focussing on the Gallery to be ready for Spring Sunday on the 2nd May. Remember the date!

Dates for the first courses at Created in the Courtyard.

2010-04-07T16:37:00.008+01:00

I'm working really hard to get the courses leaflet ready and Robyn Jane has been working hard on doing some illustrations for it. This one is going to be our logo for the courses and shows my hands making a felt pot. She is a clever girl!

So, Felting for Beginners is going to be in two parts - yes you've guessed it, part 1 & part 2. It's been difficult to fit everything into a half day session so I've taken a good look at what the new felter needs to know and do to make these new courses.

Part 1 will introduce basic handfelting techniques such as layering, wetting out and fulling. At the end of the session you will have made your first piece of felt to take home along with a felting equipment kit and fibres so you can practice. £40 including all materials and felting kit to take home.

Part 2 covers making and using prefelt as well as the trapped fibre method. Trapping fibres such as silk, alpaca and mohair will add interest and texture to your felt. £30 including all materials.

Both beginners courses are 1/2 days held on separate dates. If you book and pay for both courses in advance there is a special price of £65 (a saving of £5).

So what dates have I got?

Beginners 1, 16th May 10.30am-1.30

Beginners 2, 13th June 9.30am-12.30

Beginners 1, 27th June 1.30pm-4.30

Beginners 2, 25th July 1.30pm-4.30

Beginners 1, 4th July 9.30am-12.30

Beginners 2, 5th Sept 9.30am-12.30

Contact me on 07545581392 or 01246 232205 to book your space. Numbers are limited to no more than 6 on a course and of course, there'll be tea n bikkies!

First a quick wash and brush up

2010-04-06T14:10:00.002+01:00

After filling myself with the power of Easter Eggs, I set off yesterday to give the Courtyard a wash down and to rid the walls of bits of chocolate. Normally I would have been tempted by the splashes of high class chocolate left by the unit's former occupier, Lizzie from Cocomine. (Wonderful, wonderful chocolatier) but my Easter gorging gave me strength.

Dom accompanied me (as he later commented, for some together time - washing walls) and did the high bits. We didn't take too long, its not a huge space and felt very rightous afterwards. I've made a list of what to bring next time - sealant, paint, brushes, bin, stepladders. The usual things when painting your workshop. This is my fourth one and I really need to stop moving out of them. Bren (our eldest son) is staying well away this time. He was made to paint the last one and I'm not sure he's forgiven me for leaving that one. Oh, and he has a broken wrist at the moment - bit of an extreme way to get out of painting, I thought.

I'm hoping to be back there tomorrow night for a little night painting. I may even take a photo!

Day one in the courtyard.

2010-04-01T17:35:00.002+01:00

I woke up this morning so excited that today I start my lease in the courtyard. Liam emailed me last night to let me know that I could have the keys any time after 8am. And so began my struggle to find time to collect the keys. I'll not bore you with the details but by 4pm I was desparate and phoned Clare to bail me out. She was at the flat, having a cuppa and doing some admin work for BCTF. I couldn't ask her to abandon her tea cup so I waited for her to arrive. Finally, I dashed round to Brampton Courtyard at 4.55pm and just caught James (?) before he left a bit early due to the holidays.
Its cold, empty but mine. Tomorrow is another day and I'm off round with my bucket of soapy water to wash things down before I start painting walls. It's what my family has grown to hate. Mum gets a new studio and we all have to paint it. It's only my fourth studio... but I am not planning a move - but then I never am they would say.

Signed, sealed, delivered... nearly mine!

2010-03-13T17:07:00.006Z

Well it's done, I've signed the lease today. From May 2010 we will be 'Created in the Courtyard' and all the Created workshops will take place there. It's going to be great, I'm sure and the new workshops will be great fun as well as offering more felting opportunities for those people who have already attended a course with me.

As a taster, here are some of the course names:

Beginners Felting part 1 and part 2

Felted Sketchbook Cover

Felted Pots

Pictures in Needlefelt

Cupcakes in needlefelt

Felted Jewellery parts 1,2 and 3

Inspired by Design - a textile design course on Tuesday evenings. Get a regular textile fix!

If your creative fingers are itching to join in, contact me through the gallery 01246 232205 or 07545581392 info@createdgallery.co.uk

The Woolgatherer returns...

2010-03-10T13:34:00.007Z

Welcome, welcome, welcome! This blog is from Created in the Courtyard and will bring you news from my new studio. It's been two years since we opened Created Gallery and to my distress, closed my studio in Eyam Hall Courtyard -Woolgathering. I've battled on using part of the gallery but it's tricky mixing gallery and studio so thanks to Liam at Brampton Courtyard, I'm back. We don't quite have a moving date but I am hoping to be into my new place around Easter.

I've had a good look at the current workshop programme that I've offered at Woolgathering and in the gallery. It was ready for a revap and some new techniques needed to be introduced, so I'm almost ready to publish the new programme for our new venue - Created in the Courtyard.

I hope to keep you up to date with progress towards the move and bookings for the new courses. Also, I'll keep you posted on how my own work is progressing. It's going to be great to get back to having my own creative space. However, I will need to be very focussed with my time when I'm gallery Deirdre (Tues, Wed, Sat) and studio Deirdre (Mon, Thurs, Fri). I just can't wait!