Tag Archives: Lincolnshire

Themed school workshops

Posted in Fabric Manipulation, Inspiration, Work With Me by

I love collaboration; I find it exciting and engaging both creatively and practically. Sharing skills, knowledge and expertise is vital to creating a good outcome and I always find it pushes my own creative boundaries and helps me work better and learn all the time. Whether it is working with schools, community groups or other makers, I always find it invigorating coming up with new ideas to show them as well as seeing how they take my ideas and techniques into new an exciting directions.

The school workshop shown below covered 3D fabric manipulation and appliqué techniques, following the students’ own inspiration and research, including projects as varied as fungus & lichen, decayed building, peacock feathers and jellyfish.

Ruth Singer School workshops
Ruth Singer School workshops
Ruth Singer School workshops
Ruth Singer School workshops
Ruth Singer School workshops
Ruth Singer School workshops
Ruth Singer School workshops
Ruth Singer School workshops
Ruth Singer School workshops

The images below show a session I ran for GCSE students to create weather-inspired samples using shadow trapunto techniques.

GCSE student sample
GCSE student sample
GCSE student sample
GCSE student sample
Sample made by the school’s Artist in Residence Emily Notman

I loved this school’s textile classroom with inspiration walls and a great display of dried fruit and vegetable skins.

 

Find out more about workshops for school groups here.

A Museum of Me

Posted in career, Exhibitions, My work by

My collections and selections will be on display in the window collection at National Centre for Craft & Design, Sleaford,  from 3rd May to 13th July 2014

When faced with the task of selecting some objects which define my inspiration, I was almost overwhelmed. For years the main source of my ideas has been museum collections, buildings and the emotions surrounding objects and places. I can’t put any of those into a cabinet…

Chinese embroidered bands
Indian embroidery
Edwardian bag
buttons

What I have gathered together for this exhibition is a selection of objects of significance in my journey towards being the textile artist that I am today, from early childhood through to my first career working in museums. Some are directly inspirational, such as the historical textiles, while some represent aspects of my character which come out in my work as an artist and maker. Others are by makers I admire while some are just interesting and curious things that represent how magpie-mind works, drawing inspiration from all kinds of sources.

My current work is around textiles and emotion. I am interested in how cloth is so emotionally powerful and how stories are deeply embodied in the fabrics we touch every day. This really stems from my training and first career in museums, where I was very focussed on the study of objects; their makers, their owners; their stories.

Tools jumble
Quilted tool jumble

The exhibition also includes some of my recent work as well as some early pieces, showing quite a radical change in my style. Creating non-functional exhibition work and installations rather than products has been hugely liberating for me, and finally it all makes sense with my collecting habits too, as I am now using the old, worn fabrics I love and incorporating curious found objects.

Private view, Friday 2nd May 6pm