Back to School

There is change in the air. Although late August and September are often warm and sunny it doesn’t feel the same as the early summer months. The night’s chill often lingers with early morning mists and heavy dew until the sun comes up to burn it off. The rich verdant green of early summer is giving way to golden hints suggestive of the approach of autumn and the evenings are filled with the sound of combines bringing in the harvest. 

The hedgerows are laden with rose hips and berries and I can never resist picking ripe juicy blackberries when I’m walking the dog, to scatter over my breakfast on my return home, although many never seem to make it that far as I pop them into my mouth as I walk

Late August, given heavy rain and sun

For a full week, the blackberries would ripen.

At first, just one, a glossy purple clot

Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.

You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet

Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it

Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for

Picking.    Seamus Heaney

I have an urge to clear the pantry and make room for the new season of jams and chutneys, preparing for the months ahead. The wardrobes get sorted and clothes washed and line dried outside while it’s still warm enough. Socks get darned (only hand knits I might add) and holes get patched. There is a sense of anticipation in the air.

I’m sure a lifetime of working in schools and educational establishments is what drives this feeling. The excitement of a new term, with blank books full of potential. Sharpened pencils and new stationery. It all feels to me far more like the start of a new year than the drab dark days of January. September is the time for fresh starts and resolutions when there is enough light and warmth to get things done, not the darkest, coldest month of the year when all we want to do is hunker down with a good book beside a roaring fire.

In the spirit of a new school term when we are feeling fresh and ready to learn, I have been slowly putting together material for a brand new online course which will be ready to launch in a few weeks… so more about that next time. But in the meanwhile, I am opening all my available online courses for enrolment during September with a fabulous 20% back to school discount. You just need to enter the code BACKTOSCHOOL at the checkout for the discount to be applied. All courses have immediate access to recorded lessons that can be watched at your leisure, and once purchased all are available until this time next year. And you don’t need any previous experience for any of the courses as full instructions are given throughout.

I have five different courses available. There are two longer form courses based on two to three days of in person teaching.

The first, Funky Faces in Stitch has a drawing element that is all about fun quirky drawings of faces, not about producing skilled accurate portraits and then I take you step by step through various different ways of reproducing these faces in fabric and machine stitch. I have been blown away by the wonderful portraits made by students in this class, just like this fabulous example of Pru Leith by Ann.

The second long course is Paint, Print, Collage, Stitch which again takes you step by step through various stages of creating beautiful painted papers which are then collaged and stitched on the machine to make unique works of art. This is not only a course that I teach regularly in person, but it is also a method that I often use to make my own work

I also have three shorter courses on offer.

Start Drawing is an introduction to some fun techniques to get you drawing. Even if you believe you cannot draw you will be amazed at the fabulous, unique and quirky drawings you produce as you progress through this course. No pressure to get things ‘right’, no judgement about whether a drawing is good or bad, just lots of fun

Beautiful Books takes you step by step through everything you need to know to make a gorgeous hand crafted album or book. They make wonderful unique gifts if you can bear to give them away.

Finally learn how to make a Seasonal Stitched Wreath. I’ll just say this quietly, but if you like to have a ‘Handmade Christmas’ the time to start planning and preparing is now, not December. This is a lesson I have learned through bitter experience although I use the term ‘learned’ loosely as it seems to be something I forget on an annual basis too. And if you really don’t want to start preparing for festive celebrations just yet, there are also patterns to make them for other times of year.

And don’t forget the code BACKTOSCHOOL for 20% off the advertised price for all these courses

As always, thank you so much for reading. I’m taking a week off next Sunday as I will be travelling. It was meant to be a much needed break ready for the new term ahead but it’s gradually becoming a bit of a nightmare. Rock falls in Northern Italy have meant our connecting train between Paris and Turin has been cancelled at short notice with the connecting journeys affected too. With no other overland options available to travel from France to Italy, flights have now been booked which was something we hoped to avoid and I’m in the process of trying to get refunds where we can, to reduce the impact of the extra cost. But at least we are still getting our holiday and we have an additional eight hours to spend in Turin so I’m trying to look on the bright side. Although I might need to pack a lighter sketchbook now that we have luggage restrictions to consider! See you in a couple of weeks.