<![CDATA[InStitches Creative Textile Courses

<![CDATA[InStitches Creative Textile Courses - Blog]]>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:32:22 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[#institchescreative2020 - little books part 2]]>Fri, 05 Jun 2020 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.institchestextilecourses.co.uk/blog/institchescreative2020-little-books-part-2Welcome to the last in this series of #institchescreative2020 blogs for the moment. As lockdown is gradually being eased, we feel the time is right to concentrate on new courses and workshops so that we are ready to go when we are at last able to open the studio again. If, (Heaven forbid!), that time never comes, or for those people who may still be unable to attend a physical course, we want to spend some time working out what other types of workshop we could offer.

Above all we want to be able to continue to bring you all inspiring things in the future…watch this space for news of tutorials, courses and workshops and other exciting things coming your way soon.

Thank you to everyone who has worked along with us and left comments and images of your own creations. It really means a lot to us.

Meanwhile, read on for part two of the little books blog....

Join them together...

If you have several books of the same size you can connect them together with a concertina strip of paper. Here’s how:

1. In the centre of the spine of each booklet cut a vertical slit starting and ending at least 1.5cm from the top and bottom edges
2. Measure the length of the slit.
3. Cut a strip of paper with width measuring just less than the length of the slit , and length 2cm x number of booklets plus at least 2cm.

4. Fold a 1cm concertina, and place it with the ends pointing up like a W.
5. Push the mountain folds through the slits in the booklet spines from the outside.

6. Cut strips of stiff paper 0.8cm x the height of the concertina plus 2cm. Snip one end so it is pointed.
7. Carefully push these strips, pointed end first, through the concertina folds on the inside of the book to secure them.
8. You can vary the length of the outside tabs - just add more than 2cm to the length of the concertina strip you cut, and be sure to start folding it from the middle - or punch holes in them to add them into a spiral-bound sketchbook.

As I usually use my little books for sketching and note-taking while I am out walking they are white and therefore don’t look very exciting. This week we’ve been teaching our Inspiration to Stitch students (via Zoom) how to make another form of folded book filled with ideas curated from their course sketchbooks, and the resulting books were a riot of colour.

So yesterday I had an urge to colour paper with spent Procion dye (which we always have in our dye fridge in the studio) and make some colourful books myself. I ended up with a rainbow of 12 sheets (and coloured fingernails again – will I ever learn to wear gloves?), and folded each into one of these easy booklets.

The final step will be to connect them together with a black concertina-folded strip. As there are 12 booklets I’ll need 12 x 1cm zig-zags, so I will cut this 12x2cm long. And I’m going to add around 3cm to each end for the flaps – so it handily uses a strip cut from the long side of a piece of A4 paper, which I’m going to make 4cm wide.

I will also need 12 0.8cm x 6cm strips of stiff paper (I’m actually using doubled-over cartridge) to anchor the concertina inside the booklets.

How to fold a perfect concertina
Do you ever find when you are making long concertina-folded strips that they tend to start to wander off true? The trick is to start in the middle, not at one end. I was shown this method by book-binder Nesta Rendall Davies, who has been one of our guest tutors on several occasions, and with a bit of care you get a perfect concertina every time. I hope I’ve remembered it correctly!

1. Fold your strip in half (short ends together).
2. If you have allowed for longer tabs at the outside edges, measure and fold these next, then treat that fold as the end of the paper.

3. Keeping the strip folded in half, bring one end (or the fold of the flap) to the central fold. Crease the new fold that forms (it’ll be a valley fold – V shaped).
4. Reverse this new fold (so it becomes a mountain fold - ꓥ shaped) and bring this to the central fold. Crease the new fold.
5. Fold the end to meet the central fold and crease the new fold well - 2 zigzags on this side.

6. Reverse the valley folds into mountain folds, then fold the strip in half at the central fold again. Repeat bringing each fold in turn to the central fold to divide all the sections in two. You’ll now have 4 zigzags on that side.
7. Repeat with the other side of the strip – 8 zigzags in total.

8. If you need more sections make the new valley folds into mountain folds, re-fold the central fold, and fold each new section in half to the central fold, until you have 16 zigzags. Don’t forget to crease each new fold well.

It really is easier to do than to describe in words!

This works when the number of zig-zags you need is 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 etc – anything that works by doubling 2.
If you need 12 zigzags, like I did, you need to work in 3 lots of four – ie divide your strip into three equal sections (by folding) and then do the folding and re-folding process until you have four zigzags in each section.

I hope I've encouraged you to look more closely when you are in your garden or out and about, and maybe even record what you see on paper! The chance to get lost in observation can really help us gain a bit of calm at times like these.

If you have made some little booklets and, even better, started to fill them, we’d love to see how you got on … take a quick snap and post it over on Instagram using the hash tags: #institchescreative2020 and #institches2013. Don't forget to follow both us and the hashtags to see what everyone else is creating too!

On Facebook reply to the relevant week's post with your comments and images. And don't forget to actually follow InStitches on Facebook to see what everyone else is up to.

Keep the creativity flowing...

Terry & Hazel

]]><![CDATA[#instithescreative2020 - Holding tight]]>Fri, 29 May 2020 14:01:20 GMThttps://www.institchestextilecourses.co.uk/blog/instithescreative2020-holding-tight

Devoted to you (detail) Hazel Ryder

Sometimes it's really hard to resist a skein of beautiful thread, even when you know you can't possibly thread it through the eye of a needle never mind pull it through the cloth, so in this week's blog we are going to explore couching and find out how you can use beautiful but too-thick-to-stitch-with threads.

Couching doesn't mean sitting on the sofa to stitch!

In embroidery the term couching refers to a laid work technique where a yarn (or sometimes thin strips of fabric, ribbon etc) is laid across the surface of the ground fabric and held in place with small stitches in toning or contrasting threads.

On my quilt Devoted to you I used couched threads to form traditional Welsh quilting patterns. For the spiral in the photograph above I used a whip stitch in fine toning cotton to hold a thicker thread in place.

Whilst in this image I used small cross stitches to hold the doubled threads in place. In both cases the couched threads were too thick to go through the ground fabric so to hide the ends I made a feature of them by making a small tight knot at the beginning and end.

Here I am using a thick cotton slub thread and holding it in place with one of InStitches Creative hand dyed medium weight cotton threads. To enable me to work quick and neatly, as well as holding the laid thread firmly in place, I am using a ladder stitch.

The ladder stitch can be worked evenly and small (bottom row), but you could also try cross stitch (middle row) or even a detached fly stitch combined with a detached chain stitch (top row).

And here I've grouped the straight stitches into 3s, become a little less rigid with the crosses and also the straight stitches on the top row. I even tried detached chain stitch but I'm not convinced with the option! Many of the other stitches we have looked at in the blog either worked single or in combinations, would work so don't be afraid to experiment.

In all these cases the thicker thread was just laid on the surface of the fabric, and the ends left showing.

Instead of straight lines you could go round in a circle...

My sample is pretty boring, so I asked textile artist Jennie Loudon if I could show you her pieces that she stitched for the Evil Eye challenge for @frayed_edges_ . Working on a light weight cream wool fabric Jennie has used sheer hand dyed fabrics and a combination of different stitches including couching.

Carry on reading to see more of Jennie's work below.

Careful you don't draw blood...
...however you won't prick yourself on this thorn! Actually there's nothing more annoying when you are hand stitching and accidently catch your finger on the needle a get spots of blood on your work. Don't forget to use cold water to remove and not warm as that will set the stain!

Thorn stitch

(Yet) another super easy stitch (have I given you any other? ) which can be worked either straight or curved.

To make the stitch you first need to take one long stitch then bring the needle out just below the top , across the laid thread and back up to the opposite side to create a slanted stitch.

Repeat towards the opposite side and this time come out a little to one side ready to make the next stitch.

Sounds complicated but really it's just a lopsided cross stitch!

Why not try: Stitching a grid of long stitches, in any thickness of thread, and catch them in place using a small cross stitch worked over the intersection or

use a little star stitch as Jennie has done on the triangular grid she's stitched for the bird's wing.

I've had a bit of a circular thing going on over the last few weeks with my stitching, and fortunately couching works well for this too!

For the circle on the left I first lightly marked a circle and began couching one strand of thick thread from the outside in towards the centre. I stopped when I ran out of thread and decided I quite liked the doughnut look!

One strand was slow going and fiddly so for the next sample (on the right) I stared in the middle with a folded double thread, much faster. Also I found working from the centre out a bit quicker and easier.

But my samples still aren't as lovely as one of Jennie's birds. In fact she has a whole flock of beautiful stitched and printed birds!

Jennie Loudon lives and works in Edinburgh and she is one of the most creative people I have ever met. We've known each other for nearly 40 years (it was from Jennie that I first ever heard of a rotary cutter; at the time I hadn't a clue what it was or used for) and in that time she has worked across a range of textile techniques but now describes herself as a 'maker of textile creatures'. Jennie incorporates anything and everything into her creatures, using dye, paint, stitch and found objects and recently she has been creating a bird alphabet, including amongst others lapwings and pelicans, kingfishers and owls. I just love them all.

Her latest challenge is to create a creature daily from the scraps left over from whatever she has made through the day as part of #100daysprojectscotland. You can see lots more of Jennie's work over on Instagram including her 100 days project creatures; she promised me a lion tamer would be coming soon!

As you can see my table cloth is virtually full and so the time has come for me to put it to one side and concentrate on other projects for a while. There's still space for some filler stitches so I'll be popping back every now and then to show you any new stitching I've been doing.

But until then I'd like to thank you for joining me over these last weeks and months, it's been a funny old time with the world as we knew it turned upside down, separated from those we love, the daily rhythm of life unbalanced, hasn't it? But I hope that the blog has given you a spark of creative joy and you were able to take a moment to stop, slow down and make time to appreciate the smaller pleasures in life.

Terry will be back next week with the final paper blog and she's got a crafty and quick way to show you how to join together last week’s little books, so don't forget to join her then!

Don't forget:
Thank you so much to everyone who is joining in with the blog and taking the time to post and share their creative endeavours - we really appreciate it. The creative community is a great one to be part of at any time, but especially now.

We’d love to hear how you got on … take a quick snap and post it over on Instagram and use the hash tags: #institchescreative2020 and #institches2013. Don't forget to follow both us and the hashtags to see what everyone else is creating too!

On Facebook reply to the relevant week's post with your comments and images. And don't forget to actually follow InStitches on Facebook to see what everyone else is up to.

Until next time - keep the creativity flowing...

Hazel & Terry

]]><![CDATA[#institchescreative2020 - be prepared]]>Thu, 21 May 2020 23:13:10 GMThttps://www.institchestextilecourses.co.uk/blog/institchescreative2020-be-preparedWe've had a busy week getting the online shop organised (more later...) with not a lot of time for creativity. So here's a really quick and easy idea to help you make the most of every opportunity and record more about what you see on your regular walk. Wherever that may be - your garden, city streets, your local park or woodland, lakeside, canal or coast.

When I go for walks I often take a sketchbook with me so that I can jot down visual notes about what I see and experience. If I’m on my own I might have time to do a detailed sketch,

but often in the past I’ve been with someone else or it might be cold so the notes can be quite --- well, sketchy.

They might include a rough sketch, notes about colour (I’ve usually only got a fairly indestructible biro or fine-line pen with me), sounds, lists and anything else I have observed or how I feel. Sometimes I add colour once I'm back at home.

They tend to be, quite honestly, a bit of a dog’s breakfast. But they are invaluable to me – if I lost them I’d be more devastated than if I lost a textile piece – I can recreate a textile piece, but not all these records of time and place. I do take loads of photos too, of course, but often I need more information…

Sketchbooks, of course, tend to be quite bulky affairs (and if they’re mine they have all sorts of loose things which fall out of them every time you pick them up – ask our students!). So, although I have been known to take a pristine sketchbook on holiday (and sometimes even actually draw in it), usually I prefer to carry something pocket sized.

That’s where these little one-sheet books come in extremely handy. Folded from just one sheet of paper, it’s easy to make a few to carry in a pocket or a bag. They’re lightweight, and not at all precious – just what’s needed to encourage the recording of visual notes. If you’re a people-watcher they’d be ideal to take on a socially-distanced picnic or trip to the park.

Because the pages are folded rather than cut you can choose to work one page at a time or, as I do, across several at once. When they are full you can easily attach them to a larger sketchbook as reference.

How to make
All you need is a sheet of paper and a pair of scissors – and even the scissors are optional. I usually use cartridge paper because it’s stiff enough to hold its own out in the field. But any paper will do – earlier this year I forgot to take one with me on a very wet and windy walk on the beach in Lyme, so made a quick one from an A5 sheet of note paper I found in my pocket - that's it above.

1. Fold the paper in half long end to long end. Crease the fold well and open it out.

2. Fold the paper in half short end to short end and crease well.

3. Fold each side back on itself in half again. Crease well.

4. Open out the paper. There should be 8 sections. Re-fold the paper in half short end to short end.

5. Holding the open edges, cut (or tear) from the FOLD side along the horizontal crease. Stop at the intersection with the vertical crease. Open the paper.

6. Fold the paper in half long end to long end. Hold the edges of the paper and push towards the centre until you see a box formed. Keep pushing until all the pages line up.

7. Flatten the booklet, then fold it in half vertically to form a book. Re-crease all the folds - if your paper is thick the pages won’t line up exactly to start with but they will succumb to persuasion!

There are several ways you can attach these little books to your sketchbook once they’re full, ranging from the very simple to more complex. Here are some I’ve used:

Put an elastic band or a tied thread round the spine of the book and slip some of the pages through
Staple the book to a page or a page stub (a cut-down page)
Stitch the book to a page or page stub.

If you enjoyed making (and filling) this little booklet you’ll find several other booklets you can make from a single sheet of paper on the internet.

If you have a go at this one, or find some others to try we’d love to hear how you got on … take a quick snap and post it over on Instagram using the hash tags: #institchescreative2020 and #institches2013. Don't forget to follow both us and the hashtags to see what everyone else is creating too!

On Facebook reply to the relevant week's post with your comments and images. And don't forget to actually follow InStitches on Facebook to see what everyone else is up to.

Until next time - keep the creativity flowing...

Terry & Hazel

Stop press!

Apologies for my mucky fingernails in the photos - it's not really dirt, it's dye. As Hazel has mentioned in her last couple of blogs we've been busy creating an online shop. So we've been dyeing and processing loads of threads. Not to mention the steep learning curve that is photographing and editing every colour variation so you can see them in their true glory, and learning how to use the shop software!

It's called InStitches Creative and by the time you read this post it should be live. Have fun exploring!

]]><![CDATA[#institchescreative2020 - everyone needs a comfort blanket]]>Fri, 15 May 2020 12:23:53 GMThttps://www.institchestextilecourses.co.uk/blog/institchescreative2020-everyone-needs-a-comfort-blanketIt's still pretty weird out there in the big wide world, but at least when we are in the studio we are surrounded by the familiar and the colourful. The studio may be student less at the moment but it's still a hive of activity as we busily wind, dye, process and label miles and miles of threads!

As we mentioned last week we have taken the bull by the horns/ risen to the lockdown challenge/gone where the angels fear to tread....take your pick! and have finally stopped prevaricating and decided that now was the time was right to open an online shop. After all if you can't come to us at the moment then we shall have come to you!

Hold on!

Before you stop reading and rush, clutching your credit card in hand, to find the shop link you will have to wait just a teeny weeny little longer - we had no idea how much time and effort it would take to set up. Fingers crossed all will be ready for a launch sometime next week!

Until then, get yourself a nice cup of tea, pick up your stitching and join me as we explore blanket stitch.

Blanket or open buttonhole stitch is another very easy and versatile stitch. I think I have said that for every stitch so far! But if you mastered fly stitch then you will have no problems with this stitch either.

How to make a blanket:

Bring the needle and thread up through the fabric and insert further along and at the height of the required stitch, as in the photo above.
Pull the needle down over the looped thread. Repeat these steps to continue.
Finish off with a tie stitch over the final loop.

Going round in circles...again. I do like seeing how each of the stitches works when stitched in the round. Here I've worked a relatively even blanket stitch around the outside (L) and inside (R) of a circle.

And in these circles I have varied the stitch length as well as, on the righthand circle, working a double row.

Instead of a straightforward circle why not try spiralling your stitches or

combining with another stitch? I decided to stitch French knots, but an open chain or small cross stitch would have looked great too.

In this sample I have worked straight(ish!) overlapping rows in a variegated thread. It is the same image, just rotated, because how you work the stitch is up to you.

This beautiful piece of coral is many years old and was the inspiration for this blanket stitch variation.

Using my Sewline marker pencil I lightly drew ovals guides so I knew where to stitch. I worked the sample in standard blanket stitch but...

...perhaps this variation would work too? Made in a similar fashion to the standard blanket stitch it is equally easy to do.
Closed Buttonhole:

Think of a triangle when working this stitch: Bring the needle and thread up through the fabric at the bottom corner of the triangle and insert at the top of the triangle at the height of the required stitch, as in the left-hand photo above.
Insert the needle and bring it up close to the start of the stitch to create the first side of the triangle.
Re-insert the needle at the top of the triangle and come up a little further along but inline with the first corner of the triangle.
Pull the needle down over the looped thread. Repeat these steps to continue.
Finish off with a tie stitch over the final loop.

You could have a lot of fun with this stitch and really create some interesting textures and shapes.

Over these stitch blogs I have tried to select stitches that would work both for quilting as well as for embroidery. As you know I have been working on a vintage table cloth however sometimes it's nice to do something a little different...

Fish on Fridays...

I love these little sprats and had a lot of fun creating them for Terry one Christmas. Made from pieced strips of different coloured cotton fabric, first I embroidered various patterns along the length of each fish before cutting and machine stitching them into shape.

sssh!
Once I'd made them I nearly didn't give them to her because I loved them so much. Perhaps now I've got them back to photograph for the blog I might just forget to give them back....

]]><![CDATA[#institchescreative2020 - a little negative?]]>Thu, 07 May 2020 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.institchestextilecourses.co.uk/blog/institchescreative2020-a-little-negativeWelcome to our now weekly #institchescreative2020 blog. We are still planning to alternate paper and stitch, so this week is a quick paper-based project. Meanwhile exciting things are happening behind the scenes in the studio: we’ve been dyeing threads and, as Hazel mentioned last week, learning how to set up an online shop so we can bring them direct to you in your sewing room.

Negative space drawing
I realise this sounds technical, and indeed this exercise is often done by serious artists wanting to learn how to make better drawings, but today we are just going to use it as a different way of drawing. You may remember that I told you about our brains’ shorthand back in April when we were drawing without looking:

By slowing right down and forcing our eyes to follow the outline of the object we are drawing, we actually begin to see the details. The shape of the top of the mug, the angle of the sides, how the handle joins at the top, and the bottom, how wide the handle is and does it taper. All of these details usually just disappear in your brain’s shorthand: '
Mug = circular thing with a handle for tea'. It’s your brain’s way of getting through the day without overwhelming you. You don’t need all that detail to make a cuppa!

Well, this is another exercise in looking. This time we are trying to shut the analytical side of our brain up by confusing it. We are not attempting to draw an object that the left side of the brain can classify and describe, so it cannot take over and stop us from seeing what is really there. Instead we are trying to draw the spaces around that object, and if we want, with practice that can make us better at drawing complex things accurately.
Or we can just ignore all that, have fun and have a go at drawing voided shapes to fill with detail or pattern later.

You will need

Fine pen – biro/ drawing pen/ felt tip
Several sheets of paper or a sketchbook (copier paper will do fine)
Viewing window (see below)
Marker pen or coloured pencils
Patterned or coloured paper – either commercial or your own decorated paper (optional)

A viewing window
Making a viewing window is really easy. These instructions make one in the same proportions as your drawing sheet, but you could skip steps 1-4 and draw a frame any size.

Take a piece of card (cereal box is ideal) or paper the same size as the sheet you are going to draw on.
Draw in both diagonal lines.
Measure from the top and the bottom of the piece of card to the desired size and draw the horizontal lines eg if your paper is 28cm tall and you want your window to be 18cm tall, draw horizontal lines 5cm from the top and 5cm from the bottom, till they intersect with the diagonals.
Draw the verticals to connect up the sides. The window you have created will have the same proportions as the original paper.
Cut along the diagonals in the centre to the intersection with the horizontal/vertical lines.
To strengthen a paper window, fold the triangular flaps round the frame, securing with sticky tape or a dab of glue.
For a card window, remove the triangular flaps completely.

I’m going to do the exercise on paper to start with, but it is a great one to do in any drawing app you have on your tablet or PC, especially if you also have a stylus which allows you to draw accurate lines. There's a bit more detail about drawing apps at the end of the blog.

1. Arrange group of objects with interesting shapes or select an object such as scissors, or a chair or a watering can which has negative spaces within it.

2. Use a viewing window the same proportions as your drawing paper (see box for how to make one). Prop the window so that you can see the object through it and some of its edges ‘touch’ the sides of the frame. This is easier said than done when you have decided to do this in the garden on a windy day, but we do like a challenge!

If you don't want to use the whole sheet of paper or have a different shaped window, draw around the inside of your window onto your paper so you have a frame to work within.

3. Using a continuous line drawing technique draw the negative space around, between or within the object/s as a series of shapes, connecting them to the edge of the frame as necessary.

I love the shape of scissors, and have dozens of pairs of all shapes, sizes and uses; one day I'm going to fill a sketchbook with drawings of all of them, one per page .... one day! Anyway, I started with my dressmaking shears. I'm judging the approximate distance from the top and bottom of the frame to start my lines - you might be able to see that I marked the half-way points on the window for guidance. Just six simple shapes to draw and they look quite realistic.

Here I've moved out into the garden to draw a plant in a pot. I'm still trying to judge where lines should start and finish in relation to other reference points. It's much harder to draw because the shapes and their relationship to each other is more complex, but I don't think the plant is going to complain that it's not a good likeness!

Now I'm being really brave and trying the beautiful rusty watering can. Again, it's more complex, but take your time and really observe the abstract shapes you are drawing, where they start and finish, and what angles there are.

4. Shade in the negative spaces and watch as the object(s) emerge from the background.

You don’t need to stick to black and white for this – why not use coloured pencils or crayons to fill the background. I’ve just used cheap chunky Ikea ones which the boys had when they were little; neither of them was really into drawing or craft – music is their form of creative expression. The secret (note to self!) is to keep them sharp for the drawing bit, and then make the most of their luscious wide ‘leads’ for the colouring part.

Keep exploring...
Well that's the basic exercise, but there is so much more you can do. Here are some suggestions:

1. You could start to draw in the details of your subject – either as a line drawing or using realistic shading. Or you could simply fill the voided shape with Zentangle-like patterns (not much space in a pair of scissors!)

2. You can jazz it up a bit by drawing on patterned paper.
Any patterned paper will do; you could choose a pattern that is sympathetic to your subject, or something completely unexpected. It’s a great way of transforming existing pages in your sketchbook which maybe weren’t successful, which is exactly what I did for the pebbles on the left below.

Our students will know that at InStitches we love of a sacrificial piece of paper (or fabric if we’re dyeing). Don’t be alarmed, that’s simply the piece of paper that goes underneath your working paper to save your work-surface and collects all the incidental marks when you paint or draw off the edge of a piece of paper; in time it becomes richly patterned with accidental marks and colour you couldn’t have thought up deliberately. These make great backgrounds for negative space drawings - on the right above I have done simple pebble shapes over a piece of paper that got spattered with ink when I was spaying paper for book covers. But I think they look just like the granite pebbles at Porth Nanven in West Penwith in the centre.

3. Maybe if you draw the negative space and colour in with chunky graphite, you could use this as the first steps for a ‘proper' drawing. Use an eraser to smudge the edges. Add back in the detail with pencil...

Go digital
Another way to do this exercise initially is to work from photographs, either with tracing paper or maybe in a drawing app on your tablet. This helps to flatten three dimensional objects and helps you see the shapes more easily.

If you have the digital equipment but have never tried drawing with it, this could be a good way to get started. Free apps include Adobe Fresco (and the older Adobe Sketch and Adobe Draw if you have an older tablet), Paper and Autodesk Sketchbook) – there are loads out there. Some drawing apps allow you to have layers. This means you can open a photograph in the app then add a layer over it like a piece of tracing paper. All your drawing goes on this layer. Trace the outlines of the negative spaces, ‘switch off’ the photograph, then add another layer to fill them with colour.

Click here if you don't see the time-lapse video.

In your app you can just add a patterned layer underneath your drawing, then you can save it, or even save a time-lapse video of the whole process in some apps, which never fails to fascinate me. The one above shows the process in Adobe Draw, and it's a bit rough and ready because the stylus I have is not very fine, and its a bit old so its not supported any more, although it does still connect to the app so you can prevent accidental palm drawing.

One last thing...
Have you been watching Gayson's Art Club on Channel 4? If not, it's well worth seeking out on catch-up. He, like us, believes that art is important to get us through this crisis. I love that he says that to be creative we need to be relaxed - I actually think it works both ways - the more we do the more we relax into it. And he says that to make art you need to make yourself vulnerable, by which he means you need to be open to possibilities, and be prepared to fail. In other words, just have a go, and don't worry about what the outcome will be.

So with that in mind, do have a go at this week's creative ideas. We’d love to hear how you got on … take a quick snap and post it over on Instagram using the hash tags: #institchescreative2020 and #institches2013. Don't forget to follow both us and the hashtags to see what everyone else is creating too!

On Facebook reply to the relevant week's post with your comments and images. And don't forget to actually follow InStitches on Facebook to see what everyone else is up to.

Until next time - keep the creativity flowing...

Terry & Hazel

]]><![CDATA[#institchescreative2020 - come fly with me]]>Thu, 30 Apr 2020 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.institchestextilecourses.co.uk/blog/institchescreative2020-come-fly-with-meIf you follow InStitches on either Instagram or Facebook you will have seen a recent post about my 10 year old niece Isla. Along with many of the world's children, Isla and her two sisters are in lockdown. So, no school, no meeting up and playing with friends, no visiting their beloved grandparents, Auntie (me!!) or cousins.

I often forward her the Terry's paper blogs and she in turn WhatsApp's her creations back. Here's what she said about this week's one on spirals:

I did one of the exercises on your website, but I did it with my eyes closed and listening to music! Thank you so much, it really relaxed and calmed me! I picked random colours, and it actually turned out alright!

Children are resilient and adaptable but looking after their mental health is just as important as looking after ours. We hope over the last 6 weeks we have managed to bring a spark of creative joy and that you have been able to take a moment to stop, slow down and make time to appreciate the smaller pleasures in life.

So, settle down, pull out your stitching basket, pick up your needle and thread and come fly away with me...

Fly stitch is another easy versatile stitch that's quick to stitch. It can be sewn horizontally or vertically and either formed as a V or as Y stitch. It can also be detached or worked in an attached row.

To make a fly stitch:

First bring your thread to the surface, holding the thread downwards with your opposite thumb to create a loop and work a loose horizontal stitch, level where the thread started.
Angle the needle downwards between these two points (can you see how it created a visual triangle?) and bring it up through the waiting loop of thread. Pull gently to create a V.
To anchor the V make a small tack stitch.

If you are working a block of fly stitch take the needle back under the V shaped stitch you have just sewn and bring it out to one side and repeat as above.

To create a Y stitch just take a longer tack stitch when holding the loop in place.

I especially like the way Terry used a distorted Y stitch to give a three-dimensional feel to this sample completed in a workshop with Richard McVetis.

Alternatively, fly stitch can be worked in a random fashion across the surface, as I have done in the photographs above. The effect of the stitch, as always, can be altered by thread choices and density of pattern.

Don't swallow the fish bone!:
Fishbone or attached fly is worked in a similar manner as fly stich except the tack stitch is longer and when you come to make the next stitch the needle comes out at the end of the previous tack stitch, as shown above.

Work fish bone in rows,

creative a leaf motif,

meander where you will or

take yourself off in a circle.

Or why not have a go at translating one of Tuesday's shadow sketches into stitch? I really enjoyed playing with different weights of thread and stitch proportions.

Don't despair - how to tame your threads...

If this image was hanging in a gallery it would be titled 'Threads of doom' .

If this is a familiar sight in your thread box then don't despair, we have a solution!

Take your new skein and remove any wrapper or tag BUT do not cut the tiny encircling tie-off thread.
Carefully untwist the skein and open out, hold at the tie-off point and stretch out into a loop.
Still holding the tie-off point carefully snip through all the threads at the bottom of the skein.
When you want to remove a thread carefully pull from the tie-off point whilst holding both cut ends. You will find one strand comes out smoothly and tangle-free.
Re-twist the skein to prevent tangling.

We hope over the last 6 weeks that you have enjoyed being creative with us; after all we set up InStitches because we wanted to share our passion and to inspire as many people as possible to get stitching and creating. However, from next week we will be moving to one mid-week blog; we will still be providing that creative spark, but we need to make time to develop some new ideas in the studio.

At the moment it's a tough time for small creative businesses such as ours. As most of you know, all the textile shows, arts trails and exhibitions for 2020 have been cancelled which means InStitches won't be out on the road meeting you all and offering all our hand dyed fabrics and threads for sale; plus we have had to close the studio for courses and workshops for the foreseeable future.

So, as you can't come to the InStitches shop then we are going to bring it to you! Those of you who have been in the studio know we already have a mini pop-up shop in the corner of the studio and our plan is to take it online.

It does mean we have some work to do (all the while socially distancing, of course!) dyeing threads, winding sari silk skeins, packing and labelling. Not to mention working out how to set up and run an online shop!

But when we're ready you'll be one of the first we shall tell!

and there was cake....

Did you notice the Chelsea buns which popped up in the Tuesday blog this week? I was making them when Terry phoned up to ask something and on hearing I was making them she said 'send a photo, they're spirals too!' They're adapted from a Paul Hollwood recipe using whatever dried fruits I had inthe baking cupbard. If you want to have a go this weekend then click on the photograph to see how to make them. Enjoy!

]]><![CDATA[#institchescreative2020 - spiral]]>Tue, 28 Apr 2020 12:33:07 GMThttps://www.institchestextilecourses.co.uk/blog/institchescreative2020-spiralI have a thing about spirals; I’ve been collecting spiral images for as long as I can remember, many of them in a sketchbook dating back to 2002, but for far longer than that: ammonites, periwinkles, new ferns, wrought iron gates, staircases, fractals....

Did you spot the spiral of stones that crept into the blog a couple of weeks ago? I didn’t know at the time what this week’s blog was going to be, I can’t help it, I’m just drawn to them. And I have my own stone spiral, which I made long before I discovered Kettle’s Yard.

Far from the often-negative connotations in popular writing, in meditation spirals are seen as uplifting and they are often found in nature, being an efficient way to grow. Now I’m not going off down the route of Fibonnaci and the Golden Spiral, but suffice it to say that many artists are fascinated by spirals – they appear frequently in land art, textile art, painting and architecture, and go right back to neolithic times.

In our own practice spirals and their variations make great free motion quilting patterns

and also crop up as drawings, prints and stitched embellishment.
And of course cake ... in the form of Chelsea buns!

There are so many ways you can start to explore spirals, but we have chosen two to get started. They form one of the Creative Warm-up exercises we use with our Inspiration to Stitch students (thank you to them for some of the images here). Both are great exercises to start you making marks on the paper without worry or mental blocks.

The first part of today’s creative prompt is a wonderfully meditative exercise, great for if you’re feeling a bit frazzled, trying to put in a productive day of work at home whilst simultaneously home-schooling your children, or just too overwhelmed with the constant news bombardment. As with the now popular Zentangle method, it is easy to get lost in concentration on what you are doing and forget about the outside world for a short time.

What is Zentangle?
The Zentangle method of drawing began in 2003 when Rick Roberts observed the state of deep concentration his wife Maria entered when she was drawing patterns for illuminated letters, and likened it to a state of meditation. You may recognise as being very similar to the doodles you did in your rough book at school (long before 2003!) or still do when you are on the phone. You can find out more on their website.

Part two will have you abandoning your tightness and inhibitions and introduce you to the idea that drawing and mark making can come from the fingertip, wrist, elbow, shoulder and eventually whole body! (will you go as far as Heather Hansen, in her project Emptied Gestures?

You will need:
Part one (do anywhere)

Fineline pen or marker pen – any colour you like, but black is great for contrast
Paper to draw on, sketchbook etc – copy paper is fine, or maybe one of the small pamphlet books from week one

Part two (this could get messy!)

Large (A3 or A2) sheets of paper (tape several together if you don’t have any big enough)
Something chunky to draw with eg charcoal (chunky not fine), crayons, chalk block, graphite stick
Paint (not too drippy – even emulsion would do!) and a large brush – or your hands!
Plastic sheet or newspaper to protect surface – this could get messy!

Part one:
1. With a fine pen start in the centre of a sketchbook page or sheet of paper and fill the page with a single continuous spiral. How tight can you make it?

2. Repeat the exercise but this time fill the space with many different sized spirals sitting side by side. Rather than using the whole page you might like to draw a frame to work within.

3. Can you create an illusion of depth by drawing some spirals 'behind' others?

Explore further:
Use these prompts after both part one and part two...

are all spirals circular? Try different shapes for your spirals and see how they fit together
try using regular grids or random placement
allow the spirals to overlap like raindrop ripples on a pond
repeat with non-dominant hand
repeat with eyes closed
draw to music and see how the spirals change as the rhythm changes
repeat using both hands at the same time
use your feet as our students did last year!

Part two:
1. Using an A3/A2 sheet of paper and something chunky like the side of a crayon, charcoal or a graphite stick, repeat part one no.1.

2. Tape two A2 sheets along the long side and pin up (or use a large sheet of wallpaper lining paper or newspaper). Using a large brush and liquid paint use your whole arm to draw spirals; they can overlap or not, the choice is yours! (now you see why you needed the plastic...)

More inspiration

Researching for this blog took me to some really interesting websites on my search for other artists inspired by spirals. As I mentioned earlier, land artists seem to gravitate to this form, so I thought you might like to have a look at artists who work with natural objects as inspiration. especially if it's rainy outside. Beats watching the news!

Land art
A great reminder of sunnier days and freer times, and there are some stunning images on the internet if you have some time to spare (warning - timewaster alert!). You could start here with an exploration of Jon Foreman's art (he loves a spiral too) or here to read about the pioneers of the art form.

I think Andy Goldsworthy must be the most well-known artist in this field, and when I was researching this blog I came across a fascinating short video of him talking about his art and our connection to stone from the Tate.

Textile artists inspired by the land
At InStitches we invite inspirational guest tutors to teach workshops for us as part of our textile adventures series and over the years they have become our friends. Their work is always innovative and inspiring, as are their websites.

Image © Debbie Lyddon

Debbie Lyddon
Inspired by the coastal landscape of Norfolk where she has her studio, Debbie makes two and three dimensional work which responds to the land and the materials she finds on the coast. Read Debbie’s blog post To Coil about the importance of doing rather than just thinking about doing when it comes to being creative. Then wander through the rest of her website and blog for more coastal inspiration.

Image © Alice Fox

Alice Fox
Another textile artist inspired by the land, Alice works with materials she finds or gathers and recently has been exploring her allotment and the things she can grow there. Her work is endlessly fascinating as she explores the possibilities of found objects and making with gathered materials.

]]><![CDATA[#institchescreative2020 - in the chain gang]]>Thu, 23 Apr 2020 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.institchestextilecourses.co.uk/blog/institchescreative2020-in-the-chain-gangThe inspiration for this week's stitch comes from the beautiful dense and precise chain stitch embroidery of Gujarat. A small handmade wool rug covered in chainstitch crewel from Liberty's of London (hence the smallness!) was one of the first things I bought for my first home. It was covered in a flowing pattern of flowers and birds all worked in chain stitch using a jewel palette of coloured wools.

The V&A collection contains many examples of this type of work, including a beautiful padded and heavily stitched hunting coat, from 17th Century India (click the links and scroll down to see it). At India's Mughal court (early 16th - mid 19th century) the professional male embroiderers were famous for their use of an extremely precise repeat chain stitch form of embroidery known as Ari work. It is also sometimes referred to as tambour (from the French word for drum because the ground fabric is stretched tightly across a frame or hoop needed for the regular chain stitch). The tambour stitch is stitched with a specialist hook called an 'ari', which is similar to a crochet hook.

The chain gang:
We aren't going to use an ari, because chain stitch can also easily be worked using a regular embroidery needle!

To make a basic chain:

Bring the thread up and loop it under the needle, holding the loop down with the thumb or forefinger of your free hand.
Take the needle back into the hole from which it emerged, and bring it out a stitch length in front, with the thread loop under the needle.
Do not pull the thread too tightly.
To make another stitch insert the needle inside the first loop and bring it out a stitch length in front. Loop the thread under the needle to form the chain as before.

5. To anchor the final chain use a small tie stitch - bring the needle inside the loop and insert it just below the thread to create a tiny stitch.

Depending on how on how large a stitch you make and how tightly you pull the thread through will alter the look of the stitch. To begin with you may find it tricky to achieve an even rope of stitching, but with practice and rhythm you will soon achieve a smooth line.

This morning I spent a happy half hour with my coffee sat in the sun going round in circles! I really like the texture the chain stitch brings to this circular motif. If I stitched this onto a quilted surface and rolled a dusting of white acrylic paint over the top I wonder what it would look like ?

Square chain:
A variation on the basic stitch is to open the link and create a ladder. Work in the same way except that when you insert the needle back into the loop angle it across the loop to keep it open. Anchor the final chain with a small tie stitch in each corner.

Did you notice?
I actually sneaked this stitch in a couple of weeks ago to give Harry his magnificent stripy tail!

Detached chain:
Both versions of chain stitch can also be worked detached; scatter them lightly across the surface or use more formally for leaves and flower petals.

Detached chains are worked exactly the same as before except you make a small tie stitch in every loop or

make it longer, before moving off to make the next stitch.

He loves me, he loves me not:
Lazy daisy stitch is formed by making several detached chains stitches in a circle, all starting at the centre. Worked in blue I thought mine were more like the tiny forget-me-nots which grown in great profusion in my garden at this time of year!

The open chain can also be worked independently, making small anchor stitches in each corner before moving to the next stitch. I particularly like the effect when several different weights of thread are used.

The long and the short of it:
Both versions of the detached chain can also be worked with different length tails. I think you could have a lot of fun with this version!

Or how about layering up detached and chains?

Have you read?

I love this little booklet of 16 stitches from Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn and not just because it's named after us! At £2.50 it's a treasure.

As well as showing you how to make each stitch the booklet is filled with hand drawn illustrations on various ways to interpret them, some of which I have been trying out these last few weeks!

I like a book with chapters, and because at the moment my mind is hopping all over the place (isn't it always so? I hear Terry saying...) the next two books sit on my bedside table so I can dip in and out of them before I turn the light out.

The Golden Thread by Kasia St Clair examines how fabrics have changed history. From the origins of weaving, via the shrouds of Egyptian mummies and the cotton fields of the deep American south to suits suitable for space travel, St Clair shows how fabric has allowed human kind to achieve extraordinary things. It is a story of continual reinvention and ingenuity and offers us an unforgettable adventure through our past, present and future.

Threads of life by Clare Hunter tells the history of the word through the eye of a needle. It also has chapters!

Sewing is a way to mark our existence on cloth: patterning our place in the world, voicing our identity, sharing something of ourselves with others and leaving the indelible evidence of our presence in stitches held fast by our touch.

Enjoy!

Before you go:
Use your phone to take a quick snap and post to Instagram and use the hashtags: #institchescreative2020 and #institches2013. If you follow both us and the hashtags you will also get to see what everyone else is creating too!

On Facebook reply to the relevant week's post with your comments and images. And don't forget to actually follow InStitches on Facebook to see what everyone else is up to.

Stay safe, stay creative and we will see you again next week,

Hazel & Terry

]]><![CDATA[#institchescreative2020 - out of the shadows]]>Tue, 21 Apr 2020 18:16:43 GMThttps://www.institchestextilecourses.co.uk/blog/institchescreative2020-out-of-the-shadowsWell this week we were going to be drawing spirals but that’s going to have to wait till next week now because today I have decided to take advantage of all this beautiful sunshine we’ve been having in the south of the UK and explore drawing shadows instead.

As I have been on my (OK, not quite daily) early morning walks around Fleet Pond I have noticed the shadows and dappled shade being cast by the newly emerging leaves and wondered how I could use those creatively. I’m always tempted to take loads of photos, but in reality my photos often just reside on my phone/PC and this is only the first step towards being creative. I was looking for a more immediate way of recording my surroundings, so today I decided to take some basic tools with me and get stuck in.

The technique I chose is shadow-drawing, which is a simple way of recording the shapes or outlines of objects on the page. It has to be said that it is much easier to do on a still day or indoors if it’s as windy with you as it was here this morning. Indeed, you can do this anywhere as long as you have a good source of light and something to draw that has an interesting shape.

But its a great technique to save for a sunny day so you can benefit from that extra sunny feel-good factor.

You don't need much to get started:

some paper (fairly stiff if you're taking it on location) or a small sketchbook (maybe one of the pamphlet books from week one). I took a strip of stiff cartridge paper folded into a concertina
a pen which draws easily – ie has free-flowing ink (eg a fineliner or a marker). Waterproof ink is good
Leaves, flowers, twigs or anything with an interesting shape – its shadow wants to be more than just an amorphous blob!

Optional - for adding extra interest any or all of the following:

Something white and waxy eg a white wax crayon, or oil pastel or a piece of white candle (sharpened a bit with a knife if necessary)
Waterbased paint – eg watercolour, Koh-i-noor, watered down inks, food colouring if that’s all you have in the cupboard
A large soft paintbrush, or foam brush
A small piece of charcoal or a soft pastel or some chalk
Small pieces of scrap paper
An ink pad – black or any colour

What to do
As I said earlier, this part of the exercise can be done indoors or out 'in the field'. Just adapt the instructions to suit and enjoy the experience!

1. Hold your item over your paper so it casts an interesting shadow. This is easier in a controlled environment, but in the field with a bit of trial and error you will probably be able to get into a position where you can see the shadow and still get your pen to the paper. And don’t worry about the funny looks you’ll get as other daily-exercisers run or stroll by – you’ll soon get lost in the moment.

2. Trace around the edge of the shadow with your pen in one single line of you can. This is where it really helps if its not windy! Don't worry if the shadow moves, just do your best to get the essence of that shape on the page. I must confess that even when I'm indoors I find it really hard to hold the objects still while I draw. (Read on to the end to find out why that might be...)

3. Keep going; add as many shadows as you want to your drawing, with as many different pens or crayons as you like.

Tip:
Make the oily or waxy lines the last ones you do, as the pens will not like drawing over them, and you might clog up your pen tip – ask me how I know…

As I wanted to get the feeling of the profusion of new spring growth which is bursting through with enthusiasm at the moment I just kept layering more shadows over. It's very forgiving, so there's no need to worry about wobbly lines or getting exact copies - nothing in nature is tidy. I could have done much more, but I needed to get home to write this! You can’t see them yet, but there are wax crayon lines in there too.

And here's the one I did at home - look closely and you might be able to spot the white wax crayon...

Layer it up
Now you might consider that a finished drawing, but there is much more we can do. If you have worked along with me so far and gone for the spring leaves theme it's now time to add the next layer.

The next step is to add some colour with watery water-based paint. I've chosen various greens which match the subject well, and as you can see from the photos I’m using a large brush and not really taking much care where the paint goes – I want a loose feel.

When the paint is dry you can add some detail and contrast with a couple of extra easy techniques.

Stencilled leaves
1. Cut or tear a stencil (leaf shaped in my case) from a piece of scrap paper.

2. Crush some charcoal, pastel or chalk on a piece of scrap paper so you have a fine powder - you only need a tiny bit.

3. Rub the powder through the stencil to create solid leaves which contrast with the drawn lines. You can choose to have them lighter than the background or darker, or a combination - whichever makes them stand out well.

Printed leaves
1. Take a firm veiny leaf – new growth leaves aren’t really tough enough for this, being soft and juicy, but older leaves work well. I’m working with the ceanothus in my garden. Ivy or another small leathery leaf would also work well.

2. Press the veiny side onto the ink pad and rub hard to pick up some ink (cover with a bit of scrap paper to protect your fingers)

3. Position on your page and rub hard again (covered with another clean scrap of paper to protect it) to print delicate impressions.

Tip 1:
If you don't have an ink pad you can make a temporary one with a pad of kitchen paper and some ink (it does use quite a lot of ink mind) or experiment with liquid paint.
Tip 2:
The scrap paper that you covered the leaves with to protect your fingers when you inked them is great for collage. Cut or tear roughly round, glue to the page, draw some veins in...

And that's it; done!

Variation
There's a variation on this shadow drawing technique which is a really good illustration of how fast we are whizzing through space (or actually how fast we are rotating). Here's what to do:

1. Set up an interesting object to draw in bright sunlight, next to a large sheet of paper.

2. Trace the outline repeatedly as the sun and hence the shadow moves. You'll be amazed how quickly it changes...

Don't forget:
We really hope you enjoyed this little creative break and hope it gave you a reason to get outside in the sun and lose yourself for an hour or two.

We’d love to hear how you got on … take a quick snap and post it over on Instagram and use the hash tags: #institchescreative2020 and #institches2013. Don't forget to follow both us and the hashtags to see what everyone else is creating too!

On Facebook reply to the relevant week's post with your comments and images. And don't forget to actually follow InStitches on Facebook to see what everyone else is up to.
Until next time - keep the creativity flowing...

Terry & Hazel

To make you smile...

I know I said that working indoors was easier than working outside as you can control the conditions better, but when I wrote that I hadn't anticipated this...

... having to sit on the table so I was on the right side of the shadow!

Or this...

... that's Godfrey - I was in his sunny spot!

You have been warned!

]]><![CDATA[#institchescreative2020 - feeling a little dotty]]>Thu, 16 Apr 2020 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.institchestextilecourses.co.uk/blog/institchescreative2020-feeling-a-little-dottyNo, you haven't just found your way onto the Gardeners' World blog, it's just that, with all the sunny weather we've been having here in the UK, I've been spending rather a lot of time out in the garden these last few days.

Now, more than ever, I'm thankful to have an outdoor space of my own; with life so locked down it's become a place of sanctuary - and constant work! Daylight hours are growing longer and longer so I can be out there for hours, especially since this week I decided to paint all my fences; however after spending 10 hours already today and not even half way round I'm wondering why I ever thought it was a good idea!

Come the evening, though I feel exhausted, I still enjoy sitting down and picking up my hand stitching. The rhythmical movement of the needle and thread through cloth is soothing and calming; in these uncertain times it's just what I need.

Going continental:
Today we are going to tackle a French knot which is a great little stitch that can be used to fill an area like seeding, arranged in drifts or in more formal blocks.

All the stitches we have tackled so far are easily sewn 'in the hand', (without a hoop, either embroidery or quilting) however when sewing French knot using a hoop makes life easier but if you don't have one or prefer not to use one the you could also do as Terry does and place a huge pebble, pile of books or even a sleeping cat on your work. In both cases having the working area clear of the table makes manipulating the fabric and needle less cumbersome.

If you are using a hoop and find tightening the screw tricky instead of using the side of your best embroidery scissors use a small stubby screwdriver!

How to make a French knot:

Bring the thread to the surface.
With the needle in your sewing hand hold the thread taut with your other hand and wrap it once, twice or three times (no more) around the needle, pulling gently to tighten the loops - do not let go of the thread!
Maintaining the tension, insert the needle back into the fabric close to (but not through) the hole where the thread came up. Pull the needle down but don't let go of the thread as you need to keep the tension to avoid the knot falling over and unravelling.

[If the French knot video didn't load click here to view it.]

Depending on the weight of thread and the number of thread wraps around the needle you can create different sizes and density of knots. In the photographs above I have used the same weight of thread but altered the number of times I wrapped the thread round the needle, click each image to see how many wraps I made.

Gone loopy:
Open, loopy French knots make great textural elements and the way to make them is easy - you just let go of the thread when you pull the needle through the fabric! Some people think the loopiness is a mistake, but I call it a design opportunity!

Be playful:
Once you've got the hang of making French knots you can then become more adventurous and start combining knots with other stitches to make patterns and textures. Above I've given you a few examples and I'm sure once you've tried a few you will soon coming up with combinations of your own!

Here's a quick look at how my stitching is coming along. I did iron it, I promise, but by the time I've taken various photographs it's become a little rumpled....sorry! However, you can see that there is still plenty of space and given that I'm not likely to be going anywhere soon I have plenty of room to explore more stitches. I hope you will stay with me!

Take a look at:
There are lots of blogs and stitching ideas on the web, here are just a few I enjoy:
Tanglewood Threads - written by Penny Berens, Nova Scotia, Canada. Take a look at her daily Scratchings for fantastic stitch ideas.
Sarah's Hand Embroidery - A comprehensive 'how to' section of many stitches makes this a website to keep tabs on.
double trouble - are Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn. Internationally acclaimed textile artists, authors and books, they both work in hand and machine embroidery.
Richard McVetis - British artist-maker, Richard is best known for his meticulously embroidered drawing and this week he is the fourth artist on the TextileArtist.org community challenge.
Sue Stone - Sue's use of hand stitch to tell a story is beautiful as well as inspirational and you can join her (we hope!) in November for a two day workshop at InStitches

Don't forget:
Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to email or post comments on social media saying how much you are enjoying stitching along with us. We love hearing from you and read each and every one. As we enter our fourth week of lockdown I am sure you are missing the company of and social interaction with other creative people. Perhaps, like me, you may live alone or maybe your stitching endeavours go unappreciated by those around you, so why not show us? We would really love to see how you are getting along with your stitching!

Use your phone to take a quick snap and post to Instagram and use the hashtags: #institchescreative2020 and #institches2013. If you follow both us and the hashtags you will also get to see what everyone else is creating too!

On Facebook reply to the relevant week's post with your comments and images. And don't forget to actually follow InStitches on Facebook to see what everyone else is up to.

Stay safe, stay creative and we will see you again next week,

Hazel & Terry

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