Some weeks are just good. Mine got off to a cracking start with an email from textileartist.org to let me know that their article ‘Discover: The power of print’ had just been published online. I feel honoured (and rather chuffed) to be included in this article on five textile artists who use print in their work. I’m in great company as the article also highlights the work of Amerjeet Nandhra, Sue Hotchkis, Bobbi Baugh and Ross Belton. We all use print in very different ways to create very different styles of art but we all exploit the serendipity of the hand printing process. If you haven’t heard of textileartist.org I really recommend that you take a look at their website and sign up to their newsletter. The breadth and quality of work they feature is amazing and they are a great resource for all textile fans.

On Monday evening I gave a talk ‘Understanding Colour’ to Seaside Stitchers in Blackpool. As always it is an honour to be invited to talk to a group although I could have waffled on about colour for far longer than my allotted hour! They are a lovely group of embroiderers, quilters and textile lovers and I really enjoyed chatting with them after the talk. You can follow the link above to their Facebook page.

Life is challenging for everybody right now and I am grateful to the 172 people who brought my new book Simply Screen Printing in February and March. As a result I have just donated £172 on your behalf to The Trussell Trust. Making a living as an artist is tough and I only get to pay my bills because of your continued support - thank you!

The frustrating bit …. the cost of posting books internationally. Unfortunately, when I started shipping the new book, I discovered that there are no longer any ‘cheap’ options for posting parcels weighing over 2kg outside of the UK. I kept my postage rates the same until the end of March but have now had to increase them. There is still a significant difference between International Economy and International Standard for parcels weighing up to 2kg but once you get above 2kg the difference is much smaller and pricing can vary from day to day. I shop around every time I’m sending out a parcel that weighs over 2kg and, typically, the standard rate will get you delivery via courier within a few days and the economy rate will get you delivery via a courier in 2 - 3 weeks. If I happen to get a rate that is cheaper than you have paid I will refund the difference.

What also made this week a good one was a few days away from home with hubby staying in Morecambe. I’m going to be on a plane to Melbourne on our 40th wedding anniversary so this was an early anniversary present to ourselves. The weather was a bit rubbish but the AirBnB was amazing and had great views across the estuary (when the rain stopped). I took some ‘moody’ grey photos of the horizon line, sand and rocks - inspiration for a project?? Maybe when I get a free moment!

A big thank you to everybody who stopped by my stand at the Sewing for Pleasure show last week and especially to all those who brought a copy of my new book Simply Screen Printing. I am donating £1 from every book sold before the end of March to the Trussell Trust so if you are thinking about buying it, now would be a good time!

And Hello! to all new subscribers to this post. I waffle on about lots of stuff in my posts, I hope you enjoy them.

So. The book is published. The two shows are history. I’ve had two afternoon naps and I’m raring to go. What next? That would be my upcoming trip to Australia to teach a five day workshop in Ballarat and a three workshop in Hobart, Tasmania. I fly out on Saturday 8th April and can’t wait! The flights, accommodation, visa etc are all organised but I still have my workshop preparation to do. The dyes we will be using are, unsurprisingly, slightly different colours to the ones I use in my studio so I’m going to be recreating some of my colour references over the next few days. I also need to pull together notes for the students - the workshops combine elements from three of the workshops I teach in my studio so I have some copy and pasting to do!

And then there are the none studio things that need doing before I travel. Yes, I’m going to have to do some housework. I should probably also do some gardening (but I’m hoping it rains lots over the next couple of weeks). I need to sort out food / supermarket deliveries so that husband doesn’t starve (or order pizza every single evening). I need to buy some new knickers (OK so nobody would ever know but packing a collection of knackered knickers is just tempting fate). And decide which handbag to take - currently thinking a small cross over my body type one for passport, tickets etc and a rather large one as my carry on. It’s a big decision ……….

…. that I am exhibiting at Sewing for Pleasure at the NEC, Birmingham from this Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th. I will have a joint stand (number J05) with Ruth Brown again and you can come along and see me demonstrating screen printing and Ruth demonstrating how printed fabrics can be used to create glorious covers for the books she binds.

Ruth will have some book making kits for sale and I will have my usual collection of kits, books, fabrics, screens and dyes etc. Although I don’t have as many Wonky Print Inspiration Packs or Absolutely Darling Hand Dyed Packs as I would like ……. I had a very good show in Glasgow last week!

So, a big, big thank you to everybody who stopped by my stand in Glasgow! And a big ‘look forward to seeing you’ to everybody who is planning a trip to Birmingham!

Leah x

I’m delighted / frankly relieved that my new book Simply Screen Printing has arrived and I’m busy shipping out orders. Thank you to everyone who has ordered online! And although it is a drop in the ocean, £1 from every book sold before the end of March is going to The Trussell Trust, supporting food banks and fighting food poverty. The book will have its physical ‘launch’ this Thursday at the Scottish Quilting Show as the SECC, Glasgow. I will be busy demonstrating some of the screen printing techniques featured in the book.

Why relieved …… well ……. I had organised the heck out of everything with son Joe due to take delivery of the books on Thursday 23rd. I’d printed out orders, ordered book mailers, etc, etc. All before setting off for my annual retreat in the Lake District last Sunday. Good company, good food, stunning surroundings and time to stitch, read and to treat myself to an afternoon nap. I spent time quilting the books cover star, a piece of fabric printed using a string mask on the fabric (see above). As always the retreat worked its magic and all the stress of recent weeks melted away.

A pallet of books arrived at 8.30am on Thursday. Joe rang me with the good news. I asked him to open a few boxes to check that everything was OK. He said he didn’t know what to look for. I said to do it anyway and check for things like pages falling out, uncut pages etc. Ten minutes later he rang me. He had spotted an obvious error …. they weren’t my books! All that stress that had melted away made an unwelcome return ….. my language was a little ripe! Several phone calls later the printer rang me to say that they had located my books and they were on a truck on the way to Fleet in Hampshire (about 200 miles from sunny Manchester) but would be re-routed and would arrive on Friday morning. Which they did. But, boy, I could have done without the drama!

That said I think they look brill and I am rather proud of myself. Not that I think I’ll start work on the next book just yet!

Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered my new book Simply Screen Printing. The printers are busy doing their thing and we’re still on schedule to start shipping at the end of this month. I’m donating £1 to The Trussell Trust for every copy sold before the end of March, so please, if you’re thinking of buying a copy, do so before then - it is horrible that so many people need to use food banks but they do and every £1 helps.

I’ve had time for (several) large gin and tonics and a long lie down since getting the book to the finishing line and I’m now looking forward to the two shows I will be exhibiting at in March. I will be doing both shows with my good friend, and talented book binder, Ruth Brown. We’re having combined stands at both shows. I will be demonstrating screen printing (including breakdown printing) and Ruth will be demonstrating how (my) printed and dyed fabrics can be converted into book cloth for use in a range of wonderful book forms. I’ve been busy printing lots of fabulous fabric for my Wonky Print Inspiration Packs and will have lots of fabric as well as my books, dyes and other stuff at each show to lead you into temptation …..

The first show is the lovely Scottish Quilting Show at the SECC in Glasgow from Thursday 2nd to Saturday 4th March. It isn’t a big show but it is probably my favourite. Every year they have more and more great displays with lots of tutors, like me, demonstrating and sharing our knowledge. And I get to see my daughter, who lives in Glasgow. You can get 40% off the ticket price using the code SPRING 40. You can find us on stand M03.

The second show is the Sewing for Pleasure Show at the NEC in Birmingham from Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th March. The show is part of a much larger event and well worth a visit for all crafters, not just those working with textiles. Ruth and I will be on stand SE23 and you can use the same SPRING40 code to get a discount on your tickets.

Also in March I have a new Creative Surface Design class starting. The course is spread of 5 weekends between March and mid-October and is aimed at students who have already learnt lots of different techniques but need something ‘more’ to help them turn their ideas into a finished form. I demonstrate techniques as required but this is a more design lead program with lots of one-to-one support from me both during the sessions in the studio and in between. There are still places available. The deposit is £180 with further payments of £180 taken during each of the first four sessions so the cost is spread over a long period. Below are two quilts completed by one of my Creative Surface Design students, Anna Owen. The piece on the left is called Brink and the one on the right Barrier.. She focused on printing a collection of fabrics that could pieced together - and the finished quilts are gorgeous. Have a look here if you are interested!

I am very, very delighted to announce that my new book Simply Screen Printing is available to pre-order from today with shipping expected to begin on 1st March.

Simply Screen Printing is a detailed, step-by-step, instructional guide to screen printing textiles at home, or in a studio, using Procion MX dyes and other media in a way that suits your budget and the space you have available to work in. It covers working with an open screen, with loose resists (paper, thread and plastic), with temporary resists (thickened dyes, masking tape and freezer paper) and with semi-permanent resists (flour paste, washable PVA glue and sticky back plastic). I show you how to pull traditional ‘perfect’ prints before exploring the wonderful effects we get when we embrace ‘imperfect’ printing. Yes, we break some rules!

With over 500 images spread over 236 colour pages, it is suitable for absolute beginners and, hopefully, useful to those of you who are already working with screens and dyes. Along the way I talk about colour (obviously!) and share lots of tips to help you achieve the printed fabrics you want to achieve.

The cost is £35 plus postage. You can find out more, see the contents pages, see images from the book and some sample pages by clicking here.

(Unfortunately the book is more expensive than I would like but printing costs have increased by 50% since I published Colour Your Palette in November 2021 and this is a slightly bigger book. If you are going to the Scottish Quilting Show in Glasgow or the Sewing for Pleasure show in Birmingham, both in March, you can save on the postage by buying from me at the shows).

As I did when I launched Colour Your Palette in 2021 I will donate £1 to the The Trussell Trust for every book sold before the end of March.

Simply Screen Printing is also available as a kit - Simply Screen Printing Kit in a Bag contains the book, a screen, a squeegee, soda, urea, Manutex RS and 4 Procion MX dyes in a heavy weight cotton tote bag. The kit costs £100 which is a £19 saving compared with buying the contents separately. Again I will donate £1 from the sale of each kit to The Trussell Trust.

I really hope you like the book, it has been a labour of love but now I’m going for a little lie down xx

Printed using an open screen first in different values of turquoise and brown. With additional line and pattern added using a breakdown printing screen.

It’s nearly here! My new book is called Simply Screen Printing and it is a detailed step-by-step guide to screen printing textiles at home or in a studio. Suitable for absolute beginners but, hopefully, useful to those of you who are already printing. More details to follow but for now here is some eye candy!

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Flour paste mask stamped onto fabric, printed using an open screen, adding acid lemon and scarlet thickened dyes directly to the screen to give bands of yummy colour. A little sunshine on a winters day!

I hope not. I’d like to wish you all a Happy and Creative 2023!

The days and weeks are flying by in a bit of a blur as I work my do-da’s off on THE BOOK. I am on track (just) for publication at the end of February and will post lots more photos and details over the next few weeks. In amongst the book writing we’ve had a massive leak in the bogshed (mostly fixed, but I’m still having palpitations!) and Christmas (two Christmas’s actually which was lovely). But mostly I’ve been working and to hit my deadline some things have had to give.

I’ve lowered my already low levels of housekeeping. Dear husband commented that the kitchen flour could do with a clean at one point. I perfected the HARD STARE nearly forty years ago and we have been happily married ever since.

Food needs to be filling and healthy. And cooked in 10 minutes. Or toast, if the day hasn’t gone as expected.

And the studio …. just a teeny tiny bit messier than I’m comfortable with. But I thought I’d share some images. Firstly, there is my sampling and photography area. Yes, this bit is tidy.

But the rest of the studio? Stuff on every surface. Piles of fabric that have been printed but need washing. Piles of fabric that have been washed. Tubs of dyes and a bench full of ‘stuff’ that I need to print samples. A pile of dressmaking patterns and fabric that I dyed about forever ago. Piles of old towels and drop cloths in case the bogshed has another ‘moment’. Curtains that need shortening and thermal liners adding before winter. Didn’t specify which winter. And a sewing machine that could do with a dust.

Ho hum. Nearly there. Honest.

Printed using a loose paper resists in different values of a lovely teal colour.

I’ve been elbow deep working on my next book over the last few weeks but have put my head above the parapet occasionally. And noticed that Christmas is nearly here.

So, a couple of things - if you are planning to order anything from my online shop please do so ASAP. In theory the last postage date within the UK is the 21st but postal strikes are taking their toll and I’m seeing that it is taking far longer than it should for things to arrive. I use Royal Mail for anything that weighs under 2kg and DPD for heavier boxes. Royal Mail seems to be badly affected in some areas and DPD have temporarily withdrawn their next day service and their collection service in my area.

And, if you’ve looked at my online shop recently you will have noticed that I have reduced the price of my Colour Your Palette from £25 to £20. With a new book imminent I need to clear some space!

The book ….. the words are (mostly) out of my head and on paper, or more accurately on One Drive. The bottle neck is sampling and photography which I can only do in my studio. My electricity smart meter is happily doing somersaults as I heat the studio during the current cold snap. Wearing thermals, sweaters, fleece-lined trousers, a woolly hat and fingerless gloves I find that I can work at 12 - 14C provided I don’t sit still for too long. My heart goes out to all those who can’t afford to heat their homes. It’s going to be a long winter for so many.

Hoping that you are lovely and toasty as you read this, Leah x

Printed using loose plastic resists in acid lemon and scarlet. Makes me feel warmer just looking at this one!