Vote for you favourite workshops

You can vote for your favourite workshops for the autumn and winter programme on the Running with Scissors facebook page. I still need to sort linking up the blog with the facebook page so apologies for that! I believe you can only vote for one option so if you have more than one preference just post a comment too. I do try hard with facebook but I'm always getting frustrated with it.

I'm hoping to meet up with some potential tutors on Friday for possible upholstery workshop and bath / beauty products so I''ll see how it goes and let you know!

Lino Print Workshop Deadline

Lino Print Workshop on 2nd July

Deadline for booking is now Midnight on Monday

Reserve your place by downloading a booking form at http://www.rwssheffield.co.uk/

Lino - not just for floors!

('Meersbrook View' Lino Print by James Green)


...well what a busy week... workshops are filling up quickly so get your skates on if your interested in booking a workshop! Our Lino Printing workshop is coming up soon with James Green on 2nd July. Lino Printing is a really hands-on way of transferring an image onto paper to form a print. Yes you use lino but it's slightly different from the stuff on your bathroom floor. It's very therapeutic carving into lino block with sharp looking tools and you get an amazing very detailed image. The best thing is that once you have your block carved you can make lots of prints in different colours, so you can make your own cards etc.

Some of James's works can be found on http://www.jamesgreenprintworks.blogspot.com/

There are also lots of clips and information about Lino Printing at http://www.craftzine.com/

Street Art in Brazil's slum districts

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13389594

Here's a link to a street art project in Rio's poorest areas. Its based around a project to create murals on some of the buildings and encourage tourism into the area. A fantastic idea, it just goes to show that art can really have a significant impact on people's lives.

This is a small report from 'the strand' an arts programme on the BBC world service. I have to admit I've not heard of this before, despite listening to some BBC world service programmes - I must check it out!

Funky Felting

I'm excited to be working with Fran, who produces some lovely felt items. If you've never had a go at felting - it's great fun. It gets really messy and you really can't do it wrong. Fran came up with the genius idea of a bowl and coaster which has no seams, it's all one piece! and of course you can embellish the bowl or coaster as you wish...

Back Again....

I can't believe its been over a month since my last blog entry (I must try harder). Things have been so busy here at Running With Scissors central. I have meet with lots of lovely new tutors, spent hours enthusing about craft and had lots of coffee and cake. As a result we now have lots of new workshops ready for booking. Lino Printing with James is in early July and you can get to have a go at this lovely, very simple, but very effective technique. I especially like James 'Meersbrook View' lino print and was very tempted to purchase a print of this image at James's recent 'open day' (as part of the open up event for Sheffield artists).

Our sewing workshops are going well and 'Sewing Machines for beginners' is still the most popular workshop. We have now followed this up with a zip and button tote bag with our new dressmaking tutor, Sharon. This workshop lets you have a go at inserting a zip and producing professional looking buttonholes and 'button sewing-on' using a machine, as well as the much requested A-Line skirt in a day (I can, and will, be composing a whole blog post on this!) Also we have Fran's lovely feltmaking workshop. I absolutely love the way she combines the colours in her work and I always say ..you can never have too many useful bowls.

Embroidered book for baby Elinor

Heres a photo of me from last year - I'm holding up my page of an embroidered book that me and a few friends put together for baby Elinor, the daughter of a friend who emigrated to New Zealand. We all chose 2 British (native) Mammals to embroider and I went for a red squirrel and a mountain hare. Our friend is a big fan of native british mammals, sadly lacking in NZ, and was keen to educate her little girl asap! You can't see the embroidery very well but the squirrel's tail is in all in long stitch which took ages! I'm sure Baby Elinor appreciated it!