Dianne Standen/ Creative Textiles

Finally got round to completing a sample for the new Felt Pebble/cushion course which I am running this autumn.
2019 Winter Textile Course Dates Sunday 29th September 10-4 3 D Textiles and Textures Saturday 5th October 10-4 Create a Rag Bag and more... Sunday 6th October 1-4 Make a Quillie Mat Saturday 12th October 10-4 Felt Pebble/ Cushion Sunday 13th October 1-4 Textile Jewellery Saturday 19th October 10-4 Rugs from Rags Sunday 20th October 1-4 Working With Fleece Saturday 2nd November 10-4 Felt Pebble/ Seascape Sunday 3rd November 1-4 Make a Quillie Mat Saturday 9th November 10-4 3D Textiles and Textures Sunday 10th November 1-4 Learn To Crochet Saturday 16th November 10-4 Felt Pebble/Seascape Sunday 17th November 1-4 Textile Jewllery Saturday 23rd November 10-4 Felt Pebble/Cushion Sunday 24th November 1-4 Learn To Crochet Full Day Workshops Cost £60 includes lunch and materials 3 hr Workshops Cost £25 includes drinks and materials Book and enquiries: Dianne@creative-textiles.co.uk 01900 269178 Gift Vouchers Available
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A great week of teaching courses , with lots of lovely ladies some had combined it with Woolfest , others travelled just for the workshop. I learnt a lot including, thank you Jennifer , that Colinette , my favourite yarn dyers are back in action. Look forward to seeing their new stock . Enjoying some r and r now down at Rydal Hall
This piece that went up recently on the Rydal Hall Sculpture Path creates a window into the beck but I also like the way it moves in the breeze

If you are coming up to Cumbria in the Uk this summer there are lots of textile sculptures to be found in the woodland at Rydal Hall near Ambleside. Find them behind the teashop by the waterfalls and in the children’s area some lovely contributions made by young hands. Open access with beautiful grounds and just a parking charge. I am also running courses at my studio in Cockermouth over the next month with one or two spaces still available

This the latest of my seascape mirrors , a commission. Felt pebbles and recycled yarns. More importantly this is to flag up a new Textile fair in Cumbria at Rheged close to Penrith. Over two days Saturday June 8th and 9th this is a chance to seek inspiration with 30 Northern textile artists displaying and demonstrating their work and its FREE . Alongside it is a UK wide textile exhibition THREADS.

Many of the pieces in place on the Rydal Hall Sculpture Path are based on the spiral. This is a recent addition and I love the light created by the sun hitting this glass bead spiral.

Really difficult to get a good image of this new piece in the woodland at Rydal Hall , it’s a series of small mirrors overlaid with yarn. If you look carefully you can just catch a glimpse of the current carpet of bluebells.

There are still spaces on the next Felt Pebble/seascape course taking place on May Bank Holiday Monday 6th May. What better way to spend a bank holiday than getting creative and avoiding the crowds in the Lake District. We wont be able to produce something as large as the rug illustrated but we will cover all the same techniques, including making felt pebble fabric ,and should have a small wall picture finished on the day. For more details on this and other courses you can contact me at dianne.standen@virgin.net

I did get a bit carried away this winter with the feather yarn I had collected from the charity shops over the past couple of years so as well as the mirror piece I created outside my workshop I used the same materials and techniques for the wings of this dragonfly which has just gone up in the Rydal Hall grounds. It’s a bit of a beast..5ft tall and a real struggle to attach to the old tree stump but got there in the end.

These may look rather strange but I got tired of seeing the back of my sign as the view from my workshop so I thought I would create year round colour with these horrible synthetic yarns that I have been picking up in the charity shops. They were always useless for scarves but they survive outside for ages. I wanted to bounce some sunlight back into my workroom so I have included some round recycled mirrors in the design.

It was really sad to finally remove this piece of work from the Rydal Hall woodland in Cumbria last week . It started off as part of a larger piece of felt ten years ago , image 2, and has slowly decayed outside over the decade. I love the colours and the way it has evolved but as it was starting to drop off the tree it really felt like it’s time was up.

For those who love to explore new techniques around reusing I have designed a full weekend of workshops for Saturday and Sunday July 6/7th . 10am-4pm at my studio in Cumbria UK The theme is Creative reusing and recycling fabrics. We will be covering a lot of unusual and useful techniques over the weekend with plenty of individual attention . Saturday is RAG CRAFT…This course will cover creating bags, mats, jewellery, containers etc from reused fabrics and plastic. We will cre...ate a variety of small pieces during the day which can be developed into larger projects Sunday RUGS FROM RAGS...I have been working for some time on techniques for reusing materials to create rugs that are stronger, quicker and more practical than the traditional hooky and proddy mats. During the day we will use my techniques to produce sample mats. Basic Crochet skills useful, not essential. For more details contact me , dianne@creative-textiles.co.uk
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I cannot think of a better way to dispel the winter than two days spent in the Rydal woodland. Some work was done alongside coffee and cake beside the beck. The best kind of picnic and provided by the Old Schoolroom teashop. I have added another structure to the favourite koru design amongst other new work and changes. As you can see from the image two are attached to a rotting tree and the fungi has really taken a hold now. The other is freestanding between the trees and is weathering beautifully. The design is , like much of my work, based on the spiral and the concept of unfolding growth . While I was there It was really encouraging to see the work draw people into the woodland to explore.

Although it was a grim day for travelling on Saturday it was just the weather to be inside and getting stuck into some creative work. Some lovely ladies created the colourful seascapes images and I t was the last of my Spring Courses . There are some day courses arranged for the May Bank holidays and to coincide with nearby Woolfest at the end of June. Then the full range of courses will start again in September so an opportunityto get some unique Christmas gifts made in adv...ance. A very big thank you to all who have attended this Spring, all sessions were thoroughly enjoyable ..both sociable and creative. I am inspired by and learn such a lot from teaching. I am afraid my website details are currently beyond my altering and show 2018 dates but if you would like any details or to go on the mailing list an email to dianne@creative-textiles.co.uk will reach me.
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Facebook and Pinterest and Instagram have really opened the opportunity to see and enjoy what others are working on. I also appreciate that it creates an international audience for the work in the woodlands at Rydal Hall in the Lake District, Cumbria UK and was delighted to see this post from France this week. I am putting up new Spring pieces now so if you are in Lakes this year you are very welcome to drop by , sip coffee by the waterfalls and wander in the woods. No admission charge or opening hours.

Last weeks Ragcraft course was a great success. Everyone finished their bag in the day, and more!.First time thats ever been achieved so well done all and keep up the ripping . Due to a late cancellation there are still two places available for next Saturdays Felt pebble and Seascape course and if you want to escape tomorrows rain then join us for 3D texiles and Textures course..just contact me at dianne@creative-textiles.co.uk

Its been a real pleasure to see such interesting student work come out of the Felt pebbles/seascape courses I have been running this year . This is the first finished piece from this weeks session. Debbie almost finished it in the day including making the felt for the pebbles but had it framed and up on her wall that evening !

Great to have the first days of Spring warmth and with record breaking temperatures forecast at the weekend I am off to Rydal to put up the first of this seasons new sculpture work. Look out for a 5FT dragonfly if I can scale the tree and get a fixing. Meanwhile here is some pebble work at Rydal only the guests get to see and sit on .

Reduced price for Felt Pebble /Seascape course this Saturday 16th February By request I have just arranged an extra workshop date for this Saturday and there are some spaces available. I know its late notice but just in case you might be available and interested I have reduced the usual price from £60 to £50 for the day .
There are also spaces left on the Working with Fleece course on Sunday 17th 1-4 £25 ... This is a great introduction to creating new work from raw washed and dyed fleece. No carding , no preparation , no felting , Fleece to a design using a variety of techniques. No experience necessary.
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