Modern Patchwork...a giveaway

I rarely get the opportunity to see American quilting magazines and I certainly have never been featured in one, so when the lovely Cheryl Arkison asked to feature me in her article on screen printing I was delighted.

The article features some of the best contemporary screen printers worldwide whose company I am honoured to be in. Both the Umbrella Prints ladies and Leslie Keating of Maze and Vale of Australia are 2 of my longtime favourite screen printers, so to be featured alongside them really is an honour. 

Celina Mancurti is another fave of mine with her stunning screen prints on linens and as for Leanne Fanny, a fellow Brit, I love her quirky style.

Cheryl's article is a great read and very informative about how to screen print and for screen printing to be given such a high profile in the magazine makes me very proud.

And because I was sent a copy of the magazine...actually 2 copies but more on that in a mo...I had the pleasure of sitting down and reading it. Modern Patchwork is a great quilting magazine full of fresh modern quilts, everyone I would love to make. I picked out my 4 favourites, which wasn't easy as I could have chosen all of them, and they are clockwise from top left:

Modern Curves Wall Quilt by Gosia Pawlowska

Impressionist Sunrise Quilt by Sharon Holland

Converging Hours Quilt by Lee Chappell Monroe

Crystal System Quilt by The Artist's House for Robert Kaufman

So about that second copy that I have...if you would like to win a copy of this great magazine just leave a comment below telling me what you love to see in a quilting magazine.

I will draw a winner this time next week...good luck!

Edinburgh Workshops...

Morning! Now I have remembered where my blog is and hot off from my visit to Edinburgh this weekend, I thought I would revisit and share all.

This is my second visit up to Edinburgh this year...boy those ladies like to print! I love my visits up to Edinburgh to Jo's wonderful shop, My Bearpaw. Firstly Jo is there...and her lovely husband Jonathan and it's such a treat to manage a weekend to visit them.

When I went up this time I had the extra treat of being met by Blueberry Park bundles as I entered the shop. Seriously I don't think I will ever tire of seeing my fabric out in the wilds.

Jo has an amazing clientele for workshops. She has worked really hard to build up a hugely successful vibe up there with people craving her workshops, so it was wonderful that she filled 2 days of attendees...with still a waiting list for more wanting to learn to print...I think I will be back again soon!

When you walk into My Bearpaw you don't realise the Aladdin's Cave space behind and with the walls covered with Jo's beautiful quilts, it is the most perfect inspiring space. The eagle eyed of you won't miss seeing the Blueberry Park Lone Star there...what a beauty and what a joy for me to see.

We set to work designing and cutting stencils to use in our printing. I love this part. I love the silence due to the utter concentration and being thoroughly absorbed. I love the following WOW moment...the moment when the designs everyone has worked on suddenly become alive!

I used to be a secondary school teacher in my former life and trust me those wow moments were few and far between. Screen printing workshops give that wow moment every single time and it is so wonderful to see. 

I love being surrounded by amazing people and seeing all their creativity coming out. I love that every single workshop is completely different from the one before. 

I love that every person comes up with something completely different from the next person...and I love that everyone is so enthusiastic about the thing that I am so passionate about and can not wait to do it again.

Thank you Jo for having me and thank you to all 20 of you ladies for being so amazing and enthusiastic and I can't wait to come up again!

Copenhagen...

Hello from Copenhagen...or rather hej!

Last summer a lovely Danish lady called Maja came to one of my screen printing workshops at my home in Leeds. It was the start of a wonderful friendship that led to a seed of an idea being formed to come over to Copenhagen to run some workshops. Together the 2 of us, along with the lovely Ruth, a British export to Sweden planned and organised a weekend of workshops in Maja's home town.

And what a weekend it was! The whole weekend was just perfect, from the venue, to the gathering of creative peeps and even to the weather.

Maja lives in a group of apartments that has a fantastic meeting room that was just the most perfect light filled, roomy space that I have ever had the pleasure to teach in. Not only was the room itself perfect but so was the location. It is positioned overlooking one of the many canals in Copenhagen and a short stroll from Copenhagen Street Food on Paper Island where we went for lunch each day. You can see photos of it if you scroll down and as you can see the idyllic weather made the weekend even more special and spot on.

Over the course of the 2 days we had a gathering of 16 different wonderful creative ladies. Some had come over from UK...thank you Di!...others from Norway, Sweden and Denmark itself. I was quite overwhelmed by the uptake of the workshops and it was so special meeting all these lovely ladies.

I love teaching workshops. It is one of my favourite things. I get such a buzz from being able to pass on my love for screen printing and get an equal buzz from seeing all the unique amazing work that gets produced each day. Every workshop is always so different...a completely different group of people...and on this occasion speaking different languages...all with one thing in common...the love of learning a new craft.

Teaching a whole day workshop is such a joy. It gives time for everyone to get to know each other, chat, make new friends, get inspired by being together and seeing the progress that happens in that one day is just a joy.

My hubby, Matthew, came with me on this little jaunt and spending time together exploring this stunning city was a treat. Maja's hubby, Mikael kept Matthew entertained whilst Maja and I were busy 'working'. Boat trips, beer drinking jaunts seemed to be the order of the day. I am actually really grateful to Mikael for being such a fantastic host and giving Matthew such a wonderful time and insight to Copenhagen from a local's perspective and the fact that the 2 of them hit it off was such a bonus.

Our later in the day flight home yesterday meant we had a little time to explore Copenhagen further. Assisted by our local tour guide Maja, we got the river boat across to the Design Museum. It was full of the inspiring Danish design that we love and would expect and it didn't disappoint. Danish furniture contains such iconic pieces that are so familiar that it was a delight to see some of the originals. The textile pieces from various eras were obviously a pleasure to see and totally inspirational.

Being back home now and flicking through the photos remembering the amazing few days we have just had with such wonderful hosts, new friends, shows the trip as it was...one of life's highlights. I feel incredibly lucky that not only did I experience this but even more so that I can call this work.

workshop mania...

Last weekend kicked off the start of 6 weeks of workshops. In fact every one is due to get progressively bigger and busier than the last.

The first one last Saturday, at the fab Simply Solids, started off at a genteel pace with 7 participants. The new shop is a perfect venue for workshops...a lovely airy space and surrounded by beautiful inspiring fabrics and makes.

It was a lovely intimate affair with lots of creativity coming through from everyone.

::   ::

Today things moved on a step with me getting ready to teach 25 WI ladies...and no there was no nakedness involved (aka The Calendar Girls!). I prepared plenty of paints to avoid pushing and shoving and hair pulling to get to the chosen colour...there was a little pushing and shoving...but no hair pulling.

Considering I usually keep groups to under ten people (FQR being an exception) it worked really well. Being in a big church hall, we weren't limited by space, so that helped a lot.

It always amazes that with every workshop no 2 people design and print the same thing and actually I don't think any 2 people across any of my workshops have ever designed the same thing!

I think my favourite this time was the toadstools...how cute?! And I think I love it even more with the thought of it being made into a baby's dress that the Mum is planning on doing. I can't wait to see a picture of that!

I do so love teaching workshops. I love seeing the creativity and enthusiasm  from everyone and the thought that I have started them on an exciting journey that they want to continue on fills me with pride.

My next 2 workshops are biggies...I am in Wales for a couple of days teaching some GCSE students and then off to My Bearpaw in Edinburgh for a whole weekend of fun.

And speaking of far flung places, I have been asked to go over to Scandinavia with my screens and pots of paints to teach over there. I am coordinating with a couple of lovely ladies over there to organise possibly 2 workshops...1 in Copenhagen and 1 in Sweden, possibly Gothenburg. If you live in that vicinity or want an excuse for a trip over there do leave a message and I will send you details. 

It's Saturday night, I'm tired from all the fun and excitement of the day, so it is a glass...or 2...of red and a sit back to reflect on the fun before I get ready for the next.

Hope you are having an enjoyable weekend wherever you are. x

venturing North...

Firstly let me wish you a very Happy New year.

2015 is full of promise of an array of very exciting things...which is a good job as it hasn't started all that clever.

My dear Grandma passed away last week after not having the strength to recover from falling and breaking her hip on Christmas Day. Whilst she was 96 and had a wonderful life - she was married to my Grandad for 72 years...I can't even imagine that!...and between them had 3 daughters, 8 grand-children and 17 great grand-children - she was my beloved Grandma and shall be sorely missed.

Grandma gave me my love of sewing so this year, with all I have lined up already, will be done with her at my heart and with her proudly looking down and cheering me on as if she was here.

One thing I have lined up that I am very excited about, is a weekend of workshops and An Evening with Karen Lewis at My Bearpaw and Edinburgh Modern Quilt Guild.

I won't tell you about the workshops as apparently they are all sold out already...wow, thank you Edinburgh!

However, if you would like to come and hear my story about my journey to where I am, I would love to see you! For more details and to book a ticket go right here.

This year is set to be full of adventure and excitement and that, my friends, is what life is all about.

Happy 2015 and l'chaim x

The last workshop of 2014...

Yesterday was the last workshop of the year and what better way to finish than to have a couple of visitors from California with us!

Kelly, who I met at Fat Quarterly Retreat in the summer, came up for the day from London with her daughter Leith. It was so lovely to see Kelly again and such a pleasure to have them both join us.

I do love doing workshops. I love the fact that everyone brings something different to the table. I have never had 2 people design the same thing and every single design is truly unique and wonderful.

I love passing on the love and enthusiasm for screen printing and seeing the nerves dissipate as the day goes on and seeing the excitement increase.

And I love sitting around chatting over lunch with a group of lovely creative crafty people.

It may be the last workshop for this year, but I can't wait to start up again next year. I have some exciting venues around the UK in the spring that I can't wait to travel to. And of course there will be plenty more workshops here at my home in Leeds. If you fancy joining me for one do drop me a line!

a little history...

 I first started to design my own fabrics so I could use them in my work, to make it more identifiable as mine. 

[Jo @frankieandray]

My business was taking off and I was beginning to sell my work to shops and galleries. I was using some beautiful fabrics but I felt they were recognised as the work of the fabric designer rather than as me.

[Caroline @nightingalequilts]]

I also felt that by designing my own fabrics it gave my products a cohesive feel to my whole collection of work.

[Gretchen @simplygeometric]

It wasn't long after I started designing and printing my own fabrics that I started to get enquiries from people wanting to buy my fabrics to use in their own projects. This was a complete shocker to me as this wasn't initially why I started designing. People wanted my fabrics? Weird!

[Victoria Holder @sewgoclimbing]

And then this side of my business grew and grew...and grew...and grew! 

[Adrianne @adrianneonthewindyside]

It has become the thing I love most about designing fabric...seeing the amazing work that all of you do with it. It gives me the biggest buzz of all to see such beautiful work with my fabric.

[Donna @themodernmaker]

The fact that you wanted to buy it in the first place, spending your fabric budget on my fabric when there are so many Must Have collections about, and then making truly remarkable things, honestly it blows me away.

[Rebecca @greenandbell]

It is funny how things turn out, where our journey goes. I am not one for planning. I work fairly organically moving on from one thing and seeing how it develops and I certainly didn't envisage this!

[Adrianne @adrianneonthewindyside]

Thank you each and every one of you for buying and using my fabric in such interesting and original ways. Whether it is a little addition to other fabrics you are using or a full on Karen Lewis Textiles product, it makes me very happy! I will keep designing if you keep making and I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

If you want to see more makes out there check out the hashtag #karenlewistextiles on Instagram and also go back to check the old hashtag #blueberryparkmakes