My home is a Grade 2 listed

cottage circa 1680. 

A heavily beamed period house

close to the high street

with its wide range

 of facilities.

These include Battle Abbey,

the site of the famous

1066 Battle of Hastings

plus many shops such as

British Design British Made

http://britishdesignbritishmade.com

These shops offer a

wide variety of interesting items,

including quality local produce of 

food ,drinks, clothing,

antiquities and art.

The studio where we will work

is set in my species rich garden

and a short walk from the house.

Organic Tea,Coffee,

Soft drinks, Fruit and Biscuits

are all included

whilst working a weekend

at the studio.

The weekend is focussed

around the use of silk dyes

and resists such as Gutta.

The dyes we will use are Dupont

and the silk will be Habotai 8 or 10.

Habotai is a soft, lightweight,

lustrous silk, made wth a tight,

plain weave and very fine yarns.

It has a limp, soft, thin hand

and slippery, smooth texture.

You will stretch and pin

your silk fabric pieces

onto a wooden frame,

learning how to create the

necessary tensions for painting.

Together we will discover

how dye reacts with the fabric of silk,

how it moves through the weave

rather than on it ,and how to control

that movement

You can explore how dye is affected

by the use of water, or salt, both before,

during, and after the application of dyes.

We will study and learn about colours

colour mixing, and variation,

through tints, tones and shades.

We will look at the wide variety

of different silk fabrics

which are readily available.

I shall show you how to use

Gutta and Antifusant

to control or stop the movement

of dyes within the fabric,

and to work with these

to create designs for painting.

You will have the time and support to

experiment with ideas and technique

at your own pace on two or three

small silk fabric pieces.

Then when you feel you are ready,

to create one or two larger pieces of work

of your design up to 0.50 mtr x 0.50 mtr

Or, should you wish, one larger piece,

and a hemmed silk shawl or scarf.

Finally, I will three hour steam fix

your finished works and post them on

to your desired address once fixed.

Studio time with me

will be between 10.00 and 16.00

with a half hour break for a light lunch

which is included in the cost.

Vegetarian/Vegan options are also available.

Should you wish to work on alone

in the studio for a while, outside this time,

this is of course possible.

There are only three places

available on any weekend.

This ensures my personal attention

to your creative learning experience,

and space to allow you to truly enjoy

your time here in Battle.

The costs of the weekend

including all materials,

tuition, light lunches

and steam finishing are

£350.00 for two days or

£450.00 for three days

without accommodation

or

£390.00 for two days or

£530.00 for three days

including all materials,

tuition, light lunches

and steam finishing,

accommodation

and evening meals

payable on arrival.

I am also able to offer basic introductory level drop in sessions. 

Times can be arranged to suit your schedule.

This allows you to slowly explore and experiment with silk and dyes over time as time allows

These simple sessions will last an hour and cost £25.00.

Bookings can be arranged

and any further questions

or queries quickly answered

by contacting me directly

through my email details below.