TextileArts news and re:views

A new website connecting tutors, organisations and students in UK for arts and crafts subjects

If you've noticed recently how much harder it's become to find adult leisure and recreational courses in the UK since the government's decision to focus resources on younger people, you'll welcome this site that aims to fill the information gap.

To find out more, visit www.leisurelearners.com. The site launched in October and aims to become a treasure trove of information on tutors and on classes or potential classes. Learners register to find suitable courses and workshops, how tutors can be contacted, what their backgrounds are and many other details, such as location and fees. It's a free service to learners, who can check in as often as they like to see the latest information, and registered members receive a regular email newsletter with site developments and other useful information.

If you are an individual tutor or course provider of Arts and Crafts /Humanities recreational courses or workshops, including residential courses, Leisure Learners offers a cost effective way to advertise - less than the cost of a newspaper advert. The service has the potential to grow into a great resource, and it needs you and your course(s) - there's a special promotional offer running through December, offering a discount on tutor registration, so now is good time to join.

The information is being gathered and constantly updated by two friends:
Ingrid Ellis, who has been running her local Embroiderers Guild' group over a number of years, has encountered a large number of tutors and is also a tutor herself; and
Zoe Ainsworth-Grigg, who is also a Member of the Embroiderers' Guild and has taught silk painting.

For further information please contact Ingrid or Zoe via www.leisurelearners.com

Susan Sorrell has recently created the Fiber Arts/Mixed Media network on the social networking site Ning. It's free to join and members can post information about classes, artwork, techniques, shows, and web resources, share their work, seek advice, and build community. The more people who participate the more wide-ranging this resource will become, so do check it out...

The build up to the UK's National Knitting Week 2007 has begun!

The dates for this exciting event in the knitting calendar are 13 - 21 October 2007, kicking off with the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, London.

National Knitting Week is a chance to celebrate the world of knit and purl and yarn crafts in general. Why not teach a friend to knit or stage a charity knit-in?

Embrace the world of needles and wool! Spread the word - the countdown is on!

You can find lots more info on the National Knitting Week web site, courtesy of Knitting Institute in assocation with Knitting magazine.

Sharon Boggon's popular blog, In A Minute Ago, has moved to a new home here, and Sharon's other blogs Mindtracks and Wisdom of the Ages have also moved (these links are to the new addresses). Sharon tells the story of the move in her first post at the new address. If you haven't visited In A Minute Ago before, it's a mine of inspiration and information you really shouldn't miss. Just one example is the Take a Stitch Tuesday Challenge, which suggests ways to experiment with a different stitch each week throughout 2007; and there's much more - Sharon always manages to have her finger on the pulse of what's happening around the textile art community, and she updates her blog every day to share the latest news, a great site she's found, a snippet of information or a link to an interesting article. Sharon shares her thoughts and questions freely so there are some very interesting discussions in the comments, and on her new blog it's very easy to join in.

Sharon's Dictionary of Stitches for Hand Embroidery and Needlework is another excellent resource for embroiderers, and was one of the earliest textile resources on the web at a time when many people were hardly aware that the internet existed, let alone finding creative ways to use it.

morsbags are a great, subversive idea to fight the damage plastic bags cause to the environment, by replacing them with cloth bags made by 'pods' of people and given away to shoppers.

let's do something positive to reduce the hideous number of plastic bags being used - 1 million are consumed per minute globally - of which hundreds of thousands end up in the oceans.

the idea is to get together with people in your local community, drink wine and make reusable cloth bags (from old duvet covers, curtains from charity shops etc) and hand them out to the unsuspecting public for free on specified dates outside different supermarkets.

meet new people, do something marvellous for the planet and beat other pods (groups) of baggers with your morsbag tally.

go to www.morsbags.com to be a part of a wonderful thing!

p.s. non-commercial/ non-profitable - just full of beneficial things for everyone, especially whales!

There's a list of existing 'pods' on the morsbags web site - or you could start your own!

A group of textiles artists, designers and makers living or working in the Midlands Region are in the initial stages of establishing a Midland Textile Forum. Membership will be open to any age, gender or nationality, working in any textile medium. Please send expressions of interest; giving your Name, email and/or postal address, your geographical location, a brief description of your work and indicate if you are interested in taking on a role within the management group.

Send to:- Midlands Textile Forum c/o Annette Lucas, Birmingham City University, Bournville Centre For Visual Arts Ruskin Hall, Linden Rd, Bournville, Birmingham, B30 1JX.

Email .