Magazines and cancellations

I'm really pleased to let everyone know that I am in this month's issue of Popular Crafts magazine - there's a short history of passementerie in England, and a frog fastener tutorial.

The frog is an easy one - and uses a braid from my new dvd - Making Braids & Cords. The next title in the series will be Making Frogs & Fancies - so if you enjoyed making the one in this tutorial, watch this space!

As many of you will know, my launch show on Create & Craft ended up being cancelled at quite short notice. The joys of live telly I suppose! Still, at least it has given me a whole week extra to make up more samples! I know that those of you who follow me for the historic information will already know why you may wish to learn how to make the braids & cords I have chosen - and where you want to use them, but for  the very wide variety of crafters who tune in, I need to give other ideas. This can be challenging - but also very interesting. I get to play using more modern materials, and it is another learning experience for me.

So, just to re-cap - my next show is at 8am, Sunday 26th February 2012 - this will be the official TV launch of Making Braids and Cords, and I really do hope you'll be able to tune in and see what's been included on the dvd.

Fingers crossed nothing gets cancelled! If you follow me on twitter - @GinaBSilkwork any last minute changes to the schedule are usually posted there (plus other silly bits and pieces!)

Making Braids and Cords

I'm really pleased to announce that Making Braids & Cords will be launched on Saturday 18th February!

Show has been cancelled !! Next show should be 26th Feb on Create & Craft.

I'll be on Ideal World launching this at 2pm - NOT Create & Craft as previously advertised, so do please tune in if you can - Sky 644 | Freeview 22 | Virgin 747 | Freesat 812 or watch online at http://www.idealworld.tv/.  Along with everything else that goes with a show, there will be lots of finished examples to give you ideas, a special offer only available through Ideal World/Create & Craft and a little giveaway for those who email in during the show!

This single disc dvd has step-by-steps guides to over 25 braids and cords using both traditional and modern passementerie techniques.

Create drawstrings for bags and clothes, make friendship bracelets, belts, hair accessories, jewellery and applied decoration - perfect for that couture touch. Or use the braids to make buttons and frog fastenings, hang tassels from, and to decorate cushions and other soft furnishings.

For those of you interested in using braids and cords for re-enactment and living history, you'll find a nice selection spanning a wide range, suitable for use as points, ties, tassels and applied decoration to name just a few.

Learn how to plait, fingerloop braid, twist, knot, weave, wrap, and use a sewing machine to create a variety of decorative cords. This "Beginner's Selection" of braids and cords is perfect for all levels - the eye levels camera angles show each step clearly, and structured menu's allow you to choose which technique you want to learn.

Notes on measuring, warping, tools and materials and finishing and using the braids is included, as well as snippets of historical information and a clearly illustrated braid chart for easy reference.

This single disc dvd has a running time of 94 min and is the most recent title in my 'Making Passementerie' series. RRP of £16.99.

Also new is a wooden knotting shuttle - shown here. Large, Georgian style knotting shuttles aren't made today, and yes, you could search out antiques, but even they are pretty hard to find. So, the design and shape below will work not only for knotting techniques, but is a good all-round shuttle for general use. At 12.5cm x 5cm, it is larger than modern tatting shuttles and so fits nicely into your hand.  Find out more on my website - www.gina-b.co.uk

Happy New Year! It is still January, I can still say it...

Hello! I am so sorry I have been lapse with the blog at the moment. Though I really must encourage you to 'like' my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter @GinaBSilkwork as I do tend to make small, quick daily updates there, very useful when I really don't want to bore you with paragraphs of nothing.

I hope that you all had a good holiday season - isn't it hard to believe that it wasn't that long ago? Seems ages already. Here in the midlands of England, it has really been odd weather-wise, so very mild that my quince already has flowers and I noticed a small rose yesterday. Mind you, the wind has been terrible, and living up on a hill, wind like that can get really irritating. Still for something different, a picture of me, DH and our lovely dog Bo, out for an early morning walk the other week. (getting arty, what can I say?)

And so, on to news and other such things. We've been busy putting together the next two DVDs in the set - Making Braids & Cords and Making Frogs & Fancies. Making Braids is due out in February, with Making Frogs in March. Then we'll start on the next titles on the list! (Believe me, the list is very long...). Yes, The Making Passementerie series is going to keep me very busy this year.

We are also working on the most brilliant thing. I can't give out too much info yet, but it is practical, pretty and if you like passementerie, you'll need it. More info as I can give it out - prototypes are all working well, just a little bit of tweaking and we'll have it. We're looking at March for a launch of this.

So, as I said over on Facebook - the gods of all things electric have to play nice. (The gods of lighting already got mad and I am waiting on new studio lights, so I need to try to appease the others or my schedule will be blown!)

I have a double page spread in this quarter's issue of the Create & Craft Club members' magazine - yes, you do have to be a member to get this so here's a little pic of the spread-

And next month I will have a project in Popular Crafts magazine - so do stay tuned!

I am also currently pencilled in to join Create & Craft at the Stitch & Craft show at the Olympia in London - at the moment it looks like I'll be there on the 18th, but nothing's confirmed as yet.

And so, shows - I'll be on Create & Craft this Saturday (28th) at 2pm - and I hope to have a little project for you that uses buttons, with a pattern to download from my site next week. (Again, hoping those electric gods are nice to me..)

After that, I'm scheduled in for the 18th of Feb at 2pm (early days yet - that one could still change of course).

Do tune in if you can - I always have a little something to give away to whoever's email is drawn from the spotty potty, so remember that you can contact the show for a chance to win.

And, on top of all that, I am still working on commissions! I shall be starting a very intricate gold brocade tablet weave - based on the Taplow finds - and I am looking forward to getting on with that. It has been a while since I've done any tablet weaving it seems.

I hope that you all have a healthy, happy and lucky 2012, and thank you all for following me and my ramblings - I appreciate it!

'Tis the season!

Wow, I'm sorry it has been an age since I last updated. I seem to have been running around like a slightly mad woman, and every time I think that I should update the blog, something else interferes. And so, before the month of December totally interferes with any more of my lists, I am updating!

It's been a month of writing articles and tutorials, planning, packing, and even making a few things...

Of course, for me as with so many of you, the holidays are a time for doing other things as well - not least making sure the house is clean enough for visitors - in other words - MOVE the thread from every room! Clear the supplies from the dining table! Move the loom to make space for the tree!

All of that is now done, and I have even started the baking. Every year, if I make nothing else, I make my grandmother's nut bread. And every year I stress about it, because I don't normally make bread. And every year I wonder why I only do this at Christmas, as it tastes lovely and I would do a much better job if I was had more practise!

I will be working on New Year's Day this year - I'll be on Create & Craft at 2pm - so if you are staying at home nursing a bit of a sore head, why not join me :-)

Thank you to every one who has supported me this year. I'm working on some really exciting projects that I am hoping to share in early 2012, and knowing that many of you are actually interested is a great thing.

I hope that you all have a lovely holiday season and a very happy and healthy 2012.


...right... Christmas cards next I think....