Virtual Workshop, hosted on Zoom, by Bridget Bailey

NB: Zoom event details will be sent closer to the workshop date. For those outside of the UK, last date to book on the workshop is 17 August 2020.

Bridget Bailey is a textile artist and teacher based in London. From textile flora and fauna, to entomological millinery, Bridget’s work explores the natural world, combining intriguing ideas and observations with her very particular making skills. She’s a regular tutor at Chateau Dumas and has earned an international reputation for her textile and millinery master classes.

Trained in textiles at Farnham and producing her first collection for the iconic designer Jean Muir in 1984, Bridget was the Bailey part of the Bailey Tomlin millinery brand, selling to shops from Liberty to Saks Fifth Avenue, and has a wealth of skill and experience.

Her work has been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, London Craft Week at Fortnum and Mason, ‘Crafted, Makers of the Exceptional’ at the Royal Academy, and ‘Made London Marylebone’.

Outline of the workshop
Bridget’s silk strawberries combine her use of colour, stitching and attention to detail. Her textile interpretation of strawberries evolved from observing the way they ripen and grow, as well as the lovely quality of the fabrics themselves.

With Bridget’s guidance you will learn how to make a strawberry shape, how to pad it, and how to layer fabrics on top of each other to make glowing shades of ripeness. Embroidering the seeds and finding flow and rhythm in the spacing of stitching adds a level of detail and texture to the strawberries. Making the hull with its spiky fronds gives them delicacy and character.

These ways of thinking about designing and constructing a strawberry that celebrate the beauty of fabric, the texture of stitching, and making a feature out of the issues 3D construction adds new dimensions in ways of working with textiles.

Materials provided
A materials pack in a Selvedge Tote bag will be sent to participants prior to the workshop. An additional fee will be incurred for those material packs sent outside of the UK. For further details, please contact Catherine Harris, events@selvedge.org.

Materials not provided
Needle threader and a thin but strong 15cm bit of thread for pulling the loop
Needle (sizes 7 and 8 are recommended but not essential)
Sharp pencil (HB recommended but not essential)
Water spray
20 cm square of old towel
Thimble and pliers for pulling or pushing the needle
Small sharp scissors
Paper scissors
Pins
Little glass jar and PVA glue
Masking tape, about 5cm

Workshop cancellation policy
All places reserved on workshops are non refundable, however, if you let us know you are not able to make a workshop you have booked at least two weeks prior to the event, we will re-advertise your place and refund your fee as long as we are able to sell your place and the workshop is fully booked.

If you require additional information about this workshop please contact Catherine Harris, events@selvedge.org.