It doesn’t seem possible that it’s all over now, but last week it didn’t seem possible that I would be ready to go to London Olympia to set up at the Show.
Jan and I had a wonderful gallery space
and lots of enthusiastic and appreciative visitors. It was a great opportunity to talk to people, exchange ideas and get feedback.
Thank you to all those who came to see us at TG4. We had a wonderful four days and came home happy but shattered!
I am busy making some new work for our exhibition, Somewhere in between, at the Spring Knitting & Stitching Show at Olympia. Jan Miller will be exhibiting with me again and we have been reflecting on the recent challenges of exhibiting together, outside and inside – uncertain weather on the coast road in Norfolk, snow in the Scottish Borders and the calm of Farfield Mill in Sedbergh, Now we have the opportunity to show our work in a white gallery space in Olympia, London.
Come and see us in the textile galleries at TG4 if you’re in London.
Mary Sleigh & Jan Miller at Olympia
A friend has decided that her lace making days are over and has asked me to find a good home for all her lace making equipment.
I have had a lovely time sorting out all the bobbins which not only look beautiful but feel wonderful too.
Some are bone and others are wound with wire and all are finely turned. I’d love to know more about them.
A wonderful array of glorious Autumn colour was a perfect setting for our workshop in the studio at Burnbrae. African ornament and innovation provided our inspiration. We combined those inspirational starting points with experiments using paper clay and metal shims as well as recycling metal cans and other ‘found’ pieces.
Paper clay was a new material for those attending the workshop and they all made a variety of attachments. When these had dried overnight, colour was added and they were ready to include in textile pieces.
Here’s one of the finished pieces
Work by Diane Chalmers
I’ve just heard our choir thrilling unsuspecting visitors with their singing at Tate Modern!
It’ll soon be here so don’t miss it this year. It’s wonderful! You can save some money by buying your tickets before the event – go to:
http://brightonmmf2015.eventbrite.com/?aff=MailingList2015DiscountEmail&discount=MailingList2015
Or use the code: MailingList2015
Event Details
Brighton Mini Maker Faire is back for a fifth year, and we’re bigger, better and more inventive than ever!
As the biggest Maker Faire in the South of England, we bring together makers from all over the country to show their projects, share their passion for building and creating, and inspire visitors to have a go at making things themselves.
This year, we’ll be packing out the Brighton Corn Exchange and Dome Foyer Bar on Saturday 5th September with robots, knitting, science, sewing, coding, games and toys, metal and woodworking, model-making, costumes, and homebrew electronics.
We’ll be filling every nook and cranny with homemade inventions, workshops and demonstrations.
Find out more on our website or Facebook page.
Tickets
Brighton Mini Maker Faire is free for kids under 16. All visitors, including kids, need a ticket to get in. Advance tickets for adults are £7 including all fees. The door price will be £9. (“Pay What You Can” tickets are no longer available). Running the event costs us about £12 per adult, so if you want, and can afford to pay more, you can also make a donation to help cover the costs. Thanks to everyone who buys a ticket for helping make Brighton Mini Maker Faire possible for everybody.
Photographs by Roberta Matis
We are also very grateful to our wonderful sponsors, without whom this event would not happen.
 |
The event is produced in association with Build Brighton, Developing Dreams, Make Magazine, Brighton Dome, and NLD Accountancy. Thank you!
Never underestimate the power of a group – a collective ethos pushes ideas forward.
Stuart Carey
I’ve just returned from a wonderful few days with a group of innovative and industrious students working together to produce some great results.
Anne Louise Gillilan had very innovative ideas stiffening fabric to make her white boxes of different sizes that opened to reveal surprises while in contrast Sue Evans explored box structures and waxed surfaces using an intense orange.
Rachel ‘s Singleton’s ideas came from the idea of cocoons and enfolding.
Or this way up
See more about Rachel’s ideas on her blog
Chris Cannon used natural plant forms to inspire her work with paper and silk.
Plant forms
Anne Rooney looked at the passage of time and experimented with a book structure.
So many more ideas are in progress – changing the nature of fabric, opening and closing, things that pop up or containers that hold precious objects or collections……
