Textile  jewellery comes in all sorts of styles and fabrics, there seems to be a definite trend developing at Heart Space Studios for all types of textile  jewellry classes and they are really popular.

The very first class that we ran was making fabric beads with Patricia Brownen and we are running these classes again later in the summer; the mixture of wrapped threads, beads and felt makes for really luscious beads that are simple and surprisingly quick to make.

Next Saturday, 21st May, I am giving a workshop on making ribbon flowers, these are really simple, and can be used for all sorts of different things, brooches (as above) stitched onto hair slides, made into cards, or attached to a present, or even a small everlasting posy. I will demonstrate 3 techniques, woven as the rose above….

stitched with fine ribbons or

ruched…it all depends on the quality and colour of the fabrics used that makes the difference to the flowers and at Heart Space Studios we have lovely and unusual vintage fabrics from which to choose..Hopefully I will show the results of the class in a future post – so watch this space.

Meanwhile several of the other tutors also running fabric jewellry classes.Teresa Searle is taking a class simply called Textile Jewellry, on Saturday June 11th  and her ideas look lovely.She has more varied ideas than me as she makes bangles, brooches and necklaces.

Two other tutors are making jewellry with felt, Janet Clarke, our regular felt-making tutor has designed simple and elegant round seamless felt bangles which you just want to make and wear several together. you will have this opportunity later in the summer. She also produces curious felt “stone” brooches – light as a feather but perfectly formed by her immaculate techniques and then there is the blue ‘alien’ brooch – see below…..

Debbie Bird makes brooches and jewellry from all sorts of stuff in her popular classes”Wear your Heart on your Sleeve”, below is a student’s first attempt at needle felt  with machine stitching.

Debbie’s next class is on 28th June, for all those who feel they might like to try her varied textile techniques to produce really personal jewellry.