cyanotype workshop with Jeni Reid (14 Jan 2026)

We started 2026 with a cracker of a workshop with the lovely Jeni Reid. Jeni is a multi-talented artist who works with a variety of mediums, including photography and cyanotype prints, which share some elements.

While conventional photography captures images via lens and film/digital sensors, cyanotype involves directly exposing sensitized material (paper, fabric) to UV light, resulting in a vibrant blue and white print. 

Jeni had prepared various fabrics and paper with the chemicals in advance, so we immediately got stuck in experimenting with a huge variety of items... Everything from grasses, leaves and dead seed pods, to discarded bits of lace, Xmas decorations, beads, crystals, netting, feathers, wool curls and much more....

We layered our items onto the pre-treated fabric, covered this with a sheet of glass to hold everything down firmly and ensure close contact with the fabric. 

We then placed our creations in a box or tray and exposed it to a UV light over the top for about 10 minutes.

The fabric or paper could also be placed outside in the sun, but then it would need to be left a bit longer (about 90 minutes) and it would really need to be a sunny day. 

The chemicals on the fabric react with the light. The items placed on the fabric block the UV light and therefore leave a negative print. The fabric is then immediately rinsed to remove the remaining chemicals, and the print reveals itself. 

After the first trials, which were already amazing, the group became increasingly experimental and the variety of designs produced was fabulous. 

Sally even experimented with a drawing of a fish on a sheet of acetate and bringing in some other elements to create an "under the sea" themed print, which was very clever indeed! 

who would have thought that wool curls could look like seaweed?!?

We all had the most amazing fun time. Thank you Jeni for sharing some of your vast knowledge with us and giving us the chance to play. What a brilliant way to spend a cold and damp winter's day!

AETA Christmas party 2025 (10 Dec)

On 10 December we had our annual Christmas party. The tables and drinks bar were set up, and sister team extraordinaire Alison and Susan laid on a fabulous buffet spread. 

After filling up with the amazing food, it was time for games, which had us all mixing and giggling all afternoon. 

Well done to the winning team of the big quiz:

We all had a fantastic time and can't wait to do it all again next year! 

Happy new year to all! 

Origami patchwork cushion workshop with Isobel Law (12 Nov)

At our workshop on 12 November, Isobel led us through the exciting process of creating an origami patchwork cushion. 

We started by folding little squares of fabric in specific ways to create a pattern of folds. 

These folded squares were tacked down to preserve their shape then sewn together into a "ninepatch" and framed with a contrasting inner border

We then placed small squares of contrasting fabrics into the centre of the fabric squares, and folded over the edges to create mini "cathedral window" shapes and handsewed these down with tiny invisible slip stitches. 

We created an outer border by adding folds at regular intervals, and flattening them out to create boxed pleats. 

Of course, sewing machines don't always play ball when you bring them to class, which is always a bit frustrating... But sadly kept her calm and ploughed on! 

After sewing down all our "windows" and adding the outer borders, we seemed tiny sparkly beads into the corners of the windows. 

The front of our cushion was then ready for some light quilting before sewing on the back of the pillow. 

The finished item was really quite smart and a great day was had by all. Thank you Isobel for showing us this really interesting technique! 

The Magic of Soft Furnishings - A talk by Jennie May

On 5 November we had the pleasure of welcoming Soft Furnishings expert Jennie May, from Montrose, Angus, who gave us a most interesting talk on how soft furnishings can completely transform a room and the process involved in creating the new furnishings. And there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. 

But first, Jennie explained what soft furnishings are, namely items made from textiles to decorate/furnish a home, such as curtains, cushions, blinds, throws, rugs, bedding. 

These can completely transform a room by adding colour, texture, warmth and personality. They can also be used to change the feel of a room depending on the season, for example by swapping out cushions and throws. 

Jennie meets her clients on site to get a feel for their style and tastes and find out their requirements, as well as take accurate measurements and note any potential obstacles and work out the best suspension system for curtains and blinds. 

Narrowing down the potential choices of fabrics often first involves eliminating what the client doesn't like, and then working out the most suitable types of fabric and the need for lining and interlining (a kind of thin wadding). Jennie can then order some samples for the clients to consider in different lights/times of day. 

Once the quote has been accepted by the client, Jennie can place the order. She takes delivery of the fabric and does a thorough check to make sure there are no faults before starting making the items. There is a lot more to this process than one can imagine, and each step is essential to ensure a top-notch result. And many of those steps are done by hand. Good quality curtains that hang just right, will give years or even decades of pleasure so it's worth spending the time and money. 

But, as Jennie pointed out, you don't necessarily need to buy the most important fabric for your soft furnishings. It's how they are made that's most important. 

Another interesting point that Jennie made was that if you are sticking to neutral tones, it's especially important to use different textures to avoid everything looking flat. 

Jennie really got us thinking about what soft furnishings could do for our home and the importance of top quality craftsmanship to achieve the best results. 

Thank you Jennie! 

Interlinings: