On 11 June the Year 6 and 7 pupils were treated to a workshop by local textile artist Amanda Cobbett. Amanda’s intricate work is strongly influenced by her finds in the natural forest on her doorstep and she crafts examples of fungi, tree bark, moss and lichen entirely from thread and paper. The children and Mr. Lawrence, who popped in for a sneaky peek were astonished that the pieces being shown were not real bark or twigs but entirely Amanda’s creations.
With moss as the inspiration and embroidery hoops in hand, the pupils set about exploring a range of hand embroidery stitches using a variety of wools and silks. Most popular were the seed stitch, spider web stitch, the whipped running stitch & the french knots. The concentration in the room was palpable and I have never seen a Year 7 class so absorbed! The collaborative efforts of all Year 6 & 7 pupils were display in the VAC at our Open Studio Art Exhibition on Thursday 28th June.
Not wanting the pupils to have ALL the fun, Amanda ran an evening workshop for adults with a moth/butterfly theme. The event was well attended by parents and staff who spent a blissful couple of hours creating beautiful works of art which combined paper, ink & machine embroidery techniques.
More information on Amanda’s work can be found at www.amandacobbett.com
Mrs. Tristram
