Some of you may remember my post about our collaboration with On The Surface at the West Country Quilt and Textile Show, entitled 
Please Touch. It was very well received, although the idea of not being allowed to touch art was so ingrained in our visitors that we did have to give many people very strong encouragement to actually touch the pieces!
We are very pleased to be bringing a selection of our Please Touch work back to its inspirational home at Sense. the charity which supports deafblind people and those with complex disabilities, for whom the sense of touch is so important. You can read more about their work on their website 
here.
The exhibition opens next week at 
TouchBase Pears, running from 3rd to 28th February, and we are really looking forward to sharing our work there. Inspired by Sense, these pieces were designed specifically to be
explored by touch, with
interesting texture created in
various ways - weaving, winding
and stitching with yarn, fabric,
felt, paper and paint, adding
buttons and beads. Here is a selection:
  | 
Weaving Waves - Cath 
Woven painted card, printed with hand-made printing blocks, machine-stitched | 
  | 
Mono Media - Cath 
Layered synthetics, stitched, heat-treated, mounted on cotton duck & painted white | 
  | 
Tower of Holes - Cath 
Vessel, wet felted with resists and simple hand stitch | 
  | 
Twisted Tower - Cath 
Vessel, layered synthetics, stitched & heat-treated, central band of metal foil, painted | 
  | 
| Deb's dress - Gaia | 
  | 
| Close-up | 
  | 
Twiddle-Fiddle - Bernice 
Printed & dyed cotton, machine stitched, added textures & twiddly bits | 
  | 
| Acquiescence - Vicki | 
  | 
| Close-up | 
  | 
Black & White: Grey Precision - Dia 
Wet felted using Puku Finn sheep fibres, resist, metal coffee capsules & organza | 
  | 
Blue & Green: Bluish Climber - Dia 
Green fabric, blue & green wool & blue plastic coffee capsules | 
If you are anywhere near Selly Oak, Birmingham, in the next few weeks, please pop in to TouchBase Pears to see our work - you could also check out the Hive Cafe!
Cath