I went to see my friend Jill at the Bead Merchant at the weekend for a beading masterclass.

I had a great time with lots of lovely beaders. Here’s what we were learning to make – Spring Bouquet

Here’s a close up of the lovely flowery bits

I had a great weekend. Jill offered to take me out for dinner on Saturday night, and we toured around North Essex through wonderful villages and beautiful countryside. We also saw a huge festival of Morris Dancers in one village – a surreal site that will stay with me for a very long time.

Just in case Bill Bailey is looking in, here’s the Corby Trouser Press that was in my room.

My favourite bead site, the bead merchant, has an online bead club. We get a selection of beads each month, and the idea is to create things with them and send in pictures of what you’ve made.

Here are some things I made out of the last 2 months selections:

Gilding the lily

This one includes a felted bead I made with 100% merino wooltops and some silk fibres:

Flow