A NORTH East artist will teach some of Europe's top textile experts the skills of proggy mat making at an international fair.

Heather Waring has created a proggy mat project as part of a display being taken to Paris by the North East Region Embroiderer's Guild next month.

And the artist will be teaching the technique of the traditional textile making at the four day long L'ainguille en Fete.

Ann Clare from Crook, County Durham, will also be exhibiting a large tapestry detailing the history of the town's mining past as one of the 90 exhibits travelling from the North East guild.

Around 45,000 people are expected to attend the Paris fair, which the guild was invited to attend after its organiser saw their work at Alexandra Palace in London.

A preview of some of the work in the guild's Mining a Golden Seam exhibition was held in Spennymoor Town Hall tonight (January 21) before the work is taken to Paris for the fair running from February 6 to 9.

Proggy mat making, also known as proddy, involves using small scraps of material prodded through a mat to create a larger piece.