In Dogwood Posey you will create a three-dimensional embroidered sculpture free of ground fabric. The completed stumpwork piece can be worn as an ornamental pin. The petals are made of needle lace. The needle lace will be stitched on a custom-made ne...see moreedle lace pad. These pads are flexible, making it easier to stitch. In class practice with pearl cotton will help those new to needle lace to master the corded Brussels stitch used for the petals. Leaves are stitched over couched wire on green cotton broadcloth. Students will learn how to couch wire, create a non-fraying edge, embroider the interior in padded satin, and then detach the completed leaf from the ground fabric. The center of the dogwood consists of matte variegated green beads solidly stitched to silk. The completed petals and leaves are gathered together and overwrapped with a variegated brown thread to resemble the rough bark of a dogwood branch. see less

Explore the rich beauty of crewel embroidery as you create a stylized floral arrangement accented with a tiny ladybug and a handsome butterfly. Fantasia includes a variety of line and filling stitches including block shading, long and short shading, ...see morelaid stitch, trellis, fishbone, fly stitch, three variations of chain stitch, padded satin and pistil stitch. Since different embroiderers enjoy working different stitches, a portion of the class will focus on when and how one stitch may substitute for another. As well as mastering specific stitches, students will become more comfortable with making choices and substitutions to personalize their crewel embroidery. Instruction in class will cover successfully working with crewel wool, accurately spacing surface stitches and various ways to start and end threads. Lecture will touch on why certain colors and stitches were used in historic crewel embroideries and which natural dyes were used to create the beautiful soft colors of the 17th and 18th century pieces. see less

Have fun turning a piece of plain fabric into lace! Butterfly and Blooms is based on the technique of Dresden Lace. Various botanical motifs pre-drawn on the fabric are filled with pulled thread patterns to create different lacy textures. The motifs ...see moreare then outlined with chain, whipped chain or outline stitch. Butterfly and Blooms is appropriate for students comfortable with counting threads. The embroidery holds students' interest with a selection of counted thread stitches. Discussion in class will cover compensation, differences in tension and the role value (light and dark) plays in white work. Goals of this class are for students to master compensation in pulled thread stitches and to expose students to a number of stitches that create a variety of textures and degrees of openness. A method of designing Dresden lace embroideries will be covered so that interested students can design their own pulled whitework embroidery. A comprehensive bibliography is included to enable future exploration of the technique. see less