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| Puffin with Sand Eels, 2017 Machine embroidery and Applique on linen |
As you will know if you read this blog regularly or have met me 'in real life' I love running workshops. I really enjoy sharing my technical skills and experience and seeing other people take it in a new direction. I find it so satisfying when I can show someone something and see them understand it and make it their own. I'm really passionate about what I do and I want to share that with people; my workshops aren't necessarily highly technical but I hope that I can give people the encouragement and confidence to have a go, enjoy themselves and hopefully create something they're proud of.
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| Sewing machines set up and some of my pieces |
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| Practising machine embroidery |
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| Choosing fabrics |
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| Using bondaweb to make pattern pieces |
Recently I've run two Machine Embroidery and Applique workshops at The Eden Workshop in Plumpton. This is fast becoming one of my favourite workshops to run, although I think I say that about all my workshops! It's a real pleasure running workshops at The Eden Workshop; Jane is a great hostess and keeps everyone well supplied with tea and biscuits and always produces a lovely lunch. She is friendly and welcoming and has a great fabric stash too! She has recently renovated the workshop space and it is a lovely place to work, light and airy with views out over the countryside. The groups are small too so that everyone gets plenty of attention and support. Jane hosts a whole range of workshops so do have a look at her website; I'll be doing some more sessions there next year, including running this workshop again.
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| Fabrics applied ready for stitching |
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| Stitching! |
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| Stitching! |
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| Stitching! |
I love machine embroidery. Since I first tried it as a teenager it's something I've come back to again and again. It's like drawing with the sewing machine and I love the quality of line that can be achieved and how quick and expressive it is. I also love the fact that it's very accessible, almost any sewing machine can be used and often the less fancy the machine the better it is for this type of work. Machine embroidery is adaptable to all levels of experience; complete beginners can achieve great results just with a few lines and more confident embroiderers can try out different techniques such as using thicker threads in the bobbin. On the second workshop one of the participants had only one hours previous sewing machine experience but still produced a beautiful finished puffin portrait.
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| Results from the first workshop |
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| Results from the first workshop |
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| Results from the first workshop |
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| Results from the first workshop |
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| Results from the first workshop |
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| Results from the first workshop |
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| Results from the first workshop |
I chose to combine applique with machine embroidery for this workshop as it's a way of working I've been experimenting with myself and also because, particularly for beginners, it makes it easy to build up a picture quickly and effectively. I produced some templates for the workshops as one of the things most people struggle with is a lack of confidence in their drawing and design skills. Using templates still allows for plenty of experimentation with colour and fabric choice whilst allowing people to get stuck in and learn the skills without worrying. Almost everyone chose to use one of my templates and what I love is that in spite of this each finished piece is unique and has it's own character.
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| Stitching! |
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| Stitching! |
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| Stitching! |
In my workshops I want to encourage people to be creative and make their pieces their own. I want to be able to give people the skills and confidence to create something that they can be proud of and that is unique. I also hope that it's an enjoyable experience and that they'll want to carry on experimenting with the skills they've learnt. I do warn everyone at the start of this workshop that this a highly addictive process...
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| Results from the second workshop |
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| Results from the second workshop |
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| Results from the second workshop |
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| Results from the second workshop |
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| Results from the second workshop |
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| Results from the second workshop |
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| Results from the second workshop |
