Workshops
I teach a variety of workshops. No one needs to be an expert to take these. My intent is to share my process so that students can adapt it for themselves. Slide shows, demos, samples and your adventures make the class. Embroidery, indeed many textile processes, proceed so slowly that I feel it's important to think through an idea, to do some planning, even though each piece will take on a life of its own. We brainstorm, have fun, and students do remarkable work.
Obsessive Chain Stitch
Chain stitch is often used to embroider a line, but when it is packed together it becomes opulent, almost iridescent. Varying the thickness, direction and shading of threads, this workshop approaches how to achieve a sense of motion and depth. Embroidering in solid chain stitch is a sedimentary process requiring some simple drawing and planning. The way the stitches “travel” and overlap is important. After making a sampler exploring various thicknesses of thread and colour gradations, students will undertake a credit-card sized piece. We will explore which images are most suitable for this technique, and how to plan the work. Students will see a variety of images and original work including ways of finishing and presenting their pieces. This workshop is open to beginners and more experienced embroiderers looking to add skills to their repertoire. 2 days
Mappa
“Mappa” is Latin for a square of cloth, and is the perfect vehicle for describing any kind of voyage. Each student will produce 3 small “samplers” that address aspects of both cartography and textile techniques in preparation for beginning a larger map that may continue to evolve. Looking at a range of historical maps and contemporary artists’ versions, we will discuss their forms and meanings. From global data visualization to a trip around the kitchen, maps are about narrative. What to include, what to leave out? This workshop will encourage an increased awareness of our own pathways –either remembered, imagined or projected– and develop a personal textile language to express them. Beginning with small, hand-drawn maps we will discuss the workings of space, line, and symbols. Techniques include simple surface design, hand embroidery and appliqué techniques. Beginners and up. 3 days
Poetics of Landscape
In this workshop we explore through our senses and the unique textures and capabilities of textile. Often “landscape” is understood as scenery, something that appears on postcards or calendars. Rather than simply a scenic backdrop, place becomes a context for memory and narrative. How do we encounter a landscape? Who else is or was there? What is our point of view? Are we moving or still? On the first day students will make samples in preparation for a larger piece (12 x 16” appx). During the workshop participants explore embroidery as mark-making, and brainstorm how various materials might translate to evoke landscape elements. We follow a path to ideas of near and far, question what compels attention, and situate ourselves and our viewers within the landscape. Through simple hand embroidery and fabric collage techniques we will each evoke a unique experience of place. Beginners and up. 3 days
Stitch Vocabulary 3hrs
will introduce participants to five basic stitches and many ways they can be used to describe or enliven a surface. Mark-making with thread can involve varying density, thickness and types of lines. Evoke depth by paying close attention to colour, as well as the direction and forms of stitches. We will see examples of imagery that lends itself to embroidery, plus the stitches in action. Students can begin to plan a small embroidery and get feedback on how to proceed. Take a thread for a walk and see where it goes. 3 hours
Fabric Postcard
In this workshop, we will explore a variety of fabrics that we can use to build a postcard-sized image. After making a simple drawing, we will discuss ways to translate it into cloth. Using a simple but versatile “in and out” stitch, we will hand sew our little scenes with special attention to the colour and density of stitches. We will stiffen the piece and line the back, and you will have a postcard to frame, wrap or mail. 3 hours