Create a beautiful cardinal in a machine appliqué block that can be used to make a table topper, block for a quilt, block for a bag or anything you should choose. Satin stitch appliqué will be taught as well as a free motion edge.

Students put their adult colouring skills to work and play with inktense pencils to create flowers and leaves that will be cut out and used to create appliqués. This is a fun workshop where they will learn some of the tricks for colouring realistic images of their choice and then adding water to turn them into beautifully shaded fabrics. After the appliqués are created they will cut them out and fuse them to a background to start a block. Students can use my pattern for clematis or bring their own inspirations for flower or leaves.

     

Using inexpensive tools, learn to make one of a kind buttons and embellishments such as broaches. With polymer clay, you will create a number of different button styles, including those with and without shanks. Skills learned can be used in jewellery making. If you knit, crochet, or just want to make unique buttons for a garment, this class will help get you started.

Principles in design will be discussed including colour, texture and embellishment. Students will design individually on their partially constructed garments. The focus will be on appliques. Techniques using the sewing machine for free motion applique, lace cutwork and trapunto will be demonstrated and students may choose to use all or some of these techniques.

Students will learn to create vibrant flowers both wild and the garden variety totally from thread. Free motion embroidery will be used to create flowers such as lady slipper, iris, foxglove, calla lily, goldenrod, astilbe etc. Students choose which flowers to master. Methods for using them in quilts, artworks, cards and wearable art will be demonstrated.

Create a landscape using my pattern or design your own. This can be quilted or stitched and framed.  Design considerations such as composition, depth, choosing colours to enhance perspective will be discussed.

 Students learn the basics of free motion embroidery to create  landscapes. They will complete a sampler (seen below) as they learn to make grasses, leaves, flowers, weeds, trees, etc.  They can spend the entire day perfecting their skills or  start a simple landscape. Comprehensive notes are provided.

 

Students will learn to create appliques totally from thread. Free motion embroidery will be used to create a Puffin. The technique can be later used to make realistic images of birds, flowers, or wildlife. All the tricks, from working with difficult threads to controlling distortion, will be covered. These can be used as focal points in wall hangings and wearable art.