Festive Elegance 2 day class

This is a two day class, to be held on Wednesday and Thursday, April 28 - 29. No sewing machines are required for this class; all work will be done by hand. This class is scheduled to be held in a room with stair access only- i.e. no elevator, but as you will not have to transport a machine, this should not be a problem. This class is geared to the Intermediate quilter and beyond- i.e. it is probably not suitable for beginners, unless you have some hand embroidery experience. There is a Kit Fee of $20.00, payable in class.

When you register for this class, you will receive along with your Supply list, a pattern for the base of the stocking. You will be required to piece this fabric base, following the provided directions, and put the three sections together, at home, prior to the class. That way we can get right to work on the fun stuff - the embroidery and beading. The pattern is for a Christmas stocking, roughly 19" tall by 11" wide.) You are not required to do the stocking - if you would prefer to do another shape, such as one or several blocks, that is fine with me. As long as you come to class with a fabric base to work on, we'll both be happy! The photo you see at left is a stocking base with just the "beginnings " of embellishments added- one piece of ribbon, a lenght of tatting and a piece of lace. This stocking is "in progress" - you can follow it's progress on my Blog and once it is done, I will add a photo here. This just gives you an idea of what your fabric base would look like. You can also see photos of other stockings made by some of my previous students by looking at the Gallery of Student's Work on my Blog.

Our 2 days of class time will be funtime - playtime! You will learn to embellish your fabric base with a variety of laces trims and ribbons of various sorts, hand embroidery, silk ribbon work, and beads, buttons and charms. You will be able to pick and choose to make your piece unique - you do not have to use every technique or apply every type of embellishment. Hand embroidery stitches taught will include: straight stitch, buttonhole, herringbone, chain, detached chain (or lazy daisy), french knot, cretan, chevron, and featherstitch. You will not only learn the basic stitch for each, but also some variations, and if you are an experienced embroiderer, I will have a number of Stitch Samplers to give you ideas for how you can vary and combine stitches for a more intricate look. You will learn to not only vary the look of your stitches with the use of color, but also with the weight of yarns/threads (thin threads against heavier) and with texture- dull threads vs. shiny, smooth threads against fuzzy, etc. Variety is the key!

Your kit will include a variety of threads to supplement what you bring. This is for the benefit of all (the more variety the better!) but especially for those who may live in an area where they cannot access much other than cotton floss. The threads will include a good range of colors (both solids and variegateds) in a variety of fibers and weights- cotton perles, twists and flosses, silks, rayons, wools, etc. As well as the threads, your kit will include all the needles you will require ( sharps, crewel, tapestry, chenille and beading needles), a needle gripper, beads and beading thread, several laces/trims, a charm, and several colors of silk ribbon. I guarantee you will be happy with your kit contents. I like my students to feel they have gotten their money's worth. I may also have extra threads available for purchase. (Once the kits are made up, I will add a photo here so you can see what is included. I will likely not be doing the kits until March.)

When you register for this class, you will receive, along with the Class Supply List, the pattern for the fabric base and detailed step by step directions to follow. There are lots of suggestions to aid you with fabric selection, and other tips to help you. And if you have trouble, I am only a quick email away! :)

I will make additions to this post, as we get closer to Conference time. I will be adding more photos and a simple tutorial to help you piece your fabric base. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me by email at hubbard2@nbnet.nb.ca. Just put "Quilt Canada" in the subject line.