Not Your Nana’s Embroidery
Engage with a traditional artform in a contemporary context as you explore free form embroidery and employ upcycling principles with an awareness of textile waste.
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Description
Engage with a traditional artform in a contemporary context as you explore free form embroidery. Apply upcycling principles and an awareness of textile waste to create a unique piece of hoop art. In this class you will create a simple botanically inspired embroidery design that uses recycled fabrics and threads to make a beautiful and eco-friendly piece of wall art. Learn how to make yarn from old t-shirts. Master the simple stitch technique of couching. Connect with slow stitching principles as you come to class and sew by hand in a friendly and fun environment.
Who should attend this course?
- Students interested in learning about upcycling fabrics and fibres.
- People who are interested in green issues and making art out of textile waste.
- Crafty people keen to learn new techniques and express themselves with second-hand textile artwork.
Expected learning outcomes
- Learn how to make T-shirt yarn from upcycled t-shirts.
- Created an original embroidery design.
- Apply the embroidery technique of couching to a design of your own making.
- Learn how to finish a piece of embroidered hoop art
Course outline
Morning session: Learn how to make T-shirt yarn and get your materials ready for the making of the project. Draw inspiration from nature and design your embroidery. Watch a demonstration of couching and start work on your personal design.
One hour lunch break
Afternoon session: Work on your personal design. Learn how to finish your design within its stitching hoop for easy display as a piece of wall art
What to bring:
- Pen/ pencil and paper for design work.
- 1 30cm x 30 cm wooden embroidery hoop (this is both a tool to work with when stitching and will display your finished artwork.)
- Backing fabric – a piece of an old woollen blanket works well if you have it. Otherwise any other sturdy fabric that you can recycle. Dimensions need to be at least 40cm x 40cm but a half metre square is good to make sure you have enough fabric to work with. Old woolen blankets are easily sourced from op shops for a few dollars and what you don’t use can be upcycled for various other craft projects.
- 4-5 cotton stretch knit t-shirts in different colours (suggest to source cheaply from op-shops for several dollars each.) Consider different tones (light and dark) as well as colours.
- A variety of coloured yarns - fibre type, colour and thickness can vary (can again source these from op-shops for a low price)
- Embroidery needles and a darning needle (the eye needs to be large enough to thread with your thickest yarn.)
- 1 small pair of sewing scissors to cut threads with.
- 1 black vivid marker pen for drawing your design.
- Haberdashery notions such as sequins, beads and buttons (optional)
- Fabric scissors and/ or rotary cutter (optional - but would be good to bring if you have them!)
About Stella Peg Carruthers
Stella Carruthers is a mixed media and textile artist with a practice that focuses on repurposing materials to give them new life. She is interested in exploring domestic stories. Both those inside the home and from the garden. Her choice of materials reflects this with her passion for textiles which have long acted as a kind of domestic currency.
