Embroidery Workshop Online
I offer you my stitch and embroidery knowledge to you during this intensive workshop.
This ONLINE workshop covers my passion for embroidery, stitch and cloth. I started sewing at 11 years old, my Gran taught me on her old treadle Singer machine. What a gift she gave me - it started a life long passion for textiles and embroidery...from there I stitched my way to Goldsmiths College for a degree in Embroidery and onto a Masters in Textiles/UCE
03 May, 08:00 – 31 May, 21:00 GMT 2021

"I’ve loved every moment of the Free Motion Embroidery on-line workshop. It was absorbing, challenging rewarding and really good fun. I could do it at times that suited me in the comfort of my own work space and felt well and truly supported by my peers in a dedicated Facebook Group. I’ve learned so much more than Free Motion Embroidery. Dionne is both inspiring and encouraging. I’ve looked forward to down-loading every tutorial and now I’m looking forward to practicing and experimenting with my newly developed skills. It’s opened so many new doors!"
BONUS LIVE STUDIO SESSIONS
4 extra sessions LIVE from my studio via ZOOM so we can work alongside one another. [Wednesdays10am UK time] [these are interactive sessions: a positive time to work together & connect - don't worry if you cant be there at 10am, I shall make a recordings available to everyone]
All the workshop material will be delivered within the first 2 weeks but you will have 4 weeks to enjoy the full workshop content and classroom banter/support - all form the comfort of your own home.
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Session 1- Machine Basics/Threads
Session 2- Super Straight Stitches
Session 3 - Applique and Free Machine Embroidery
Session 4 - Free Machine Embroidery with Dissolvable Fabric
Session 5 - Painting with thread Part 1
Session 6 - Painting with thread Part 2
Session 7 - Mounting and Framing
Session 8 - Catch up & reminders..next steps
During this ONLINE workshop we are going to start with some real basics: I believe its important to get everybody standing correctly, walking well and then we can warm up to a sprint [ie. make sure you machine is order, have a good straight stitch and use it well, explore free machine embroidery and all it has to offer].
Course content:
– Good machine maintenance.
– Straight stitch/walking well – those who follow my monthly newsletter ramblings know I love a good walk and I feel that straight stitch is often over looked on the way to free machining – I’d like to show you just how much it has to offer! There are nuggets of knowledge to be gleaned in every direction! I shall make reference to New Grounds : a body of work from a few years ago that heavily utilised straight stitch to created pleated and constructed surfaces
– Free machine embroidery – starting with some warm up stretches using appliqué we gradually speed up and start to paint with thread. There will be plenty of information on thread types, needles and techniques – this isn’t a design based workshop: its purely about techniques…you can then incorporate them into your own practice.
– Finishing and mounting techniques…you will have to decide when a piece has been worked sufficiently to be ready for mounting…but I shall give you collection of alternatives for presenting your work.
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I am not interested in a workshop where you all make the same things and I’m definitely not interested in a workshop where you copy my work [if you need them there will be basic designs to help you along the way] – as a tutor I am keen to help you develop your own working methodologies and in this workshop I will show you stitch techniques that can help you realise your creative potential….but please be aware this is not an overnight process!!
This is an intensive course with all the content delivered at the beginning of the workshop and availble for you to watch/re-watch as often as you like, day or night during in the 4 week period, so you can use the time to best suit your lifestyle. In all there will be 10 videos with accompanying notes to guide you through - 44 A4 full colour pages/pdfs that's virtually a book, you can down load and keep.
As with all my ONLINE workshops there will also be a supportive and interactive online classroom : I shall drop shall drop in regularily to offer advice, there's also bonus 'zoom' sessions from my studio - so you won't feel left on your own!!
This workshop brings together all the information and more from my Manipulating Fabric, Appliqué and FME, Painting with Thread and FME with Dissolvable workshops…usually 5 days of classroom based work at £80 per day [plus travel] would normally equate to upwards of £400….here you get 4 weeks of workshops for a bargain price!!
…. make sure your sewing machine is in good working order!!
I hope you will join me 🙂
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Sign up to be a member of my website [create your own password] then join the workshop and you'll be automatically added to the workshop discussion group. Use the 'Login' option [top left] to access your profile and amend your settings/notifications
Supplies
– there are some supplies that you will need to have at hand so you can fully explore all the techniques that I have to show you. I am based in the UK and so I have suggested retailers that I use [where possible I have also researched international options, but you may have your own trusted suppliers]
This is not a hard and fast list, be flexible: its fine to use items that you already have in your ‘stash’ that are similar to my suggestions. The key thing is that you get to try out the various different techniques.
Sewing Machine – in good working order with the ability to straight stitch, zig-zag and that can be adapted to create free motion embroidery. The teeth will either drop or if it's an older machine you may have a plate that covers the teeth. If neither of these, then you can cover the teeth with tape or as a last resort remove them when we get to that stage. Please make sure your machine is working well and has had a recent clean out/service…there’s nothing worse than sitting down to sew and things goings wayward. I shall demonstrate techniques on different machines throughout the workshop to illustrate you don’t need a ‘fancy’ machine. [note you do not need an ‘embroidery’ machine i.e. a programmable machine…you are the programme!!!]
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If you have a machine with a ‘drop in bobbin’ then there may be a lower tension bobbin case available for your machine: I have one for my Janome machines…and I’m sure many other similar models will have these: I don’t have details of all the different machines so please contact the appropriate supplier in your area – your local independent sewing machine shop will be the best place to ask [it may also be mentioned in your manual] [www.janome.co.uk]
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A free motion foot for your machine – sometimes known as a darning foot….older machines may not have a specific foot designed for them but there is a universal version.
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A straight stitching foot [A satin stitch foot is a optional extra, but not really necessary: I don’t use one!]
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Spare spools for your machine
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Sewing machine needles – A variety of sizes but including 100/16 top stitching needles. ‘Jeans’ needles are a reasonable substitute if you can’t get anything else.
Threads – I will talk a lot more about threads in one of the workshop sessions. I tend to use Wonderfil [www.wonderfil.co.uk] and Aurifil [www.aurifil.com], but I’m loving Maderia [www.madeira.co.uk] more and more.
You will need
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50wt threads a few in cotton, a few in rayon/viscose [the latter you’ll usually find at 40wt but 30wt is good too]
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12wt threads a few in cotton, a few in rayon/viscose
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8wt threads &/or stranded hand embroidery yarns, fine wools and other yarns too thick to go through the needle
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100wt thread, this is ideal bobbin thread for some of the work you will be doing. I would recommend a very neutral colour: a larger spool is more economical. Wonderfil call this ‘InvisaFil’…other bobbin threads will be ok too
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Fabrics – if you have similar fabrics in your stash then please use those – no need to rush out and spend loads of money, yet I know just how tempting it is to visit a fabric emporium!! I have stuck to neutral tones. [www.whaleys-bradford.ltd.uk NB. Whaleys prices don’t include postage or vat and it can be a shock when you get to the check out, so be aware!]
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0.5m of medium weight calico or similar plain weave cotton
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0.5m of muslin or other fine open weave cloth
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0.25m of cotton organdie – I use the Whalyes version as it is very crisp but you can get other similar options at a more economical price.
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0.25m of dissolvable fabric
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0.25m stitch n tear [optional]
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Sundries – I’m guessing you’ll have variants of all to these already to hand. [www.barnyarns.co.uk have most things a stitcher could want!!…including many of the fabrics mentioned above]
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Large fabric scissors
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Small fabric/embroidery scissors
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Disappearing fabric pen
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Embroidery hoop – I use a square wooden version which I have bound with strips of cloth to give extra grip. A round wooden hoop is fine too. I’m less keen on the plastic & metal versions but if they work for you, got for it!
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Camera/phone to record your work and load into the private classroom [more of that later]
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Ring binder file with plastic sleeves/notebook/or similar to store your techniques, notes and samples for future reference
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I’ve tried to keep this list minimal because I do feel it should be all about you and the machine rather than extensive purchasing. I’m going to be showing you how I work with my machines, how I look after them…how we walk together and how we run…many of you may have heard me say that we often miss out the enjoyable walking stage [aka straight stitch] because we are so keen to run and play with free machine embroidery: there’s great work to be created with very simple stitches!
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I look forward to working with you :-)