Beginner Machine Embroidery

On Wednesday I taught another Beginner Machine Embroidery class. This is free motion, not programmed stitches.

There were 7 very hard workers! Vanessa from Lady Sew and Sew came up to show someone the classroom and remarked on how quiet they were!

Some images of the work - showing the progress from the start of the day to the finish.

Anne

Ryszarda

Laura

Ann

Janet

Julie

Emma


As they packed up, several of them were saying they couldn't wait to get home to do some more practicing! They were thinking of quite a few ways they could use their new skill.

On 25th May, I will be teaching an Intermediate course. We will cover these techniques. and possibly try out work on water soluble film.

• Refresh your understanding of Tensions, and Speed Control with raw edge appliqué.
• Use zigzag and other stitches on your machine: Start with-Colouring in shapes and move on to textures like fur and hair
• Introduce your machine to metallics.

Machine embroidery

Yesterday I mentioned I taught on Tuesday. Now and then I teach a Machine Embroidery class at Lady Sew and Sew in Henley.

Here are some photos showing how the students progressed. The first photos show the start of their journey and the second photos show the work at the end of the day.

Loraine
  
Jennifer

Fiona
  
Paulette


So far the courses have been for Beginners, but I am teaching Intermediate Machine Embroidery on the 21st of March. Then another Beginner Machine Embroidery course on 25th April.

AND I have an exhibition of my smaller pieces, like my dragons. Also at Lady Sew and Sew. 12-30 March. Imagination in Detail: Small Stories.

first official day off

Due to increasing difficulties with recovering from a mere 2 1/2 hours teaching per week, I took the decision to stop teaching... at least for now. I do have a few late units remaining to mark, but after that, no more travelling back and forth to Reading.
I had a lovely group of students this year. The majority are excelling in all the aspects of the work for the City and Guilds Fashion courses. I will post more about their work tomorrow when I can. (EDIT: I've been form filling today/Tuesday - end of course tutor evaluations - and was nearly done at about 10pm when it all went poof and dissappeared. so glad dearest clever man is a computer expert and found all but 15 minutes of it.)

So today, I worked all day on the Stretching Art piece. I just need to finish stitching down the hanging sleeve tomorrow.

It is late, so I will just leave you with this photo of a work of art that was in the building where the graduation photos were being taken. (photos mentioned yesterday) I don't know the name of the artist.

The photo is very skewed because of the angle I was sitting (too many photograph crowds below it.)I thought the colours and the shapes were fascinating.

Here is another version using the perspective tool on Paint Shop Pro. Not sure if it truely resembles the original as seen from a different point of view, as I didn't get a different look.

what is going on around here

This week I have had a few units submitted by a couple students.

I am very impressed by the presentation method for the drafting unit...it is not always easy to come up with something more than a folder for that. She said she wanted to present them pegged on a clothes line, but it wasn't going to be very easy to transport. So, she stuck them onto a trellis.

also, one of the skirt design units. This lady got herself in a bit of a muddle worrying that she wouldn't get it right. But after I got her to show me her idea and then encouraged her, she has pulled it off! Very stylish. The patterned blue is a flocked denim. She presented the backup work in the matching bag. I think it looks very good!

I always get excited when I see the work. I really believe they can achieve great things; and when I see that they stretch themselves even further, it really feels good.

Refashion challenge - 4

I have been so grateful for this skirt to focus on during all the other things going on. Just sitting is not something I do very well, but I have really needed to de-stress. Sitting and making french knots has been very useful for chilling out.

Here is the front section complete.

Now I am going to put on the waistband and hem it. Then I can work something small on the back depending on the amount of time I have to submit the review by the 30th.

As for college, now that I have got over the 2day migraine, it doesn't seem so bad. Apparently with everyone doing something different because of the classes being combined, rather than looking at it as diversity in learning and learner choice in learning, I was told the session lacked focus. But the inspector couldn't clarify that! She did praise the detailed planning and said it was apparent that I knew what they were doing and they knew what they were doing. But anyway, it still satisfactory, and I guess you can't really hope for more from Ofsted.

anyway, whilst sitting embroidering yesterday, I finally got to watch the first Quilting Arts TV DVD which my husband got me a few years ago! I may use some clips for showing students.

Still here

I survived the observation. No formal feedback yet (the observer is the head of several departments, so is up to her ears with stuff for Ofsted) but the comments were good.

Thanks, Ruth, for the encouraging words in your comment on the last post. I was going to reply, but I was afraid it would all go pear shaped! Should trust myself more!

What I AM glad about is that the students were lovely. and 4 decided to stay home for one reason or another! Which really did help. :)

just because I need to hear them again :-p here are the comments:

I can see you have a challenge with so many different modules and levels within the class but you are very confident and are coping very well. However, your planning docs cover everything, you can obviously glance at them quickly for guidance. I thought yet again this year your confidence has grown, the way you interact with the learners is very good and I could see they were all enjoying the course and it was meeting their needs. You had clearly thought very carefully the best path to follow for them ... - well done, this is really learner centred and exactly what we like to see at ND.

So, onward to Inspection...
Today I went up and draped fabric on the dummies so they look nicer. ;-)
and did a couple posters.

The work in the corner is by one of the college tutors who is also taking dressmaking courses. My students weren't happy with the idea of putting work out where other classes might finger them and then still have to submit them to C+G afterwards.

Now, back to getting ready for the TVCT meeting and workshop... I have also been sorting out some details for the exhibition we are going to have at the gallery in Bracknell. Gallery@49. They have asked for work from our Exhibition at Slough Museum earlier this year.

I will put up more info about that another day.

Refashion challenge - 3

Yes, it has been a week or so. Last weekend was doing Happy Birthday things for a Very Good Man for which A Certain Lad came home. We went out to eat one night, went to see Tintin the next day, gave some presents on Sunday and took the boy back to uni, then more pressies on Mon which was the day, but I was teaching in the evening, so he was by his lonesome. and then I made a special meal on Tuesday.

Also, I have been sorting and resorting paperwork and dashing to Reading for a meeting. Two reasons...I am being observed (or rather my teaching is) on the 14th and the college is being Inspected from the 21st. They are likely to visit my class.
I think I should be alright. The thing that makes me most nervous is that each time I was to be observed the last 2 years, a student decided to throw a wobbley out of the blue about 5 min before class. Which made teaching sensibly a bit difficult.
Many prayers, I must say, are going up about calm students as well as a calm tutor this time!

However, I did a sample of embroidery at the weekend to see what I wanted to do with the skirt for the refashion contest. I was able to make a bit of progress on it. I stopped for a few more threads - Coton a Broder and perle cotton when I was in Reading. Remember I said I was taking inspiration from Karen Ruane.

If you don't hear from me. I am focussing on the job thing.

Oh, and somehow in the midst of it all, teaching a workshop on Saturday for the Thames Valley Contemporary Textiles. yes. well, in theory, I wasn't busy, you see. Or at least not when I said I could do it. We are doing fused papers to stitch into and use in your work. So, a couple days I was doing samples for that.

glad things 1

some weeks would get on top of you if you didn't do glad things.

So, Glad Thing for Monday
The book my son ordered for Christmas but got stuck in the post due to snow and was delivered to uni anyway and I only got it because Sunday was Pepper's birthday and my husband took Pepper there and they all went for a long trek. (sometimes run on sentances are the only way to express the ordeal of something)

Anyway, it is a Very Glad thing.

Glad Thing for Tuesday
Following on from the blouse fit, I have made a corset toile which will be the basis for the inner construction for a garment of which I can not go into detail yet! So now I will decide whether I want traditional boning or my favourite corded boning, but either way I have to order some because I haven't enough for the cording and no actual boning.

It doesn't fit Madame as well as me, but you are NOT seeing me in it. :)

(This project kept me from worrying about Pepper who was having a lumpectomy, therefore it is classed as a Glad Thing.)

Glad Thing for Wednesday
Several Glad Things, including a prescription for a vitamin the doctors have realised I am lacking. So, here is to hope for some things improving on that regard.

Wednesday was the last night for the Machine Embroidery class. They have been a wonderful group of ladies, very keen and very imaginative. And see...very appreciative. This is a special bouquet of flowers and a card they gave me.

Besides being an obvious Glad Thing, this was all inspite of a very odd evening in which the electricity went off in the terripin where our class is held. We managed to make do, and finished off the rest of the class in the main building. but I have been fretting all night whether the power cut has damaged any of the computerised machines. (YIKES)

another Glad Thing from Wednesday
One of the ladies had been sounding me out (which I hadn't realised) as to whether I had the book below. When she found out I still had it on my wish list, she decided I needed her copy!

This is a VERY GLAD thing indeed!! Thank you Maria.

I will truly enjoy this!

Glad Thing for Thursday
The exciting project I have been alluding to has 3 parts. and today the silk arrived for part 1.

This is so wonderfully zinggy it has quite cheered the day. so, it prompted the Glad Thing post. So, even though I am feeling the first day of the holidays exhaustion that comes because you finally let yourself stop doing, I can at least think about some Glad Things and perhaps get motivated to get on with the exciting project tomorrow.

But I will go look at Dragons and Stitching Metal today...and pet my friend who is feeling a bit sorry for herself but is healing nicely...and put 1 or 2 or 3 things away in my Studio so I can actually think about doing anything tomorrow.

machine embroidery projects

Here are a few of the exciting things beginning to happen in the Machine Embroidery Course. The students are finding ways to use the techniques in their own work.

Kate has been working on a piece inspired by a wall on Lindisfarne. She is going to insert little pieces inspired by the 'carpet pages' in the Book of Kells.

Delia has been making little embroidered 'tiles' inspired by images of Medieval tiles.

Gaynor is working on a piece which evokes the feel of the sand and the sea through a Maori symbol.

Heather is working on a piece inspired by a design set into the pavement in Slough town centre.

Here Leslie is auditioning a feathered fabric which can be used as 'hair' for the women in her Klimpt inspired piece.

It is hard to believe the course will finish this coming week. I have really enjoyed working with these adventurous ladies! I hope they keep me posted with the results of their designs.

Image Transfer

The recent post through from Cloth Paper Scissors about image transfer was timely, as it was the technique for last night's session in the Machine Embroidery class.

We tried a few different transfer media - one I got some time ago from one of those free catalogues you get through the door. A Dylon transfer medium, and Mod Podge, which I read could also be used.

We also used a technique for drying that I learned when I did my City and Guilds in college. Instead of drying the image with the medium on it, you lay it onto the fabric and rub it in. Then you layer it with baking parchment and press it with an iron on wool setting. you should also turn the piece over and press as well. The heat dries/cures the transfer medium and you can proceed with the bit about getting the paper wet and rubbing it off.

Here is a bit of what went on.

Applying the medium

beginning the rubbing

continuing the rubbing

but not too much!

and you get some images like these...

I love how some students can take instructions from someone who is not good at simple and who some find a bit vague about results ( They often hear. 'Well, try it, see what will happen.'and 'That might work, why don't you try it?' or 'I don't know, it depends, really. what do you think?')
anyway some take those sorts of things from me and still manage to come up with something quite simple and just right!

teaching etc

Lately, with larger classes, I rarely get a chance to take photos of what they are doing.
Here is my demo bit for teaching ideas for using water soluble fabrics. This was the topic for this evening. Not too inspiring, but it was just thrown together a bit to show how to do it.

Sometimes it is called Confetti fabric.

Here are some other places to see the type of work that can be done or to find tutorials and projects.
Here is a link to a group of artists. Some of their work involves the use of water soluble fabric.

Projects and Tutorials

Linda Matthews open lace effects and using decorative stitches

Creating free-form lace, machine openwork and thread-painted motifs onto fabric. Sue Bleiweiss

Confetti fabric with silk roving Heather?

Free-form Embroidery Project- By Liz Kettle from Quilting Arts

Books
The techniques involved are covered in many books on machine embroidery. One book which thoroughly covers the topic is Stitch, Dissolve, Distort by Maggie Grey and Val Campbell-Harding.

Machine Embroidery Taster Sessions

The last 2 Wednesdays I have taught a Free Machine Embroidery Session at the New Directions Caversham centre. I forgot to take photos last week, but managed to do so this week.

We started off getting familiar with the machine working with the feed dogs down. (unfortunately the machines with darning feet are in for a service, so I had the scary experience of worrying about a class full of people working on machines with a bare needle!)

I started them at normal tensions just so they could get an idea and to be able to compare the feel of the top tension loosened.

I suggested doing loops and writing your name. Marianne soon moved on to drawing little houses! Even when she moved on to the other exercises she decided she likes the simple sketching feel of drawing onto calico.

It reminds me of the work of Cathy Cullis. There is the simplicity of line in a primitive sort of way. Marianne is talking of whole streets of houses! Sounds good!

Once the students became confident with the patterns they were doing on the calico, they moved onto enhancing printed fabric with stitch. Making patterns in and around the printed motifs.

This shows Tansy's practicing and then moving onto the printed fabric.

Here is a close up of the pattern Sally is drawing inside the ginko leaf.

If you are interested, there are still a few places left on the 15 week course which starts next Wednesday, 6/10/10. just contact New Directions - details on the sidebar at the right.