Expand your stitching practice with this creative embroidery class!

Express your interests and ideas as an art form beyond traditional embroidery in a hoop. In this class, you’ll learn basic stitches as a beginner or expand your stitch vocabulary (intermediate level) while looking at the history of the craft from clothing and home textiles from all over the world to contemporary art. Historical textiles will provide inspiration along with pieces by artists working today.

The course will cover traditional and contemporary materials and creative exercises to inspire ideas and warm up your hands. The goal is to find stitches that you enjoy using and new ways to explore mark-making, pattern, color, and line with a needle and thread.

No drawing experience is needed. You are welcome to work with patterns to create your work in addition to free-hand drawing. You may surprise yourself when you stitch freehand!

I will be showing you the materials I typically use, giving you some tips I've picked up along the way, and teaching you many different stitching techniques. This class is great for beginners, but also helpful for those who are more familiar with needlework and want to brush up on their skills. In my class, everyone's projects are independent and different from others. You will create an embroidery piece that you can hang as artwork or add to a piece of clothing. 

I will be showing you in this course, Straight stitch, Backstitch, Split stitch, French knots, Stem stitch, Satin stitch, Long and Short stitch, beadwork (depending on the project), and many more if your project needs something different stitches than on this list. Also, very welcome to work on your mixed-media embroidery projects. These basic stitches are all you will need to complete our class project. 

Supply list:

3-9 embroidery needles.

Embroidery hoops 12" or different sizes depending on the project. 

Small sharp scissors to cut threads.

Embroidery floss.  

For the embroidery material, it's the student's choice. Can be Linen, cotton, Muslin, Jean Jacket, or canvas tote bag.

This class is offered as part of Perkins Folklife Center programming. Special pricing for these classes and workshops is made possible with support from NJ State Council on the Arts.

https://perkinsarts.org/folklife/

Perkins Center Guidelines and Policies. 

Masking is optional while onsite at our facilities. Review our guidelines and policies for more information on COVID-19 and General Health Policies and Procedures.