UK Workshops and Muncaster Castle Retreatclick for dates
USA and Australia Workshops and Retreatsclick for datesWORKSHOP AND LECTURES 2010
Crewel Work is a traditional and beautiful form of ancient embroidery using wool to create a slightly raised feature on a linen background. I am a specialist crewel embroiderer and am extremely fortunate to have access to, and permission to replicate, the crewel and needlepoint designs in many British Castles, private Country Houses and Museums both in the UK and abroad.
My ongoing research with these collections allows me to bring you textile information from the source, which often includes stitches and techniques long forgotten by current needlework stitch books. Many of my crewel kits and needlepoint canvases are direct replicas of the original designs by exclusive special permission from their owners. Others are from my private collection of historic crewel and needlepoint. I endeavour to replicate the colour, scale, stitch and materials of the original crewel work, and my mission is to share this information with my students to enable us all to appreciate the beauty and skills intrinsic in this art form.
One of the delights of crewel work is that you may stitch at any level and you will probably find that, through stitching one of my designs, you achieve results well beyond your original expectation.
My lectures, workshops, books, DVD and kits are the result of a lifetime`s enthusiasm for historic and contemporary crewel embroidery. Each workshop is organised to ensure that you have an enjoyable and informative day with like-minded enthusiasts. During the day you will enjoy learning the how, when, who and why about crewel work.
Crewel Work is ideal for all skill levels and my aim is that you enjoy the challenge whichever stage you are at. You will learn to stitch with confidence, and increase your understanding of the designs, the stitches and their place in history.
WORKSHOP INFORMATION
Even if you have never attended a needlework event before, you need have no fear of my workshops. You will be made most welcome, and if you are a novice you will be especially welcome as the one who asks the questions no one else dares to! At the start of the workshop you will be supplied with a “project pack” – a piece of our exclusive “Z” twist linen twill, ready printed with a traditional design on which to learn, under my guidance, a variety of stitches and techniques, all of which are traditional and appropriate for the style and age of the original. One of my specialities is teaching Long and Short stitch as “soft shading”, and more advanced students will progress to blending through corners with encroaching layers of colour, and for the even more advanced (or adventurous!) the inclusion of silk threads to enhance the wool shading. Laid and Couched work and its variations are also included, as well as other classic crewel embroidery stitches.
As well as teaching the classic crewel stitches and techniques, my students may learn “rarely seen stitches”, ones which are not featured in any current publication but which I have discovered during my research into 17th and 18th Century British crewel work.
Workshops normally begin at 9.30am and finish at 3.30pm, with appropriate breaks for refreshments and the chance to stretch your legs.
Tea, coffee and biscuits and all materials are provided on the day. The “project pack” containing all the materials comprises my special linen twill, pre-printed with the design, crewel needles, Appleton`s crewel embroidery wools, illustrated workshop notes, as well as free loan of a seat frame. You may wish to bring your own seat frame if you have one so that your work can remain on the frame to travel home, or a floor frame with a magnifier if this is what you normally use. To guarantee the availability of a frame please inform me at least a week before the workshop.
I prefer a quiet workshop whilst stitching, so that we can all concentrate fully and learn from the questions that others ask. This also helps those who are hard of hearing, or who just wish to think their own thoughts, and this ensures that I can give equal attention to all students. I often use a flip chart, and then teach individually in turn around the room, demonstrating where appropriate. Some workshops begin or end with a short talk.
If you have any special needs, or if I can help make your day more enjoyable, or if you have a particular preference for learning a stitch or technique, then please let me know in advance of the workshop.
Over the past few years we have run four highly sucesssful needlework retreats. Do click on the links below to see the full details. Do contact me if you would like information about future specialist historic textile events in Castles and Country Houses. |