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Discovery weekends

Discovery Weekends : each weekend course is conceived so that you discover the theme without the need of the other courses. But the six weekends can be taken together as a course. If you wish to participate in all six courses a saving of 10% is offered on inscription. A. Discovering Machine Embroidery I dates: 18th and 19th September 2021   The ability to use free motion embroidery can be extremely useful when creating in textile art. This weekend course, either with a machine from the studio, or your own, will help you to aquire this ability with confidence. You will learn how to manipulate the sewing machine for free … Continue reading →

Designing with Photoshop elements for Inspiration in Embroidery

Dates: 17 – 23 Octobre 2021  or 24 – 30 April 2022    Designing with Photoshop Elements for the Textile Artist and Embroiderer for innovative textile textures The importance of using photo enhancement programs is a great shortcut in paperwork in order to achieve the images you were hoping to find if you had progressed through various drawing and design techniques. Understanding photoshop elements will help you to be the master of this process and not just be led by the program. The first morning we go out and about locally to take a variety of photographs, but you may also bring your own photos with you on a jpeg … Continue reading →

Techniques in detail, Detail in techniques

Techniques in Detail, Detail in Techniques Dates: 24 – 30 October  2021. Starting with photos taken in close up, or an object seen in close-up; experiment with the multiple ways of creating and incorporating interesting surfaces into your work; Bondaweb, polyester, lutradur, tyvek, synthetic felt and metals. Learn how to really use your heat tool for exciting textures and even lace. Print, paint and embroidery techniques can all offer resists for your heat tool.  These surfaces will inspire responses by hand and machine to create embroideries that are truly integrated and interesting.  Lots of techniques in demonstration and practice. Integrate your results and beautiful textures into finshed pieces of work. … Continue reading →

Collagraphy printing on textiles and paper

Dates: 15th to 21st May Exploring Collagraphy The first day include an exploration of the possibilities of embroidery on paper as a starting point for your creation. The creation of different types of collagraph plates suitable for printing with and/or without a press. We cover different media suitable for textural plates; sewing and embroidery on suitable surfaces to create collagraph plates; textile and organic inclusions into the plates for textural effects. The choice of varnish makes a huge difference to the quality of the print so we look at the choices available so that your choices can be informed. Different methods of inking the plate are also primordial, and you … Continue reading →

Colour on cloth – Dyeing School

Dates: 26th June – 2nd July  2022 Dye and print techniques for surface design and embroidery A variety of fabric surface colouration techniques are explored in this course, including use of procion dyes, ink and paint. Painting cloth, screen and thermofax printing, breakdown printing, photo lamination, monoprinting and collagraphy as methods of colouring cloth will all be covered to build up a beautiful layered surface. We also look at how to respond to the fabrics thus created with embroidery and embellishing techniques to create a rich and intricate surface in order to go one step further with your “Art Cloth”. Suitability: For any level of student Tariffs: 920€ Full board … Continue reading →

Sea themes Mixed media

Sea Themes : Mixed media Dates:  4th – 10th September 2022   The course starts with a day on the Ile de ré exploring this wonderful seaside venue collecting ideas, bits and pieces, photos and visual information. Following on, a series of exercises will help to move away from the purely representational towards mixed media surfaces in abstraction or semi-abstraction. You will surprise yourself! You will be working with paint, paper, fabric, ink , print and hand and/or machine embroidery. Suitability: Intermediate and Advanced and enthusiastic beginners Tariffs: 920€ Full board own room 870€ Sharing 395€ Non-embroiderer sharing To book your course Please telephone 0033 251274339 or 0033687848495 to talk about … Continue reading →

Working with Transparency on a sea theme

Dates: 18th  – 24th September 2022 Working with transparency on a  Sea theme Various materials are useful for working with transparency some are quite obvious, others less so. This course looks at materials that you may or may not be used to with the intention of exploiting transparency, and with it, absence and presence of materiel. Almost any subject can be used for the exploitation of transparency in textile art, but this year’s course will take the local seaside as the starting point for inspiration. Coastal plant life, the forms of pebbles or sea shells left on the beach, the sea foam or waves, could all offer substantial inspiration for … Continue reading →

The Machine Embroidery course. How to do and be creative with machine embroidery and the embellisher

Dates:    27th June to 3rd July 2021 See also Discovery Weekends in autumn 2021   The course for anyone wishing to learn how to work with free motion embroidery or improve on their machine embroidery skills and feel at ease with this medium. How to be truly creative with machine embroidery. An observation of a simple subject such as a shell, flower, lichen, rust etc, at the beginning of the course  helps you to explore an A-Z of techniques within a context of creative ideas leading towards a useful collection of samples and perhaps one or two small finished pieces. Right from the start you are encouraged to find personal … Continue reading →

Paper in Textile Art

Dates: 3rd – 9th July 2016 Masses of interesting techniques for an exciting and very full course all about paper in relation to textile and embroidered surfaces. Included in the course are different approaches for including paper in stitching and stitching in paper. You will learn easy techniques for creating and manipulating paper with silk and other fibres. Discover simple techniques to enjoy creating very fine, lacey and even transparent papers. The use of paper in 2d, relief and 3d is also covered and  there is a taste of collagraphy for printing and creating relief. Lots of demonstrations and techniques as well as encouragement and help to find your own … Continue reading →