May was the month of new projects. Five new workshops and five new project pieces. All done online from the comfort of my own studio!

I’m a big convert – I love online classes!! Why? I have it all right here – proper lighting and stitching set up (and instant access to my stash), my own comfy bed and pillow and a wonderfully stocked kitchen just a few steps away. In addition, I am able to access many teachers and tutors (from around the world) without having the additional cost of travel (airfare, hotels, food).

Project 1 – Glitter & Gogh: Etude of the starry night; design by natalie dupuis (sew by hand)

After waiting for over a year, our guild was finally able to run the Glitter & Gogh workshop with Natalie Dupuis! We had 18 students participate in this 2 day class over Zoom (we had 6 hours of instruction on two consecutive Saturdays). This piece was inspired by Vincent’s “Starry Night”. Natalie’s design has been a delight to stitch – there are many different types of gold materials – including an element with gold leaf.

It was very easy to channel my “inner Vincent” and I am able to freely change and add elements to this piece as I like. I especially like the two swirls in which a variety of diffent threads are couched over. A thoroughly modern take on couching! Totally random and freeform.

Lady Anne’s Needlework Festival

Finally, finally, I was able to take part in The Crewelwork Company’s Lady Anne’s Needlework Festival. It’s actually quite the story! In 2018, registered for their Four Country Tour which was to take place in June 2020. And then there was the COVID thing – needless to say, no travelling and my big stitching trip was cancelled.

When I heard they were going virtual for 2021, I just had to do it! And it was wonderful! Get togethers, lectures with fantastic guest speakers and workshops! I attended all of the lectures and registered for two workshops.

They used a lovely, interactive platform called “Sched” and their event coordinators are absolutely the best – shout out to Laura and Priti! Zoom classes were scheduled (4 hours of live instruction per day) for the classes I registered in and was used for all guest speakers. Zoom sessions were recorded and students have access to them for 4 months. There were also a number of pre-recorded classes that you could register – so many to choose from!!

https://www.crewelwork.com/pages/needlework-tours

project 2: phoenix design, inspired by phoenix and faces glove; designed by deborah wilding

This was my first exprience with a tutor trained at the RSN – WOW! Deborah is a wonderful teacher. I was just amazed at her confidence and stitching speed! Her instructional booklet is so well written and her in class instruction and demonstrations were clear and concise. We had a very small class and I was able to adapt quite nicely to the class pace that Deborah set.

I’ve got a bit of work to do, but we covered all of the different elements during class time (and I’ve got access to the recorded zoom sessions for a few more weeks, should I need to refer back to any of the instruction). I learned a lot about different types of padding , working with metal threads (pearl purl, twist and Japanese thread), goldwork techniques: chipping, cutwork, couching.

Project 3: Fennel; designed by jo butcher

Jo has been one of my favourite designers for quite some time! When I saw this workshop, I knew it was the right one for me. I love the french knots in soft yellows and the painted fabric and grey stems and grass. Such a lovely soft piece – and a delight to stitch. I’ll be very good at french knots when this is done!

Jo is an excellent teacher – we had a lovely day together stitching – her teaching pace is very relaxed and her in-class stitching demonstrations were great. I really enjoyed this workshop.

I’ve never done a piece with printed fabric before – I like it!!

Embroiderer’s Association of Canada (EAC) Magical mystery seminar 2021

The last two May projects are from 2021 Seminar! This is the fourth seminar that I have attended over the years and the first online.

A totally different experience than attending in person and also a totally different online experience. We are using the Groups IO Platform which, once you figure it out, is easy and enjoyable to use. We interact with our teachers by messaging in the app and weekly (or biweekly) zoom sessions have been scheduled. The IO platform also has an area for photo albums where you can upload pictures of your progress and files so that teachers can add materials for the courses.

The best part about the way that this seminar is set up is that we get so much more interaction with the teacher and fellow students during the course – and for much longer!

Courses and teachers have been announced for Seminar 2022. “Hues in Harmony” is being held in Toronto, Ontario on May 16 to 22, 2022

https://eac-acb.ca/seminar/?fbclid=IwAR0fR2PxcjZUKXFLca-gDpmu6eJBBMkUbNYoW63U8CxfSYqxrMzj5g9s5ZA

They’ve published an awesome YouTube video introducing the teaching team and project courses!

project 4 – daisy biscornu – hazel blomkamp

Project 5 – creative design – janet scruggs

Watch for upcoming project updates 😊