SLOW STITCH WORKSHOPS
My Expressive Art Workshops are focused on visual art as a way to increase motivation and self-confidence, foster reflection, develop resilience and improve quality of life. These classes are designed to meet individual client or collective group needs. A safe and supportive environment is provided which supports authentic self-expression.
THREADS OF WELLBEING: SLOW-STITCH & FABRIC COLLAGE
Hand embroidery, the process of repetitively pulling a sharp needle through fabric, has been shown to have a calming effect on mood and stress levels. The act of stitching offers more than a simple distraction and can have a positive effect on mood and stress levels. The slow process of making tiny, seed-like, repetitive stitches become a calming, repetitive task.
Hand embroidery cannot be rushed. Time and attention are needed to carefully pull the sharp needle through the fabric. The process of making tiny, repetitive stitches asks for careful focus. This calm state can be accessed with straight-stitch embroidery; a sense of time is ignored or forgotten as the rhythmic stitching process is the only focus. Works of fiber art created during these sessions begin with selecting fabrics and thread colors. Arranging, cutting, and hand stitching the fabrics are the collage process. Embroidery hoops, organic muslin, a variety of fabrics, and bright, colorful threads are the supplies we will be working with to craft a highly personal fabric collage. The experience of slow-stitch embroidery creates a highly personal threaded narrative.
*These flexible workshops are suitable for full or half day events.
VESSELS OF HOPE
This workshop offers the fulfilling experience of creating beautiful and functional Fabric Vases. Fabric Vases begin as repurposed glassware that is transformed with the application of batting scraps, threads, and fabric remnants to the bottle’s surface. Finished Fabric Vases can hold cut flowers, paint brushes, pencils or pens - depending on the transformed height and shape of your glassware.
Fabric Vases use a glass bottle as an armature, creating a unique form by wrapping and applying batting to the bottle surface, selecting fabric and thread colors, and securing the wrapping with hand stitches. Arranging, cutting and stitching the fabrics is a collage process that allows spontaneity to guide the creative journey. The use of slow-stitch embroidery adds a calming, rhythmic touch to this creative process, and adds detail and texture to these whimsy-filled objects.
Participants are encouraged to use recycled glass bottles of their choosing, and to repurpose their own fabric and batting scraps. Vessels of Hope are a great fabric and batting stash buster! A variety of DMC Size 8 Perle Cotton Embroidery Floss is recommended. I provide additional glass bottles and muslin fabric. With a welcoming spirit in our work space, and music in the background, a playful and communal creative experience occurs!
Quilted Vases range in size from 4x4x4 to 14x7x7 inches.
*This workshop is suitable for a 1 day event.
QUILTED CLOTH: A PRAYER FOR HEALING
This workshop offers the experience of beauty to those experiencing life transitions and uncertainty. Like a quilt, the process of change and adjusting to loss is wrought with many layers, pieces, and sometimes, threads of joy.
Prayer and healing represent the process and act of transformation. They lead to a state of renewal and grace. Each stitch in a Quilted Cloth/Memorabilia Quilt is a prayer of hope and a symbol of the very transformation we seek.
Participants are encouraged to provide their own personal and emotionally significant fabrics and any and all embellishments (photographs, letters, buttons, etc.). I provide muslin, batting and other filler fabrics necessary for completing your Quilted Cloth/Memorabilia Quilt.
Quilted Cloth pieces can have a theme or be emotion driven and range in size from 10x10 inches to 20x20 inches.
*This workshop is suitable for a 1 or 2 day event.
WORKSHOP INQUIRIES
I am happy to answer questions about my work as an Expressive Arts Facilitator and to schedule Workshops. Call Me or OPEN FORM and provide the requested info. Please allow 48-72 hours for a response.
“Let the beauty we love be what we do.”
- Rumi