In 2018 I began my journey through the City and Guilds Hand Embroidery course, where I was able to try so many new techniques.
I had been stitching for as long as I could remember and in 2011 when my youngest son was a baby I started going to weekly embroidery classes, partly for a regular evening to myself, but also as I loved stitching and I really wanted to be able to stitch my own designs. I loved these evenings and learnt so much. However I knew that if I did an accredited course I would try new techniques that I would never have tried otherwise. So I enrolled on a City and Guilds hand embroidery course with the School of Stitched Textiles, and I haven't looked back.
Line Stitches
In the first module I was encouraged to study an artist or designer, then make my own design inspired by one of theirs. Once I had my design, it was time to start stitching. My first sample was line stitching. The whole course encourages experimentation, so as well as experimenting with different traditional line stitches, such as running stitch, split stitch and chain stitch, I tried using stitches such as cross stitch and bullion knots in a line.
Textural Stitches
Next was the turn of texture. I'd say all embroidery has a lovely textural feel to it, but then there are some stitches that take this to the next level. I do love using stitches like French knots and whipped spiders wheels in my embroideries. And woven picots are one of my all time favourites for leaves, so on this sample I decided to try doing them far longer than I ever had before! I love to collect textured threads too, so this was the perfect chance to couch some of those down as well.
Filling Stitches
For filling stitches, I moved away from my tulip design and instead opted for simple blocks as my design wasn't really suitable for trying out these stitches. Some of my favourites here are the trellis stitches, they are so versatile, in how you can mix and match the colours to create different effects, although they certainly can't be rushed, otherwise they don't look even. This was the first time I tried needle weaving too, loved this, but again, definitely can't rush it!
Isolated Stitches
Finally I moved on to isolated stitches, so back to my tulip design. This was fun to do. I love whipped and woven spiders wheels and I think the eyelet stitches look really pretty too. Layering up these kind of stitches adds so much texture, especially when you're using different types of threads.
This was just the start of my journey through the course, there is so much more of it to share with you!
To continue reading about the next stage of my journey, please click to read about Counted Thread Embroidery (claireharveyembroidery.com).
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