The Joy of Stitch: Adventures in Free-Motion Embroidery

The Joy of Stitch: Adventures in Free-Motion Embroidery

Explore your creativity with my brand new 3-day Summer School Course to explore Free-Motion Embroidery. I’ve created this exciting new trio of workshops for the 2025 Summer School Programme, aimed at helping you explore your creativity and discover that sewing isn’t just about taking up hems.  Even if you’ve never done any ‘textiles’ or art before, these fun classes will teach you how to be creative in Textile Art. No drawing needed!

(Adults 16 years +)

The course runs Wednesday 13th to Friday 15th August 2025, 10am to 4pm each day.

Booking closes 30 July.  Early Bird tickets available until 30 March.

The Joy of Stitch – Course description

Please read the entire course description and all the other information given on this page and check here before booking. Once purchased, tickets are non-refundable. Ensure you have entered your information correctly. You will receive an automatic booking confirmation e-mail giving the dates and times of your class(es).  You should save this e-mail and add the event to your phone’s calendar.

The Joy of Stitch: Adventures in Free-Motion Embroidery will give you the basic skills you’ll need to be creative in fabric.

Day 1:  Free-Motion Embroidery. I’ll show you basic and advanced FME techniques to create patterns and textures, building up to creating a stitched picture.

Day 2: Further opportunities to use FME to produce decorative items. You’ll make a decorative stitched panel for either a zipped pouch, small bag or cushion. You can incorporate fabric scraps to give surface texture and pattern if you wish.

Day 3: Working with Dissolvable fabrics.  Create a piece of art from thread and thin air!  At least it will seem like it!  I’ll show how to use various types of dissolvable fabrics to make a bowl, small wearable scarf, or a stitched picture.

Who is ‘The Joy of Stitch’ aimed at?

The Joy of Stitch: Adventures in Free-Motion Embroidery is ideal if you are exploring textile art for the first time and want to find a focus for your creativity.  It’s also ideal if you’ve been doing traditional quilting and would like to break out into something less formal, or if you’re a Beginner Quilter and would like to learn Free-Motion Quilting and other textile skills to your repertoire.

Level:   Previous Free-Motion Embroidery experience is not required, but you must have competent sewing machine skills gained from my Beginner Sewing Course XL or similar.  Adults 16 years +

Course arrangements

You will need:

• your basic sewing kit comprising fabric shears, and small embroidery scissors with fine sharp points, pins.
• your sewing machine plus a Free-Motion Embroidery foot, also known as a darning foot, or borrow one of my machines. If you’re bringing your own, remember the power cable/foot control and spare bobbins.

 A full list of materials will be provided when you book.

There will be a break for lunch everyday and you can take short breaks whenever you need. Travel, accommodation and meals are not included.

Artisan Stitch operates a ‘Covid-sense’ policy in accordance with the Scottish Government’s guidance for businesses and workplaces. Protection measures including wearing of face-masks are in place to safeguard the health and well-being of staff and attendees. If you have any questions or concerns, then please contact me for clarification BEFORE you book.

Useful links:

I am a member of the Quilters Guild, the Contemporary Quilt Group, and Contemporary Scotland Textiles.

Free-Motion (darning) feet can be obtained from Pembertons, my recommended supplier for all machines and accessories.  Just tell them what make and model of machine you have. Otherwise I have some in my studio shop.