Creative Embroidery Techniques for Garment Making

Day – Tuesday Evenings

Date –  14th January – 11th February  (5 weeks)

Time – 7-9pm

Venue – St Michael’s Mount Community Centre St Michaels Road Hitchin Herts SG4

Building on the foundations of our Embroidery for Garment Making course, this follow-up class will take your embroidery journey even further. Over the duration of the course, we will explore new techniques and experiment with a variety of materials. Whether you looking to expand your skills in creating layers or want to incorporate more textured designs into your garments, this course will provide the guidance and inspiration you need. Perfect for those who are ready to push their embroidery practice to the next level, this class will help you unlock your creative potential and elevate your projects.

Donna is an embroidery artist and educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. Based in Hitchin, her brand Make Your Own Happy promotes harnessing the power of creativity as a form of mindfulness and self-care.  Donna’s colourful work is influenced by nature, particularly flowers and the changing seasons, which is reflected in the intricate designs of her embroidery kits.  Through a wide array of creative workshops across Hertfordshire, Donna hopes to inspire students to explore the therapeutic and artistic benefits of embroidery.  Her approach to teaching is both comprehensive and engaging, making her the ideal guide for both beginners and experienced embroiderers.

Throughout this course, you will build on your embroidery skills and explore new techniques across a range of materials. By the end of the course, you’ll have a deeper understanding of texture, design, and technique, along with the confidence to continue your embroidery journey.

Week 1: Embroidery on Woollen Fabric

• Understanding how to work with different types of wool and textured fabrics
• Creating contrast and texture with wool and embroidery threads
• Using wool embroidery to create dimensional designs and patterns
• Learning how to stabilise and hoop woollen fabric for embroidery

Week 2: Sashiko

• Introduction to the traditional Japanese technique of sashiko embroidery
• Learning the basics of sashiko stitches, including running stitch and variations
• Creating geometric patterns and motifs with sashiko stitching
• Understanding how to use sashiko to add texture and embellishment to fabric
• Exploring the historical context and modern applications of sashiko embroidery

Week 3: Cutwork

• Exploring the use of cutwork for decorative accents on garments and home textiles
• Techniques for creating clean, precise cut edges
• Securing cutwork designs with a variety of stitches, such as satin stitch and buttonhole stitch
• Tips for transferring cutwork designs onto fabric
• Understanding how to stabilise fabric for cutwork embroidery

Week 4: Beading

• Introduction to beading techniques in embroidery
• Exploring how to use beading to add sparkle and detail to garments or art pieces
• Attaching beads securely to fabric using a variety of stitches
• Creating patterns and designs with beads for texture and embellishment
• Tips for combining beading with embroidery stitches for intricate effects

Week 5: Monogramming

• Designing and transferring monograms onto fabric
• Exploring a variety of stitches suitable for monogramming, such as satin stitch, split stitch, and chain stitch
• Tips for creating clean, symmetrical, and polished letterforms
• Adding embellishments, such as borders or decorative motifs, to complement monograms
• Practical uses for monogramming, such as personalising gifts, linens, or clothing

• The course includes 
  • Hire of spacious room (see Venue description for more information)
  • Specialist experienced tutor
  • 5 x 2hr lessons
  • Materials provided: various weights and textures of fabric, sashiko needles, sashiko cotton, DMC thread, beading needles, beads
  • Course handouts
  • Opportunity to relax with fellow stitch enthusiasts and make new friends
  • Inclusion in a WhatsApp group for support the duration of the course and afterward should you need us.
  • Ongoing membership of our community group – The Social Society WhatsApp group

• We will provide many of the materials you need for this course, however you may wish to bring along some different weights of wool from your own stash to experiment with.  You will also need a basic embroidery kit including a needles, pair of scissors and a fabric marker pen.
• Mug for hot drinks

• You will receive a confirmation email upon booking please ensure you have given us your telephone number. You will be added to a course WhatsApp group 1 week before the start of the course.
• Our classes are non-refundable so please make sure you’ve checked your diary carefully before booking
• Please read our FAQs and T’s & C’s before booking.
• Should you need to contact us before your course please email [email protected]

The course will be held at

St Michael’s Road Community Centre Hitchin SG4 0QA

The venue has a large spacious well managed space close to Hitchin train station. It has lots of free parking and excellent toilet and kitchen facilities.