Learn how to use your sewing machine as a drawing machine and create a beautiful bird portrait with applique and free motion embroidery

Enjoy a creative day learning free motion embroidery, or drawing with your sewing machine! We'll start with the basics and work our way up so that you feel confident with the technique and able to carry on experimenting after the workshop. Using artist Helen Walsh's templates we'll experiment with transferring a design onto fabric, adding colour with appliqué and adding detail, texture and character with free motion embroidery. This workshop is suitable for beginners but intermediate and experienced embroiderer's will also be able to pick up lots of hints and tips.

Materials and refreshments provided, please bring your own lunch

Brief description of the workshop

Learn how to paint with wool to create a beautiful pet portrait using the Needle felting technique. Watch your loveable pet come to life underneath your finger tips, using soft wool fibres, you don’t need to have Drawing skill, really! There are ways around this!

What to expect from the day.

In this course Jane will teach you how to create a 2D needle felted picture. Working from your own photograph Jane will guide you through the Needle felting process step by step with demonstrations. You will begin by transferring your chosen image from a photograph onto a lightweight fabric background to get an accurate outline of your image, you will then be guided through the tools & techniques used. Explaining the different wools, which needles to use for different finish’s and effects and how to correct mistakes (yes we all make them even me!) You will build your picture through the manipulation and layout of fibres, from colour choices and blending to the beautiful intricate expressive eyes, giving warmth and realism to bring your pet to life! The equipment & materials :- a selection of 100% real Wool fibres, foam mat as a working surface, fabric for your background, transfer materials and 2 felting needles, all this equipment and material is yours to keep!

Students need to bring 2 x A4 colour photocopies of your chosen pet or animal please fill as much of the A4 paper as possible with your pet/ animal(please choose a photo that is in focus with no blurred areas) head shots work very well for beginners.

Also some people bring their image on a tablet or iPad which can be very useful, or a additional photocopy of blown up details like eyes, nose or mouth, would work just as well, making sure all images are clear and in focus.

Materials and refreshments provided, please bring your own lunch