A
couple of years ago I was invited to take part in a local college program which
was to be compiled of several courses on Fibre Art. My particular part in it
was teaching embroidery. Since one of the issues that are very dear to my heart
as an artist is the preservation of old traditions in art and crafts, I decided
to design the course around several classic embroidery techniques.
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| Crewel Embroidery |
My
idea was to introduce the students to Cross Stitch, Crewel, Chain Stitch,
Couching, Trapunto, Punch Needle and Lace on Net. I was going to show them
samples of each and encourage them to choose the two that are most appealing to
them. My hope was that distinct personalities and tastes would play their role
and the students would make different choices. That way even though they wouldn’t
be able to try all the techniques on their own, they’d be able to observe and
interact with others who did and eventually return to continue their study, or
even attempt to try them on their own.
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| Trapunto |
I
developed one small floral motif, which was simple enough to be completed in
the course of several classes, yet pretty enough to be put to a further use and
incorporated in another project.
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| Chain Stitch Embroidery |
I
intentionally used the same motif for all the different styles, in order to
illustrate how various techniques create completely distinct look and effect.
The idea was that when someone mastered more of the embroideries, they would have
better and more interesting options when they designed their own projects.
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| Couching |
Unfortunately,
the idea about the Fibre Art courses was never realized at the end. However, I
managed to complete the samples and I’m quite satisfied with the effect. I hope
I can still put them to good use one day. After all they take a while to
complete and it would be such a loss to keep them always hidden away in a box.
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| Cross Stitch Embroidery |
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| Lace on Net Embroidery |
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| Punch Needle Embroidery | |
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