Silk and Metal Thread Classes

I currently offer classes in Silk and Metal Thread embroidery.  To see the details, click on the class title or the picture for the class you'd like to see.

Golden Butterfly is designed for the beginner.  It is worked on congress cloth.  A variety of metal thread techniques mixed with canvas stitches and silk will be explored.   Beads and pailettes will also be attached.

Tulips have fascinated Westerners since their discovery. Their image is found in art, tapestries, and embroideries since that time. In this class, our goal is to create a fantastical, stylized tulip in rich gold metals/metallic, and red silk on black congress cloth.

I love to embroider flowers that are composites of several flowers.  The flower in this study has its origins in the textiles of centuries past.  Many examples from the past are fantastical in shape and design.  Working on black Congress cloth using brilliant colors and gold metallics is a great exercise using silk and metal threads.

Elizabeth’s Iris is adapted from a painting in Hardwick Hall of a dress owned by Elizabeth  of England.   The dress represents the land, plants, creatures, and continents over which she held dominion.  The dress was of silk with the figures painted on the silk.  It is by an unknown artist. It was sent to Bess of Hardwick Hall as a gift.

Join us in creating this lovely small embroidery. Using three different purls you will outline the three leaves in variations of the outline stitch. The stems are couched pearl purl and #8 braid. The leaf background is a silk and metal organza. The background is a blackwork pattern.

Gilded Circle is a half-day class for beginners. It is a small piece suitable for framing or for a box top. Students learn the fundamentals of silk and metal embroidery

Dragonflies are a very ancient species of insect. They have been flitting and darting about for eons.  In primeval times, they were large and some of them had wing spans of two feet or more.  Today, the wings span three to four inches.  Each pair moves independently for more skillful maneuvering.  A dragonfly can attain great flying speed.  The dragonfly in this study is worked in gold purls. 

Golden Seed Pod is a metal thread embroidery. Join us in stitching this exquisite seed pod!  We will be using smooth, gilt bright check purl, pearl purl super, #1 Japan gold, #5 Check Thread, and #5 Japan gold to create this beautiful piece. The ground fabric is Congress Cloth in black

Trefoil is a study in metal thread work.  The Trefoil is worked in #5 Japan thread couched with silk couching thread in brick pattern couching.  The five seeds are dimensional padded with gold felt and stitched in rough and smooth purls. 

Create this beautiful stylized thistle.  It is a study in metal thread embroidery.  The flower is highly stylized.  Let your imagination play while you embroider this beautiful flower.

The ground fabric is black congress cloth.  The threads are Japan metal-imitation, gold purls #6, check wire purl #5, soie d’alger.

The Jean Hilton Amadeus stitch is one of my most favorite canvas work stitches. It is counted and also a manipulation of the thread that forms dimension. The piece is stitched to create a diamond shape. Amadeus in Silver and Gold is a combination of counted and couching on congress cloth. 

This beauty is a study in metal thread on Congress Cloth. The butterfly is outlined in pearl purls, some areas are filled with chipping using the soft metal purls in both silver and gold metals. Others  are filled with canvas work stitches.