Beating Around the Bush classes

At the end of September and beginning of October, I will be teaching at Beating Around the Bush needlework conference in Adelaide, Australia. This is always a fabulous conference, with lots of wonderful tutors, students and classes.

This year I will be teaching the following classes:

Portuguese Whitework Bookmark – Sunday 28th September, 2014
Single day class.

This gorgeous little bookmark features whitework embroidery from Guimarães in the north of Portugal. With drawn thread work and a profusion of bullions and eyelets, this is a lovely mix of counted and surface embroidery.

No need to be scared of bullion knots; you’ll come away from this class very proficient at working them! The method I teach for working bullions is different than the method many people use, and often using this different method gives great results that were previously unachievable for many stitchers.

This project includes both counted embroidery and surface embroidery. Make sure you can count well – magnification will help!

If you are at all likely to have trouble working with 38 count linen, please bring magnification and or lighting.

Some experience with counted thread embroidery would be an advantage in this fast-paced class.

Elizabethan Strawberries Panel – Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th September 2014
Two day class.

Elizabethan embroidery often featured plants and the small creatures who live around them. This colourful design features luscious strawberries and a couple of little critters.

Explore traditional Elizabethan stitches including corded detached buttonhole stitch, corded Brussels stitch and plaited braid stitch. We will be using silks, metallic threads, and sparkly spangles.

This class is for experienced embroiderers who are looking for a fun challenge. The stitches we will be working are not for beginner embroiderers. While you may not have worked these particular stitches before, it is important that you are a confident embroiderer.

You can see the full panel on this class’s page on my website.

Mountmellick Daisy and Forget-me-not Cushion – Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd October
Two day class.

Mountmellick embroidery is a style of floral whitework embroidery from Ireland. It uses white thread on white fabric and a range of knotted and padded stitches to create rich and sumptuous embroidery. The knitted fringe is a traditional edging.

We will be creating a cushion with a pretty design featuring daisies and forget-me-nots. All stitches will be taught in class, and a demonstration of the traditional knitted fringe will be given.

This two day class is suitable even for people who have never tried embroidery before – all skill levels are welcome!

The embroidery stitches will be learned and the cushion embroidery started in class. Cushion construction and knitting will be done in your own time following the class.

Stitcher’s Village Market Day – Wednesday 1st October
As in previous years, there will be a market day of stalls on the Wednesday. This will be open to conference participants, and also the general public. I plan to have a stall at this day again. I will have copies of all my books with me, particularly Sardinian Knotted Embroidery: Whitework from Teulada.

If you have any questions about any of these classes, please just ask me. If you’d like more information on the conference itself, and for bookings, please go to the Beating Around the Bush website. It promises to be an extremely enjoyable week!