I have previously mentioned here my plan to teach an “unusual and difficult stitches” class at Beating Around the Bush in 2012. I thought you might be interested in reading about my thought processes for this class.<\/p>\n
Most of my classes that I already teach are just a variation on a theme. For Mountmellick, I teach the stitches and we work a project. From class to class, the project changes, and maybe a couple of stitches are varied, but its usually basically the same class. For Hardanger and Merezhka I teach the stitches on the project we are working. The Hardanger and Merezhka projects may vary, but much of the information taught from class to class remains the same. <\/p>\n
As I have taught such classes many times, while I may need to design a new project for a new class, and then write up the instructions, there’s not a whole heap of preparation other than that. But this new class is quite different, and as its not one that I have taught before, I need to nut out how its going to work, and do a lot of preparation and planning.<\/p>\n
For starters, I need to come up with the list of stitches that we are going to use. The class is going to be over two days, a total of about 12 hours (I’m not sure of the exact length, but its probably about that). I have to consider how many difficult and unusual (not necessarily difficult in that case) stitches I can teach in that amount of time, with enough time to reasonably master them and feel confident about working them, but without information overload!<\/p>\n
I have also been trying to figure out how I will present the class – will it be a project based class, will it be a sampler class, or will it be a combination of both?<\/p>\n
I think that really if it is presented as a project class, people will focus on the project too much. The point is the stitches that we are going to learn. But if I present it as a sampler class, then how am I going to attract people to the class if the class model that is in the brochure is just a boring sampler of stitches?<\/p>\n
Well, the answer to that is that it has to be an inspiring sampler of stitches!<\/p>\n
When I think of non-counted-thread samplers, I think of boring looking lines of different stitches. Completely uninspiring! So yesterday I put a notice up on the blog asking if anyone could direct me to any pictures of contemporary non-counted-thread samplers.<\/p>\n
Elizabeth gave me some excellent links, pointing to: These really got my brain ticking over. Suddenly I wasn’t thinking boring lines of stitches any more. It could be a grid, with each section of the grid being for a different stitch. Sure, those grid sections could have lines of stitches in them, but the grid would give the whole sampler structure.<\/p>\n
\nhttp:\/\/39squares.blogspot.com<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/countedblessingsproject.blogspot.com<\/a><\/p>\n