In this workshop you will learn how to use a needle and thread as a drawing tool.  First you will trace the outline of a figure (or group of figures) onto cloth and then stitch the silhouette in running stitch. The final step is to fill in the outline with more running stitches.

This is a chance to practise kantha stitch patterns or to learn the three basic kantha stitches of bricking, blocking and stepping. It is also a chance to capture and transform a favourite photograph, magazine picture, or drawing.

By the end of the day, you will leave with the portrait outlined and partially completed (or finished, if you are a fast worker). You will be surprised at how the stitching makes the portrait come to life.

“We usually think of a portrait as an artistic representation which captures the likeness of a person, but even more important is to capture their personality and tell their story and, in the case of a portrait of more than one person, to capture the interaction of lack of interaction between them.”                                                        ---- Sue Stone, UK textile artist

Requirements:

• Photocopy of a photograph (or magazine picture or drawing) of the figure/s that you want to stitch. Digital versions on a laptop will also work.
• Notebook and sharp HB pencil
• Basic sewing supplies
• A piece of vintage linen: e.g. a handkerchief, a pillowslip, a napkin, or a tray cloth
• Or a 12” square piece of new, plain linen or cotton, well -washed
• Stranded embroidery and perle threads in a range of colours
• Milliners or Embroidery needles, size 9
• An embroidery hoop if you prefer to use one
  (I will provide iron-on backing cloth)