Free Motion Friday*

* Yes, I know it's Saturday, but Free Motion Saturday doesn't sound right and I did mean to post this yesterday.

I'd like to make Free Motion Friday a regular monthly feature here - I've done a couple of odd ones here and there so far - and today I'd like to tell you a bit about the free motion embroidery classes I teach, and what to expect from them.

Firstly, I have to share this:

My first time in a sewing magazine!  It's only a tiny piece but I've very excited.  This is the September issue of Make It Today Dressmaker, a UK publication. 

Sadly the class that's mentioned here is already fully booked, but we WILL be adding more dates soon.  It's a really popular class at Fabric HQ and always sells out really quickly.  You can check the Workshops/Classes page of my blog for more information, or join Fabric HQ's mailing list here.

So what can you expect if you come on one of my free motion embroidery workshops?

• Firstly, and most importantly I think, I'd hope you would have fun.  This is my favourite class to teach and that's largely because everyone seems to enjoy it so much.  I often get students who are a bit scared to begin with, never having done anything like this before, and I don't think I've ever had one person who hasn't loved it by the end of the class... normally by halfway through!

• That brings me on to my second point.  You might be a bit nervous.  Some people are, and I was when I first started free motion embroidery.  It's a very different experience to "normal" sewing.  Once the feed dogs are lowered on the sewing machine you, the stitcher, have complete and total control over where and how the fabric moves under the needle.  If you don't move it, it's going nowhere!  We always start off with a practice piece of fabric where I encourage you to doodle, write your name, draw a little picture; a house or a flower for example and after a few awkward moments you'll find it clicks into place quite quickly (I hope!).

• You can expect to unleash some creativity you didn't know you had!  (Or maybe you did).  Time and again I've had students tell me they're not artistic, then go on to produce amazing pieces.   And don't worry if you can't draw with a pencil and paper; you don't need to be able to unless you want to.  We normally use sample pictures which we trace or cut up as the basis for our designs, so not being able to draw is not an issue in the slightest.  But by the end of the class you'll be able to draw with a sewing machine - how cool is that?!

• You'll go home with a lovely, unique sewn image created by you, which we can mount before you leave if you wish, and hopefully a new hobby and plenty of ideas for more pictures you'd like to create. 

The images in the two collages above are all pieces that have been created by students who had never done free motion embroidery before the class, so as you can see, it's possible to achieve something fantastic in just a few hours.

Please ask in the comments below if there's anything else you'd like to know about my classes, or send me an email if you prefer, using the link in the sidebar.