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Exeter Gets Crafty: The Creative Craft Show returns to Exeter this September

The Creative Craft Show returns to Exeter this September bringing the hottest new supplies and latest trends to crafters. An unmissable date in any crafter’s calendar in the South West, the Creative Craft Show will be at Westpoint, Exeter from Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th September 2022.

The ultimate weekend for hobbyists, crafters and stitchers, the Creative Craft Show will welcome in the Autumn season with cosy displays and festive features from local artists, crafters and organisations with the theme of harvest.

Visitors to the Creative Craft Show can dive into a wide...

Mounting your finished embroidery/textile

Stitching With Liz & Helen: Mounting Finished Embroideries/Textiles

Event Date: 
13/06/2020 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Venue: 
Exeter Community Centre, 17 St David's Hill, Exeter EX4 3RG

Learn how to professionally complete your finished textile or embroidered work in readiness for framing. During this one day class, you will learn how to mount a piece of work ready for framing. You will measure, draw and cut your card to size, before covering with calico and sateen using a curved needle.

Please note that this class is for a sample mounting piece only, you will not be mounting an actual finished work, although the tutor will be happy to talk to you about the different requirements of various fabrics.

The kit costs £21 and is payable on the day to the tutor...

Stitching With Liz & Helen: Royal Albert Museum Inspired Applique & Quilting

Event Date: 
09/05/2020 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Venue: 
Exeter Community Centre, 17 St David's Hill, Exeter EX4 3RG

Learn a mix of appliqué and quilting techniques, with a RAMM inspired design. Inspired by an exhibit in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, we will create a work which combines applique and quilting techniques. The day will include applying fabrics, padding methods, a variety of edges including cord. At the end of the day you will have a range of techniques which you can use in futue projects.

Kit costs £20, payable to the tutor on the day.

There will be an hour’s break for lunch at 1pm. Coffee, tea and biscuits are included in the class price. There are shops...

Blackwork Shading

Stitching With Liz & Helen: Royal Albert Museum Inspired Blackwork Shading

Event Date: 
04/04/2020 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Venue: 
Exeter Community Centre, 17 St David's Hill, Exeter EX4 3RG

Learn how to shade using the technique of blackwork on counted linen, with a RAMM inspired design. Blackwork came to England from Spain with Catherine of Aragon in 1501. Its diaper patterns originated from ancient Moorish patterns which were made up of intricately designed, interlaced geometric shapes. It was widely used during the Tudor period on clothing, particularly on cuffs and collars, where it was worked to be the same on both sides of the fabric. Today's blackwork has seen the use of shading, leading to the creation of some beautiful embroidered images, purely in black thread on...

Stumpwork sampler

Stitching With Liz & Helen: Stumpwork Sampler

Event Date: 
14/03/2020 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Venue: 
Exeter Community Centre, 17 St David's Hill, Exeter EX4 3RG

Learn a range of stumpwork techniques, including needlelace, wrapped wire & padded slips to create a sampler. There are dozens of ways in which relief can be added to an embroidery to give it a 3D effect and added interest. Some methods have been handed down over the centuries while others make use of more modern materials.

This one day course will cover a variety of techniques for example padded needle laces, wrapped wires, raised surface stitches, covered card, padded slips etc. By the end of the day you will have a series of samples for use in your own projects. We also hope...

Box Construction

Stitching With Liz & Helen: Box Construction

Event Date: 
09/02/2020 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Venue: 
Exeter Community Centre, 17 St David's Hill, Exeter EX4 3RG

Learn how to construct a small fabric covered box. This is an excellent start for leading onto more complex box designs. This class will cover the basics of fabric covered box making, from first drawing out your box pieces onto card, cutting them out and covering them, having chosen from a range of pretty fabrics available on the day, before then assembling your box. This is an excellent start to enable you to construct further boxes in the future.

If you have previously attended the Goldwork class, this design can be used to decorate your box.

The kit costs £25 and is...

Mountmellick Whitework

Stitching With Liz & Helen: Mountmellick Whitework

Event Date: 
18/01/2020 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Venue: 
Exeter Community Centre, 17 St David's Hill, Exeter EX4 3RG

Learn a variety of textural surface stitches using white threads on white fabric to create a waterlily design. Mountmellick embroidery is a whitework technique dating back to 19th century Ireland. It uses “satin jean” fabric and cotton threads of different weights. It mixes lots of textural stitches to create images from nature, typically flowers and grasses. The technique can also be used for more contemporary designs.

During the day you will sample a variety of stitches before starting to apply them to the waterlily design provided. Stitches will include mountmellick stitch,...

Goldwork for Box Decoration

Stitching With Liz & Helen: Goldwork (Box Decoration)

Event Date: 
07/12/2019 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Venue: 
Exeter Community Centre, 17 St David's Hill, Exeter EX4 3RG

Learn the basics of goldwork couching and chips. The design can be used later in the Box Construction class.

This goldwork class will introduce you to some basic goldwork techniques. You will learn how to apply padding using felt, how to work with and couch two different types of gold thread and how to use cutwork.

The goldwork kits for this class cost £35 each and include all materials required. You will need to bring embroidery scissors and pins. Tweezers, a thimble, needle threader, magnifier and daylight lamp may also be useful.

There will be an hour’s break for...

Silk shaded embroidery

Stitching With Liz & Helen: Silk Shading

Event Date: 
09/11/2019 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Venue: 
Exeter Community Centre, 17 St David's Hill, Exeter EX4 3RG

Learn the basic elements of silk shading & stitch a small flower, enabling you to continue working with this technique at home. Sometimes known as painting with the needle, this is an embroidery technique which uses fine threads and needles. It can take time to become confident, but it helps to persevere.

We will start the day by working through all the elements of successful silk shading one by one. We will then move on to combine all these elements in one piece. We will stitch a small flower motif which will provide lots of useful practice. By the end of the day you will...

Design for Stitch

Stitching With Liz & Helen: Design for Stitch

Event Date: 
12/10/2019 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Venue: 
Exeter Community Centre, 17 St David's Hill, Exeter EX4 3RG

Learn how to design & plan an embroidery project during this practical & fun day. Includes methods of transferring designs. Some of us think that planning an embroidery project is almost as much fun as stitching it. This is a practical day on how to convert an idea into a piece of embroidery.

We will cover:

· deciding on an appropriate technique - what works, what doesn't?

· planning stages e.g. stitch plans, colour plans

· design transfer methods eg prick and pounce, stitching through tissue, light boxes etc

· resources - where to find...

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