Course Description

In this masterclass Rebecca will begin with an inspiring presentation about historical and contemporary embroidery artists, encouraging you to explore and develop your own creativity. Before moving to Paris, Rebecca was an award-winning Art teacher and she will share her love of beauty with an introduction to the wonderful world of embroidered embellishment. You will learn how to use this inspiration in future embroideries and add embellishment with confidence, no more hesitating over which beads, sequins and ribbons to use!

Following on from this, you will begin with traditional embroidery using the beautifully luxurious Soie d’Alger spun silk threads from Au Ver à Soie, a reminder of everything you learned in A Brief Dictionary of Stitches. Rebecca has collaborated with Nathalie Botherel to create a gorgeous colour-way of rich ivy greens, opulent violets, vibrant pinks, regal blues, sunshine yellows and terracotta browns. Nathalie is the 5th generation of the Au Ver à Soie family, purveyors of the finest silk threads in France for over 200 years. We will use these silk threads to embroider our old friends; Back stitch, Long and Short stitch, French knots, Bullion knots, Feather stitch, Fly stitch and bien sûr, the cheerful Daisy stitch.

Next, Rebecca will share the techniques she learned while studying at École Lesage and working in the embroidery ateliers of Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and more in Paris. She will introduce new materials and techniques, share her experience on when to use them, and then teach you how to embellish your embroidery with glistening golden light and rich colourful textures.

You will learn how to master Fil au Chinois metallic gold thread with a few simple but highly effective techniques to tame this temperamental luxury thread. Once you have learned these techniques, embroidering with metallic threads becomes a pleasure, rather than a frayed, messy frustration! Rebecca has collaborated with Fil au Chinois to manufacture a limited edition 20 metre spool of Antique Gold, 3 strand metallic thread for the Language of Love embroidery box. You will have plenty left over for future projects!

The joy of using Langlois Martin beads and sequins will be introduced, they are the last remaining manufacturer in France. Rebecca will give you lots of guidance about how to select and purchase these sparkling treasures for your own collection. She will then teach you the techniques used in extravagant Haute Couture embroidery, a little bit of sparkle can illuminate an embroidery when used correctly! You will learn how to thread a beading needle using the correct thread, how to tie a secure knot and the gesture used to pick up beads and sequins easily. Next, you will learn how to add beads in a curved, continuous line and then how to add beads in sparkling clusters. Finally, you will discover the pleasure of sunshine sequins and the techniques used to add them individually and ‘in-a-river’. After these four techniques are mastered over the course of The Language of Love embroidery, you will have the confidence to use them in future embellished embroideries and more importantly, know when to use them!

When Rebecca was working in the Haute Couture embroidery ateliers she would listen with rapt attention to the wisdom shared by the experienced embroiderers. They agreed that the most interesting part of their work was learning to work with new materials or creating new ways to work with familiar materials, making the dreams of celebrated fashion designers into a beautiful embroidered reality! With that in mind, Rebecca will introduce silk ribbon embroidery, using traditional techniques, you will learn how to add texture and volume to your embroidery. Next, you will learn how to embellish the silk ribbon embroidery with beads and sequins, so that it accentuates your work, rather than becoming the main focus. This will give you the confidence to make more creative decisions in future projects, no more hesitating and doubting yourself, as you develop your design skills and personal style!

Rebecca spends her Saturdays in the oldest Flea Market in Paris, marvelling at embroidered waistcoats and gowns from the 18th and 19th centuries. The silk embroidery is so beautiful it is breathtaking, but on close inspection, they are often embroidered using the same technique, silk-shading. Rebecca will introduce this advanced technique using the Au Ver à Soie flat silk threads in two shades and she will be sharing all her tips and tricks to guide you to success. Slowly but surely, your confidence will increase as you learn about directional stitches and how to blend the coloured threads as an artist blends their coloured paints, this introduction will give you a strong foundation for future silk-shading adventures!