Search Results for: The Embroidery Corner

The Embroidery Corner

Jul1

The Embroidery Corner

embroidery corner

The Embroidery Corner is a 16-week course that will introduce the student to hand embroidery techniques including traditional stitches using perle cotton and cotton floss; silk embroidery ribbon stitches using silk ribbon especially made for embroidery;  and bead embroidery stitches using seed beads, buttons and charms. It is required that you buy my book Embroidered and Embellished as I refer to the book during each class.

Each class will cover one embroidery stitch and it’s variations; or several related stitches and variations. These stitches included border row, decorative and detail stitches. The stitches will be worked on a muslin sampler that you can turn into a book of samplers. You will receive a handout for each class, which explains the stitch, how to use the stitch, and the variations of the stitch.

embroidery corner

The first day of the series I will have a 15 minute lecture that covers the Embroidery Basics for the first 12 classes. I will also have a basic lecture for bead and silk ribbon embroidery stitches.

Here is a list of the classes that are offered:

  1. Embroidery Basics/ Knots and Detail Stitches
  2. Outline and Stem Stitches and More
  3. Lazy Daisy Stitch and Variations
  4. Chain Stitch and Variations
  5. Fly Stitch and Variations
  6. Feather Stitch and Variations
  7. Blanket Stitch and Variations
  8. Blanket and Buttonhole Shapes
  9. Cross, Herringbone and Chevron Stitches and their Variations
  10. Modern Fern and Cretan Stitches and their Variations
  11. Looped Stitches and Variations
  12. Bead Embroidery Basics/ Beaded Stitches and Variations
  13. Ribbon Embroidery Basics/ Ribbon Embroidery Stitches
  14. Woven Ribbon Embroidery Stitches and Variations
  15. Whip-Stitches and Variations
  16. Couched and Embroidered Trims

These classes are $20 per visit, you can attend any or all. The class fee includes a picture of the sampler and the written instructions for the class.

Date and time: This class is not currently scheduled.

For information on the series, please contact me: thestoreonthecorner@gmail.com

Happy Stitching! ~Christen

Creative Embroidery, Mixing the Old with the New, Book Promotion: Day 4

Mar23

I have a new book coming out in March 2023, Creative Embroidery, Mixing the Old with The New. The emphasis of the book is to create something new from your vintage and new stash of fabrics, hankies, table linens, doilies, laces, appliqués, trims, ribbons, threads, buttons, beads, notions, and more.

Book Blog and Social Media Tour Details

The following hosts of the blogs and Facebook pages listed below, are offering a chance to win a free copy of the eBook. Visit each listing on the day of the tour that they are hosts, and enter the drawing for a chance to win!

Today you have a chance to win at Epida Studio.

Don’t forget to hop on over, and good luck!

Round Robin Groups

To help me promote the book, I asked a few good friends to participate in a Round Robin Group block exchange. So, what is a “Round Robin”, and how did this project get started? I asked each artist to create a 10”- 12” pieced square, using any type of fabric and color combination. The construction could also include doilies, laces, or ribbons, and then the embroidery and embellishments stitches included in the book. Once the block was created, they sent the block to the next person in the group, including the threads and embellishments that they wanted to include on their block. Then the block traveled on to the next participant in the group, and then back to the owner.

The participants of the second Round Robin Group, are artist, teacher, and author Diane Herbort, and artist and teacher Chris Vinh of Stitchesnquilts, team with their longtime friend, artist Nancy Karst. Diane and Chris have taught for, and all the ladies shop at their favorite craft store, Artistic Artifacts, where many of the fabulous fibers used in these blocks came from.

Round 1: Nancy Karst
Round 2: Diane Herbort
Round: Chris Vinh
Final Round: Nancy Karst
Indigo Mandala

Here is Nancy Karst’s block. Her block started with a handkerchief that had a delicate crochet edging. She then added an indigo-dyed doily and topped that with a vintage yo-yo and button. The four wool vases in the corners were created from a vase design, from the Embroidery Stencils Darling Motif Collection, by C&T Publishing. She I embellished the block with embroidery stitches, vintage peach and green silk-covered snaps, and rust-colored bird shaped beads. Her block traveled to Diane Herbort, and then to Chris Vinh.

The block is now back with Nancy and she says: Wow! Diane and Chris made the piece zing, adding touches I love. Their beautiful stitching added a gentle swirl to keep the eye moving around the center doily.”

If you would like to read more the details of each block see the original post that I wrote, Creative Embroidery, Round Robin 2, The Virginians, for C&T Publishing.

Happy Stitching! ~Christen

Embroidery Samplers

Oct30

If I could pass on one important thought, it would be that practice just makes sense. Perfection is not something that I strive for, but I myself feel more confident when I understand the stitches that I am working on.

My book Embroidered and Embellished, by C&T Publishing is divided into four chapters, each chapter includes 20 stitches and 2 projects. I grouped the stitches according to the type of stitches and the materials that were used in each of these chapters.

Traditional Embroidery Stitch Sampler
Silk Ribbon Embroidery Sampler
Raised and Textured Stitch Sampler

At the beginning of each chapter I have included a sampler which utilizes all of the stitches included in the chapter. I used the above embroidery template (page 89) as a guide, and embroidered the design around the guide.

The Embroidery Journal Project above, is from my book, The Embroidery Book, by C&T embellishing. There are instructions in the book for making this little journal on page 43. Each page is 10″ x 6″, with the embroidered sections worked on each 5″ x 6″ half. You can refer to the samplers in the Visual Guide for the stitches to use, or use the samplers at the beginning of each chapter.

In my class The Embroidery Corner, I taught a 17 week course on embroidery. Each week, working with one stitch family, the student practiced their stitching on a 6″ piece of fabric. Here are some of my examples:

For a book that includes over 500+ stitches, see my book Hand Embroidery Dictionary, by C&T Publishing. If you would like to make a sampler of your own, you can download the free PDF lesson, Sampler Roll of Stitches.

I am confident that you will agree that by allowing yourself the time to learn and experiment with a new technique will never be a waste of time. You are worth the time that it takes to prepare for your journey into embroidery. May that be a long enjoyable journey, and may your needles fly!

Happy Stitching, enjoy~Christen

The Crazy Corner

Dec14

Crazy Corner with Christen Brown

crazycornersample

The Crazy Corner, a master class by Christen Brown, takes the student from a pile of fabric to a finished CQ block in 16 weeks. In each 2 hour lesson you will learn comprehensive information that can be applied not only to crazy piecing, but in other aspects of your creative work.
Due to amount of information covered in each class, the student is required to have the experience and expertise listed in the description under each week’s class listing. Hand embroidery and sewing skills are a must; some ribbonwork and bead embroidery knowledge is also helpful.

If you are new to embroidery may I suggest my book Embroidered and Embellished and my class The Embroidery Corner Series.

Week 1: Organizing Your Components and Color Theory 101 $20.00

lesson1square1Learn how to choose fabrics; combine textures and colors; and how to bring in additional colors with ribbon and lace. Explore the embroidery choices with thread, silk embroidery ribbon and beads. Identify and assign color names and numbers to your fabrics, trims, threads etc.

Week 2: NO-Sew Square $20.00

lesson2square1Create a CQ base that does not require any machine sewing. Some hand-sewing may be needed, but for the most part the fabrics are adhered to a muslin base with a fusible web.

Week 3: Custom Dyeing Laces and Ribbons $30.00

lesson3square1Learn to dye laces, ribbon and threads using ColorHue dyes. I will bring the dyes for you to use during class time. *Please note: this class is a 3 hour class.

Week 4: Baskets and Spider Webs $20.00

lesson4square1Create baskets from lace, ribbon and embroidery stitches. Embroider a variety of spider web shapes. Student must be familiar with hand sewing skills, and these embroidery stitches: blanket, chain, coral, couched, fly, pistil, outline, stem and straight stitches.

Week 5: Fans, Yo-Yo’s and Rosettes $20.00

lesson5square1Create a vintage looking Dresden fan from ribbon and fabric; create a crazy pieced fan and fabric yo-yos; create a ribbon rosette. Student must be familiar with hand sewing skills.

Week 6: Embroidered and Couched Vines $20.00

lesson6square1Create vines using the split stitch, couched stitch, chain stitch and a single crochet stitch (Christen’s own needle stitch). Student must be familiar with the first three embroidery stitches, and single chain crochet before class.

Week 7: Border Rows: Embroidered $20.00

lesson7square1Create a mini square from your leftover fabrics to audition color chart choices on (this will be used later as a pocket on the back of the CQ square. Then learn how to document progress using a diagram of CQ square, and graph paper. Then embroider border row stitches and their variations. Student must be familiar with embroidery stitches before class.

Week 8: Birds Nests, Baubles and Buttons $20.00

lesson8square1Learn to create a woven, tatted or lace bird’s nest that can be filled with pearls or beads. Create ribbon baubles and buttons to stitch into vignettes. Student must be familiar with hand sewing skills.

Week 9: Vignettes of Flowers and Leaves $20.00

lesson9square1Create ribbonwork and silk embroidery ribbon flowers, ribbonwork and embroidered leaves. Student must be familiar with hand sewing skills, and be familiar with silk ribbon embroidery.

Week 10: Decorative Stitches: Embroidered $20.00

lesson10square1Embroider lazy daisy, fly, chain, closed blanket and bullion stitch variations and designs. Student must be familiar with these embroidery stitches before class.

Week 11: Decorative Stitches: Beaded $20.00

lesson11square1Embroider beaded flowers, sequin flowers, beaded leaves and more. Students should have some knowledge of beads and their sizes before class.

Week 12: Detail Stitches: Embroidered and Beaded $20.00

lesson12square1Embroidered French, Colonial and Chinese knots and straight embroidery stitches. Beaded centers and details will also be covered. Student must be familiar with the embroidery stitches before class and have some knowledge of beads and their sizes before class.

Week 13: Bugs and More! $20.00

lesson13square1Create butterflies, bees, spiders, lady bugs and snails with embroidery or ribbonwork techniques. Students must be familiar with the lazy daisy, fly, chain and French knot embroidery stitches, as well as ribbonwork techniques before class.

Week 14: Beaded Extras $20.00

lesson14CQCreate tiny beaded extras that can be sewn into a vignette including beaded flowers, leaves, stars and more. Students should have some knowledge of beads and their sizes before class.

Week 15: Vignettes: Buttons, Beads and Charms $20.00

lesson15CQsquareGrouping, displaying, and sewing buttons, beads, charms and more. Bonus extra: learn to create a specialize charm or button using a photograph or special card.

Week 16: Bindings, Finishing Touches $20.00

finished cq squareLecture: Variety of bindings, stabilizers, and finishing touches.

Student: Personalized suggestions, support and answers for each student.

For a look at past students work, please see Crazy Corner: Students Work.

Class Details:

These classes are listed with the price per visit.

Date and time: This class is not currently on the schedule.

For information on the series, please contact me: thestoreonthecorner@gmail.com

The above class fees reflect the content, the handout and any supplies noted in the description of each specific class. Once the fee of a class is paid for, you will receive a handout in an email, which will need to be printed and brought to class.

Happy Stitching! ~Christen

Renaissance of Ribbon Embroidery

Nov22

Renaissance of Ribbon Embroidery

Silk Ribbon Embroidery Sampler

This is an excellent class to learn about the joy of hand embroidery with silk ribbon. Basic stitches and more will be covered in class, referring to the directions in my book Embroidered and Embellished.

Details:

Class Fee: $45.00/the customer must also have a copy of Embroidered and Embellished by Christen Brown.

*Please note that this class does not include any of the materials, supplies or tools; these must be purchased by the student.

Class Requirements: Hand embroidery skills a must.

Date and time: This class is not currently scheduled.

Specifics:

This class fee is paid directly to Christen. This can be paid by a PayPal invoice, or by check and sent to Christen. Please email Christen: thestoreonthecorner@gmail.com with your inquiries. Once the class is paid for the supply list will be sent to the customer’s email address.

Happy Stitching ~Christen

Creative Thread Embroidery: class/tutorial

Dec5

Creative Thread Embroidery: 3 lessons/$40.00

embroideryExplore the possibilities and broaden your creative stitched techniques to add to your CQ and other embroidery projects. We will work with a variety of embroidery threads such as pearl cotton; buttonhole twist; rayon and cotton floss. Some stitches will blend thread to create new colors and textures. The dimensional embroidery stitches that will be covered are bullion knot, cast on buttonhole, drizzle, woven, whipped and tatted. Traditional stitches such as the buttonhole, chain stitch, feather stitch, feather stitch leaf, French knot, lazy daisy, pistol stitch and straight stitch will be also covered.

Skill Level Intermediate: sewing machine and embroidery knowledge needed

Lesson 1: First you will prepare the base of your needle case, or if you choose you can work on a pre-pieced fabric base. Next we will talk about the threads, learn how to blend colors and what needles to use. The stitches that will be covered in this class are: whipped stitch rose, bullion knot rose, buttonhole rose, buttonhole wheel and tatted flowers.

Lesson 2: This class will focus on filling in your base with feather stitch vines and leaves; lazy daisy flowers and leaves; and drizzle stitch flowers and centers.

Lesson 3: This class will focus on the tiny extras like the woven star, pistol stitch, straight stitch and French knots. Directions will also be given to finish your needle case.

Class Information

These classes can be purchased at any time, there is no set schedule.The class can be ordered by contacting Christen: thestoreonthecorner@gmail.com. She will send you an invoice through PayPal.

Once the class is paid for, the supply list will be sent out. The lessons will begin one week after the purchase of the class, unless otherwise stated. You will receive an email with the lesson attached. The following lesson/s will arrive one week after the previous lesson.

A high speed internet connection is recommended, and you must have basic computer and internet skills. You will need to be able know how to download and save a document to your computer’s hard drive, open it and print out a copy.

You can contact Christen with any questions pertaining to the class/class information throughout the length of the class.

Class fees will not be refunded.

Happy Stitching,

~Christen

Aubrey’s Autumn Afternoon Vest- silk ribbon embroidery

Apr21

Aubrey's Autumn Afternoon by Christen Brown

Aubrey’s Autumn Afternoon by Christen Brown

This vest is another created from the class that I teach, Renaissance of Ribbon Embroidery, using a tapestry fabric for the base of the project, and stitching in silk ribbon embroidered stitches to embellish the print.

I fell in love with this tapestry mainly because of the sunflowers, I loved the bold colorful brilliance. Unfortunately I forgot to check where the sunflowers were going to land the first time I cut out the pattern pieces, well you can probably guess where they wound up, yes big bulls eyes at breast level. So I had to re-cut the pieces, made two purses from the other pieces and learned a very expensive lesson!

Close-up of Aubrey's Autumn Afternoon

Close-up of Aubrey’s Autumn Afternoon

I used mainly 4mm silk ribbon for the stitching with silk button hole twist for the vines and details. I incorporated a few tatted flowers here and there. I also used Japan Gold thread to detail the petals of the sunflower, as you can see in the lower left hand corner of this image.

The center column of flowers was added after I realized that the pattern no longer fit me. Ugh! But I have to admit you do grow and learn from these design dilemmas!

I used vintage velvet trims, like the garnet colored one sewn down the front panel, and the garnet and green on the back of the vest. I also used several wonderful large pieces of vintage lace on the back panel.

Down the center panel and on the back of the vest I incorporated silk bias and French wire ribbon flowers with dyed fabric leaves. The front panel also has several vintage and new buttons mingled amongst the flowers with charms and other beads.

Happy Stitching! Christen

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

Apr30

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

vintage tea cup and fresh flowers

Tea today, is Earl Grey Lavender. It resembles the taste of the classic blend, with a note of citrus, and has a light sweet aroma. Tomorrow is May Day, and I thought what better way to begin the celebration, with a few flowers from the garden, mixed with a bouquet that my husband bought for our anniversary.

Tips: This is a good time of year to celebrate the flowers around us. I am sure no matter what part of the world you are in, you have some of nature’s bounty blooming close by that would be inspiring. Why not capture those beautiful flowers, colors, and shapes?

Here are some ideas for embroidering flowers with perle cotton, cotton floss, and silk embroidery ribbon. These are all sampler examples that I used when I taught my class the Embroidery Corner.

Here are some ideas for creating ribbonwork flowers: a brooch, a lariat, and a scarf, all using satin ribbons.

beaded French wire flowers
ribbon worked flowers and leaves
Violet Gardens

Here are a few more ideas: a collaged and embroidered brooch, a French beaded wire floral wreath, and a ribbonwork brooch.

Looking for more inspiration? Here are a few books and classes of mine that you might be interested in:

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.

Quilt Festival Long Beach, July 2023

Jul1

I am excited, and happy to announce that I will be presenting at the Quilt Festival Long Beach this year, in the Open Studios section. I will be presenting and demoing on the showroom floor, Saturday, July 8, 2023.

Saltwater Taffy Trimmings

The first demonstration will be on Embellishing with Decorative Trims from 12:00 – 2:00pm. I just created this new piece, that has many examples on how you can use decorative trims in your creative work. I will also have examples from my book, Creative Embroidery, Mixing the Old with the New.

Hooped Samplers

The second demonstration will be on Embroidering Within the Lines, from 2:00 – 4:00pm. I will be showing people how to use stencils, and other stitching aids in order to obtain a more consistent stitch. I created Hooped Samplers from the many, many, many, samplers that I stitched while teaching my class The Embroidery Corner, at Beverly’s Fabrics, (sadly and alas, this is not a class that I teach currently). I will have additional samplers, and examples from my book Hand Embroidery Dictionary.

Hope to see you all there!

Happy Stitching to you all ~Christen