Mountmellick embroidery

BDS2pds wrote:
Thanks Dianne, I know I risk all sorts of fun learning by creating
only things usable here for decor but just have to do it. So little
time. Our EGA had a very detailed project = Spanish Sampler. I am
sure it would have been a fun project but nowhere to put it when
done. I like when they have projects that are personal in nature.
Like a scissor fob or sewing set better because I can rationale that.

You are raising a subject that is dear to my heart: What to teach and
how to design it. How to please a diverse audience who are often times
pressured by their peers to go in directions they might not want to go.

How to finish a project in a specified time. How to teach something
that nobody has a clue from the first stitch to the last. How to be
prepared with additional supplies.

How to have a design and object that nobody knows how to "finish".

Tough things for designers/teachers to overcome. There's just so many
scissor fobs, pin cushions, needle rolls, necessaries, sachet bags that
one wants to have around.

Dianne

"Yvette" wrote in message
om...
Hello! Here I am!

Thank goodness you are discussing this this week! With a 9 week old
baby I'm not getting to the computer much and could easily have missed
this thread!

Mountmellick originated in Ireland in the 1820s. It was revived
during/shortly after the Potato Famine, and then again in the 1960s.
This revival got off to a slowish start, but is still continuing and
picking up speed.

There are about 4 books on the subject now:
the Weldon reproduction one, Jane Houston Almquist's "Mountmellick
Work", Janet M Davies' "Mountmellick from my Muse", Pat Trott's
"Mountmellick for Beginners". My book "Mountmellick Embroidery;
Inspired by Nature" will be out in July in Australia and at a similar
time elsewhere. I believe that Simon and Schuster will be distributing
it around the world.

Sorry for the plug for myself, but I think Dianne was inviting me to
say something along those lines! :-)

Anything else you'd like to ask?

Yvette
Sydney, Australia

Yes! Where can we see what this looks like? It sounds beautiful, but I
admit that I cannot picture it in my mind. I love learning new things and
white on white techniques especially.

Katherine

Well I understand the scissor fob but at least I signed up to do it ONCE! Many
people in the EGA do not create finished usable textiles for the home to hang -
They are interested in the process alone. That is likely who most classes are
for. They care not what the object is. I am an oddity in that I will not sign
up for a class unless I can use the textile in the end.

You are raising a subject that is dear to my heart: What to teach and how to
design it.

There's just so many scissor fobs, pin cushions, needle rolls, necessaries,
sachet bags that one wants to have around.

I heartily agree. When the program ch. of our local needlework guild told (!)
me I was going to do a course on Jacobean emb., I decided on a placemat. That
way, people could do just one, and perhaps use it as a traycloth, or do as many
as they liked either to use at home or as gifts. Some did just one, others
ordered materials for as many as four. I considered it to be a useful and
practical, as well as decorative, object, which needed no finishing other than
hemming, and takes up very little room in the sideboard drawer.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Olwynmary wrote:
I considered it to be a useful and
practical, as well as decorative, object, which needed no finishing other than
hemming, and takes up very little room in the sideboard drawer.

But many don't even know how to hem! And hemming takes time - which
takes up class time. Many of these groups want to "finish!" during a
class. There's just so many hours - and embroidery can take up an awful
lot of those. g Plus - finished items when they don't know how to
"finish" is exasperatingly difficult to come up with.

I'm happy with many choices: 1. Learning to do something on a doodle
which you use for nothing more than the learning experience - along with
a pattern to put on what you want later (my preferred method of teaching);
2. Learning to do something that is an actual "item" but I might have
to finish later but learn the hard parts in a class (my second preferred
method of teaching);
3. Actually doing a small project that is practical - whether it's
framed or gets used. It's really hard to come up with designs that are
"practical" and not framed or the typical small gadgetry.

Dianne

Dianne

I would have taken that class, Mary. Now that is something I could use. I
cheat and no longer hand hem. I have a new Bernina that does it perfectly in
seconds! I love that foot!!!!



I heartily agree. When the program ch. of our local needlework guild told
(!)
me I was going to do a course on Jacobean emb., I decided on a placemat.
That
way, people could do just one, and perhaps use it as a traycloth, or do as
many
as they liked either to use at home or as gifts. Some did just one, others
ordered materials for as many as four. I considered it to be a useful and
practical, as well as decorative, object, which needed no finishing other
than
hemming, and takes up very little room in the sideboard drawer.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

We are having the same problem with our local Guild for next year's
programming. I have been persuaded to do a cutwork workshop but am at a
loss to find something both useful and small enough to get a good
portion done in one workshop. I'm thinking that the students will have
to "prep" their fabric (trace the pattern onto the ground and tack
outlines) before they ever get to class! This makes the class more
difficult as some are unfamiliar with doing these things and therefore
_won't_ have this done before they arrive which will put them behind.
Finishing is another thing altogether. I can see that in a 3 hour
workshop we won't have time to finish a design, nevermind finish the
object (be it hemming or sewing together or whatever). This makes the
workshop (to my mind) unsatisfying all around. It's a dilemna I've been
struggling with for a couple months already and I still see no clear way
to resolve it.
Jeanine in Canada

Dianne Lewandowski wrote:
Olwynmary wrote:
I considered it to be a useful and

practical, as well as decorative, object, which needed no finishing
other than
hemming, and takes up very little room in the sideboard drawer.


But many don't even know how to hem! And hemming takes time - which
takes up class time. Many of these groups want to "finish!" during a
class. There's just so many hours - and embroidery can take up an awful
lot of those. g Plus - finished items when they don't know how to
"finish" is exasperatingly difficult to come up with.

I'm happy with many choices: 1. Learning to do something on a doodle
which you use for nothing more than the learning experience - along with
a pattern to put on what you want later (my preferred method of teaching);
2. Learning to do something that is an actual "item" but I might have
to finish later but learn the hard parts in a class (my second preferred
method of teaching);
3. Actually doing a small project that is practical - whether it's
framed or gets used. It's really hard to come up with designs that are
"practical" and not framed or the typical small gadgetry.

Dianne

Dianne

I am currently facing this dilemma in August. I am tearing my hair out
trying to come up with a suitable design to teach the technique and also
have time to finish it in 6 hours. Further, I can't imagine a 6-hour
class!! I'll do it, but everyone's gonna be mighty tired of embroidery
at the end of the day.

I think expectations are waaaay too high, too skewed.

I think classes should be "more than one" if necessary. In your case,
the first class should be: outlining the embroidery area, learning some
history about the technique, getting acquainted with the threads (can
you get broder up there?).

I can't stitch for more than about 20 minutes without needing to stretch
and focus my eyes elsewhere. Move my shoulders around, rub my neck. g
Think about something else.

So, given that takes 10 minutes, that means 20 minutes out of every hour
is taken up with: "talking, stretching, relaxing, resting eyes, getting
liquid refreshment, what have you."

So, a 3-hour class is really only: one hour and 20 minutes. You can't
do a lot of embroidery in 1.3 hours.

Dianne

Jeanine3 wrote:
We are having the same problem with our local Guild for next year's
programming. I have been persuaded to do a cutwork workshop but am at a
loss to find something both useful and small enough to get a good
portion done in one workshop. I'm thinking that the students will have
to "prep" their fabric (trace the pattern onto the ground and tack
outlines) before they ever get to class! This makes the class more
difficult as some are unfamiliar with doing these things and therefore
_won't_ have this done before they arrive which will put them behind.
Finishing is another thing altogether. I can see that in a 3 hour
workshop we won't have time to finish a design, nevermind finish the
object (be it hemming or sewing together or whatever). This makes the
workshop (to my mind) unsatisfying all around. It's a dilemna I've been
struggling with for a couple months already and I still see no clear way
to resolve it.
Jeanine in Canada

Dianne Lewandowski wrote:

Olwynmary wrote:
I considered it to be a useful and

practical, as well as decorative, object, which needed no finishing
other than
hemming, and takes up very little room in the sideboard drawer.



But many don't even know how to hem! And hemming takes time - which
takes up class time. Many of these groups want to "finish!" during a
class. There's just so many hours - and embroidery can take up an
awful lot of those. g Plus - finished items when they don't know
how to "finish" is exasperatingly difficult to come up with.

I'm happy with many choices: 1. Learning to do something on a doodle
which you use for nothing more than the learning experience - along
with a pattern to put on what you want later (my preferred method of
teaching);
2. Learning to do something that is an actual "item" but I might have
to finish later but learn the hard parts in a class (my second
preferred method of teaching);
3. Actually doing a small project that is practical - whether it's
framed or gets used. It's really hard to come up with designs that
are "practical" and not framed or the typical small gadgetry.

Dianne

Dianne

In article ,
(BDS2pds) writes:

I am an oddity in that I will not sign
up for a class unless I can use the textile in the end.

You're not an oddity. I have to reallyreallyreally want to learn a technique
to sign up for a class where I don't like the finished product and/or can't
think of anything to do with it. (Such as, "it's purple, I'll give it to
Cindy!")


--
Finished 5/21/04 - Fireman's Wife
WIP: Fireman's Prayer (#2), Amid Amish Life, Angel of Autumn, Calif Sampler,
Holiday Snowglobe

Paralegal - Writer - Editor - Researcher
http://hometown.aol.com/kmc528/KMC.html

Fine Lines published a great article in the spring issue of this year.
The feature picture was on the cover...gorgeous!

Lynne (in Ottawa)

(Yvette) wrote in message . com...
Hello! Here I am!

Thank goodness you are discussing this this week! With a 9 week old
baby I'm not getting to the computer much and could easily have missed
this thread!

Mountmellick originated in Ireland in the 1820s. It was revived
during/shortly after the Potato Famine, and then again in the 1960s.
This revival got off to a slowish start, but is still continuing and
picking up speed.

There are about 4 books on the subject now:
the Weldon reproduction one, Jane Houston Almquist's "Mountmellick
Work", Janet M Davies' "Mountmellick from my Muse", Pat Trott's
"Mountmellick for Beginners". My book "Mountmellick Embroidery;
Inspired by Nature" will be out in July in Australia and at a similar
time elsewhere. I believe that Simon and Schuster will be distributing
it around the world.

Sorry for the plug for myself, but I think Dianne was inviting me to
say something along those lines! :-)

Anything else you'd like to ask?

Yvette
Sydney, Australia