This is a relaxing stitching class for all levels where you will learn how to create engaging images using a few basic embroidery stitches. Through layering, embroidering, and combining old and new textiles, the class will experiment with new and old techniques in a relaxed atmosphere.
There is something very powerful about working with old quilts, linens, or clothing and giving them new life. We will discuss the most effective ways to take advantage of older textiles and combine them with new hand-dyed and printed fabrics.

This class will explore the use of color in textile art through choices of fabric, thread, and fabric paint. We will introduce color by adding layers of opaque and translucent fabric with different applique techniques. Color play will continue through using an assortment of stitches and by mixing threads to develop a fuller pallet in each layered textile piece. As we stitch, we will embrace the meditative aspect of embroidery and how it can be a vehicle to connect us with nature and community.

Please bring needles, a variety of sizes with larger eye holes, scissors, and a washable blue fabric marker. Laurel will contact students prior to class.

Laurel Izard’s constant refrain is, “Gotta make stuff.” She is an award-winning artist known throughout the United States for her embroidery and art quilts. She currently lives and makes art full time near the shore of Lake Michigan in Michigan City, Indiana with her artist husband Edwin Shelton and three cats. As soon as she could hold a needle, she started sewing but didn’t get serious about textiles as an art form until 2010. She received a BA from Northern Illinois University, with majors in art and anthropology, and an MFA in ceramics from the UW-Madison. After college, Izard and her husband started a ceramic business called Izwin, and they produced and wholesaled colorful whimsical tabletop wares to galleries, boutiques and department stores throughout the country. After twenty-three years of self-employment, she taught art in numerous after-school and summer programs. Her art-teaching career culminated in nine years as an art instructor at Marquette High School. Her philosophy as an artist and teacher is that an integral part of being human is to be creative, and she continues to teach others how to discover their inner artistic resources.

Level: All Levels