Figurative Fashion Embroidery with Needle Felting
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Capture your love for fashion in embroidered works of art with textured needle-felted embellishments
What began as a part-time hobby for Courtney McLeod is now Dearest Q, an initiative focused on hand embroidery and other contemporary textile projects based out of her home studio in Philadelphia. By combining different fibers and textures, Courtney’s unique figurative embroidery combines her love for fashion with surprising texture and color by relying on needle felting and other special techniques.
In this course, learn how to imagine new designs and bring them to life in Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Designer. Discover how to transfer your design to fabric, choose your color palette, and start embroidering with guided stitching tutorials. Finally, learn the basics of photographing and editing images of your work for Instagram to gain followers and engagement.
Get started by learning about Courtney’s background working with textiles and how she uses Instagram to build her business. She talks about her influences, some of her favorite projects, and how she experiments with different motifs to develop her own style. Learn about her creative process and briefly go through what is covered in the course.
Learn how to use Instagram to find inspiration, including contacting models and other rules of etiquette. See what makes a good reference photo and what to avoid when sourcing images. Discover how to turn your image into a line drawn design with your computer or tablet and the best techniques for adding dimension and texture. Then, learn to choose the right fabric, how to prepare it for embroidery, and the tools and materials you will need to create your final project.
Get ready for your final project by setting up your hoop. Courtney explains the different types, how they’re used, and the best way to stretch your fabric in your hoop. Learn to transfer your design onto fabric and see the different stitches and techniques you can use to keep your design clean and precise. Discover the needle felting technique and learn how to apply it to your design.
Put it all together with Courtney’s help as she explains the split stitch, stem stitch, and french knots. Learn how to take your work from a working hoop to a bamboo framing hoop, as well as how to finish the backside with felt. Finally, Courtney teaches you how to photograph, edit, and share your work on Instagram to attract followers and generate engagement.
