Embroidered Lace in Fashion

Lace is the only medium that unites ornament and construction. It has taken a very strong stand on the on the world’s cat walks over the years and continues to adapt taking various approaches in upcoming seasonal trends. Designers are not only interested in starched cotton and intricate application; they are tending to “mix it up” by applying it to different types of fabrics including modern man-made blends, sheers, knits and much more.

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Echidna Sewing Two Day Hands-On Workshop in July

We welcome back John Deer, one of the world’s leading embroidery experts and founder of Adorable Ideas. Joining John for his first big Echidna Event is Martyn Smith, one of Australia’s and New Zealand’s leading sewing experts and now also a permanent member of the Echidna team. Together they will deliver a world first embroidery and sewing educational workshop, exclusively for Echidna customers with a focus on one of the most popular current sewing and embroidery trends. It’s definitely the main event to attend this year.

“In the Hoop” with John Deer of Adorable Ideas

It’s hands-on with John. You’ll be working in a group with two other like-minded sewing and embroidery enthusiasts as we master the techniques of creating stunning free-standing lace and motif designs.

Embroidery is not always about stitching directly onto fabric. Many items are far better suited to what we call “surface embroidery”, or in other words attaching a free-standing design to the fabric. With surface embroidery you can overcome a multitude of common embroidery problems such as puckering, poor outline registration or just embellishing items that are too difficult to hoop.

John and his family have a rich history in the embroidery industry dating back to the 1950’s when John’s grandparents opened their first Schiffli lace factory in North America. By the mid 90’s they were creating millions of embroidered pieces per year.

After growing up and learning his trade in this authentic, hands-on environment, John has now re-mastered a huge collection of the family’s original Schiffli lace designs to stitch perfectly on today’s home embroidery machines. It’s like stitching a piece of history.

“Beyond the Hoop” with Martyn Smith

Learn what to do with these beautiful free-standing lace and motif designs with Martyn. Bringing you back to basics on the sewing machine, he will teach you the professional tips and tricks of attaching, joining, inserting, placement and even selecting the right design for the task at hand.

Martyn is one of Australasia’s foremost sewing experts with many years of couture and commercial industry experience as well as a long service in lecturing on apparel at both university and community levels.

Having come from a long line of tailors, cutters and furriers on both sides of his family, he has never questioned his desire to follow in their footsteps and share his love of sewing with others.

Find out more about this exciting Echidna Sewing – Lace & Embroidery Event.