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Join Pam for Sip & Sew with Hope Yoder at Jones Sew And Vac in Idaho Falls, Idaho and make a linen napkin.
Workshop Details
Date:
July 18th, 2015
Hosted By: Hope Yoder
Venue:
Jones Sew And Vac
Price: $99.00
Tell us a little bit about the workshop, the aim of the class and who it was organised by?
This two day workshop teaches new embellishing and heirloom stitching techniques to use at home on your embroidery machine. It's aimed at machine embroiderers who already know the basics but want to learn a few new techniques to embellish their creations. If you don't already own a machine that can embroider this event is a great way to get your feet wet and figure out what you like to make and which machine would fit your needs best. They bring the top of the line, newest models out for everyone to work on, which is really fun.
The class created by Hope Yoder who is a wonderful designer who was a Martha Pullen's Teacher for 20 years before she branched out and started Designs by Hope Yoder. She sent her wonderful worker-bee Anna out to be our demonstrator for the weekend.
The class was hosted by Jones Sew & Vac, a local family owned store that's been in my home town for more than 50 years! They have an amazing team of Personal Sewing & Shopping Congeries that were there on stand by for the event to answer questions and help us get our machines back on track when we pushed too many buttons. They were lifesavers for some of us :)
They also had Jewell Hulitt there, she's one of Brothers Best Educators, just in case.
http://www.hopeyoder.com/sipandsew.asp
http://www.jonessewandvac.com/
Where was the workshop held and what was the venue like?
It was held in the Bennion Student Union Building at the Idaho State University campus in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Its like a satellite campus, the main campus is in my town of Pocatello, I've never been there before so I was surprised by how great of a multipurpose space it was. It had a lounge and cafe on one side an a large dining area on the other side that doubles as a stage. The campus did our catering for both days and it was lovely. They had breakfast snacks with coffee, lunch was amazing both days, and the Jones Sew & Vac team made us desserts! Tracey, the sewing consultant for the Pocatello store, made the most amazing rice crispy treats with caramel in them, yummmm. I ate too many of those while I was there!
What projects were the class making and how did your creations turn out?
The first day was about machine embroidery there were four projects to try, but three people per machine, everyone got to try at least one, but someone at each table got to try two. Luckily the ladies at my table were willing to let me be the one to try two projects since they both already owned the machines and I'd never used one before. We made a Wine Bag with Applique, a Trapunto Key Chain, an English Lace Bookmark, and Tea Cup Tag-A-Long.
The projects I got to make were a Wine Bag with Applique and an English Lace Bookmark. I missed my applique in a few places on the wine bag, but that was my first try so its a learning error. My bookmark turned out beautifully, it was my favorite thing I made all weekend. So delicate and pretty, I almost don't want to use it. Both projects had little parts you had to finish at home, that evening it finished sewing the wine bag together and had to hand wash the bookmark to dissolve the stabilizer we used then press it. I took them back the next day and showed the ladies at my table how well they turned out.
The second day was all about learning new heirloom sewing techniques. Because we were just learning and testing new stitches, everyone at the table got to try each technique. So I got to learn Tucks, Mexican Folded Tucks with a Twist, Glamour Glitz, Tatting Insertion, and how to use a Wing Needle. Each of the stitches take a little time to get used to but with a few practice runs at home you can master them with ease. Mine turned out actually pretty straight and even, beginners luck I think.
Were you supplied with any materials and did you get any goodies to take home?
We were supplied with everything we needed to make our projects, even the fancy new machines to test out. Everything we made we got to take home, and they gave us a CD that has a free embroidery lace collection and 5 project tutorials written by Hope Yoder. Plus they did lots of drawing give-a-ways for cute little gifts and Jones Sew & Vac gave a $100 gift certificate to the winner of the Best Tea Party Hat Contest.
What were the teachers like and did you get any one-on-one time?
Anna was a great presenter and they had printed out instructions for us to follow along, before starting anything we watched Anna do it first then we were set loose to try it ourselves. There must have been eight or nine people all together walking around and checking on us. So if we ever needed any help they were always close by.
Did you pick up any useful tips or tricks that you’ll continue to use at home?
The Tatting Insertion was really helpful to learn because up until now I've been hand sewing when I want to insert lace or trim on the very edge of something. Now I know how to confidently sew it on quickly with my machine instead. Such a time saver!
How big was the class and did you get a chance to chat to any new crafty friends?
The class had about 36 students and there was a lot of free time while someone at your table was sewing to get up and get snacks, shop or chat with people about projects they're working on.
What type of crafters would you recommend this workshop to?
Machine Embroiderers, or someone who is looking into getting started in machine embroidery.
Have you been inspired to go home and craft something from the class?
I really liked the new stitches we learned on the second day, I bought a new foot and needle to try out the Wing Needle Technique. So I'm in the process of coming up with a new tutorial for a Linen Table Runner for CO+K.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I'm so glad Jones Sew & Vac was able to bring the Sip & Sew to my area! We are often forgotten out here in Idaho when anyone is thinking about taking their show/class on the road. So it was so nice that they could host the event.
A BIG THANKS to LeRoy and his team at Jones Sew & Vac for making it possible!
Is there a craft workshop or cooking class in your town you'd like to test out for us? Send us a message!
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