Samines

I help your hands create something beautiful

Category: Online class

  • All that follows for a live online course

    All that follows for a live online course

    I had the opportunity to set up a course for a client who asked me to teach her embroidery. I choose to teach crewelwork for beginners as stitching with yarn is a much faster process that stitching with embroidery thread and it is always good for the client to see a fast approach in creating something tangible in their hands. It is like the hook to getting them started and falling in love with the process of slow stitch.

    As I came to set up the table to deliver the course, I remembered I had a plastic stand for a price list and another plastic display unit that I had used when selling my products at Greenwich Market and I used both to create a stand to place the camera handle. You may be thinking why am I writing about this and the reason is that I have set up a YouTube channel to create videos of the products that I am teaching on and my first video on Sewing with Samines has quite a few thuds in the video and having a discussion with a friend about this issue he suggested that if the microphone is part of the video camera and too close to me when I am demonstrating I may need another video camera. So I wanted to see how this worked, unfortunately due to the client having to go to an emergency meeting this morning I did not get the chance to see if this would work. So, I will start the process again when I next meet up with her.

    So lets get back to the display units, I had an idea to anchor with a bag of pasta and lentils to put under the display units to anchor them as they were toppling over and it also good for me to see how I need to set up future meetings going forward.

  • Week 7 embroidery appliqué flowerpots

    Week 7 embroidery appliqué flowerpots

    I am teaching embroidery appliqué flowerpots and I have created a 10/11 week course so the embroidery learners have something to get their teeth into it, I decided to teach 10 stitches, but I think it may have been too many and I have already made a mental note to teach six or less stitches for next term. In this terms work I have broken each stage down and have given the first week to sketching their design within the given brief. I think keeping the learners on track within a chosen topic helps them develop a critical eye of creating and keeping within a brief especially if a client asks them later down the line to make them something, as too many choices in the beginning can be overwhelming and that’s when learners can decided learning embroidery as with any other skill feels too hard.

    Over the first term we have covered creating their own designs, three or four weeks covering different stitches and they take their samples home with them to practice and another week learning how to pin fabric onto the main fabric, which is calico and sewing the appliqué down, appliqué is a technique used within embroidery and crazy patchwork. The lesson on Wednesday was to start them off on their main project as in week 11 they will be lacing their pieces up. Not all the learners have been coming each week which is a frustration as I have to chase them to find out where they were, (that’s is if they have communicated), this part of teaching is not my favourite, as it is much needed effort on my part and while I am in recovery of long Covid it’s not the energy I want to expend. For the learners who do communicate on why they were late or could not attend gives me an openness of heart towards them and it shows me they value the embroidery classes.

    Yesterday I delivered my first live online class for ACL, it went well, three learners attended and one had technical difficulties and so they dropped out. I didn’t take an adequate break and I suffered for it afterwards. I closed my eyes and felt my body sink into deep sleep, it took quite a while to regain energy to force myself out of home to take some fresh air. I couldn’t stay out too long as I knew I needed more rest and then came home to sink back onto the sofa. My energies were so low I didn’t have enough to stand and play with the cat. I am much better at taking breaks when teaching in person and now I need to transfer this to when teaching online. As you can see from the photo above of the sample shown and demonstrating from that the picture was taken today. My table is still in a bit of a mess which for me is not super helpful as I do like to create in order and not when everything is all over the place.

    What I have relearnt going forwards for the live online classes is to write down an equipment list I need for the class so everything is at hand, as when I was tidying away the table to teach I tidied the pins away not thinking I needed them.