Beginning Embroidery: Tea Towel Workshop

Beginning Embroidery: Tea Towel Workshop
Tea, Tales, and Tea Towels: Celtic Folklore & Hand Embroidery
Sunday, November 15th, 1pm-2:30pm

Description‍

The humble tea towel has a long history in Scotland and Ireland, where linen production, tea drinking, and decorative needlework have all played important roles in everyday life. Originally used for drying delicate china and serving tea, linen tea towels were being embellished with hand embroidery as far back as the 1700s. Over time, these practical household textiles also became an opportunity for household décor and creative expression, decorated with flowers, traditional motifs, and folk art designs.

Join Instructor Echo Mae for this hands-on workshop, where you will learn the basics of hand embroidery while creating your own Celtic-inspired tea towel.  Choose from five original embroidery patterns designed by Echo featuring oak, hazelnut, or rowan branches, a teacup, or a triquetra. You'll begin stitching your chosen design during class and leave with the skills and materials needed to finish your embroidered tea towel at home. As you stitch, we'll explore the Celtic folklore, traditions, symbolism, and history behind each design, from the trees of the Celtic countries to the enduring importance of tea in everyday life. We’ll even touch on some Irish and Scottish tea leaf reading traditions!

Who Is This Workshop For?

This workshop is perfect for beginners, with no previous embroidery experience required. It's also a great opportunity for those with stitching experience to practice their skills while exploring Celtic folklore and traditional decorative needlework. Whether you're interested in textile history, Celtic traditions, or simply enjoy making beautiful and useful things by hand, you'll come away with new skills and a project to treasure!

What's Included:

Tuition and complimentary tea are included in the workshop fee. Please bring your own supplies or reserve a materials kit, available for an additional purchase directly from the instructor on the day of the workshop. More info and material list, below.

Students Will Learn

• The history of tea towels in Scotland and Ireland.
• The folklore, traditions, and symbolism associated with the oak, hazel, and rowan trees, the triquetra, and tea drinking.
• Five basic embroidery stitches: stem stitch, backstitch, chain stitch, lazy daisy stitch, and French knots.
• How to prepare fabric, use an embroidery hoop, and work with embroidery floss.
• How to print and transfer embroidery designs onto fabric, including their own artwork or patterns found online.
• How to begin embroidering a tea towel and finish the project at home.

Materials List‍

You may choose to bring your own materials or purchase a kit. If you’re bringing your own materials, the instructor will contact you through the Celtic Arts Foundation with suggested embroidery floss colors for your chosen design.

Students will need:
A 5-inch embroidery hoop
Size 22 chenille needles
A needle threader
Scissors
Embroidery floss
One blank linen or linen-cotton blend tea towel.

Need a Materials Kit?

We have you covered! Kits for this class are available directly from the instructor on the day of the workshop for an additional $35. Kits include all the supplies indicated above.

Instructor Bio

Echo Mae [she/hers] is one of the owners of Northwest Yarns & Mercantile in Bellingham, WA and a dedicated fan of fiber arts history and culture. When not encouraging anyone and everyone to learn a fiber art, dreaming up knitting patterns, or writing for her shop blog, Know Your Fiber, Echo can be found exploring fiber arts trends, culture, and history to share with her fiber arts community and with almost any person who will stand still long enough to listen to her talk about them.

‍For questions about the course, experience level, or materials list, please contact Jodie Permen at Jodie@Celticarts.org