Manipulating Layered Cloth
This workshop combines fabric manipulation techniques using both a sewing machine and hand stitching. You will learn how to cut through layers of cloth to create interesting textures and to add layers to create 3-D effects.
Materials:Variety of threads for sewing and embroidery, selection of hand-sewing needles, sewing machine, extension cord, small and medium scissors, rotary cutter, seam ripper, cutting board, pins, sewing clips, washable fabric markers or tailor’s chalk, drawing/colored pencils, a few pieces of letter-sized paper, notebook and ruler. We could use a few irons and ironing boards/mats to share.
Fabric: Bring at least 6 colors of 100% cotton fat quarters for layering. Choose colors that contrast nicely with each other as you cut down through the layers. They can be solids or prints, but batiks are my preferred color when the fabric is going to be folded back to show the wrong side.
About Elizabeth Neilly: Elizabeth has been making art-to-wear clothing and accessories since settling in Florida in the early 1980s. She developed an interest in designing period clothing and received an individual artist grant from the Pinellas County Arts Council to further her work in that field. She went on to create original designs for National Park Service interpreters. Furthermore, she has worked with museums, libraries, and parks throughout Florida as a living history presenter, telling stories and giving workshops about 16th Century Spanish clothing and crafts. She was awarded a Florida Humanities mini-grant to offer lectures and workshops, entitled Fabrics of Change, during Florida’s Quintessential Celebration in 2013. Also in 2013, Elizabeth joined a friend in opening Fab Fiber in Gulfport, where she taught traditional fiber arts, including spinning, weaving, dyeing, knitting, and sewing until its closing in March 2020. Elizabeth offers private lessons to individuals and groups. She now works out of her studio in Gulfport, Florida. She exhibits her work at Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild shows, Florida CraftArt, and Brenda McMahan Gallery in Gulfport.
