EAC Seminar 2018 - Bridging Stitches Stash

I just realized that I forgot to mention I finally visited Atelier de Penelope's shop in Quebec city. We made a special pit stop on our drive to PEI. It took three years but I finally made it. The place is packed with so many embroidery materials. I wish she wasn't so far from where I live (about a 3 hour drive). Patricia had recently re-arranged the shop and now there is a class room section at the back of the shop. The day we came there was a group of ladies working on the EAC Deerfield class. I really envy them, so lonely stitching at home.

(click on the post to see the animation below)

My youngest sister was with me. I've bough her a few mill hill kits that she has stitched over the past few years. She always comes into my room to see what I'm working on and asks me questions. So she walked around the shop with me and asked what everything was. Think I can convert her?

While browsing, she spotted a framed Mirabilia design that she liked and said it would look nice hanging in her room. I offered to get the kit and stitch it for her birthday. She was generous enough not to give me a deadline ;) I already have the fabric picked out, I'll place an order in the fall.

Onto stash from seminar. What I usually do is put cash in an envelop and that's my budget for merchant night. This year was a little different as I kind of blew my entire budget before I even made it to seminar. How do you ask? Jenny Adin-Christie was coming to teach and she was bringing kits to sell. I contacted her ahead of time for her catalog and after lots of thinking I settled on two kits. Her kits are priced in British pound. As you know our Canadian dollar isn't doing very well, so with the currency conversion they're very expensive. Since the cost was so high, I didn't want to pick a kit that would teach me nothing.

The first kit is a large embroidery workbasket. There is a smaller workbasket, but I decided on the larger one (go big or go home). I've always wanted to learn the layered whitework technique they teach at the RSN. Unfortunately, it's part of their certificate course as an elective class. Which means I have to first go through crewel, canvaswork and goldwork. That's not going to happen, so this is a good alternative.


The second kit is a goldwork design called Blackwell Roundel. It has some beading, silk work and shadow work and a silk organza. This is a design that was taught at the Bath Textile summer school and based on the decor of a Room at Blackwell House. Click on the link above for more details and to admire the beautiful art nouveau wooden frame designed for the piece. By the way, that (very expensive) frame is available for purchase if you want the same finish. I think I'll have to settle on a wooden box.


The next three I bought at merchant night, and yes I did exceed my budget. The first is a book written by Jenny Adin-Christie on the Fundamental Whitework Techniques (review coming soon!). The other two are wooden beading trays. Jenny had a whole table of wooden embroidery tools. Now, I have beading trays but these are made of a beautiful wood AND have a magnet at the bottom so you can attach it to your fabric. Anything that will prevent me from dropping beads is awesome.


Tanja Berlin also had a booth and I placed an order for some embroidery tools, no kits for me. I got a pounce with the powder, a pair of purple scissors, curved needles and an etui. I've had my eye on this case for a while. I actually wanted the one in blue but it's not available anymore, so pink it is. I'll be using it to store my goldwork embroidery tools. It even comes with a velux pad to cut metal thread on. You can see it on the right all setup for my class with the small beading tray.

Alison Cole always has a booth. Last year I bought a ton of goldwork materials which is where most of my budget went. This year I only got books. I had realized I didn't have copies of her goldwork books The Midas Touch and All That Glitters so I took this opportunity to get them and have Alison sign them. I also got a reel of #3 gilt smooth passing to play with.

The next two books were impulse buys. Karen Torrisi is an embroiderer from the UK who teaches beading. She was at seminar for a tambour beading class and had brought beads and luneville hooks for sale. I spotted a kit or two. She also had copies of her book for sale. It's a project book of beaded hand bags. I spotted a few that I liked.

The second book is Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th century. The great thing about helping setup Atelier de Penelope's boutique is I get to put aside things I find as I unpack. The book comes in two volumes and contains images of pieces from Kyoto Costume Institute. The pictures are beautiful and would be a great source of inspiration.

During class, they usually hold a giveaway. My number was selected and I picked this pencil case put together by Nordic Needle. I like how you can open the case in different ways. It contained packets of needles in different size, perle cotton and some beads.

I'm very satisfied with my haul, now just need to plan a schedule on when I'll start my new kits (on top of the other kits I already have). Look out for my post reviewing Jenny's book and let me know if you'd like a peek at the other books I got.