A two-day residential course to develop your hand-stitchery skills in a quality hotel at Bristol. Your course starts with Friday dinner at 7 pm and runs through to Sunday afternoon tea, but you can check in from 3 pm and take advantage of the hotel’s facilities before you meet your fellow students. Fees include an en suite double room for single occupancy, tuition, use of course room, full board and refreshments, along with free wifi, and access to the fully equipped health club and indoor pool. Bedrooms have TV, tea and coffee making facilities, a desk and seating area for relaxing. The Hilton Bristol is by the junction of the M4 and M5 and close to Bristol Parkway Station.

Here is a course is for all of you who would like to learn how to ‘draw’ with the sewing machine needle. Imagine that the thread is your ‘ink’ and the needle is your ‘pen’ and you will be amazed how many effects you can achieve with the simple straight stitch. You will start by following a design which Richard has prepared for you and will demonstrate for you step by step. This will enable you to use this technique to ‘draw’ your own designs and to use coloured threads in unusually creative ways. Then, from a selection of photographs or images that you have brought with you, select one you particularly like to use for your own project. Choose images that are uncomplicated and with clear distinctions between colours and tonal values. It is important that you know how to use your sewing machine, which you will bring with you, including how to drop or cover the feed dogs. And your machine should have a ‘darning foot’ which enables you to do free machining. It would be helpful if you practice free machining with this foot a little beforehand. Richard is an artist and art historian. He has painted in oils and watercolours for many years and is now exploring acrylics. Concurrently he continues to develop his textile work which involves fabric collage with both machine and hand stitching. In short: he ‘paints’ with fabric and thread. Richard has written seven books on drawing, design and embroidery, and regularly runs workshops and gives lectures on drawing and textiles topics.