Returning home from the busy-ness of teaching at QuiltCon is always a bit of adjustment. For months leading up to the event, I’m planning and stitching and typing and prepping for all of the little bits that mean a lot during the classes. The samples that I create for each class take precedence over any projects may be hooped up and sitting in my studio, waiting for me to return to them.

My latest finish was created for a new workshop that I’ll be teaching at Chateau Dumas in southern France in September. You heard me right, I’ll be teaching an amazing embroidery workshop at a chateau in France!

You can find all of the details at this link! (Bonus: if you’ve been trying to decide whether to stitch with me in France, then you will be thrilled to know that you can save 13% off the price of the retreat through March 23 with the code MARCH.

I would love for you to join me!

This hoop is a combination of all of the techniques that I’ll be teaching in France: appliqué, fabric painting, needle felting, dimensional embroidery and beadwork and my new love, pleating and smocking.

I have several pieces of pleated fabric that I have been working on smocking behind-the-scenes of everything else that I have going on and I’ve been loving adding this new texture to my embroidery. Expect to see plenty of that in the future, especially since I won the auction of an antique cast-iron collar fluter. More about that once I receive it, clean it up and start experimenting with it!

And please, I would love if you would share any pleating and smocking tips with me here! Until next time…boho those stitches!

xx Nichole