Community Events Botanical Printing

Botanical Printing

Botanical Printing is a fun workshop to learn some easy textile art skills. Celebrate the beauty of nature by  making prints from leaves or feathers. Then you’ll make your prints into a beautiful botanical-themed embroidered artists book or picture. It’s a great way of creating your own designs to inspire embroidery and collage, even if you have no previous art experience.  No drawing required!

So if you like quilting, patchwork or any form of fabric craft, then why not give it a go? It’s also a really quick way of creating decorative papers for cardmaking, art journals and sketchbooks.

Course description

Botanical printing is a quick and easy way to create decorated paper or fabrics. It’s used by textile artists, quilters and for general crafts such as cardmaking, or art journals and sketchbooks. It’s called mono-printing as each print is unique. If you’ve not tried Mono-printing, it’s a whole heap of fun and it’s much easier than it looks. It will inspire designs for embroidery and collage. So if you like any form of craft, quilting, or patchwork then you need to give it a go.

Firstly, I’ll show you how to make your own mark-making tools and printing blocks using everyday items.  Then I’ll demonstrate various mono-printing techniques using the amazing gelatin plates to create colour and pattern on paper or fabric (gelli printing). Gelatin plates pick up subtle textures and marks. Because of that, I love to use ‘found’ objects from nature, such as feathers and leaves.These unique prints will enable you to totally personalize your work.

You will create your own collection of printed materials (papers and/or fabrics). Then I’ll show you how to make up your prints in to an ‘artists book’.  This is a folded, concertina to display your prints, or you can make a collaged picture. Finally, we’ll look at how colour and pattern can inspire stitch. You can use hand or machine embroidery to embellish your book.

This class will free you from having to buy commercial printed papers and fabrics. It will add a whole new dimension to your work. It’s the easiest way to learn how to design your own unique artworks.

Level: All (although  hand embroidery, basic sewing machine or free-motion embroidery skills would be an advantage)

Who is this aimed at?

Anyone who enjoys crafting, not just textile art.  Botanical printing can be used to make book covers, cards, gift labels, wrapping paper and in mixed media art.  You don’t need any art or drawing experience.

What will I learn on Botanical Printing?

• how to make your own print blocks and markmaking tools for background texture
• what papers and fabrics can be printed on
• what you can use as a print plate
• how to assemble your prints into a collaged picture or a folding book (artists book).

Course arrangements
When you come to Botanical Printing and see how easy and fun it is to make your own gorgeous collage materials or quilting fabric, you won’t want to buy any ever again.

Artisan Stitch holds a Certificate of Excellence and is rated ‘Best sewing classes in Edinburgh. Tutored by Jen Skedd, who is a lifelong sewist, a degree-trained Textile designer/artist, and a member of the Embroiderers Guild.

Must be pre-booked here

Enquiries to jen@artisanstitch.co.uk or 0773 939 7369

Location details

How to find St Margaret’s House

Directions