Photos & Postcards - Embroidered! Online Class
Saturday, November 1, 10-1:30pm MT
Instructor: Liza MacKinnon
Limit: 15 students. Includes class kit + shipping
To receive your kit in time for the class, register by October 25. All participants must be 15 years or older.

Class Details

Transform a black and white photo or postcard into a charming memento with some simple embroidery! Multimedia artist Liza MacKinnon has been creating magic with paper for over fifteen years, and she enjoys making these mini embroideries as a break from the elaborate paper dresses she constructs. She says the embroidered photos and cards are just plain fun to do and to give away. Plus, they’re a very portable project. This is an introductory class so no prior experience with needle and thread is necessary. A bit of experience is helpful, though.

Use your own photos or postcards to work with or use the ones from the kit Liza has prepared for the class. These are the blank canvases for your stitching. To provide inspiration for your own designs, Liza shows plenty of examples and makes suggestions. It’s remarkable how even just a few stitches adds a touch of magic to a photo or card. Before deciding on your design, gain practical experience stitching on paper by working some basic stitches on cardstock templates. Liza talks about composition, color, texture, and the art of pre-punching holes for embroidering on paper. (She also tells you how to skip the mistakes she made as she was learning!) Then she covers how to plan out and sketch your design. Sometimes the simplest are the most effective. After these preliminaries, it’s stitch, stitch, stitch while Liza answers questions and suggests how to creatively work with any mistakes that might occur.

Depending on your design, you'll finish your photo/card in class. Liza provides a 5x7” matte frame, a backing, and decorative metal book corners for displaying it. We suspect by the end of class you’ll have caught Liza’s enthusiasm for this satisfying and relaxing art form!

Note: There is some optional pre-work. Liza encourages you to collect a few black and white reproductions of family photographs that are no larger than 4”x6” and are preferably matte finish. Liza supplies postcards in the kit, but you may find yourself inspired to work on something more personal. Collect the photos before class starts since there’s no time to do it once she begins.

This online class will be recorded and made available to class participants for 14 days after the class.

Class Materials

Please bring the following materials:

Favorite scissors, for cutting thread
Wire cutters, pliers, or other tool to crimp the metal book corners into place on the mat board form
X-acto knife with sharp blades
Masking or drafting tape
Optional: Your own black and white photos or postcards. Liza encourages reproductions of family photographs, no larger than 4”x6” and matte finish
Optional: six-strand embroidery floss in your favorite colors to supplement the ones in the kit
Optional: tracing paper if you want to use it in your design

Class Kit Includes:

Handouts, sewing cards, stitch instructions
Practice template, needle, embroidery floss, needle threader
A few postcards

We ship class kits approximately 2 weeks before the class via USPS Priority Mail. You will receive a tracking number (check your spam folder) once your kit ships. Kits can only be shipped within the USA. If you’re outside the USA and would like to take the class, please contact us for information.

Zoom Info

An email will be sent to participants the Monday before the class. Classes with homework may receive pre-class info earlier. The email includes class date/time, materials list, pre-class prep, and Zoom link/info. No email? Double check the email address you entered when you registered and your SPAM folder. Due to SPAM filters and inbox settings, we cannot guarantee you will see, read, or open these emails. Two Hands Paperie assumes no responsibility for non-attendance of a class. Contact twohandsclasses@gmail.com with any questions and see our Class Policies page for more information.

Class Refund/Cancellation Policy - Online Class with Kit

For cancellation made 3 weeks before class we can either issue a refund or apply the funds to another class. We deduct the price of the class kit plus shipping if we’ve already shipped the kit, and we retain a $10 processing fee for EACH class cancelled. If you cancel fewer than 3 weeks before the class there is no refund or credit. If Two Hands Paperie cancels a class, we’ll contact you by email and refund the FULL class fee.

Instructor Bio

Kansas artist Liza MacKinnon is an arts educator and a self-taught, mixed-media artist. Her specialty is designing three dimensional costumes out of paper to create in-depth studies of women throughout history. She has over 10 years experience in both teaching and free lance graphic design, and has exhibited her work nationally. It can also be found in private and permanent collections around the US.

Liza loves the challenge of telling a story and sharing her values through these historic, half scale garments. Each dress presents a beautiful silhouette when viewed from a distance. Up close, the dress reveals a complex story that Liza creates by carefully curating materials from her vast collection of recycled books, maps, letters, photos, and other ephemera. She enjoys surprising the viewer! Examples: a trompe l’oeil of paper masquerading as fabric, Hamlet’s Ophelia dressed in pages from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and a Marie Antoinette piece made from 1040 tax forms and US currency.

Each of Liza’s classes focuses on self expression, creativity, and creating take-home pieces. She views her classes as a place where students develop skills, make friends, have lively discussions, and learn how to skip the mistakes she made along the way. Her motto? “Let’s make beautiful and meaningful artwork together!”

Learn more about Liza and her art at https://www.mackomics.com and on Instagram @liza.mackinnon

Over $100

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Photos & Postcards - Embroidered! Online Class Nov 1