Consisting of only one stitch, silk shading is often referred to as painting with a needle, or thread painting. Long and short stitch is used to blend shades and tones to create a realistic image. Using silk, cotton or even wool thread stitches are placed in rows building up a figurative piece. Smooth blending is key.
You will learn to blend colour and stitches to create a smooth realistic piece; silk shading requires a sense of colour and thorough preparation to achieve a beautiful end product, so we will start with design - a colour drawing, a shaded drawing, a stitch direction and an order of work before we start to sew. Flower images are taken from the archive of the Royal School of Needlework.
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