Figurative Fashion Embroidery with Needle Felting
A course by Courtney McLeodTextile Artist
A course by Courtney McLeod, Textile Artist
Capture your love for fashion in embroidered works of art with textured needle-felted embellishments
What began as a part-time hobby for Courtney McLeod is now Dearest Q, an initiative focused on hand embroidery and other contemporary textile projects based out of her home studio in Philadelphia. By combining different fibers and textures, Courtney’s unique figurative embroidery combines her love for fashion with surprising texture and color by relying on needle felting and other special techniques.
In this course, learn how to imagine new designs and bring them to life in Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Designer. Discover how to transfer your design to fabric, choose your color palette, and start embroidering with guided stitching tutorials. Finally, learn the basics of photographing and editing images of your work for Instagram to gain followers and engagement.
What will you learn in this online course?
15 lessons & 28 downloads
What Will We Do on the Course?
3 minutes, 1 second
Sourcing Images
3 minutes, 6 seconds
Photoshop/Design Program/Colour Choices
17 minutes, 14 seconds
Materials
8 minutes, 16 seconds
How to Prep Your Piece for Embroidery
3 minutes, 51 seconds
Transferring Your Design
6 minutes, 34 seconds
What's included in this course?
Get started by learning about Courtney’s background working with textiles and how she uses Instagram to build her business. She talks about her influences, some of her favorite projects, and how she experiments with different motifs to develop her own style. Learn about her creative process and briefly go through what is covered in the course.
Learn how to use Instagram to find inspiration, including contacting models and other rules of etiquette. See what makes a good reference photo and what to avoid when sourcing images. Discover how to turn your image into a line drawn design with your computer or tablet and the best techniques for adding dimension and texture. Then, learn to choose the right fabric, how to prepare it for embroidery, and the tools and materials you will need to create your final project.
Get ready for your final project by setting up your hoop. Courtney explains the different types, how they’re used, and the best way to stretch your fabric in your hoop. Learn to transfer your design onto fabric and see the different stitches and techniques you can use to keep your design clean and precise. Discover the needle felting technique and learn how to apply it to your design.
Put it all together with Courtney’s help as she explains the split stitch, stem stitch, and french knots. Learn how to take your work from a working hoop to a bamboo framing hoop, as well as how to finish the backside with felt. Finally, Courtney teaches you how to photograph, edit, and share your work on Instagram to attract followers and generate engagement.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
A finished piece of textile art framed in an embroidery hoop that can be displayed.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone interested in fashion who would like to learn how to embroider, transfer patterns to surfaces, needle felt onto fabric, and frame textile art. This course is also good for anyone looking to sharpen their embroidery skills and create professional-looking pieces that can be shared on social media.
Requirements and materials
To take this course, you will need a printer, a computer with Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Design (optional), an embroidery hoop, cotton or linen fabric, muslin, embroidery floss, felt, various sizes of embroidery needles, a felting needle, merino wool roving (various colors for needle felting), a light table or bright window, and a heat or water erasable pen or a regular pencil.
Reviews
- linarosa_67PLUS1 year ago
Buen curso. Una lastima que no mostraba más de cerca las puntadas. Pero es claro
- 2 years ago
Excelente curso aprendí mucho
- 2 years ago
Bon cours. Bonnes techniques. Inspirant.
- 2 years ago
El curso me ha parecido muy entretenido e interesante. La profesora explica muy bien y su propuesta es muy original. Faltaría, algo de zoom para ver con más detalle las puntadas, si no se conocen previamente, por lo demás, estoy satisfecha de haberlo hecho y lo recomiendo.
- 3 years ago
Excelente
After receiving a degree from OCAD University in Toronto, Courtney began creating figurative pieces with texture and color inspired by everything from seasons to classic films. Her work has been commissioned by Brie Larson and Peppa Pig and has been featured in publications like Today’s Parent, Love Embroidery, and KOEL Magazine. You can find her work on Instagram or through her website.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- What Will We Do on the Course?
- U2
Preparation
- Sourcing Images
- Photoshop/Design Program/Colour Choices
- Materials
- U3
Embroidery
- How to Prep Your Piece for Embroidery
- Transferring Your Design
- Basic Stitches 1
- Basic Stitches 2
- Needle Felting
- Embroidery 1
- Embroidery 2
- U4
Finishing and Framing Your Piece
- Framing Your Piece
- The Basics of Photographing Your Piece
- FP
Final project
- Figurative Fashion Embroidery with Needle Felting
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for beginners with step-by-step instruction in embroidery, punch needle, and needle felting techniques. No prior experience is required.
You’ll need basic embroidery supplies: embroidery hoop, needles, threads, fabric (like denim), needle felting tools, wool, and optional digital tools for design transfer. A full materials list is provided in the course.
You will learn embroidery stitches, punch needle, needle felting, weaving, design transfer, color selection, textile surface design, and tips for sharing your work on Instagram.
Yes, the course includes techniques for embroidering on denim and repurposing vintage fabrics for unique, textured textile art.
Yes, the course teaches how to photograph, edit, and share your embroidery artwork on Instagram, including captioning and hashtag strategies for better engagement.
Basic use of Photoshop or similar digital tools is covered for preparing embroidery patterns, but alternatives are suggested if you prefer to work by hand.
The course demonstrates several methods, including using a lightbox, tracing, and heat erasable pens to accurately transfer your designs onto fabric.