Figurative Fashion Embroidery with Needle Felting
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
- 98% positive reviews (97)
- 1,650 students
- 15 lessons (2h 37m)
- 28 additional resources (8 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · Italian · French · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe Photoshop
Affinity DesignerWhat 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
Courtney McLeod
A course by Courtney McLeod
Courtney McLeod is a contemporary textile artist and the founder of Dearest Q. She is passionate about hand embroidery and has been experimenting with hoops, patterns, needle felting, punch needle, and other techniques since 2016.
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
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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What Will We Do on the Course?
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U2
Preparation
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Sourcing Images
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Photoshop/Design Program/Colour Choices
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Materials
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U3
Embroidery
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How to Prep Your Piece for Embroidery
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Transferring Your Design
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Basic Stitches 1
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Basic Stitches 2
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Needle Felting
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Embroidery 1
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Embroidery 2
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U4
Finishing and Framing Your Piece
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Framing Your Piece
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The Basics of Photographing Your Piece
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FP
Final project
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Figurative Fashion Embroidery with Needle Felting
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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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.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
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.
Adobe Photoshop
Affinity Designer
Buen curso. Una lastima que no mostraba más de cerca las puntadas. Pero es claro
Excelente curso aprendí mucho
Bon cours. Bonnes techniques. Inspirant.
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.
Excelente