Figurative Fashion Embroidery with Needle Felting

A course by Courtney McLeod
Textile Artist. New Haven, United States.
Joined February 2020
, Textile Artist

Capture your love for fashion in embroidered works of art with textured needle-felted embellishments

  • 98% positive reviews (88)
  • 1224 students
  • Audio: English
  • English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French, Polish, Dutch

Capture your love for fashion in embroidered works of art with textured needle-felted embellishments



  • 98% positive reviews (88)
  • 1224 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
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever


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?

Course table of contents

  • U1
    U1. Introduction
  • U2
    U2. Preparation
  • U3
    U3. Embroidery
  • U4
    U4. Finishing and Framing Your Piece
  • FP
    FP Final project
View details

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.

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

1224 Students
88 Reviews
98% Positive ratings

Courtney McLeod

A course by Courtney McLeod

Teacher Plus
Textile Artist

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

  • 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
    Plus

    If 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.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Figurative Fashion Embroidery with Needle Felting. Craft course by Courtney McLeod

Figurative Fashion Embroidery with Needle Felting

A course by Courtney McLeod
Textile Artist. New Haven, United States.
Joined February 2020
  • 98% positive reviews (88)
  • 1224 students