I LOVE learning new things. New crafts, new tools, give it toooooo me! I think of learning for joy as a form of selfcare and if there was ever a time we needed selfcare it is NOW!
What’s that meme about the acquisition of crafting supplies and actually crafting are two different hobbies? Well I am at the stage where I am taking lessons and digging up yarn like it is my side hustle! ( thank you to everyone who has donated funky yarns in my direction, I am always looking for more!)
Learning new things makes my ADD brain buzz with a happy hummm so I have decided to try to dive into a new crafty topic as often as once a month. Sometimes these will be big continuing adventures like the one I have started in November – Yarn Couching and some will be small. I hope to fill all of 2023 with these adventures and take you along for the ride.
The work of Bethanne Nemesh
I have always wanted to learn to yarn couch and have done things that were similar but not to the stunning magnitude of Bethann Nemesh of White Arbor Quilting. This woman is amazing and total wizard with the longarm and domestic machines so her online class was a no brainer.
But what IS yarn couching?
Simply put, yarn couching is when you use sewing with one fiber ( thread) to secure another fiber (yarn) to a substrate in a pattern which can be anything from a wavy line to something as amazing as the black-bird above.
It started with a thrifted coat
This adventure began when I scored a long plum colored velvet coat at the thrift for $6 and the wide open expanse of the back was just begging for some embellishment and my first thought was the amazing pieces done by Bethanne as she was developing her one demand class that covers the A-Z’s of Yarn couching from both your domestic home sewing machine or from a Longarm used by machine quilters.
If your machine has a couchting accessory you are in business and Bethanne walks you through all of it.
The class is full format and a bit over 3 hours. It is saved digitally on the Teachable platform and is yours forever once you pay the VERY reasonable $49.. this was great since there are parts I have wanted to revisit as I play with ideas, threads and practice pieces.
This indeed is just the start of my personal adventure and I will be sharing more as they days go on but wanted to let you know about this in case you are looking to have a creative self care new year as well!
Follow me on Instagram @ the_BadAss_Quilter or on Facebook on the new BadAss Quilter page to see live demos, progress as well as when I really fuck stuff up ( that is a real part of the process as well!)
