Traditional Japanese Embroidery is taught as a curriculum, in steps (called Phases). You can do a ‘taste’ (see #2), but to begin the official process, you start with Phase 1 (see the photo below) and then move on to more complex designs, learning new techniques at each level. After Phase I, you have some choice in the designs. There are also hundreds of other designs that you can work on after you’ve learned a good selection of the basics.
You can theoretically finish Phase I with two weekends of instruction, if you do a lot of homework in between, but that’s rare. I’ve had some students do it, but everyone moves at their own pace.
I order the tools and materials from the Japanese Embroidery Center in Atlanta, which imports them from Japan. Fabric and fibers are almost all silk (except for metallic threads) and we use a specially designed wooden frame, handmade needles, etc. Therefore, the startup can be expensive. As in many hobbies, you can spend a lot (if you choose) on later projects, or you can be somewhat more moderate. I am also willing to buy back some tools and unopened fibers if people decide it’s not something they wish to continue.
There are three options for a potential student:
1. You are welcome to come and just visit, meet me and other students, see what is going on and go from there. We have classes in Raleigh and Rocky Mount (and will resume in Chapel Hill post-COVID). See HERE for schedule. I highly recommend starting here for most people.
2. You can start stitching with two ‘taste’ pieces (see autumn leaves design, above and cherries, left). You buy a piece of fabric and I loan you the tools and frame and supply the threads you will need. Each design is about 6 inches in diameter and both are on one piece of fabric. Some of the design is dyed on the fabric so you don’t have to stitch it all. You work on them in class only and I keep them in between classes. Most people need at least two weekends to finish them. Cost is $80 for the fabric and supplies, plus the class registration fee (location dependent).
3. You start with the full Phase I design (left). You stitch everything on this one… and learn a lot more. In this case, you buy the fabric and all the tools. The total for the Phase 1 kit comes to just over $300. About half of that is the tools you will use forever, the other half is the fabric and threads for this piece (of course, you will have thread left over for additional pieces). Since you own it, you take it home and work on it as you want to between classes. You take as long as you need, coming to classes as your schedule allows, and pay registration fee for each class as appropriate.
