After tourism, Seminar. I took two classes in 2009, The first was "Persian Star", designed by Jane Zimmerman and taught by Leigh Shafer.
I chose this class for a number of reasons.
I've always been drawn to the geometric and I liked the design when I saw the picture in the Seminar brochure. Then I read the class description; Novelty Japanese fillings, novelty pattern couching on metallic foundation, Burden Stitch, Lattice on satin and layered satin patterns. What wasn't to like? What I did miss was that there was pre-work. Approximately 3 to 4 hours it said.
A word on pre-work. It has to be accurate. Get it wrong and you throw the whole design out of kilter, so don't hurry it or skimp on it. When the teacher tells you it will take so long, it's best to allow a couple of hours more. The pre-work on Persian Star, outlining the main shapes, took me 6 hours. When I'd finished I swore I'd never do a class with pre-work again.
Cool or what? The design is thread heavy, with layers of stitching one on top of the other. The Burden Stitch was indeed a burden until I got the hang of it, and the various lattices and fillings were a lesson in accuracy. One stitch out of line and it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Unfortunately, Jane Zimmerman, who created the stitches and the design, was unable to teach the class, but Leigh Shafer stood in for her and was an excellent substitute, cool, calm and patient. Under her guidance we tackled a little of each stitch and by the end of two days I was confident that I could finish Persian Star at home.
Persian Star measures 9½" square, mounted in a 15" square frame. Including pre-work and class time it took 132 hours.
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