Stitching in Relief with Irene Manion
May 9 2026 @ 9:30 AM - May 11 2026 @ 4:30 PM
$450.00
Irene Manion spent over 30 years teaching Visual Arts to mainly secondary students, at the same time maintaining a regular exhibition schedule that focused on exploration of the textile medium. She has delved into many textile-related techniques including batik, leatherworking, fabric printing and dyeing, costume design and was a finalist in the NZ WOW awards in 2006.
Since retiring from full-time teaching in 2016, she has set up her studio at Lake Macquarie in NSW and has exhibited regularly in solo and group exhibitions as well as being a finalist in major competitions. Irene has also given workshops in her specialist areas throughout Australia.
Her current focus is on free-motion machine embroidery and printing with the dye-sublimation technique. Her multi-media practices include photography and watercolour painting, and these inform her textile work.
Workshop Overview
In this beginner to advanced workshop we experiment with ways of building up textured 3D surfaces, using stitch and applique techniques. We start with a 2D image and turn into a 3D relief surface.
Expect to explore the potential of free-motion machine embroidery. We’ll stitch on metal mesh, metal fabric, water-soluble fabric, transparent organza and tuille as well as with traditional loft-creating fibres such as wadding and filling. We will also learn Irene’s unique long-stitch machine embroidery technique.
Starting with the basics, we’ll move into more advanced techniques in step by step progressions, always experimenting with ways to raise the surface of the fabric. Students are asked to bring in drawings, photos or digital images of organic objects of their choice, such as fungi, leaf litter, insect wings, bird feather patterns and bark patterns. These will be the starting point for our final designs.
Inspiration from Irene
What to bring:
- A full list of requirements will be sent to each participant prior to the workshop
Please note:
- Workshop bookings are subject to our refund policy
Finding and Parking at Moonah Arts Centre
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