San Francisco Center for the Book

Let’s embellish old photos with colorful thread! Learn the basics of sewing on paper to transform photographs, postcards, or design your own image from scratch.

Using a PDF provided by the instructor, we will start with the basics of embroidering on paper while thinking about drawing, linework and simple fills. We will use these stitches to build patterns on the page. Stitches will be demonstrated with time allowed for practice.

For the last hour, we will bring our new skills to vintage photos and postcards, while considering planning a design and how to mail your creation.

All SFCB online workshops are recorded. Video links will be available for eight weeks after class.

Prerequisite:
None

Materials/Tools to bring:
- 1-2 embroidery needles
- 3 colors of embroidery thread
- needle tool or awl
- at least 1-2 postcards or photos (on photo paper, not copies)
- scissors
- ruler
- pencil
- cardstock for printing out PDF (and access to a printer!)
- Optional: tracing paper

About the Instructor:
Hope Amico (they/them) is a visual artist, writer and educator who believes we could all use a creative practice. Through classes, collage meetups and the Keep Writing postcard project, they are excited to share ways we can work together and support each other creatively. Co-founder of the New Orleans Collage Collective and previously known as gutwrench press, they relocated to Portland, OR in 2020. They teach online and in-person through the MCBA, SFCB and privately through their own studio.