{"id":492,"date":"2016-02-27T23:32:31","date_gmt":"2016-02-28T04:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeanfarishneedleworks.com\/wordpress\/?p=492"},"modified":"2016-03-04T01:46:33","modified_gmt":"2016-03-04T06:46:33","slug":"never-stop-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeanfarishneedleworks.com\/wordpress\/never-stop-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Never Stop Learning!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Whenever I ask folks how they learned to cross stitch, a great percentage answer in one of two ways: my mother\/sister\/aunt\/grandmother taught me or (with some degree of apology in their voice) “I’m self taught.” I fall into the self-taught category and am here to say that there is absolutely nothing to apologize for.<\/p>\n

Those\u00a0who are self-taught are seekers. There is something they want to learn and they find a way to learn it. I gained most of my needlework knowledge from trial and error or a source like a book.<\/p>\n

But when you’re in the company of another needleworker, you’re bound to start swapping tips. I’m sure I have learned as much from others as I have been able to teach. I teach and learn informally and formally. I learned the loop starting method<\/a> many moons ago sitting in the backyard of a stitching friend in New Jersey. I have taught while shopping in a LNS or traveling by train, bus, or plane.<\/p>\n

But I also love to teach in a more deliberate, planned way.\u00a0Just before Thanksgiving, I had the wonderful experience of teaching at Country Crafts, a needlework shop in Greeley CO for the owner, Sherry Baker.<\/p>\n

\"Sherry<\/a>

Sherry (left) was even able to dig out one of my old Spirit of Cross Stitch Video Library tapes!<\/p><\/div>\n

Sherry’s customers are the smilingest folks I have ever seen. They welcomed me with open arms and I felt like I had known them all forever. Isn’t that the way needleworkers are?<\/p>\n

\"There<\/a>

There was a whole lot of smiling going on!<\/p><\/div>\n

That feeling of being among kindred spirits is one of the very best reasons to take a class or go to a weekend retreat. You just get to feel so normal!<\/p>\n

Another reason to find that class or stitching get-away-weekend is to learn new stitches or a new technique. In the Country Crafts class, I taught\u00a0a series of whitework stitches to create an ornament.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>

My ‘Sweet Little Christmas Ornament’ is a dainty 4″ tall.<\/p><\/div>\n

Every teacher has their own style and you’ll find your favorites over time. Generally, I will demonstrate a stitch and hit the do’s and don’ts. If I know the history of a stitch I include that, too. Or I tell the story of how I learned it. Every time I teach one of the eyelet variations I think of Ginny Thompson, the First Lady of Cross Stitch, and how she always used the analogy of diving into a pool when teaching an eyelet. I learned a lot from Ginnie!<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>

I use technology to demonstrate close-ups on a flat screen TV. In this photo, you just see my instruction sheet!<\/p><\/div>\n

Once I’ve demonstrated the basics, I circulate to help everyone who needs a little extra guidance.<\/p>\n

\"Giving<\/a>

Giving that one-on-one assistance is the part I like best!<\/p><\/div>\n

Open yourself to learning and a teacher will appear, be it in the form of a just-met friend, a book, or a class full of smiling stitchers. I hope to see you in a class, too!<\/p>\n

Here are a few places where I will be teaching in 2016:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

July 7-10<\/strong>
\nWinston-Salem NC<\/strong>
\nThe Work of My Hands Retreat with two full days of whitework techniques taught by Terri Bay and me and a special excursion on Thursday.<\/p>\n

September 23-30
\nPacific Northwest<\/strong>
\nStitchers’ Escapes Cruise to the Pacific Northwest<\/a>
\nAn 8-day cruise sailing from Seattle WA with\u00a0two\u00a0classes taught by me on days we are at sea with special excursions in each port-of-call: Astoria OR, SanFrancisco CA, and Victoria BC.<\/p>\n

October 13-16
\nRichmond VA
\nSpirit of Cross Stitch<\/strong>
\nA 4-day retreat \u00a0including\u00a0classes with a variety of teachers, including me, Thursday through Sunday and a merchandise mall on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.<\/p>\n

October 28-29<\/strong>
\nHarrisburg PA<\/strong>
\nA weekend retreat for Cross Stitch Club members with\u00a0a variety of teachers, including me,\u00a0on Friday and Saturday\u00a0and a merchandise mall on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.<\/p>\n

When you’re not stitching, be sure to take a look at my<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Etsy shop<\/a>. If you’re a self-taught sort of stitcher, you’ll love my easy-to-understand stitch diagrams and clear instructions.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

And go to\u00a0Facebook\u00a0and\u00a0\u201clike\u201d the Jean Farish Needleworks<\/a> page.\u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s the best place to leave comments\u00a0about this blog.<\/p>\n

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