Intro to Improv Embroidery: Pins, Patches and More! with Alison Stein

Intro to Improv Embroidery: Pins, Patches and More! with Alison Stein: COOKIE EDITION!!!!

2-Day Workshop

Date: Tuesday, November 18 and Thursday, November 20, 2025

Time: 6pm - 9pm

Description: Learn to create a pin or a patch of your very own design! In this workshop, you will learn the improvisational embroidery approach I use in my own fiber art work. Rather than being guided by a pre-designed pattern, we will learn to follow our intuition and the direction provided by the work itself as it progresses. This may result in a piece that’s abstract, representative, lettered — the process is very flexible and forgiving. You’ll leave with at least one pin and/or patch completed and perhaps another started, depending on your ambition! (PIns and patches are made the same way except for very end.) This workshop is for students of all levels.

Some techniques and tips that you can expect to learn in the workshop:

• Selecting appropriate materials for the best results.
• How to construct a fabric pin.
• Working in multiples, to lower the stakes and encourage experimentation.
• Thinking about color and composition.
• Specific embroidery stitches that work well for this project. (I will tailor this to the skill level of the class — it’s totally possible to make a gorgeous pin using only very basic stitches but I can also teach some lesser known advanced stitches if there are experienced embroiderers participating.)
• Helpful tips and techniques, such as using a waste knot.
• Incorporating beads or other doodads.
• Finishing methods, including attaching the pin.

Tuition: $130 + $15 materials fee

Note: We really want you to join us in the studio! Full and partial tuition scholarships are available to offset some of the financial burden of attending a class.

Please fill out the application here! You can expect to hear from someone on the CC staff within 2 weeks.

If you have any questions, email Jamie Boyle, Fibers Program Manager, at jboyle@contemporarycraft.org, or leave a voice message for them at 412-465-1639.

Materials: All materials will be provided, however, participants are encouraged to bring any tools that they need to aid in seeing up-close: reading glasses, magnifyers, etc...

Location: Contemporary Craft, Timmons Studios (5688 Butler St., Pittsburgh, PA 15201). Note, this workshop will take place in the Fibers Loft, which is on the second floor of the building.

There are 2 entrances to the Timmons Studios.

• One entrance is facing Butler Street. To access the Fibers Loft from the Butler Street facing entrance, there are a total of 32 stairs to ascend.

• One entrance is facing 57th Street. This entrance is accessible by ramp, with no stairs to ascend. There is a lift inside the building to access the second floor.

If there are accessibility accommodations we can provide, or if there is anything you would like us to know before you arrive, please feel free to call Jamie Boyle at 412-465-1639 or email jboyle@contemporarycraft.org.

Cancellations and Refunds: Workshop cancellations are decided three business days before the start date. If workshops must be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, the entire class fee will be refunded through Eventbrite, or you may leave your workshop fee in your Contemporary Craft account for future workshops.

Refund Policy: Student refund requests must be made at least three business days before a class begins. There will be a $25 cancellation fee. No refunds will be given without three-business days notice. Processing of refunds takes approximately three weeks.

About the Artist

Alison J. Stein is an artist, teacher and writer based in Carnegie, PA, in the Pittsburgh metro area. She makes vibrant textile art, paintings, prints and book art, and enjoys blurring the boundaries between traditional techniques and contemporary art.