The Victorians loved love and were passionate about Valentine’s day - popularizing floriography (known as known as 'the language of flowers') - in which symbolic meaning was assigned to all manner of botanicals. Join artist and maker Robert Mahar in learning about this 1800s pastime and then add color texture and charm to a chart of vintage floral illustrations selected for their love related attributes. Instruction will cover core embroidery basics, essential stitches and how to apply them to an original collage custom printed on a 18x27” panel of linen cotton canvas. The end result is a beautifully embroidered textile that can be displayed as a wall hanging or utilized as a tea towel. Instruction will set participants up for success so that they can begin their individual projects in class and complete them at home.

The vintage floral illustrations were sourced from an 1896 volume of scientific studies in the collection of the Missouri Botanical Garden. They have been digitally restored and paired with charming typography of their amorous attributes - creating the perfect canvas for your embroidery embellishment. This workshop is a unique approach to needlework utilizing a nontraditional, free-form sampler that allows you utilize your favorite stitches and determine their placement.

This class is well suited for adventurous beginners ages 18 , however, students with more embroidery experience are encouraged to join for a fun refresher course and the opportunity to apply their skills to a large-format botanical graphic.

Materials:
All materials are included and will be provided to participants when they arrive for the workshop. Each material kit includes a custom 27x18” linen cotton sampler, a limited palette of 6-strand embroidery floss, wood embroidery hoop, embroidery needle, practice fabric, instructional diagrams and a sharpened pencil. Please note! If you have favorite embroidery tools or prefer specific colors of embroidery floss (6-strand or perle cotton) you are encouraged to bring these items with you to the workshop.

About the Instructor:
Robert Mahar is a California-based artist and educator who teaches thoughtfully researched and developed hands-on projects based in historical craft traditions. He’s also a proud contestant alumnus, and subsequent associate producer, on NBC’s crafting competition show Making It with Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. With an education in studio arts and art history, he has worked in a variety of creative fields including 13 years as an appraiser of modern and contemporary art - and now happily manages public programming at Sonoma Botanical Garden. Learn more about Robert, explore his video tutorial archive and shop his collection of curious embroidery samplers at robert-mahar.com.

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