The Four Seasons Quaternion~
A Study of 17th c Embroidered Beasts
This 8-month fully kitted web-based class at Diamond K Folk Art Online Academy takes the student on a journey of exploration into 17th century embroidered animals. Each 4"x4" season is viewed within an opulent cartouche of looped glass beads and silk-wrapped plate purls, which the students will make themselves. There is one beast for each season, inspired by Ann Bradstreet's 1650 poem, The Four Seasons of the Year.
Sweet Spring depicts a cheerful leopard relaxing upon fertile green hillocks. Each season's outer flourish petals are different, but at the same time, designed to complement the others when displayed together. I have scoured the globe to bring you the finest 17th c reproduction materials~ fine silk threads from England and France, silk wrapped metal plates and gimps, and beautiful glass eyes.
Burning Summer is represented by a stately Bactrian camel. Students will learn my techniques for working up a padded base to both stitch through, as with the camel, and also how to pad up a separately worked slip (Spring & Winter). The camel is worked entirely in French knots with overtwist hump and mane. Real gold crenellated plate is used for the sun's rays, and students will learn detached needlelace techniques to create an amazingly beautiful palm tree. The flourish petals for this season represent native Mongolian chives, a diet staple of the Bactrian camel. Absolutely gorgeous silk chenille from Kyoto Japan gives the ground the blurry appearance it has as heat radiates off the sands surface on a hot Summer's day.
. Eden's Autumn depicts the ever popular 17th c noble Lion. This must be very early Autumn, or perhaps an Indian Summer, as the ground is a lush thick pile of French silk chenille. Lion is on holiday to the English countryside where he enjoys the shade of the mighty oak trees....he may indeed be making biscuits in the grass he is so very content! Students will work the lion in detached needlelace and will learn my technique for moveable glass eyes. The petal flourishes this season represent Autumn's glorious golden sunflowers.
Snowie Winter. This season was the catalyst for the entire class, as I have always wanted to stitch a 17th century snowy landscape! I have spent countless hours studying 17th c embroidery in person all over the globe and online, and I have never, ever, not once, seen a raised work depiction of snow. Winter months are always depicted in drab browns or olive greens, with only the lack of foliage and perhaps a fire to hint at the actual season. Students will work a stag with three dimensional antlers resting on a snow covered hillock. Stormy clouds overlook a snow capped tree and scrub oak bush. The flourish petals for this season depict bearberry~ not because deer eat them, but because their scent is a strong deer repellant, and I just love that deep dark red against the cold colours of winter.
I am only planning to run this fully kitted class once, due to the difficulty I have had acquiring the materials for it. This class will be limited to 30 students. I feel that embroidery is an art. Just as a painter uses paint to create a vision, an embroiderer uses coloured threads. We are limited in our vision by the limit of colour in our thread boxes. I designed this class to not only expose students to a dizzying array of stitches and techniques but also thread colours and thread types. Some of the more scarce materials are measured quantities, but many, like the Soie Ovale filament silk thread from Au Ver A Soie in France, shown above, are FULL SPOOLS. 43 to be exact!
Once the seasons have been completed, there will be plenty of thread left to add to your toolbox of luxury threads.
The Soie Perlee, Soie de Paris, and Soie 100/3 included in the kit are also full spools.
There is a total of 21 different colour and types of French & English Heritage gimps included in the kit~ not full spools due to scarcity but all in ample amounts to work all four seasons. Each kit will include four spools each of three colours of gorgeous English Heritage silk wrapped plates~ (shown far lower right in the photo above)
The kit offers partial amounts (NOT full spools) of 11 different colours of Soie Gobelins. Students will learn the difference between the types of threads in the kit and what stitches showcase their qualities best.
Each kit also includes all silk ground fabrics, needles, antique & modern glass beads, handmade conservation paper, padding, glass eyes, purling tool, and patterns for each season. Detailed, downloadable in depth step-by-step instructions, with photos, are accessed ONLY ONLINE.
It is the students responsibility to make sure their equipment can access the internet and download PDF file formats.
There will also be a dedicated private Facebook group for students to interact with each other, including myself.
Nearly everything you need to work all four seasons is in the kit!
Students will need to provide~
scissors
pencil
Pigma permanent marking pen .003
slate frame
Flush-cut wire cutters
laying tool
ruler
tweezers
Fray Check
straight pins
Yes Paste glue or UNBUFFERED Wheat Paste
As always, I can provide links to purchase any of the above, especially the unbuffered wheat paste.
Dutchess silk satin ground is provided in 9x9" squares to work each season individually. (The cartouches have also been designed to fit perfectly within the round sections of the Thistle Threads Fancy mirror).
Class will run for 8 months, with a new season beginning every other month, starting with Spring on 15 April 2025. Students are free to download the lessons and work at their leisure, I am ALWAYS available to answer questions even long after class is officially over.
The black lacquered frames I made personally and are not included with the kit. Sources for makers of Flemish-style frames will be given in class to those interested.
Tuition including kit is 1,100.00 USD, plus shipping.
At this time, shipping is only available to USA & UK* destinations.
*UK shipping is via fully insured Priority Express International. All kit values will be fully declared, customs and VAT is responsibility of the purchaser
Unfortunately due to new packaging registration requirements & new GPSR regulations, I can no longer ship to Germany, EU or Northern Ireland destinations.
Kits will ship late March 2025
Please select your destination country from the drop down menu if placing your order below:
All Diamond K Folk Art Online Academy courses are for single, private use only. By purchasing the course, the student agrees to the following Terms of Service:
1. All of the images, business names, logos, and content contained within Diamond K Folk Art Online Academy are copyright 2020-2025 Diamond K Folk Art, all rights reserved.
2. All digitally downloaded content and associated physical material kits are not eligible for return.
3. Content can be downloaded and printed for personal use only. You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any content contained within the Diamond K Folk Art Online Academy or its associated YouTube videos.
4. Class membership is non-transferable.
5. Diamond K Folk Art will not be liable for any loss of content or damage to your equipment due to loss of internet, computer capability, or lack of antivirus software. You are responsible for making sure you have the means to download and store your own class content.
6. You are responsible for downloading your class content in a timely manner and UNDERSTAND THAT ACCESS TO YOUR PURCHASED CLASS CONTENT WILL EXPIRE 90 DAYS AFTER COURSE COMPLETION.
7. You will retain forever access to private class videos via YouTube, even after 90 days after course completion, via a private link to the class video playlist. This content is for personal use only and may not be shared with others.
https://diamondkfolkart.thinkific.com
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