Greek Counted Stitch Embroidery with Shahnaz Khan

Embroidery is a technique of decoration: the use of needle and thread to elaborate fabric, materials, or objects. Practiced across time and place, embroidery displays and celebrates culture and identity. Ancient embroideries – sewed with spun gold thread, tracing a pharaoh’s hem, twined into fruiting trees or rigorous geometries – have been discovered on every continent, the archaeology of a universal impulse. Our World Embroidery Series is a celebration of this global craft. Across seven classes, sewists will encounter an astonishing array of culturally specific techniques, and will have the opportunity to learn from accomplished practicing teachers who are equally purposed in preserving heritage techniques.

Stitchers of every level are welcome to participate in this series, learning the motifs and mechanics of seven distinct embroidery traditions from across the globe, in a series designed to convey the meaning and histories of specific stitching practices. This class will allow students to increase their skills, to participate in the preservation of culture, and to explore some of the diversity of ethnographic contributions to this ancient, tactile artform.

In this class, Shahnaz will be joined by her mother, Artemis, who will share her experiences of how the art of embroidery influenced her upbringing in Greece. Together they will discuss the significance of passing textile traditions and techniques down through generations. Students will learn about the history of Greek embroidery, and will learn a variety of stitches used in Counted or Canvas work. Artemis will share her tips and tricks for beautifully executed embroideries, as taught to her by her mother. This class will focus on the 18th and 19th century embroideries that are housed in museums around the world.