The Language of Marks: Patterning and Embellishing with Embroidery

Instructor: M. Kobe

Day & Date: Friday, February 28, 2025

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Tuition: $65.00

Ages: Adult (18 and Up)

Experience Level: All levels are welcome. No experience required.

Students Please Bring:

• An object that has a pattern you find interesting or fun – can be a piece of fabric/clothing/bedding, pottery, tiles, stones, tree bark, etc. If you are unable to bring the original object, please bring a printed photo
• We will use 6-inch embroidery hoops and colorful embroidery floss. Fabric will be provided, but you may bring your own (non-stretchy, preferably cotton fabrics)
• Note taking materials
• (Optional) A snack and/or water bottle. Filtered water is available in the classroom

Together we will learn 6 simple embroidery stitches that, when combined, can become elaborate patterns of embellishment. We will discuss how each of these stitches can become part of a vocabulary of marks to be used in our stitching. How can the thickness of our thread, the spacing between stitches, or even the size of the marks change our embroidery? Taking inspiration from our favorite patterned objects, we will use these simple stitches to create our own designs.

An additional fee for materials provided by your instructor for this workshop is estimated at $20.00 THIS FEE IS PAYABLE TO THE INSTRUCTOR at the time of the workshop. Material fees may change depending on the number of participants and price of materials at the workshop. *Payment by cash or check is required for materials fees. 

* Workshops are subject to low enrollment cancellation if the minimum number of 4 students is not reached. If you have any questions, you’re welcome to call Olive’s Porch for up-to-date enrollment information.

About Instructor: M. Kobe is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They earned an MFA in Painting from Boston University, a BFA in Painting, and a BA in Art History from Louisiana State University. Kobe is a storyteller and multi-disciplinary artist working primarily with textiles, natural materials, and lucky objects. Drawing upon her experiences growing up in the American South, her work contends with the religious mythologies of her upbringing, superstition, notions of home, and cultural inheritance. Kobe is currently an Artist in Residence at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and was recently a resident at Azule. They participated in several group exhibitions, including Into the Thicket at Morgan Lehman Gallery in New York, NY, and Homologous Structures at The University of Wisconsin Green Bay’s Lawton Gallery. She has an upcoming solo exhibition at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA. Kobe was the grand prize recipient of the 2023 Esther B. and Albert S. Kahn Career Entry Award, the BU Women’s Council Scholarship, the Constantin Alajalov Visual Art Scholarship, and the Michael Crespo Memorial Scholarship.