Registration Deposit: $280 (includes $25 reg fee)
Balance: $640 (includes $45 materials fee), due 7/26/25
Total cost of Workshop: $920
Dates: Wednesday, September 24th – Sunday, September 28th, 2025 (9am-4pm)
Materials: Hietala- Supply List.pdf
Skill Level – All are welcome, no prior experience necessary

In this fun workshop we will explore stitching on paper and learn how embroidery stitches can add a new tactile dimension to a photograph, print or collage. Hand stitching adds texture, mark making, pattern, delineation, a sense of embellishment, a color accent and/or emphasis to a photograph or print.

We will begin with some fun exercises to learn about color and value and how they interact. We will learn how to prepare and stitch on paper and how to dye and over dye threads to customize the color and value of your threads, allowing them to uniquely coordinate with your work. Dying or over dying your thread allows you to have an unlimited and customized palette.

Stitching adds a physical dimension to a photograph, print or collage, they add a sense of the decorative, a mark made by hand, a sense of narrative and intention, and captures an action and sense of time. There will be group discussions on how to use stitching, color and value effectively in your work.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, come ready to stitch, connect, experiment and add another dimension to your work.

Instructor Bio Heather Allen Hietala is a full-time studio artist, educator, permaculture gardener and avid journaler living in Asheville, NC. She received her MFA from the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth and BFA from the University of New Hampshire. Heather has lectured and conducted workshops domestically & internationally. Her work is exhibited internationally and held in private, corporate and museum collections. Articles about her work have appeared in periodicals and books. Following her love of words and writing she has written reviews and articles for magazines and wrote “Weaving Contemporary Rag Rugs”, Lark Books 1998, which was translated and published in Japanese by Mori-Tuttle Agency, Inc., 2005. The vessel, relationships and the ongoing journey of life inspire her work in textiles, paper, clay, wire and natural materials. Her work is available at Momentum Gallery, Asheville, NC and Oeno Gallery, Ontario, Canada.