We’re thrilled to welcome Hudson Valley–based surface designer and author, Jen Hewett, to Made X Hudson for a special Intro to Embroidery workshop. Jen doesn’t teach in person often these days, so having her in our space is a rare treat—and a chance to learn directly from someone whose practice bridges printmaking, textile design, and handwork with real depth. Ahead of the class, we sat down with Jen to talk about how she found her way into screenprinting and surface design, how embroidery became part of her creative language, and what she loves about teaching beginners in a hands-on setting.
How did you come to the world of printmaking, surface design and embroidery?
I’d had a stationery company in my mid-twenties, and I was the creative
director/illustrator/fulfillment manager/customer service associate. When that business folded, I took a corporate job, but felt creatively stuck. I decided to take a screenprinting class as a way to get myself unstuck. When I pulled my first print in January 2008, I was hooked. I started spending as much time as possible at the community screenprinting studio, and built up a practice from there.
My surface design work grew out of my printmaking. I’d started printing on fabric. I’d make bags and tea towels with my fabric, but the printmaking process was so labor-intensive that selling hand-printed fabric yardage meant I’d have to charge hundreds of dollars per yard. But there was a demand for my designs, and a commercial fabric company asked if they could license my work. That’s when my work as a surface designer really took off.
I started embroidering around 2014, when I was creating a body of work for a solo show. The pieces in that show combined my block printed and screenprinted fabric. I felt something was missing – I’d wanted the pieces to be more tactile – and I introduced embroidery to give the work more depth.
Where do you typically begin a new design? e.g. with color, pattern, material, or concept?
It depends! When I design a fabric collection, I usually start with a concept. One year I
created a fabric collection inspired by the endpapers in vintage and antique books. I recently created a home collection, and the designs for that collection grew out of a specific illustration from my sketchbook that I expanded, chopped up, reconfigured. I rarely know where an illustration or a sketch will lead, but I often get a tickle in the back of my brain telling me that something is “the one” and that I need to just keep working at it.
For readers new to embroidery, how would you describe what embroidery is and why it’s such an approachable entry point into textile and surface design?
Embroidery is, simply, a way of creating designs on fabric using thread. Before printed
textiles were introduced to Europe, the only ways Europeans got pattern onto fabric were
either through weaving the pattern into it, or embroidering the design on top of it – which
only the wealthiest people could afford. (Different forms of fabric printing were prevalent in East and South Asia and Africa, and those fabrics were highly valued as trade goods in
Europe, but that’s a longer story.)
Embroidery is a portable craft that requires few specialized tools. If you can pull a needle and thread through a piece of fabric, you can embroider. You can fold up your work and carry it with you. You can make your projects as simple or as complex as you want to.
Your Intro to Embroidery class at Made X Hudson is designed for beginners. What skills will students learn, and what makes this embroidery workshop unique compared to learning online?
I’ll teach the basic stitches that are the building blocks of embroidery. I’ll provide students with fabric pre-printed with designs, but I’ll also show how to create designs and transfer them onto fabric. I’ve taught many, many in-person classes over the years. In class I can provide a lot of one-on-one support, helping to troubleshoot problems, or to push students to add a layer of complexity once they’ve mastered the basics. In addition, I find that students often learn from each other in a group setting. They walk away inspired by each other’s work – and by their own.
As a surface designer based in the Hudson Valley, how does the local landscape, creative community, and slower pace of making influence your embroidery and textile work?
I lived in California for over 40 years. The topography and the colors are so much more
extreme in California than in the Hudson Valley. Blues are bluer, hills and mountains are
taller and rougher, the sun is more intense. There’s a gentleness to the color, light, and pace of life in the Hudson Valley. Having more space here has allowed me to expand what I do – whether it’s creating a new home collection, to having the room to print larger – in ways that I’m just starting to recognize.
What tools, materials, or stitches do you recommend for someone just starting
embroidery, and how do you help students build confidence in their first project?
Embroidery supplies are fairly inexpensive and are, therefore, very accessible. You just
need an embroidery needle, some embroidery floss, an embroidery hoop, scissors, and
fabric to get started. I always recommend starting with a sturdy fabric with an open
weave, like a mid-weight linen, for your first project. An open weave means that you can
see the small gaps where you’ll place your needle much more easily. You can count the
gaps to keep your stitches even.
I walk students through the basic, building block stitches. Once you know these, it’s easy
to layer on top of them or combine them to create more complex pieces. But you can
also create something beautiful and compelling with basic stitches! I delight in teaching
students how versatile these stitches are.
How does embroidery fit into a modern handmade lifestyle, and why do you think
knowing this skill is useful in modern day?
Embroidery is a very soothing, focused practice. You can’t scroll on your phone and embroider at the same time!
