Seminar Sense 
by Gail Sirna 

Originally published in Needle Pointers, Volume XV, Number 5, August/September 1987

So you've finally taken the plunge and signed up to attend a national seminar. You have filled out all those forms and signed the check. You've arranged for time off from work, or for baby sitting, or for both. You've made sure your husband is sufficiently fed and entertained during your absence. (Wasn't it thoughtful of them to plan the baseball playoffs during the seminar? He might not even notice that you're not there, as long as you lay in a good supply of munchies.) 

But nagging doubts persist. Maybe you feel a little nervous that you are not really ready for the lauded national seminar. You look around at your chapter members and note that the ones who have attended previous meetings seem to be the best stitchers in the guild. Well, I submit there are two reasons for this. The first is that very few novice stitchers even think about committing the money and time to an avocation they haven't learned to love as yet. Just give them time! Once they have more exposure to stitching and to the guild, they'll decide to sign up, too. The second reason that it seems that good stitchers go to seminars is actually that they come back as good stitchers. They have spent a week studying with good teachers, talking stitching all day and half the night (more about that later), and seeing some of the greatest pieces in the exhibit. They can't help but be inspired! 

Okay, so you're ready. If you think you'd like to go, then you're ready. 

First of all, abandon any thoughts about catching up on your rest while at seminar. This is like being back in college, without all the rules and studying. People sit around all night, well half of it anyway, talking stitching, guild, clothes, children, husbands, etc. It's a prime opportunity to get better acquainted with your chapter members and other interesting people from around the country. Only the most disciplined person who has no roommate and can tear herself away from the fascinating conversation will actually get to bed early. Classes usually start at 8:30 A.M. (which can be 5:30 A.M. if you are from the West Coast and the seminar is in the Eastern Time Zone). In the interest of catching a few more minutes of sleep many people bring some things to make a simple breakfast in their rooms, in order to avoid the lines at the coffee shop. 

Are you worried about what to wear? Well, truthfully, anything goes. People come to class in anything from jeans to Ultrasuede suits and everything in between. Bring something comfortable since you'll be stitching 6 hours a day. For the opening banquet you'll need something sort of dressy, like a nice dress or skirt and blouse. People, at least some people, dress up a little more for the closing banquet, but it's purely a matter of choice. You shouldn't feel like you must rush out and make a special purchase. This is the perfect opportunity to wear any embroidered clothes that you have; they will definitely evoke more appreciative comments from this group than from any other. If you have a quilted vest or one of those embroidered blouses from Mexico, or a Seminole patchwork skirt, wear it. If you have something considered hopelessly weird by either your mother or your daughter it will probably be perfect for the occasion.

Now, about money - you should bring a little extra mad money. Or a lot extra, depending on how mad you get. The seminar boutique is very seductive, and it's hard, if not impossible, to pass up those gorgeous fibers and wonderful canvases. If you don't have access to a good needlework shop in your hometown, then be prepared for "needlepoint heaven." 

What supplies should you bring? Every stitcher should have a nice pair of embroidery scissors. The boutique will have them, if your local shop does not. Then you should have another pair that are not so good (like my formerly good pair that my husband used to trim his moustache). These can be used for cutting metal threads, canvas, kidskin, and other strange things that appear in kits from time to time. It seems like almost every teacher expects you to have a "laying tool." 

This is an instrument over which you lay your silk or cotton floss. A rug needle will suffice, but if you wish to get fancy there are trolley needles, spatulas, and gold bodkins. Students of Japanese embroidery use the teko bari which is an extremely sharp, stiletto-like instrument. Some teachers like collar stays, and they have the advantage of being cheap and readily available (just check the bottom of dryer bin). You will probably develop a preference eventually, but come with something.

Many teachers like the students to have something to secure the canvas frame while they work, leaving both hands free (one for the needle and one for the "laying tool"). Table clamps are popular, but we sometimes find that the tables in the hotels are either too thick, or have a lip on them and the clamp doesn't do its job. The spring clamp, available at hardware stores, has its devotees also, and it has the advantage of being easily released, but sometimes they don't fit the table edge either. If you buy one of these, make sure you can open it yourself. Some can only be worked by Arnold Schwartzenegger, and I have never noticed him at one of our seminars. Frame weights, more recently popular, are just bean bags which can be placed on the corner of your frame to hold it on the table while you stitch. They are often made to look like people or animals and are often whimsically decorated. Their advantage is that you needn't uncrank them to get to the back of your work to end a thread. 

You might want to get yourself some hair tape. Remember that pink stuff for taping down bangs while they dried? Well, it's perfect to hold the threads hanging on your canvas when the teacher says "Okay, everyone, park your thread!" 

Some other items for your stitching bag include your name tag, beeswax, band-aids, aspirin, extra needles, pencils, erasers, needle threaders, and anything else you like to have with you when you stitch. 

Well, now that you are fully rested, clothed, funded, and supplied, what do you need to know? First of all, you should choose a class in keeping with your ability. Refer to the brochure for a description of proficiency levels and decide where you belong. Do yourself and everyone else a favor and don't register for a class for which you do not have enough experience. If you have already done so, try to get some instruction locally, before coming to seminar. 

But there are some things that everyone should know about before arriving at a seminar. First and foremost is threading a needle. Many people struggle with this because of a little arthritis in the fingers, or "middle age eyes," or just from plain lack of instruction. If you know that needle threading is your nemesis, come prepared! Arm yourself with several needle threaders, available at needlework shops and fabric stores. Have a variety of types, because there are many types of fibers and needles. There is no need to get tense in class because needle threading is not an instinctive move for you. You are not alone - that's why I put this technique first in this article. It is an extremely common problem, even among experienced, wonderful stitchers. If you are caught without your threader you can make your own out of ordinary paper. Just cut (with your junk scissors) a narrow piece of paper about 1/4 inch wide and about 1½ inches long, fold it over the end of the thread, and push the folded end through the eye of the needle. Do make sure the paper is narrow enough to fit through the needle's eye. This works like a charm, is readily available, and you just make a new one when the first one wears out. 

To thread a needle without a threader, I can think of three methods. The first is to just poke the thread through the needle's eye, as you would with sewing thread. This only works with a single ply or strand, with something like silk sewing thread, and you probably won't use it too often in a needlepoint class. 

The more common method is to fold the thread over the needle and hold the loop tightly between thumb and forefinger while you push the needle's eye over the thread loop. This is the commonly used technique with stranded threads like Persian wool, floss, and Medici. Two things seem to cause stitchers the most problems here. One is that the stitcher chooses too small a needle with an eye insufficient for the thread. The more common problem is that the thread loop is left sticking up too high above the thumb and finger and just "mooshes" down when the needle is pushed over it. The thread loop should be down between the thumb and forefinger, barely visible, and pressed tightly together, so the needle can be pushed down over the compressed thread.

The third method of threading up is for the twisted or braided threads which form a cord. Pearl cotton and Balger braid are examples of this type of thread. These threads do not fold over the needle and flatten out very well, making it next to impossible to push the needle down over them. Nor can you poke them through the eye as you would with sewing thread. I usually squeeze the end (the raw end) very tightly between my thumb and finger and push the needle's eye down over this compressed thread. It usually works quite well, but people with arthritis sometimes can't squeeze tightly enough. That's when the needle threaders come in handy.

If you know threading up is a problem, practice a little at home with the appropriate thread. The teacher usually tells you, in her letter to you, what fibers you will be using. If you can get some, play with them a little bit to get used to threading up. 

A second technique which is almost universally used is the waste knot. These are big knots in the end of the thread which are placed on top of the canvas for the purpose of holding the tail of the thread when you are beginning. Waste knots are later cut away so you don't have to worry about their appearance. There are two kinds of waste knots. One is the in-line waste knot (a term I use, for lack of any better), This knot is placed in the path of the stitching so that the tail will be covered as you stitch. When you get to the waste knot you just cut it off and the tail is secured. The advantage is that you don't have to reach around to the back of the canvas and hold onto it while you stitch. 

The other kind of waste knot is an away waste knot. This knot is placed out in left field someplace, rather than in the line of the stitching. The reason for this is that you may not be sure exactly where the path of the stitching will go, or the stitching might be so open that it would not hide the waste tail at all. The tail will need to be hidden later, either in a border, or in the stitching itself. For this reason you will need to make your away waste knot at least 2 ½ times the length of the needle, so you can thread it up and secure it after the stitching is done. Don't put your away waste knot too close to the start of the stitching. It is a total nuisance to try to secure some little half-inch tail when you are through stitching; many unkind words have been uttered when this occurs. 

Another technique with which you should be familiar involves actually putting in stitches. It is desirable to always come up in an empty canvas hole, and to insert the needle into a filled hole. This keeps the stitches that you have carefully placed on the canvas neat and orderly. If you bring the needle up in a filled hole you disturb the existing stitches and chance bringing through some fuzzies from the back of the work. Whenever possible go down through the filled hole.

There are times when this is impossible; then you must take extra care in stitching so as not to mess up the existing stitches. This is a commonly made mistake. Even experienced stitchers forget, so intent are they on the stitch to be learned. But try to remember; it's worth the effort.

Now I have told you what I think you need to know about seminars. I'm sure everyone reading this has her own pet additions. My husband thinks we should all bring jump ropes to get some exercise after sitting all day. Wouldn't the hotel love that? Six hundred ladies and a few assorted gentlemen jumping rope simultaneously? Anyway, seminars are lots of fun and wonderful learning experiences. The best part is the new friendships one forms. So if you are thinking of coming, do come. You are ready for it! 

Editor's Note (updated in 2000): Gail Sirna, of Rochester, Michigan, is well qualified to author this article as she has attended many local, regional, and national seminars as both a student and a teacher. Gail holds Teacher Certification from the National Academy of Needle Arts, and has completed Fellow Level In the Master Teacher Program of ANG. She was local coordinator of the ANG 1997 seminar in Detroit, and currently serves on ANG's Nominating Committee. We thank Gail for sharing her thoughts with us.