Meet Our Guest Fiber Arts Instructor, Maday!

Fancy Tiger Crafts is delighted to welcome our newest fiber arts instructor, Maday! 

Maday is a prolific art educator, Janome Artisan, published artist and guild presenter based in the Midwest, committed to bringing innovation and artistry to the forefront of the work she creates. Her mission is to nurture artistic platforms across cultures and generations to foster creative work, while finding ways to minimize environmental footprint. Learning from cultural textile traditions and exchanging powerful stories, continues to be a source of inspiration that Maday hopes to share with all.

During the month of August, Maday will be debuting TWO workshops at Fancy Tiger Crafts: Handstitching Workshop and Punch Needle Workshop 

In Maday's Handstitching Workshop, students will create portable, "two-layered" collaged panels using raw edge appliqué techniques and big stitches with a variety of threads. During the workshop, Maday will also discuss different finishing techniques and practical applications to include in every day items.  

In her Punch Needle Workshop, students will learn to draft a floral design to embroider using punch needle, create different stitches and embellishing techniques as well as discuss how different size needles produce different results! 

Read our Q&A with Maday to learn more about what inspires her as a maker and what she hope you'll learn from her workshops! 

How would you describe your crafting journey?   

My creative journey began quite frankly out of necessity to do something for myself and get acclimated to small-town living after I moved there from New York City. I have always loved art in some way, and I discovered sewing by going for a walk with my young daughter. I stumbled into a sewing shop. I decided to buy a sewing machine that day, along with an Accuquilt fabric cutting system. I also had a job that was quite clinical in my mind, and I needed an outlet. I taught my first class a year after I bought my first sewing machine at the same shop. What inspires you and your work as a maker?   

I am inspired by nature, my Cuban heritage and interacting with people. Sustainability is very important to me, and I think that when we start caring for nature, becoming more sustainable, also becomes a part of us.How would you describe your design process and aesthetic? 

I am very much an improvisational maker with a focus on re-using materials that are often discarded and creating magic out of them. I love not knowing what the end product is going to look like exactly. Being scrappy is part of my Cuban upbringing and I want to make sure that I honor my roots in the process. Anything small that I can make a hole again interests me. I value surprises over consistency. My work is usually saturated with color because it brings so much energy to what I love to create.What do you want people to know about punch needling and handstitching? 

To me and hand-stitching and punch needle are so satisfying. The effort is methodical and slow, and I think it’s so important because we can hear ourselves breathe, and we can have wonderful conversations while we work. The same cannot be said when we work with electric machinery. These workshops are about connections, connections to our art, connecting our mind and our hands, and just bringing joy into the art of making! What project of yours are you most proud of?

The work that I create while stitching by hand, is what I’m most proud of. It is just me, my materials and my hands. I dictate the pays based on what my hands can do. And I learn a lot during the process. I like to say that a lot of life happens in the process!What inspired you to start teaching?

How do you approach teaching skills to others? What do you hope participants get out of your classes?

I love teaching!  I feel that I set my students up for success. I share some of the things that work and the best practices that I have learned. I also always tell my students that there is no one way to do something and that you have to find the best way that works for you. Sometimes that looks like learning a method, followed by hours of experimentation to find what works for you. I try to inspire my students by sharing some ways in which we can be gracious to ourselves and patient. The first time you try something is not going to look like the work you produce after 10 tries. Allowing ourselves grace to create, honors the twists and unexpected turns that a project produces as you dedicate time to it. It is OK to try a technique and decide if you like it. We don’t have to become experts! We can enjoy art for the sake of art making and continue our learning journey. What is your go-to playlist or podcast to listen to while you work? 

I work in silence. I have tried to listen to audiobooks, but I can’t focus. Working in silence grounds me.  You can see more of Maday amazing work and follow her art making journey by visiting her website or follow her on Instagram!  Sign up for her Punch Needle Workshop HERE and sign up for her Handstitching Workshop HERE.