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A Chance Find and a Long-Awaited Return to Hand Embroidery There are discoveries you make in charity shops that change things. For Elaine Fraser, it was a partly finished embroidered linen tea tray cloth, its original threads still neatly bundled alongside it, waiting for hands confident enough to continue the
Claire Frampton’s journey with the School of Stitched Textiles is a powerful reflection of what can happen when curiosity meets commitment. Beginning her studies during the uncertainty of lockdown, Claire set out to build confidence in her embroidery skills and learn how to develop her own design ideas. What started
Gillian Richardson’s journey into hand embroidery is one shaped by persistence, curiosity, and a lifelong pull towards creativity. Largely self-taught, and having faced early challenges in learning traditional sewing techniques, Gillian spent years exploring different artistic disciplines before textiles truly took hold. What began as an interest in felting gradually
Brooke Booth recently completed our Skill Stage 2 Hand Embroidery course and is continuing her studies with us at the School of Stitched Textiles. Like many learners, Brooke began with a passion for embroidery but felt limited by her knowledge of stitches and a reliance on pre-designed kits. She was
When Susanne de Beer enrolled on our Skill Stage 3, intermediate Machine Embroidery course, she was already an experienced sewer and quilter. What she was seeking was not simply a new technique, but deeper confidence, structured progression, guided creative freedom and a qualification that would carry weight beyond hobby learning.
As part of our ongoing series exploring traditional and contemporary hand embroidery techniques, we’ve created this guide to thread painting. Traditionally known as silk shading, we’re here to explore one of the most refined and painterly forms of stitch. Across this series, we examine not only how techniques are worked,
There is a moment many makers recognise, when curiosity is there but confidence is not, when ideas begin but never quite reach the finish line. Lynne West came to us with years of creative exploration behind her and a long held desire to truly understand machine embroidery, not just how
There is something quietly compelling about embroidery that slows you down. It asks you to look longer, to notice small shifts in colour, texture and light. And few contemporary embroidery artists capture that sense of stillness as convincingly as Cassandra Dias. Working in thread-painted landscapes, Cassandra’s embroidery sits in an
This article was originally published in 2022 and updated in 2026 to include our podcast conversation with Cassandra Dias. Cassandra Dias is a true inspiration. As a new artist who has only been stitching for two years she honed her skills to establish a successful collection of work and an impressive
For Cecilia, embroidery has always been part of her life. She grew up in Brazil surrounded by creativity, with a mother who encouraged making and a grandmother who worked intricate tambour embroidery into carnival costumes. From an early age, working with her hands felt natural, and embroidery in particular became
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