Cathy Howe recently completed our accreditedΒ Machine Embroidery Course (Skill Stage 2)Β and has already started on our Skill Stage 3Β Machine Embroidery course. For Cathy Howe the course has given her a huge sense of fulfilment and has been a welcome distraction from her full time job. Take a look through her fabulous work and find out how the course has benefited her.
Cathy Howe
When I was at University I enjoyed doing a bit of Machine Sewing. I had also dabbled in a bit of free motion embroidery. Although I had some experience I decided to opt for the Skill Stage 2 course, after reading the guidance from the School of Stitched Textiles about which level to study. I had expected a lot of the course to be a bit of a refresh, but I was absolutely wrong!
My only movtivation for doing the course was to get better at my hobby. I wanted to develop my machine embroidery knowledge and have an interesting and fulfilling activity to do outside my job.
Why an accredited course?
I thought doing a formal course would help me stay motivated. Because the course is City & Guilds accredited I felt confident it would cover all the basics properly as well as covering a range of techniques I might not bother to learn if I just followed my own instincts.
I have a job that takes me all over the country (or I did before COVID19!) and Iβm never in one place long enough to go to face to face classes.Β Distance learning is really the only way I can access courses so I was delighted when I found out about the School of Stitched Textiles.
What have you learned?
I’ve learned that the single most important thing is to get started and to have a go.Β The scariest bit of any project for me is just before I start. When all I can see is the endless ways for me to mess it up!Β But every time I got stuck into a task I discovered something new.Β I havenβt liked or enjoyed every single moment, but Iβve learned something in every single task.Β Even if a piece doesnβt end up exactly as Iβd imagined, thereβs always been something good about it. Sometimes a happy accident makes a piece even better.
What’s next?
Iβm already onto Skill Stage 3, and loving it too. I have created work I would never have imagined, using techniques Iβd never heard of in Skill Stage 2. I’ve still got so much more to learn and explore. I would absolutely recommend this course to others!
If you’re thinking of studying a course with School of Stitched Textiles I would recommend the following:
- Accept that it will take time, and be willing to put the time aside to keep doing a bit because it all mounts up – even if itβs only a short time each day.
- Be willing to fail β having a go is much more important that doing it perfectly, and βfailingβ and investigating what went wrong and how to fix it brings faster and more intense learning than instant success ever does.
- Go for it! Push yourself and dare to find out how far you can go.
