About Susan
Susan has been teaching embroidery for many years and loves to share her enthusiasm for a wide range of techniques.
She completed her City and Guilds Part II in Embroidery with the inspirational Anthea Godfrey at the London College of Fashion (as it then was). Over the past twenty years, she has taught a wide range of classes including City and Guilds and leisure classes, with the WI, and most recently independently in the Wivenhoe and the Colchester area of Essex.
Susan took early retirement in 2013, giving her more time for embroidery and textile related activities. She enjoys being an active participant in the local branch of the Embroiderers’ Guild, visiting more exhibitions, attending workshops and reading more about her favourite textile art topics both in print and on-line.
She has also become a student again, signing up for the City and Guilds in Patchwork and Quilting with Creative Stitch Suffolk. According to Susan, “It’s been great to take on new challenges and learn new skills.”
Susan blogs regularly on her website, Threadlines, where she gathers together various elements of her long-standing fascination with embroidery and textile arts more generally. Her hope is that Threadlines will widen her circle of embroidery and textile art friends, and encourage non-embroiderers to try it – just once (that’s all it takes!
Signature Technique
Embroidery
Susan’s Top Tips
- The simpler the stitch, often, the more you can do with it.
- One of the (many) aspects of textiles that I love is that you don’t need to be doing just one project. Try new things…several at a time!
- Doing something completely new with a group of friends makes it extra special.
- If you want to know the ‘right’ way to embroider then turn to a technique manual.
Books and Patterns
Posts
Do you struggle with accurate piecing?
Here are a couple of tips which I hope you will find useful: You do need to make sure that when you have two pieces of fabric being sewn together that they start and top together - don't assume that the machine will do that for you because the way the machine works is the top fabric is being pushed towards you and the bottom fabric being pulled away from you; this 'drag' varies on the machine and on the fabrics you are using and a little with the foot you are using. So always hold onto the fabric with a pin or with your hands until you have sewn right to the bottom and if you are using a thread catcher, this will encourage you to do this.
Alzheimer Scotland pattern book
Ann Hill is a tireless supporter and fundraiser for Alzheimer Scotland; one of her recent projects was to arrange to cover the Hampden Park Football stadium turf with quilts -which she did!!!! (and we suggested a really quick and easy pattern for you to make: click here to enjoy: ) Another of her projects has been to produce this book of patterns entitled 'Scottish Quilt Patterns - which contains a wide variety of projects and patterns for you to follow.
Have I done enough quilting?
Modern waddings do not need to be as densely quilted as vintage quilts used to be - that's why the older quilts are quilted approx every 1"; check with the paperwork/washing instructions that come with your wadding but usually today's option is approx 7-10" apart. Question: I have quilted each (log cabin) block on the diagonal to make squares with the quilting line (does that make sense?).