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
Don’t waste your selvedges
Myra and Valerie met at the Textiles in Focus exhibition at Cottenham Village College and here is a picture of the bag that she was using - great use of selvedges Myra.
Fabric flowers and buttons
Some simple but easy covered buttons that I've either been given, made myself or found - but I'm sure that with the knowledge from the book Fabric Flowers (you'll find it on the book page of the site https://www.justhands-on.tv/shopping/category/4/ you too could make these
Hever Castle: Country Life at the Castle Show
Part two of our visit last September goes up onto the site today so if you missed it you can wander round with us. Here is what one viewer wrote about part 1 : Dear Valerie and Jennie
Thanks for getting the Hever show video sorted so quickly. I have just had a wonderful day at Region 2 and come home to watch it.