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
Minerva Arts Centre
Jennie: Film crew went to Minerva Arts Centre in Llandidloes, Powys – fantastic collection of ancient and modern quilts. Just you wait until you see the quilt with 12,000 3/4 inch hexagons made by a 9 year old boy!!! Also the complete contrast with four very contemporary Welsh quilters. Then off to see very special charity quilt made by 49 ladies in Crickhowell. Wow what a qult - each section tells of the journey through a landscape either your inner toughts and feelings or a real landscape that inspires you.
How it all started
In the beginning - Summer 2008: Valerie Nesbit (from Creative Quilting, Hampton Court, Surrey) dreams of creating a TV based web site devoted to Textile Arts. Jennie Rayment, nips and tucks, prattles and teaches internationally in her own little calico heaven August 2008: Seeds planted
Valerie finds a film crew and goes to Festival of Quilts, Quilt Museum in York and records workshops with several well known quilters.
Make Do & Mend
Broiderie Perse is a very posh way of using fabric to hide a stain! - lovely job though Jennie and no-one would ever know if you hadn't shared the secret.