Stitchery Stories

In this Stitchery Stories episode, host Susan Weeks chats with Sally McCollin, a textile artist, designer, and educator with a fascinating career spanning publishing, design, and teaching. From early beginnings knitting mohair jumpers for pocket money to working with major craft companies like Patons & Baldwins (now Coats Crafts), Sally has had an incredible journey in the textile industry. She shares insights into her commercial design work, editorial roles, teaching, and her passion for inspiring others through online embroidery courses, and textile art courses. Key Talking Points: From hobby to profession: How Sally's love for textiles grew from childhood sewing to a career in knitting, embroidery, and design. Working in the commercial craft industry: Her experience designing knitting patterns and working in PR for Coats Crafts. Teaching and inspiring others: How she transitioned into teaching and developed unique textile art courses. Embroidery Skills Courses: The thought process behind creating courses that blend design and embroidery techniques. The importance of play in design: Encouraging creativity through experimentation rather than rigid instruction. Balancing creativity and deadlines: Funny behind-the-scenes stories of stitching projects for magazine features. Love for Shibori and fabric dyeing: Why fabric manipulation and color experimentation remain her favorite techniques. Relevant Links: For this episode... View Links, information & Examples of Sally's work at https://stitcherystories.com/sallymccollin Visit: https://courses.embroiderersguild.com/ Read: https://courses.embroiderersguild.com/p/blog?p=your-online-embroidery-tutor About Stitchery Courses! VISIT Stitchery Courses a brilliant new place to find expert teachers, helpful info & fun courses to learn stitching, making & crafting with thread, fabric & yarn https://www.stitcherycourses.com GET LISTED on Stitchery Courses if you teach you art, craft, skills with thread, fabric & yarn and tap into this unique place to regularly market your classes and courses and get a steady stream of eager new 'eyes' onto your business! DON'T MISS OUT! https://www.stitcherycourses.com/join Support Stitchery Stories: Please share the podcast with friends and leave a review to help others discover the show. Buy Me A Coffee If you love Stitchery Stories, how about you 'buy me a coffee' and make a donation to help the show keep going? https://buymeacoffee.com/sueweekspodcast Are We Connected On Socials? Why not pop over to your fave social media places, connect and say Hello! I always LOVE to see what you are stitching and sharing! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stitcherystories_podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stitcherystories Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SusanWeeksYoutube Other Episodes You Might Like:

Ailish Henderson is a fine art textile artist, particularly known for her fine art stitched collage works, which focus on capturing a fleeting moment, telling the story with mixed media, paint, stitch and fabric snippets. She is also the author of 'Narrative Textiles', published by Batsford in October 2024. In this episode, of Stitchery Stories textile art podcast, host Susan Weeks chats with Ailish Henderson, a narrative textile artist, author, and teacher. Ailish's work weaves together memory, storytelling, and fine art textiles, often using unique materials to create pieces that evoke personal and collective histories. She shares her excitement about her upcoming book launch, Narrative Textiles, and accompanying solo exhibition in London, where her artworks will bring her book to life. Ailish also reflects on her journey from a fine art background to embracing textiles and mixed media. Ailish & Susan chat about: Upcoming book and exhibition: Ailish is preparing for the launch of her book Narrative Textiles alongside a solo exhibition in October 2024. Storytelling through textiles: Her work often captures personal stories, memories, and moments, using materials that hold sentimental value. Inspired by heritage and family: Growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and spending a lot of time with her grandmother who loved knitting greatly influenced her artistic path. Using vintage and reclaimed materials: Ailish shares how she embraces the imperfections in old fabrics, turning them into meaningful art. The tension between teaching and creating: Balancing a teaching career with artistic creation, she finds inspiration in the ideas sparked by her students. Multifaceted art career: From exhibiting internationally to writing, Ailish reflects on the challenges of sustaining an artistic career while also managing other commitments. The importance of community: She emphasizes the value of artist communities and how sharing ideas with others can spark new creative directions. Transition from fine art to textiles: Ailish explains how her fine art training influenced her mixed media approach and experimentation with different materials. Using poetry and writing: She uses her quickly captured words and poetry, along with doodles on whatever is to hand, often capturing thoughts and moments that later inspire her textile work. For this episode... View Links, information & Examples of Ailish's work at https://stitcherystories.com/ailishhenderson Visit: https://www.ailishhenderson.com/ Look: https://www.instagram.com/alish_h_ Other Episodes You Might Like: Julia Triston: Celebrating Marks & Memories In Old Clothing & Cloth https://stitcherystories.com/juliatriston/ Tracy Franklin : Specialist Freelance Embroiderer & Durham Cathedral Head Broderer https://stitcherystories.com/tracyafranklin/ Cas Holmes : Textile Artist & Tutor: Found-Stitch-Paint https://stitcherystories.com/casholmes/

Elnaz Yazdani creates vibrant contemporary textile art using rather unusual materials. Look closely for nails, springs, tubes, and all sorts from scrap stores. Elnaz loves working with community groups to reimagine embroidery and spark creativity. In this episode of Stitchery Stories textile art podcast, Susan Weeks chats with Elnaz Yazdani, an embroidery artist and educator who merges traditional techniques with unconventional materials. Elnaz discusses her passion for community engagement and how embroidery can connect people and elevate well-being. With a background that includes influences from Iran and Lancashire, she explores the use of embroidery as a way to tell stories, both personal and cultural. Elnaz is also known for using recycled and industrial materials in her creative process, pushing the boundaries to 're-imagine' of traditional embroidery. Susan chats with Elnaz about: Community-based embroidery projects: Elnaz is involved in various community projects that aim to connect people through the art of embroidery. Unusual materials in embroidery: Elnaz explains how she uses materials like washers, computer parts, and plumbing supplies to create stunning embroidered artworks. Creative freedom in projects: A discussion about how working with various groups inspires different interpretations of topics such as "place" and cultural storytelling. Embroidery as social prescribing: Elnaz views embroidery as a therapeutic practice that can positively affect mental well-being. Influence of her heritage: Being half Iranian and half English has shaped her love for textiles and her work's rich cultural storytelling influences. Education and teaching: Elnaz emphasizes the importance of keeping the craft alive by inspiring and teaching embroidery to the next generation. Juggling art practice & community projects: Elnaz shares some hard-won advice around setting boundaries and doing what you love! Sustainability: Elnaz often works with upcycled and renewable materials, such as fruit netting and scrap items, reflecting her commitment to sustainability. Some links & further info: For this episode... View Links, information & Examples of Elnaz's work at https://stitcherystories.com/elnazyazdani Visit: https://www.elnazyazdani.com/ Look: https://www.instagram.com/elnazyazdani About Stitchery Courses! VISIT Stitchery Courses a brilliant new place to find expert teachers, helpful info & fun courses to learn stitching, making & crafting with thread, fabric & yarn https://www.stitcherycourses.com GET LISTED on Stitchery Courses if you teach you art, craft, skills with thread, fabric & yarn and tap into this unique place to regularly market your classes and courses and get a steady stream of eager new 'eyes' onto your business! DON'T MISS OUT! https://www.stitcherycourses.com/join Support Stitchery Stories: Please share the podcast with friends and leave a review to help others discover the show. Buy Me A Coffee If you love Stitchery Stories, how about you 'buy me a coffee' and make a donation to help the show keep going? https://buymeacoffee.com/sueweekspodcast Are We Connected On Socials? Why not pop over to your fave social media places, connect and say Hello! I always LOVE to see what you are stitching and sharing! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stitcherystories_podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stitcherystories Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SusanWeeksYoutube Other Episodes You Might Like: Holly Jackson : Mix modern stumpwork embroidery with mixed media https://stitcherystories.com/hollyjackson/ Nikki Parmenter: Exuberant mixed-media textile artist https://stitcherystories.com/nikkiparmenter/ Claire Edwards: Pushing The Boundaries Of Traditional Hand Embroidery https://stitcherystories.com/claireedwards/

Alison Holt is a contemporary textile artist, teacher and author who combines silk painting and freehand machine embroidery to create beautiful landscapes and glimpses of the natural world. Alison shares how her career and art continues to evolve, as she looks for new challenges. Following new opportunities as well as ongoing marketing and visibiity of one's art are also very important, and Alison shares her experience and wisdom with us. Susan Weeks chats with Alison Holt about: A current focus on the sea, a rich source of inspiration Her current success in finding new exhibiting venues and opportunities Developing her artistic style Capturing the atmosphere and sense of a place Scaling back her activities to develop her art practice Organising the "Stitch By Stitch" textile art exhibition Promoting your art and yourself Perspective of a long-standing professional artist For this episode... View Links, information & Examples of Alison's work at https://stitcherystories.com/alisonholt Visit: https://www.alisonholt.com/ Look: https://www.instagram.com/alisonlholt/ STITCHERY COURSES is an exciting new place to discover and connect with experts who teach their art, craft & skills with thread, fabric & yarn. Pop over to search through the experts and see what courses & classes they have available. Or pop over and GET LISTED as an expert on Stitchery Courses and tap into this unique place to regularly market your classes and courses and get a steady stream of eager new 'eyes' onto your business! https://www.stitcherycourses.com/

Textile artist Holly Jackson shares her recent journey in developing her art career. Developing her 'sneaky' stumpwork embroidery using modern materials and mixed media, there are plenty of exciting 'firsts' to celebrate with Holly! We join Holly at the start of her first art exhibition. She shares her preparation and hopes from the show. We chat about her very interesting inspirations for her emerging body of work, and how she is developing her own 'take' on stumpwork, scaling it up, and using modern materials and mixed media to produce larger pieces, faster, yet still using hand embroidery. Susan Weeks chats with Holly about: 'There's always one more thing!' How she got started on her new artist career The importance of getting in front of 'new eyes' Her preparations for her first 'booth show' The fascinating stories of the 'hidden women' behind historical Mardi Gras float designs The impacts of flooding & climate change on her region Developing 'sneaky stumpwork' techniques Creating her own unique textile art style and 'voice' Creating a body of work, using series and collections What's next after the show? For this episode... View Show Notes, Links & Examples of Holly's work at https://stitcherystories.com/hollyjackson Visit: https://flossinginthemoonlight.com/ Look: https://www.instagram.com/flossinginthemoonlight/ Other places & people we mentioned: Chesapeake bay, USA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Bay Tulane University Carnival Collection https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane:p15140coll40 Jenny Adin-Christie https://jennyadin-christieembroidery.com/ Other episodes you will enjoy: https://stitcherystories.com/lottiecockell/ https://stitcherystories.com/katetume/ https://stitcherystories.com/nikkiparmenter/

Cornwall Cross Stitch Kit designer Emma Horan shares behind the scenes of her 'accidental' creative business based around counted cross stitch hand embroidery kits of the beautiful Cornish coast. For the last 10 years, Emma has grown her cross stitch kit business from a therapeutic hobby as she recovered from illness, to a thriving creative business, shop & studio based in St Austell Town, Cornwall. With the beautiful Cornish coast as her never-ending inspiration, with the desire to make bright colourful kits, Emma shares her journey from her first design made with 20p cross stitch software. We peek into the 'nuts and bolts' of kit design and production and Emma kindly shares some hard-won lessons along the way! Her mantra? To provide kits so that people can stitch things that make them feel good. Susan Weeks chats with Emma Horan about: painting & stitching as therapy whilst on sick leave from her corporate job her creative inspirations enjoying her studio and shop the steps from inspiration to kit for sale getting help and batch production dealing with counterfeiters colouring books? the beautiful and inspiring Cornish coast For this episode... View Show Notes, Links & Examples of Emma's cross stitch kits at https://stitcherystories.com/emmahoran Visit: https://www.emmalouiseartstitch.co.uk/ Look: https://www.instagram.com/Emmalouiseartstitch/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/Emmalouiseartstitch/ Tweet https://twitter.com/emmalouiseart Other episodes you will enjoy: https://stitcherystories.com/kriscampbell/ https://stitcherystories.com/lottiecockell/ https://stitcherystories.com/liannevanleyen/

Prism Textile Group members Hayley Mills-Styles and Maria Walker share behind-the-scenes challenges of helping to organise an annual textile art exhibition which features work from the groups' international members. Hayley & Maria explain the background and history of this well-known exhibiting group, and then we dive into the details of organising and marketing the annual exhibition. This is a fascinating insight into the details of how such exhibitions spring into life, and the work that goes on behind-the-scenes by so many members. The 2023 exhibition with a theme of 'Warped' is at The Art Pavillion, Mile End Park, East London from April 20th to May 1st Susan Weeks chats with Hayley & Maria about: Connections & collaborations within the group The history of Prism textiles How the group organises itself Setting submission dates to support consistent event marketing Planning the exhibition Using social media to spotlight members textile art and so much more! For this episode... View Show Notes, Links & Examples of Prism group members art at https://stitcherystories.com/prismtextiles Visit: https://www.prismtextiles.co.uk/ Look: https://www.instagram.com/prismtextiles Like: https://www.facebook.com/prismtextiles Other places & people we mentioned: Art Pavilion, Mile End Park, Clinton Road, London, E3 4QY North Yorkshire Open Studios https://www.nyos.org.uk/ The House Of Smalls https://www.thehouseofsmalls.art/ Other episodes you will enjoy: https://stitcherystories.com/hayleymillsstyles/ https://stitcherystories.com/yorktextileartists/

Back in 2014, textile artist, academic & designer Vanessa Marr posed the question: Women & Domesticity - What's Your Perspective? And invited those thoughts to be embroidered upon a yellow duster, in red thread. Little did she realise what she had unleashed... Nine years later, Vanessa has an amazing collection of embroidered dusters and an even more amazing collection of stories from the people (mostly women) who have sent her a duster. There are so many fascinating elements to this project, we barely scratch the surface! We do have a laugh as we start our conversation highlighting the now closed one off collaboration with The Profanity Embroidery Group as part of their Domesticity themed exhibition in Whitstable, Kent in February 2023. PEG were early guests on the podcast so this was a fun start to this episode BUT we must make it super clear that the general Domestic Dusters project is NOT about swearing about housework. Susan Weeks chats with Vanessa Marr. For this episode... View Show Notes, Links & Examples of Vanessa's work at https://stitcherystories.com/domesticdusters Visit: https://domesticdusters.wordpress.com Visit: https://marrvanessa.wordpress.com Look: https://www.instagram.com/domesticdusters Look: https://www.instagram.com/vanemarr Research profile: https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/persons/vanessa-marr Other places & people we mentioned: The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter Dinner Party by Judy Chicago The Subversive Stitch by Rosita Parker Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years by Elizabeth Wayland Barber Profanity Embroidery Group (Whitstable) https://pegwhitstable.co.uk/ Other Episodes You Might Enjoy: https://stitcherystories.com/profanityembroiderygroup/ https://stitcherystories.com/thereddress/ https://stitcherystories.com/karenruane/

Embroidery artist Merrilyn Heazlewood shares her life in fabric & thread on Stitchery Stories embroidery podcast today! She takes us on a journey through her interesting and busy lifelong creative business career based around counted canvas work hand embroidery. And for those of you in the USA, you will know canvaswork as needlepoint. Anyway, over the years, Merrilyn has owned several needlework shops, has written several books on wool embroidery, counted canvaswork techniques and also on silk ribbon embroidery. And she has also taught internationally for many years, in-person and now creating projects for online learning. We catch up with Merrilyn as she looks forward to her summer holiday break, with several projects in mind to let her creativity flow. Susan Weeks chats with Merrilyn about: why she opened a needlwork craft shop at age 23 how she translates an idea into canvaswork and ribbon embroidery stitches playing with goldwork inspired by an ancient Aboriginal Rock art Echidna how do you learn crafts when your Mum is left-handed and you are right-handed? getting 'hooked' into counted cross-stitch embroidery combining silk ribbon embroidery with counted canvaswork / needlepoint a focus on inspiring customers self publishing several books...back inthe day when it was really difficult! selecting style, threads and accessories for 'longevity' of stitching meeting inspiring people around the world in so many locations designing the creative business you love and which protects your precious health. how NOT to thread your needle.... and so much more! For this episode... View Show Notes, Links & Examples of Merrilyn's work at https://stitcherystories.com/merrilynheazlewood Visit: https://merrilynheazlewood.com.au Look: https://www.instagram.com/merrilynsstitches/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/MerrilynBHeazlewood Other places & people we mentioned: In Tasmania: Tarraleah, Hobart, Launceston, Battery Point, Mount Wellington, Iron Pot (a small flat island in the mouth of the Derwent River, Tasmania) The Kimberley region in north-west Australia Aboriginal rock art Echidna Gumnut Yarns http://www.gumnutyarns.com/ Lowery Workstands https://www.workstands.com/ Other episodes you will enjoy Sarah Rakestraw: Glorious Goldwork Embroidery https://stitcherystories.com/sarahrakestraw/ Tina Francis: Tapestry, Needlepoint, Canvaswork https://stitcherystories.com/tinafrancis/ Ilke Cochrane: Delightful Hardanger Embroidery https://stitcherystories.com/ilkecochrane/

Elizabeth Griffiths is a mixed media artist using hand embroidery, lino print-making, inks and watercolours to explore a range of themes. She shares the uplifting experience (and challenge!) of using hand embroidery as a competitor in Sky TV Portrait Artist Of The Year. We dive behind the scenes! Who was her portrait subject? How was it organised? What was it like trying to compete using hand embroidery against 'paper & paint' artists? This was just one of a number of events that have made 2022 a rollercoaster of a year for Elizabeth, and we chat about how these events have affected her art and creativity. Susan Weeks chats with Elizabeth Griffiths about: Exploring mixed-media - lino prints, inks, watercolours - with hand embroidery The excitement of taking part in Sky Portrait Artist Of The Year How to use embroidery in a time limited, live, portrait competition Keeping true to her style Using mixed media to trigger embroidery Why Elizabeth put away her needles & thead for a while Do silk paints go off, we wondered? Evolving our art as we also evolve Using our art to cope with stress Having her 1st solo exhibition When everything happens at once... and so much more! For this episode... View Links, information & Examples of Elizabeth's work at https://stitcherystories.com/elizabethgriffiths Look: https://www.instagram.com/lizgstitches Sky Portrait Artist Of The Year Competition 2022 https://www.sky.com/watch/title/series/3e1cfda1-28a9-42f2-be75-220b7e8863ca/portrait-artist-of-the-year/episodes/season-9/episode-4 General Office - Gallery in Stourbridge, UK https://generaloffice.co.uk/ Oh and for a laugh... Sue mentioned that her portrait drawing attempts were like those of internet star 'Pet Portraits By Hercule' Here is a BBC article about Hercule... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-58309087 Instagram: @portraitsbyhercule To support this embroidery & textile art podcast: You can 'Buy Sue A Coffee' here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sueweekspodcast Follow Susan Weeks for course creation and online marketing stuff https://virtualityworks.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TheMissingTraining https://www.instagram.com/susan.l.weeks Sign up for information on Sue's 'How To Create An Online Course' which is specifically created for textile artists and other crafty business owners. Course Creation Quick Start Guide. https://virtualityworks.com/how-do-you-create-a-course-quick-start/ Other Episodes You Might Like: Justine Warner: Textile art landscapes from a surprising source https://stitcherystories.com/justinewarner/ Sorrell Kerrison: Creating Hand Embroidered Portraits https://stitcherystories.com/sorrellkerrison/ Tracey Coverley: Textile Art Portraits https://stitcherystories.com/traceycoverley/

Floriane Schmitt loves to experiment with creative fabric manipulation ideas. Under her brand name of FloHomeDesign she creates accessories and home decor items from smocked neoprene and is writing a fabric manipulation book, due out end 2023. Floriane shares her story of how her dream of a career in fashion evolved into specialising in fabric manipulation and creating her own collections bringing a very modern twist on some traditional Canadian Smocking techniques with very modern materials. Neoprene + Smocking = Neosmock Floriane has packed a lot of experience into her education and career so far, topped off by her fabulous story behind the fabric manipulation book she is writing at time of recording (Oct 2022). This is an inspiring story of 'going for it, making opportunities, and of saying Yes! Susan Weeks chats with Floriane Schmitt about: A chance comment on Instagram that led to a book writing deal The structure and challenges of creating her book Don't be afraid to show your work Using Instagram as a quicker way to showcase your skills and work Making a major pivot from fashion design to fabric manipulation designer Creating her accessories and home decor collections and brand Giving a traditional technique an interesting twist with modern materials Her inspiring internship Innovation with new fabrics and creative fabric manipulation techniques You can't keep the creativity flowing for endless hours and so much more! For this episode... View Links, information & Examples of Floriane's work at https://stitcherystories.com/florianeschmitt Visit: https://linktr.ee/florianeschmitt https://florianeschmitt.com/ Look: https://www.instagram.com/florianeschmitt Look: https://www.instagram.com/flohomedelight Inspiration from Iris Van Herpen: https://www.irisvanherpen.com/ You can 'Buy Sue A Coffee' here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sueweekspodcast Follow Susan Weeks for course creation and online marketing stuff https://virtualityworks.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TheMissingTraining https://www.instagram.com/susan.l.weeks Sign up for information on Sue's 'How To Create An Online Course' which is specifically created for textile artists and other crafty business owners. Course Creation Quick Start Guide. https://virtualityworks.com/how-do-you-create-a-course-quick-start/ Other Episodes You Might Like: Ann Small: Layered Cloth https://stitcherystories.com/annsmall/ Jayne Emerson: Textile Designer, Author & Tutor https://stitcherystories.com/jayneemerson/ Kathleen Laurel Sage: Shaping Machine Embroidery With Heat https://stitcherystories.com/kathleenlaurelsage/

Susan Hensel is a multidisciplinary artist with a long-established career. She combines mixed media with digital machine embroidery to create beautiful sculptural forms flooded with colour. Alongside runs her gallery & curatative experience, giving us a fabulous guest sharing her art practice wisdom, on Stitchery Stories textile art podcast. Art is all about communication. Creating art to interpret your thoughts, inspirations, perhaps trying to make sense of the world. And the communication continues long after the art is finished.... you need to tell everyone about it, so they can enjoy it too. Susan has some great advice about this side of a successful art practice. We also dive into the aspects of when you take your art career to the 'next level' of exhibitions and galleries. Susan Weeks chats with Susan Hensel about: Getting excited about digital machine embroidery The frustrations of inconsistent materials Current inspirations from climate change & weather maps How Donald Duck's blue jacket sent her into a life-changing artistic pivot! Using techniques & approach appropriate for the ideas you are trying to express Evolving beyond the clay & brealing out of the rectangle Opening a gallery as a way of meting new people Getting media & press attention Artist representation Understanding the gallery business There are artists everywhere - who have created everything we use Switching between 'business mode' and 'creative mode' can be so difficult For this episode... View Links, information & Examples of Susan's work at https://stitcherystories.com/susanhensel Visit: https://susanhenselprojects.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/SusanHenselProjects/ Look: https://www.instagram.com/susan_hensel_multimedia_artist Tweet: @hensel_susan Follow Susan Weeks for course creation and online marketing stuff https://virtualityworks.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TheMissingTraining https://www.instagram.com/susan.l.weeks Sign up for information on Sue's 'How To Create An Online Course' which is specifically created for textile artists and other crafty business owners. Course Creation Quick Start Guide. https://virtualityworks.com/how-do-you-create-a-course-quick-start/ Other Episodes You Might Like: David Morrish : Disruptive Digital Embroidery https://stitcherystories.com/davidmorrish/ Hayley Mills-Styles: Thread Artist Who Loves Digital Embroidery https://stitcherystories.com/hayleymillsstyles/ Kathleen Laurel Sage: Shaping Machine Embroidery With Heat https://stitcherystories.com/kathleenlaurelsage/