Textile Talk

Victoria is a qualified artist and educator, holding an MA in Contemporary Fine Art and a Masters-level PGCE in Art and Creative Practice. Since 2021, she has been teaching through her own creative business, Little House of Victoria, where she shares her passion for textiles and storytelling.You may recognise Victoria from her embroidery kit demonstrations on Sewing Street, and previously Hochanda, where her distinctive style has reached a wide audience of makers.Her work sits within the Folk Art tradition, often inspired by vintage photography and personal narratives. Combining embroidery with mixed media, Victoria brings together printmaking, painting and drawing to create richly layered textile pieces.Based at Woodend Mill in Mossley, a historic cotton mill nestled in the Saddleworth hills near Manchester, her practice is deeply connected to the heritage of textiles and place.Website:https://www.littlehouseofvictoria.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/littlehouseofvictoria/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/littlehouseofvictoriaSchool of Stitched Textileshttps://www.sofst.org/

Sarah was taught how to knit by her mum when she was eight and was then forever knitting jumpers, cuddly Clangers and even an outfit for her guinea pig that it sensibly refused to wear. After working as a stylist, writer and designer for many years, an idea formulated in Sarah's mind for a knitted village full of eccentric British characters - a misspent childhood watching Thunderbirds and Carry On Films may have contributed to this. At first the village was more of a traditional affair but after reading an article about free hiking (hiking in the nude) Sarah's villagers lost their clothes and nudinits was born.Sarah then collaborated with animator Ed Hartwell to make her first film, 'Tickled Pink' which went on to win a Best Comedy and a Best Animation award and nudinits have never looked back. They've now become an online hit with further films, awards and lots of nudinit products to enjoy including books with knitting patterns for the much loved characters and their accessories. View her work:https://www.sofst.org/from-knitting-to-stop-motion-the-playful-world-of-sarah-simi/ Together Sarah and Ed now run Woollyvision, a stop-motion animation company in London which specialises in making animation with wool, fabric and felt. Their films are multi-award winning and have been shown at film festivals around the world.The website is www.nudinits.comWoolly Vision is www.woollyvision.com@nudinits on all social media.School of Stitched Textiles https://www.sofst.org/

“Making my art allows me to tap into levels of perception, becoming more aware, more conscious, & more grateful. I’ve loved photography my entire life. This brings a tender sensitivity to one’s surroundings. I make the art then the art makes me.”New England’s internationally recognized artist, Wen Redmond’s fascination with photography finds expression through printing original manipulated photographs directly onto created mixed media substrates, and specially treated natural fibers to craft unique photographic textural constructions. Imaginative presentations add to the pioneering innovations and giving her work edge. Every work generates an artistic tension, followed by the excitement of the actual creation of the work. A dialogue is started, and the work becomes real. She calls this work, Digital Mixed Media. Redmond’s work has been exhibited in major internationally recognized exhibitions, including Quilt National, Visions Museum CA, SAQA’s International Exhibit’s, Fiberart International, Fantastic Fibers, Quilts=Art=Quilts, Intersect Chicago, Excellence In Fibers, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, Art Quilt Elements, New Legacies, World of Threads, CA among other juried, invitational and solo exhibitions. Her work has won awards at New Legacies CO, Fiber Arts IX, Sebastopol, CA, Maryland Federation of Art, Maria V. Howard Arts Center, Rocky Mount, NC , Fantastic Fibers and Visions Art Museum’s Quilt Japan Award among others. She has appeared on Quilting Arts TV, produced Interweave DVD Workshops and made an appearance on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims in 2025. Her work has traveled the US, UK, Europe, Japan, and Australia, and is part of the permanent collections of Marbaum at San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, CA, Maria V. Howard Arts Center, Rocky Mount, NC, New England Quilt Museum, and private collections. She has been featured in numerous magazines and books including her own published books, Digital Fiber Art and Mixed Media Masterpiece and Explorations with Collage- Merging Photographs, Paper and Fiber with Schiffer Publishing. She currently splits her time between North Carolina and New Hampshire.School of Stitched Textiles' website https://www.sofst.org/Wen's Site and contact details.Website http://www.wenredmond.com/ BOOKS- Explorations with Collage! Merging Photographs, Paper & Fiber and Digital Fiber Art: Combine Photos & Fabric - Create Your Own Mixed-Media Masterpiece DVD- Digital Imagery in Fiber Art: Using Textured Backgrounds for a Painterly Effect https://www.interweave.com/store/digital-imagery-in-fiber-art-download-in-hdFaceBook- https://www.facebook.com/greymooncove Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/wenredmond/?hl=en Etsy UpLIFTmeNTs Shop- https://www.etsy.com/shop/WenRedmondArtU-Tube channel- https://www.youtube.com/user/wenredmond/videos Artful Home- https://www.artfulhome.com/navigate?searchTerm=redmond Professional Member of SAQA- https://www.saqa.com/art/juried-artists/wen-redmond Surface Design Org https://www.surfacedesign.org/members/premium-gallery/?sauthor=wen%20redmond Fine Art America- https://fineartamerica.com/featured/whispers-of-the-positive-wen-redmond.htmlNew Hampshire Art Association- https://www.nhartassociation.org/member-directory League of NH Craftsmen si

Kandy G Lopez was born in 1985 in  New Jersey, USA and is a multidisciplinary artist exploring cultural identity, representation, and power through fiber art, portraiture, painting, and mixed media. Born to Dominican parents, she draws from her experience navigating multiple cultural landscapes.Lopez holds a BFA in Painting and a BS in Marketing/Management from the University of South Florida and earned her MFA in Painting from Florida Atlantic University in 2014. Her background in both fine arts and business informs her meticulous material investigations and strategic engagement with art institutions. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and Arts at Nova Southeastern University, where she integrates critical theory with hands-on material practice.Website: kandyglopez.com Instagram: @kandyglopezSchool of Stitched Textiles 

Robert Ossant Author and fashion historian Robert Ossant hails from Lancashire and moved to London to work in newspapers, getting his big break at the Daily Mirror. Feeling disillusioned with tabloid life, he joined London embroidery house Hand & Lock as their communications manager in 2013. It was at the 258-year-old atelier that he became close friends with co-author Jessica Jane Pile and developed his love and passion for embroidery.Regularly inspired by the designers, artisans, makers and artists he met, Robert enrolled at night school and completed a Master’s in the History of Art. Now, equipped with cultural studies insights and academic frameworks, he applies the tools of art analysis and interpretation to all areas of the fashion industry. From haute couture catwalk show analysis to researching Queen Victoria’s wardrobe, his interests and expertise span both contemporary and historical style.Now based in France, his freelance work has appeared in Vogue, Marie Claire, Selvedge, The Independent, Forbes and Newsweek, and he has worked with international fashion brands including McQueen, Saint Laurent, Gucci and Balenciaga. He has also spoken at the World Embroidery Conference, the Chelsea Flower Show and the National Gallery on embroidery as a vital expression of art.Whether researching, writing or talking about embroidery, he brings personality, humour and intellectual rigour - making an often-overlooked artistic expression feel vivid, relevant and alive.Jessica Jane PileBorn in Kent, Jessica Jane Pile is an author, designer, educator and technical embroidery specialist based in London. After graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with a degree in Costume construction for Performance, she joined historic embroidery house Hand & Lock. Within a few years, she was appointed Managing Director, becoming the youngest person to hold that role.During her twelve-year tenure, she relaunched the embroidery school, expanded the annual embroidery competition into a globally recognised art and fashion event, and managed complex commissions for major fashion houses including Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Dior and Vivienne Westwood. She also worked on large-scale, high-profile embroidery projects for the 2012 London Olympics, The Diamond Jubilee and Kings Coronation.In 2018 while working at Hand & Lock, she authored Fashion Embroidery: Embroidery Techniques and Inspiration for Haute‑Couture Clothing, drawing on her deep knowledge of high-level embroidery. The book’s success led to a demand for a follow-up, and Jess approached Robert to bring ‘The Art of Couture Embroidery’ to life In 2023, she left Hand & Lock to found Norica Studios, an embroidery studio focusing on bespoke embroidery for interior design and fashion. The business she runs with her sister Eleanor, and they are currently developing a new product range launching in 2026.  Whether leading projects, teaching or writing, she combines technical skill with a calm, confident tone that has made her a trusted voice in contemporary embroidery.Photographer credit is: Michael Barrowhttps://www.instagram.com/michaelbarrowphoto/Robert and Jess's new book, The Art of Couture Embroidery, is available from 6th November in the UK https://amzn.to/3J9UtXc School of Stitchex Textiles's course details are at https://www.sofst.org/

Emily Jo Gibbs has established an international reputation for her delicate silk organza appliqué. In her current practice Emily creates hand-stitched Portraits and Still Lifes with a graphic quality, observing the quiet beauty of the overlooked. Gently advocating The Value of Making by creating work that celebrates people who make things; their skill, dexterity, material knowledge and their creative problem solving. Emily first started working to this theme for Collect Open in 2018 She makes work to commission and for exhibitions and projects. She is currently Artist in residence at Trinity Buoy Wharf.She is a member of the 62 Group of Textile Artists, Contemporary Applied Arts and the Artworkers Guild. Between 1993 and 2006 Emily made luxury handbags. Works from this period are in The Victoria and Albert Museum, The Crafts Council Collection and The Museum of Fine Art, Houston.instagram and Facebook are @emilyjogibbsPhoto credit Lol JohnsonSchool of Stitched Textiles www.sofst.org

With a keen observation of nature, Emma Rosa uses multi-disciplinary techniques and mixed media to create botanical studies from fabric and thread.Marrying a foundation in fine art and a past career in dressmaking, she utilises machine embroidery with traditional Japanese flower making techniques, creating sensitive and intricate detailing. Through closely studying flora, she aims to capture the essence of a plant, or indeed a particular stage of growth such as the fleeting moments of efflorescence and senescence. Seeking out lesser-known species and native wild plants while focusing on distinctive botanical elements, allow her to pursue a unique sculptural presence.Emma is constantly pushing the boundaries of fabric and thread utilisation to acquire a desired effect She is drawn to antiquated botanical illustrations, how they show the whole plant – every element is important, not just the flower that most regard as the focus of beauty - where science and art meet. Nestled in the heart of rural Devon, the turning of the seasons, conservation and folklore are the threads that weave through her work.LinksEmma Rosa Textiles WebsiteSchool of Stitched Textiles Watch with Captions

Kelley graduated from the Royal School of Needlework Apprenticeship in 2005 after many years in Management Development Training. She went on to establish the very successful Bristol branch of the RSN in 2011 and was involved in creating the replacement for the Apprenticeship, known as the Future Tutors Programme. In 2019 she relocated to London to run the course at Hampton Court Palace. One year later she shepherded the School’s tutors through the shift to online teaching during the Covid pandemic and found a new outlet for her embroidery, teaching and IT passions. In 2021 she returned to self-employment and has been teaching online ever since, utilising a wide variety of digital technology to bring the classroom into students’ homes around the world. Kelley is a popular teacher and thanks to a background including project management, IT and training, her courses are known for their high level of content, student support and overall quality. Students return year after year and frequently ask ‘what’s next?’ The online community has allowed students from across the globe to meet and make friends with similar interests and she is very proud to be part of this. Her vision is to foster lifelong creativity through the art of embroidery.Facebook: Kelley Jane StitchesInstagram: @kelleyjanestitchesWebsite: www.kelleyjanestitches.comRSN Tutor work exhibition https://www.instagram.com/handstitchedheritageSchool of Stitched Textiles https://www.sofst.org/

Karen L. Miller, owner of Redbird Quilt Co., is Master Educator for Aurifil USA, an Aurifilosopher, author, and passionate advocate for free motion quilting. Her quilting journey began in 2007 when her sister invited her to join a simple block of the month program. Karen quickly fell in love with hand appliqué and free motion machine quilting, sparking a passion that would shape her career.As Karen's enthusiasm for learning and developing her quilting skills grew, she naturally gravitated towards Aurifil's 100% Egyptian cotton threads. The exceptional quality and impressive range of weights and colors captivated her, aligning perfectly with her creative vision. In 2019, Karen's expertise and passion led her to join forces with Milan-based Aurifil, becoming their Master Educator and launching the innovative thread education program called "Aurifilosophy". Her work with Aurifil thread focuses on educating quilters about how these high-quality threads can elevate projects from simply finished to artistically extraordinary, unlocking new creative possibilities.Karen's versatility shines through her love for both hand and machine creations. She continually designs and experiments with all weights of Aurifil thread, generously sharing her knowledge and experience with the broader quilting community. Her commitment to education and inspiration has made her a respected figure in the quilting world, known for her ability to instill confidence and creativity in quilters of all skill levels.School of Stitched Textiles: View her work here https://www.sofst.org/textile-talk-with-karen-miller/ Aurifil Website: https://aurifil.com/Aurifil USA Shopping: https://shopaurifil.com/Aurifil Blog:https://auribuzz.com/Aurifil Thread Education Program: https://www.aurifil.com/aurifilosophyAurifil Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aurifilthread/Aurifil Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aurifil.quilt.threadAurifil Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aurifil/Aurifil Newsletter Subscription: http://eepurl.com/M6vOnAurifil Resources: Thread Reference and Product Guides can be found here: https://www.aurifil.com/auriworld/resources

Lorraine has been creating with fiber since she was a young girl. As a child she would while away the hours sewing, crocheting, and working with crewelwork. She learned to sew garments at the side of her mother and paternal grandmother who were both gifted seamstress’. She is a self-taught artist. She began quilting in 1997 and immediately was intrigued with the design elements of the quilt. Thus, began her exploration of color, repetition, design, and texture. Soon Lorraine began to experiment with a more contemporary approach to textiles and developed her own artistic voice. Her creative roots are firmly embedded in the traditional needle arts and this is reflected in her current body of work. Inspired by her Faith, her travels and the natural world, she employs layers of both hand and machine stitches together with various surface design techniques. This unique approach allows her to successfully captures the depth, color, contrast, and texture of her subject matter. Since 1993 Lorraine had lived in the Ithaca area of the Finger Lakes Region in Central New York until 2019 when she relocated to The Villages, Florida. She recently retired from a career in nursing. She enjoys the support of her husband, their children, and grandchildren. Lorraine is an exhibiting textile artist and has won several awards for her fiber art.She owns and operates The Tangled Thread, a longarm quilting business; gives presentations and teaches classes focused on mixed media and stitched art. These days, she dedicates her energy to facilitating a group of twenty-five local artists, who meet twice a month to share and explore their common love for textile art. Lorraine also enjoys writing poetry and painting with acrylics and watercolor. School of Stitched Textiles MP Programme https://www.sofst.org/courses/masters-courses/Contact Information:Lorraine Benjaminweb https://lorrainebenjamin.com/email lorisue28@hotmail.comfacebook https://www.facebook.com/Lorisue28instagram https://www.instagram.com/lorisue28/

Annegret is a German American fiber artist who divides her time between Chapel Hill, a university town, and Kill Devil Hills, a town on the North Atlantic coast. Born in Germany and now residing in North Carolina, she lived in Ghana, France, Great Britain, and Australia before moving to the United States in 2001. Together with travels to countries as varied as Italy and India, these different cultural frameworks have shaped both her life and her art. The shores of the Albemarle Sound, near Kill Devil Hills on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, have become the inspiration for her recent work which explores the fragile ecosystems of the seaboard, where the impacts of global warming, human expansion, and nature’s resilience create a beautiful albeit precarious environment. Both the colors of the seashore and the use of earth pigments shape her palette, and photography serves as visual inspiration. Her journey as an artist started almost thirty years ago as a traditional, self-taught quilter. After taking numerous in-person and online workshops, she decided that it was necessary to acquire a more formal education. Between 2018 and 2020, she completed an advanced (Level 4) City and Guild accredited course with the School of Stitched Textiles, followed by its two-year Master Practitioner Course which emphasized design skills and artistic development. She is active in the Studio Art Quilts Associates – both in the European and Middle Eastern region and the one covering North Carolina and Virginia. Her work has been exhibited in Europe and the United States, and she has her first solo exhibition coming up in May. School of Stitched Textiles https://www.sofst.org/Annegret's website https:/www.afauser.com Instagram @annegretfauser

Althea’s Crome is an Indiana based fiber artist who has chosen a very niche art form to express her artistic ideas and challenge her own skills as a technician. Crome is a micro-knitter and has been developing her techniques for over 20 years. Using very fine silk threads and needles that she makes herself from surgical stainless steel, she can achieve a gauge of 80 stitches per inch. With so many stitches to the inch, Crome has been able to achieve incredible details in a minute scale. Her tiny pieces of knitting are intended as stand alone, sculptural pieces of art which she often refers to as “sweaterscapes.” Some of her pieces tell autobiographical stories, others are romantic pastoral scenes and many are inspired by the art and artists she admires. Crome’s work has been featured around the world in shows, galleries, museums books and even on the silver screen in the movie Coraline.www.altheacrome.comwww.sofst.org

Holly Guertin is a contemporary fiber artist and textile designer in the Philadelphia, PA area. In her work, she explores the interconnectedness of the human person and invites her viewers to look at sheep and their wool as if in a mirror. In an increasingly disconnected, disembodied, and virtual world, her process-intense work grounds the viewer to the tactile and the real, showing the human experience as a marvel and a wonder. Holly graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) with a BFA in Fibers in 2011 and has been working in textiles and fiber arts ever since. Aside from her fiber artwork, she also creates textile designs for fashion brands. Her artwork has been featured in publications like Colossal, Business of Home, Frankie Magazine, and Knit Wit Magazine, among others. Her artwork has been displayed through SCAD’s Permanent Collection in Atlanta, Savannah, Hong Kong, and France. In 2019, she collaborated with Anthropologie for two collections, Fall and Holiday, inspired by her artworks. As a mother to four young sons, she explores themes of connection, passage of time, dignity of labor and the human body, and feminine tradition in textiles. Holly on Instagram @hollyguertinartHolly on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hollyguertinart/Holly's website http://hollyguertin.com/School of Stitched Textiles https://www.sofst.org/