Our graduates have stories to tell. Read through our Graduate Stories and discover how our courses have enabled them to begin new textiles careers, gain creative confidence and become more focused. Through these stories we aim to help prospective students decide what courses to study and demonstrate how they can benefit so many people.
Our graduates are shaping the world of textiles. They’re designers/makers who supply clients and stores in all corners of the globe, they’re authors for magazines and books, and business start-ups. Some even go on to work in TV/ theatre, teach or simply take pleasure in evolving their textile skills to a new level.
We are frequently asked about the direction that our students take after they have graduated from their courses at School of Stitched Textiles. So we ask our graduates to tell their stories.
We have combined their narratives with images of their work to showcase their very individual styles in our graduate stories publication. We hope their accounts inspire you to undertake a course yourself and see where it can take you.
Although Claire Hannibal had knitted from a young age, she had all but forgotten how much joy it gave her. After rediscovering a passion for knitting in her 40s, she has knitted relentlessly since and decided to study our Skill Stage 3 to gain a Knitting Qualification. She is eager to
Hilary Jackson is a retired teacher and has sewn all her life. It was during the pandemic that she rediscovered her love of hand sewing, and decided to learn embroidery by completing our accredited course. Having already completed our Patchwork and Quilting course (Skill Stage 3), she knew that the course was able to
Having completed our Machine Embroidery Skill Stage 3 course, Josephine Robinson shares her experience of studying with us. Having always been a keen sewer, Josephine wanted to expand her skills and found that an accredited course would validate her skills and give her a much needed confidence boost. This is
Anna Hayward has always loved to stitch. From a young age she would make simple stitches, embellish her clothes as a teenager and today, loves to indulge her interest in hand embroidery. On discovering our Hand Embroidery Skill Stage 2 course she decided to take up the challenge and prove to herself
Deborah Collins took up quilting to make a bedspread, because she couldn’t find anything she liked. Realising her design process was ‘slapdash’ she embarked on our Patchwork and Quilting course for intermediates (skill stage 3), and has achieved so much. Not only has she developed an effective approach to design and unleashed
Like so many of our students, Stephanie Summerton had always been creative. Suffering with stress and anxiety she understood the benefits of immersing herself into a project, but always lacked the confidence to create her own pieces. Having completed our Beginner Hand Embroidery course (skill stage 2), Stephanie has already enrolled
Julie Cole studied our Machine Embroidery Skill Stage 3 course. After graduating a few months ago she was kind enough to share her experience with us. Having always loved art, Julie wanted to learn to new skills and stretch and her creative wings. This is her Stitch Journey. “The SST offered
Having made costumes for her daughter and later opening her own Embroidery and Patchwork business, Irene Harris came to us with a lot of ‘hands on’ experience. Although she was a skilled embroiderer, Irene wished to move beyond her comfort zone and challenge herself. She told us that she learned
Lynda Vidulich has recently completed our Skill Stage 4 Patchwork and Quilting course. As an avid crafter Lynda came to us with plenty of experience. However, she told us that she wanted to gain a City and Guilds accreditation to give her the confidence to design, make and teach during her
Tessa Box’s Stitch Journey began with us a few years ago. Back in 2020, Tessa Box applied for a bursary to Study Patchwork and Quilting. Tessa received the majority of votes for her beautiful patchwork pieces, becoming our overall winner and securing a place on a Skill Stage 2 course. Since then, Tessa
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