When Fenella Fowkes embarked on our City & Guilds Machine Embroidery course (Skill Stage 3) with the School of Stitched Textiles, she was searching for more than just technical skillsโshe wanted to overcome the frustration of distortion and puckering in her work, to push her creative boundaries, and to find a supportive space where her passion for stitch could truly thrive. What she found was a transformative experience that not only refined her embroidery skills but also ignited a deep appreciation for design, colour, and textile artistry.
Guided by her dedicated tutor, Gail, and supported by a community of like-minded stitchers, Fenella discovered new techniques that revolutionised her approach to machine embroidery. She explored the textural possibilities of moss, feather, and whip stitchโtechniques she hadn’t even known existed before starting the course. Through structured learning and expert mentorship, she embraced natural dyeing, hand-painting silk, and even started growing her own dye garden, unlocking a world of colour and creativity she never imagined possible.
The course challenged her in ways she hadnโt expected, particularly in design, an area she once doubted herself in. Yet, she ended up proving to herself that she could design beautiful, meaningful work.ย Fenellaโs journey didnโt stop at graduation. She has since pursued new avenues of creativity, from creative printing at the Macclesfield Silk Museum to experimenting with eco-printing and free machine embroidery inspired by industrial structures. With her sights set on Skill Stage 4 Machine Embroidery in 2026, she continues to push her skills forward, proving that lifelong learning and creative growth have no limits.
Her story is a testament to the power of expert guidance, perseverance, and a nurturing creative environment. The School of Stitched Textiles provided her with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to transform her workโand she wholeheartedly recommends it to anyone with a passion for stitch.
“I have benefitted so much from the School of Stitched Textiles and fellow students’ supportโfinding the confidence to design, experiment, and push my embroidery further than I ever thought possible!”
Motivation for Studying
I started City & Guilds Level 3 Machine Embroidery with a wish to take my machine embroidery & quilting further and to avoid the frustration of distortion & puckering threatening to ruin otherwise good work. I was also sure there must be an arena where I could work & learn without people reacting negatively to my wish to improve my needlework. I found this in the School of Stitched Textiles. It has been wonderful to learn with like-minded individuals, who praised my striving for the next goal.
I was gifted a set of machine embroidery books, by a friend, which had belonged to a fellow stitcher, who had passed away from breast cancer before achieving her goal of a Machine Embroidery City & Guilds, one of which was by Valerie Campbell-Harding, who has become my go-to machine Embroidery guru. โMini- Patโ, your books were the first step along the way to my C& G success!
From Frustration to Flourishing
With the guidance of Gail, my personal Tutor, & regular SST zoom meetings, I have increased the size, texture and complexity of my work, including moss, feather and whip stitch, that I did not know existed. I have learned about so many artists and their design methods and preferred colour schemes. In addition, I have been โkickedโ into dyeing & now love natural dyeing and Dye Na Flow painted silk and am growing a dye garden.
Although, I found the design section hard, I am so glad I had to do this & am independently working on improving my design work using on-line courses from the Artist Helen Wells and my Beatrize Milhazes book, which I awarded myself for passing Level 3 ME! It has been rewarding to find that even though I never saw myself as being able to draw, I could never-the-less design! (Despite a mother who attended art college)
My favourite sections of the course were the research on working methods and Artists, water-soluble works (and yes, I did fight against cutting holes in them!), burning and bonding fabrics, fabric painting & dyeing, edges, cords and tassels. I have to admit that until module 3, I had never produced a machine-made button- hole, before! Most of all it was wonderful to see all my work come together, in my final pieces!
What's Next?
Since graduating in January 2025, I have allowed myself to freely follow whims, attending a โCreative Printingโ course at Macclesfield Silk Museum and am planning to turn my fish piece into a picture. Tannin & Iron printing and Eco Printing also feature on my list for 2025, as does free machine embroidery of industrial structures & buildings.
I am spending 2025 trying to stabilise my diabetes and plan to return for Level 4 Machine Embroidery in 2026.
I have benefitted, so much, from the School of Stitched Textiles and fellow studentโs support and would recommend it to other would-be-students.
