Are you an embroidery enthusiast looking to take your stitching skills to the next level? Meet Anne, a passionate student who studied Hand Embroidery Skill Stage 2. With a background in sewing and a newfound love for embroidery discovered during the creative explorations of 2020, Anne was eager to transform her hobby into a more profound creative practice.
Anne shares her journey from mastering basic techniques through kits to expanding her technical knowledge and creative horizons through our structured, accredited course. She reveals her motivation to design her own patterns, the freedom and flexibility offered by the course’s remote and self-paced format, and how the curriculum ignited her inner artist.
Discover how Anne overcame her productivity pressures, embraced her creative process, and achieved remarkable growth in confidence and skill. She is also being featured in our 2024 Student Excellence Awards in recognition of her achievements.
Read on to find out more about Sarah’s experiences, the valuable lessons she learned, and her advice for new students eager to dive into the world of stitched textiles. You might just find the spark you need to start your own embroidery journey!
Anne Galliot
“Before I completed the course, I would never in a million years have imagined that I would be able to create a piece such as the one I submitted for the final assessment. I am so proud of my achievements!”
Motivation for Studying Hand Embroidery
I had always loved crafts and have been stitching since a teenager, but mostly sewing. In 2020, I took time to focus on creative projects and discovered embroidery. I learnt basic techniques and did a few kits, then decided I wanted to expand my technical knowledge and creative practice with a structured course.
Specifically, I wanted to learn how to make my own designs. The curriculum of the SST included that, within a course structure that allowed me to learn and work at my own pace and remotely, which was what I needed. I didn’t feel ready for a longer commitment, and I was wary of taking on too much, so I opted for the SS2 level. Accreditation was a cherry on the cake!
Unleashing Inner Artist
The best thing for me was having a structure to explore my creative process. I have always struggled with the need to be constantly productive. Therefore, the idea of trying things out that might not lead to anything felt scary. The design module gave me the opportunity to unleash my inner artist! In the next two modules, my confidence shot up as I trusted by creative process more and applied it to new techniques, tried out new things, and let my creativity blossom. Before I completed the course, I would never in a million years have imagined that I would be able to create a piece such as the one I submitted for the final assessment. I am so proud of my achievements!
For now I want to focus on other things in my life so, sadly, I am unable to continue with studying. I’ve had a look at the intermediate Hand Embroidery SS3 curriculum, and it is making my fingers itch! I will definitely return to further embroidery study in the future.
Advice for New Students
I recommend this course to anyone who wishes to expand their creative process or structure their practice. You will link with a lovely community of like-minded stitchers. You’ll also benefit from the great guidance and support of experienced and thoughtful tutors. You will be amazed what you create!
Just get started! It can be daunting to be faced with a new module brief (especially if you have been out of education for a while), but there are plenty of ways in which you can start engaging gently with the module (desk research, jotting ideas, trying out stitches). Just make a start, any start, and everything can flow from there.
