Why come to an embroidery workshop?

All embroidery and textile workshops are different; each tutor teaches in different ways and the reasons for people coming along are different too. You could attend the same workshop taught by different tutors and come away with new knowledge and ideas. This blog post explains what happens at the workshops I teach, how they work and what you get from coming to one of my workshops.

The most obvious place to start is that you learn embroidery or textile skills such as how to embroider stitches, make a landscape or how to use your sewing machine. Your knowledge improves, you learn new techniques and can create more work of a higher skill level.

However, my workshops are designed to go further than that. They enable you to create your own unique artwork, rather than replicate one of mine. I do this as I feel this massively increases your knowledge and means that you can continue creating at home after the workshop has finished because you know how to bring a design together. Whilst I very much understand this feels daunting (that was me once too!) over the many years I've been teaching I've developed a series of techniques and ideas to share with people to help them achieve exactly that. Every workshop people are so surprised by what they can design and bring to life even if they have never 'done art' before. Those who are most surprised are those who insist they aren't creative or have any imagination.

The other reason for teaching in this way is I truly believe that by creating your own artwork builds and nourishes your creative confidence. It makes you feel that you can achieve creatively, that you are imaginative and this travels on through other areas in your life and wellbeing too. Throughout the whole workshop I'm there to support and encourage you to bring your ideas into textile artwork.

To enable people to create their own work, I spend lots of one to one time with each person building on their existing knowledge or introducing them to new ideas and techniques. It's important to me that people leave with artwork that represents them and what they wanted to get from the workshop.

My arts practice is centred around connection. That may be through artwork narrating stories and memories or through workshops coming together with others and meeting like minded people. I create safe spaces, encourage reflection and dialogue whilst connecting personal needs with the social, supporting mental and physical health.

The biggest joy for me as a tutor is seeing the creative connections people make. How complete strangers come together to help each other, to be supportive, sharing materials and threads and also their stories. Making space for each other to be heard and listened to. There's really something about being busy with your hands that makes it easier to talk to others. So many times I see people leave as friends and then coming back to workshops together.

There's a huge amount of research out there that proves how good being creative is for your wellbeing, which I see time and time again. By keeping the workshop relaxed and responsive to each persons needs they can leave at the end feeling much more positive and calm. Creative time for yourself if so important. Being creative with others in a safe space just elevates this further.

As ever, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this - feel free to leave a comment below or contact me through my website.