Ellie is a textile artist working from her garden studio in Brighton. Surrounded by the South Downs, Sussex coastline and wild plants discovered on walks, she draws inspiration from colours, contours and the ever-changing atmosphere of the natural world. Ellie's artworks reflect this connection, blending abstract painting with delicate textile techniques to create pieces that evoke a sense of place and season. Ellie's paintings often feature unique imprints taken from seed heads and grasses, preserving their organic forms in fabric. Drawing into these compositions with free-motion embroidery, appliqué, and hand stitching, utilizing techniques she honed during a decade as a fashion designer. At the heart of her practice is a passion for creating and teaching. Through the Flourish Textile Art Hub, an online platform she founded in 2021, Ellie shares a wide variety of textile techniques, inspiring creativity. Recently she has introduced guest tutors, expanding the Art Hubs offerings and fostered a vibrant, supportive community. Alongside this, she continues to deliver in-person workshops and exhibit her work nationally. School of Stitched Textiles https://www.sofst.org/Art website: www.elliehipkinart.com online courses: https://flourish-hub.com/ Join the community: Free Facebook group Instagram : @elliehipkinartist
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Artist Interview - Kelley Aldridge
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/
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Artist Interview - Amanda Cobbett
Amanda Cobbett is an award-winning textile artist with over 25 years’ experience. Inspired by nature in all its forms, Amanda’s 3-dimensional, papier-mâché and free machine-embroidered sculptures are created from her studio in the Surrey Hills. She scours the understorey of the forest floor seeking its hidden treasures. Over time, she has honed an inherent ability to locate intriguing flora in the most unexpected of places.Amanda’s 3 Dimensional embroidered sculptures appear to float in their Perspex cases and have the feeling of just being collected from the forest for display, very much a modern version of a Victorian plant hunter’s specimen case. ‘I like to think that my pieces could trick the eye into thinking that what you are seeing might be real. I am also passionate about highlighting and preserving specimens from the forest that could, without care, become red listed. If we are not aware that they exist, how will we know when they have disappeared? By recreating an embroidered sculpture of a natural object and displaying it in a case in a gallery, it brings our natural world into another dimension, we then might look for that specimen in nature, and care about its existence.Amanda grid references her original finds and offers that information with the embroidered artwork, further giving it an authenticity.School of Stitched Textiles https://www.sofst.org/Amanda Cobbett's website https://www.amandacobbett.com/
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Artist Interview - Karen L Miller (Aurifil Threads)
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
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Artist Interview - Gail Harker
Gail is a Canadian who resided for 20 years in Britain, until returning t the US in 1995. She moved to Britain in 1976 with her American husband and family. She studied art in Canada, England and Scotland. She completed both parts 1 and 2 (Diploma) of the City & Guilds Design and Embroidery course, achieving a distinction in both parts. She was awarded the Senior Award of Licentiateship (LCGI)by the City & Guilds Institute. Gail has previously taught City & Guilds Embroidery courses and was for many years, a City & Guilds External Verifier for various colleges in the UK. She has authored five books in Embroidery. Since moving to the US she has directed and taught at the Arts Centre she founded in Washington State - Gail Harker Center for Creative Arts. She has taught Certificate and Diploma Courses in Design and Embroidery to hundreds of students from all parts of North America. She says that living and working in the UK was the single most important contributor to her labour of love as a designer and embroiderer that continues to lead her on a lifelong journey of discovery!LinksSchool of Stitched Textiles https://www.sofst.org/ Gail Harker Center for Creative Arts Blog: https://gailcreativestudies.wordpress.com/Center’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gailcreativestudiesWebsite: https://gailcreativestudies.com
This podcast is for craft and textile enthusiasts all around the world. We're constantly adding great interviews with textile artists, tutors and retailers plus a little advice on our own distance study courses in craft and much more. The School of Stitched Textiles is the largest UK provider of City & Guilds Accredited Textile based distance learning courses. You can find out site at https://www.sofst.org/. We also host the Stitch Directory, which showcases independent craft retailers and suppliers from around the world https://www.sofst.org/stitch-directory/.
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