Helen moved from Art to Art Quilting in 2004 and has enjoyed many international awards for her unique approach to machine quilting and creating art quilts. In 16 years of quilting, Helen has won 16 awards at Houston including the inaugural A World of Beauty and Master of Innovative Artistry. Helen’s work is predominately pictorial, with strong design and exciting play with colour. She uses her painting and design skills and creates whole cloth painted surface and then with her sewing machine, adds movement and detail into the design with her free-motion machine quilting. Helen literally draws with her sewing machine bringing her painted images to life. Combining her teaching degree and her Art experience, she teaches from a slightly different angle and enjoys helping even the most traditional of machine sewers to find new direction in free-motion machine quilting and opening up new avenues for their creative potential. Helen has taught all over Australia and the world including Dubai, China, South Africa, UK, New Zealand, Canada and USA including teaching at the Houston Quilt Festival for the past 10 years. During Covid with so much time at home, Helen created a 6.5 m long quilt which is all painted with dye and free- motion quilted whole cloth and is the longest quilt in the world made by 1 person and 1 piece of fabric. Since Covid Helen also teaches extensively online as well as enjoying face to face teaching.https://helengodden.com/ https://www.sofst.org/

Sarah de Rousset-Hall is a hand embroidery artist and teacher, she works as a tutor for the Royal School of Needlework and runs her own embroidery business, Sarah Stitches.Sarah came to embroidery as a second career, but has been embroidering as long as she can remember. Following on from a cancer diagnosis at 30, she returned to being a student a few years later to turn her hobby into a profession. Sarah graduated from the RSN’s Future Tutor Programme in 2020, and has been working as a professional embroiderer ever since, teaching, developing kits and working on art pieces and commissions. In 2021 she became a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Broderers and a Freeman of the City of London. In 2022 Sarah exhibited three art pieces at Broderers’ Exhibition: The Art of Embroidery at the Bankside Gallery in London, and she is currently working on pieces for their next exhibition in 2025. In 2023, Sarah was honoured to be part of the Embroidery Studio team at the Royal School of Needlework who worked on a number of items for the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla, including The Queen’s Robe of Estate, the Anointing Screen and the Stole Royal. Sarah lives in West Sussex with her husband and two cats (who occasionally make featured appearances in her online classes).www.sarah-stitches.comwww.sofst.org

Scottish artist Jo Hamilton moved to Portland, Oregon in the early 1990s, after earning her BFA from the Glasgow School of Art. Her technique combines years of fine art practice with the craft of crochet which she learned as a child from her Gran, rendering traditional categories, which include portraiture, landscape and nudes in a contemporary light. Her work has been widely shown in the U.S. and Europe as well as in Beijing, Australia and South Korea, and belongs to museums and private collections in the US and worldwide.You can view Jo work over on our website.johamiltonart.comfacebook.com/johamilton4rtinstagram.com/johamiltonart

Jamie Chalmers, aka Mr X Stitch, aka the Kingpin of Contemporary Embroidery, took up cross stitching fifteen years ago and he’s never looked back. Since establishing the Mr X Stitch website in 2008, he has been showcasing new talent in the world of needlework and textile art and has curated a number of stitch-based exhibitions in the UK and Ireland. He is the curator of PUSH Stitchery and the author of the Mr X Stitch Guide to Cross Stitch. He is the founder of XStitch, the game-changing cross stitch design magazine and the host of NeedleXChange, a podcast dedicated to conversations on the Art of Thread. Jamie is a thought leader in the online stitch community and what he has dubbed ‘the new embroidery movement’ and is active on various social networking platforms. He loves introducing new people to the benefits of embroidery from a creative and wellbeing standpoint and is proud to be an ambassador for this ubiquitous craft.https://www.mrxstitch.com/www.sofst.org

Northern Yarn is an independent wool shop, situated in the historic city of Lancaster, with a stong focus on locally sourced British wool, including their own line produced from the fleeces of local flocks of sheep. Owner Kate Makin works together with local farmers, paying a higher price for good quality fleeces - then follows the process from sheep to skein creating a completely traceable product, using a renewable, local resource. The unique nature of the shop not only attracts visitors from all over the UK, but from visitors worldwide. Kate also organises local events promoting British wool and the women that work with it; shepherds, farmers and specialists, encouraging people to switch from acrylic - to natural fibres. www.northernyarn.co.ukwww.sofst.org IG - northern_yarnFB - NorthernYarn

Zoë is a freelance artist, designer & illustrator based in Edinburgh, Scotland.She has an honours degree in industrial design for textiles (print) and enjoyed a career in graphic design & the creative arts spanning over twenty years. Zoë now focuses on illustration commissions and personal work.Zoë loves travelling, trying new foods and enjoys lifting weights in the gym. In her work, nature is Zoë's main source of inspiration and she uses a range of techniques in her work both traditional and digital.Represented by her US agent, Lilla Rogers Studio, Zoë has happily been with the agency since 2013 when she won representation with her agent in a global competition.You'll find Zoë's work on fabric, stationery, greeting cards, magazines, books and home décor products. Zoë is also the author of “Oh, My Gouache!” and “Drawing for the Soul” published by David and Charles.http://www.zoeingram.comhttp://www.instagram.com/zoeingram.illustrationhttp://www.instagram.com/zoeingramsplaygroundwww.sofst.org

Gail chats with Debbie and Di from Appletons Wools. Appletons brand of crewel and tapestry wool has been used for nearly 200 years across the globe in some of the most prestigious tapestries and embroideries in cathedrals, stately homes, and government buildings.Founded in 1835 by Thomas Appleton, Appletons is just as evangelical about British wool today as he was back then. All 425 colours are dyed and spun in Yorkshire and the wool is 100% British.The range, which is available in crewel, 2 ply and tapestry, 4 ply yarn still incorporates all the William Morris shades as well as featuring a contemporary colour palette. the wool is used by modern and traditional designers, stitchers, weavers, needlework schools and rug restorers throughout Europe, Asia, Australasia and North America.More recently Appletons has also worked with needlepoint designers to launch a range of tapestry and embroidery kits under the Appletons brand, all hand assembled in Buckinghamshire.Today, Appletons prides itself on the quality and consistency of the wool they produce and on creating distinctive, beautiful kits to encourage others in the mindful, therapeutic, and creative art of stitching.https://www.appletons.org.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/appletons_wool/sales@appletons.org.ukhttps://www.sofst.org/

Cas Holmes is a British artist, author and tutor of Romani heritage specialising in textile work with found materials. She trained in fine art and is interested  in interdisciplinary  projects in community and gallery settings to demonstrate the accessibility of mixed media textile processes.  Her practice centres on the use of sustainable materials and themes surrounding issues of  identity and place. Research in traditional paper and textile crafts in Japan and India continue to inform her practice and writing  (Winston Churchill Fellowship, Japan Foundation Fellowship and Arts Council England Professional Development Award). She collaborates with organisations and projects on curatorial and community events including the Romani Cultural + Arts Company as a recipient of Gypsy Maker Award and with Craft Scotland on a collaborative exhibition Places, Spaces, Traces; an exploration of the concept of ‘place’ and our understanding of the importance of heritage; how our inherited traditions, monuments, objects, and culture can impact upon our identities and the space we call ‘home’.  This touring exhibition was launched on Light Vessel 21 in Gravesend and with Anna 3 in Antwerp Her work and projects are reflected in her publications for Batsford the most recent is Embroidering the Everyday (2021)She is an exhibiting artist with Art Textiles Made in Britain and a member of the Embroiderers Guild UK and the Society for Embroidered Work. The stories and imagery to be found in the everyday and commonplace are a constant source of inspiration for projects and collaborationsLinks:http://www.casholmes.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/casholmestextiles/https://www.sofst.org/

The Nettle Dress is a modern fairy tale about the healing power of nature and craft directed by BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Dylan Howitt, released by Dartmouth Films in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from September 15. Textile artist Allan Brown spends seven years making a dress from scratch, using 14,400 feet of thread made from the fibre of locally foraged stinging nettles. In doing so, he relearns ancient crafts of foraging, spinning, weaving, cutting and sewing. Making a dress this way becomes devotional, helping Allan to survive the death of his wife, which leaves him and their four children bereft.@nettledressfilm@hedgerow.couture (Allan’s Instagram)https://www.nettledress.org/https://www.contemporaryhempery.com/https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowcouture/ http://www.nettlesfortextiles.org.uk/wp/ https://www.sofst.org/

Meredith Woolnough is a professional artist working out of her studio in Newcastle Australia. She is best known for her sculptural embroideries which are an exploration of art, science and nature. The embroideries are created using a unique freehand embroidery technique that utilises a domestic sewing machine and a fabric that dissolves in water. The work explores the beauty and fragility of nature, sparking a sense of wonder and appreciation of the natural world. Meredith believes that the deeper our appreciation for the aesthetics of nature the more eager we are to immerse ourselves in it and conserve it. Meredith holds a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) from the University of New South Wales, a Masters of Teaching from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Natural History illustration for the University of Newcastle. She has exhibited and sold her work worldwide, is the author of two books ‘Organic Embroidery’ (2018) and ‘The 100 Embroideries Project (2023) and teaches both in person and online classes.Website www.meredithwoolnough.com.auBlog: https://meredithwoolnough.com.au/blog Facebook https://www.facebook.com/meredithwoolnoughartist Instagram https://www.instagram.com/meredithwoolnough/

Christen Brown was born in Manhattan Beach, California. She first became interested in fiber arts via making clothing for her dolls as a child. After graduating from high school, she continued her education at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, California, where she graduated with an associate in arts in fashion design. Christen began her career in the wearable art field in 1986. Her work has been shown in galleries and fashion shows all over the world. She has been invited to participate in both the Fairfield and BERNINA Fashion Shows. Christen began teaching and presenting her work in 1991, for quilt stores, and quilt and fiber art guilds on the West Coast. She has been invited to teach nationally for Road to California, American Quilter’s Society, and Quilt Festival Houston. Christen has written articles for Michael’s Arts & Crafts magazine, Threads Magazine, and Piecework Magazine. She began writing books for C&T Publishing in 2011. She has authored seven books, designed 3 sets of embroidery stencils, and 2 additional products.Christen continues to be interested in craft and fine art. She experiments and learns all that she can, specifically concentrating on design and the techniques of embroidery, quilting, ribbonwork, mixed media, and beadwork. Her goal and wish through this journey, is to continually be surprised, inspired, creative, and necessary. Website https://christenbrown.com/ Blog: christenbrown.com/blog/Facebook /christenjbrownSchool of Stitched Textiles site is at www.sofst.orgChristen's books and products are listed below;Ribbonwork GardensEmbroidered and EmbellishedRibbonwork FlowersThe Embroidery BookBeaded Embroidery StitchingHand Embroidery DictionaryCreative Embroidery, Mixing the Oldwith the New Embroidery Stencils: The EssentialCollectionEmbroidery Stencils: The Darling MotifCollectionEmbroidery Stencils: Crazy Quilt SeamDesign CollectionEmbroidery Stitching, Handy PocketGuideEmbellished Art Embroidery ProjectPlanner

Joining Gail on this episode is Graham Stewart, who is an international textile and apparel production fibre specialist.For the past two years, Graham has developed and patented a more sustainable process to bleach and dye cotton called Fibre 52.Fibre52 is an environmentally kind and cost-conscious process for dyeing cotton. It is a simple, inexpensive replacement for traditional and outdated cotton preparation methods. It uses natural products instead of heavy chemicals, working at lower temperatures, with less energy, less water, and a shorter processing time. This makes Fibre52 a wonderfully cost-effective, eco-conscious and sustainable bleach and dye process.All this means that consumers will soon be offered a more natural and ecologically sound choice of fabric. With Fibre52, the natural cotton is stronger, recyclable and biodegradable, making it a natural replacement for plastic.You can find out more at Fiber52 and more about School of Stitched Textile's creative textile courses

Gail chats to Mistianne Guzman, who has been quilting since she was 25 years old and was going crazy for some color.  She then walked into a store that had fabric and the rest is history.  Mistianne is mostly self-taught.  She not only creates quilts for the joy of it (the smaller the pieces the better), but also for competition, having had her quilts travel all over the world. One of her quilts was used in a yearly calendar for clients. She has completed a skill stage 4 programme with School of Stitched Textiles in patchwork and quilting and has gone on to tutor for them for the last couple of years.  She has owned her own online quilt store specializing in batiks, taught many classes, and is an avid hand quilter. Besides quilting she is a costume mistress and creates professional ballet costumes and crochets and embroiders in her spare time.  mistianne@thestraybobbin.cominsta- @thestraybobbinetsy- thestraybobbinSST Online Textile Courses

Ruth qualified as a Graphic Designer at Leeds Metropolitan University, specialising in illustration, in 1986. She then gained a teaching qualification at Manchester University. She has spent many years as an Art teacher working in high schools and tertiary Colleges. She now shares a studio with her partner Stuart Gray at Farfield Mill in Sedbergh, Cumbria, where they work, teach, and sell their paintings. You can find out more about Ruth or see her work on her website. Ruth also tutors an online video course for us on Drawing for Design.

Susan makes sculptural textile work combining mixed-media practices with fabric and embroidery across digital and manual platforms. She exploits the physics of light as it interacts with the structure of the triangular embroidery thread. The light scatters in multiple directions off the sides of the thread, creating different tones and saturations of the base color. She also exploits the science of optics, relying on our brain’s ability to optically mix spots of color in close physical proximity. Further relying on the principles of color as taught by Joseph Albers and Johannes Itten et al, she exploits the vibratory effects of complementary colors and close saturation split complements. All of this creates a changeable optical environment activated by the viewer’s movement from side to side as they view the artwork. The viewer experience is one of puzzling beauty, playfulness and sometimes awe.

Gail and Debbie are chatting about how Debbie became interested in crafts, her favourite techniques, teaching online versus in the classroom, tips for getting the best from your tutor and how the group zoom sessions work.

Dr Gail Cowley talking about School of Stitched Textiles and how their distance learning courses work.