School of Stitched Textiles

Paint or stitch. Never both. That was the ultimatum a tutor gave Victoria Merness partway through her master's degree, and it's the reason her photographic embroidery exists at all.

Hear the full story on this week's Textile Talk.

🎧 Listen on your favourite podcast platform, or visit the blog to read more and listen direct.

https://www.sofst.org/victoria-mernesss-photographic-embroidery/

👉Link in bio

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8/8 Botanical Textile Artists You HAVE to Follow 🌷

Emily

Based in the north of England, Emily creates what she calls delicate textile compositions where stitched flowers and foliage intertwine. Her work is directly personal in its origins: it pays homage to her mother’s floristry career and the cottage garden she grew up with, and the sensibility that produces, a feeling for the ephemeral, the overgrown, the quietly beautiful, runs through everything she makes.

What we love her for: The layering in her work, tactile, detailed, built up through embellishment over time, is instructive for students who are learning that a textile artwork does not have to declare itself immediately. Her palette is something students of colour often find genuinely useful: the way she works with soft, related hues to create depth without drama takes real sensitivity to understand and to replicate.

👉 Full feature: https://www.sofst.org/8-botanical-textile-artists-you-need-to-follow/
👉 Link in bio
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"It is so much more than a course in hand embroidery. It is a journey to success and belief in yourself as a creative person."

Elaine completed SST's Hand Embroidery Skill Stage 2 after years away from stitching. If you have been hesitating, her story is worth a read.

Link in bio.

https://www.sofst.org/maltesers-to-masterpiece-elaines-hand-embroidery-journey-at-sst/

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✨ Something exciting is about to arrive...

Within the next few days, we'll be unveiling the 2026 School of Stitched Textiles Student Exhibition, showcasing the incredible creativity, dedication and artistic growth of our students from around the world.

From embroidery to felt making and contemporary stitch, this year's exhibition is filled with inspiring work that demonstrates just how far creativity can take you.

Every piece represents a journey of learning, experimentation and artistic discovery, and we can't wait to share it with you.

👀 Keep an eye on our socials over the coming days as the exhibition begins to go live.

💬 Tell us in the comments: Which textile technique are you most excited to see represented in this year's exhibition?

From a box of Maltesers to a City & Guilds certificate. Elaine Fraser sewed motifs onto school friends' shirts at thirteen, then life got in the way for decades.

It took one unfinished embroidered tea tray cloth, found in a charity shop, to bring her back.

Read her story at the link in bio.

https://www.sofst.org/maltesers-to-masterpiece-elaines-hand-embroidery-journey-at-sst/

We are completely in awe of this. 🤍

This exquisite keepsake box is the work of Jodie, one of our Masters students, completing Module 2 of her Masters in Embroidery. Inspired by a walk that led her — in her own words — on "a journey of discovery for techniques, construction and my patience" 😬, what emerged is nothing short of breathtaking.

Look at Mr. Robin on that side panel. The goldwork edging. The layered silk ribbon roses. The beading. The sequin trim. Every surface of this piece tells a story, and together they whisper of secret gardens, quiet discovery and the kind of making that asks everything of you.

Jodie drew inspiration from Frances Hodgson Burnett — the author of The Secret Garden — whose words feel so perfectly suited to a piece like this:

"In secret places we can think and imagine, we can feel angry or sad in peace. There is something to be said for just being, without worrying about offending anyone."

This is what our Masters programme looks like in practice. Not just technical mastery — though this piece has that in abundance — but the courage to follow an idea all the way to its most beautiful conclusion.

Jodie, we are so proud of you. 🧵✨

Thinking about where your own stitch journey could take you? Link in bio to find out more about our accredited and Masters courses.

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7/8 Botanical Textile Artists You HAVE to Follow 🌷

Kirsten Chursinoff

Kirsten Chursinoff is a Vancouver-based textile artist who works primarily by combining machine piecing, hand embroidery and quilting to create botanical art that rewards both a long view and a close one.

What we love her for: Kirsten’s practice demonstrates the expressive possibilities of treating the background as a designed element rather than a neutral field. The pieced fabric beneath her embroidery is not a support; it is part of the composition. For students thinking about surface, colour and how different layers of making contribute to a finished piece, her approach opens up important questions.

Her handling of texture is exceptional, and her combination of machine and hand techniques is a useful reminder that neither is inherently more ‘serious’ than the other.

👉 Full feature: https://www.sofst.org/8-botanical-textile-artists-you.../
👉 Link in bio
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Sometimes someone says something in a conversation and it just lands.

This is one of those moments from a recent episode of Textile Talk with Fleur Woods.

If it resonates, we would love to know.

Drop a comment below or save this one for a day when you need a creative nudge.

New episodes of Textile Talk are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

https://www.sofst.org/podcast/

Link in bio.

Rhona Arthur came to SST as an experienced knitter with a nagging feeling that something was missing.

She leaves Skill Stage 3 as a designer, a creative thinker, and someone building a business from the craft she has always loved.

City & Guilds accredited. Distance learning. Built around your life.

👉 https://www.sofst.org/from-hobby-to-heirloom-how-knitting-design-changed-everything-for-rhona/

👉 Link in bio
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Looking for inspiration? .j.turner’s embroidery combines storytelling, mindfulness, and incredible craftsmanship. Her work is a testament to the beauty of slow stitching.

Dive into Karen’s world & be inspired! 🌿🧵

📖 Read the interview & see her work: https://www.sofst.org/karen-turner-weaving-stories-in-thread-and-time/

Tag a fellow textile artist who would love this! 👇