As seen in The Observer's "10 of the Best Creative Breaks" 20/10/19

Views

I took too many photos, again, on my morning run! These are all within 2km of home, and are great inspiration for embroideries.

Views was last modified: June 6th, 2023 by Bronwen

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8/7/19: Drafting a trouser pattern…

18/7/18: Testing my Bargello instructions

15/2/18: Embroidered landscapes…

Discover a new hobby while on holiday in Italy...

Hello... I'm Bronwen Kaja/Shepherd and I run sewing holidays and workshops in my lovely studio in the beautiful countryside of Umbria, close to Lake Trasimeno. The house is on the border between Umbria and Tuscany - so you look out onto the countryside of both regions including Monte Cetona, Lake Chiusi, Chiusi, and, in the distance, Citta della Pieve. There are olive groves, vineyards, cypress trees and pines as far as you can see - it's very inspiring for someone who likes to stitch landscapes! I've got a Textiles degree and a PGCE (post graduate teaching qualification) in Textiles, for teaching age 11 to 18 years - I've got 13 years teaching experience in UK schools, as a teacher and latterly as Head of Department, teaching mainly A level Textiles. I've also got 9 years experience of running textile classes and residential holidays/retreats in France and Italy. I gave up my teaching career especially to do that - we moved to France, renovated the house, built a textile studio, and started the business there. In 2020, we moved to Umbria, to the Trasimeno area, where I had bought a holiday home in 2007, and I re-established my creative business here. We moved again in 2024, to a larger house with (another) purpose built studio. Apart from teaching, I have 12 years experience as a designer/maker of Christening wear, something which I intend to start doing again, but I also have a few other creative ideas...

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We are in Italy – in Umbria, very close to the border with Tuscany, 45 minutes from Perugia, Assisi and Siena, 1.5 hours from Florence, 2 hours from Rome. Our closest town (approx. 10 minutes drive) is Castiglione del Lago, which is the main town on Lake Trasimeno, the 4th largest lake in Italy. See “About” tab along the top – under “Contact me” you’ll find a map.