I’m a qualified*, experienced Textiles Technology teacher; I’ve had a passion for Textiles since I was a child and have spent all my life involved in Textiles in some way…
When I was young I was always making something, “always messing”, as my Dad used to say… making things out of bits of cloth. Mum was always sewing or knitting and so she taught me to sew and it was only when I was a little older that I realized not every child grew up that way.. . I studied A level “Fashion and Fabrics”, and then did a Textiles degree… I spent 12 years self-employed designing, making and selling my own range of Christening wear, in South Yorkshire (“Spangles Christening Wear”)… Then I trained to be a Textiles Technology teacher and taught in Uk schools for 13 years… I set up the Textiles department at Wellington College, Berkshire, which was a great project! My last UK teaching post was Head of Textiles at Cheltenham College.
I met some incredible students along the way, students who inspired me because of their enthusiasm and creativity… and I became frustrated at the lack of time to be creative myself…
So, when I decided it was time for another career change, it had to involve Textiles… and after some thought, I decided it would be great to offer Textiles courses/holidays in France, in a region with beautiful countryside… In France, my husband and I renovated our farmhouse and had a dedicated Textiles studio built, overlooking the garden, swimming pool and Charente countryside. I offered Sewing and Textiles residential holidays and retreats, regular and one-off/day workshops for people who lived locally, and residential weekends for those who lived a little further afield. In summer 2020 we moved to Umbria, Italy, where we now have residency, a moved prompted by Brexit. We already owned a small holiday cottage here, and intended to retire here. Brexit meant that would be much more difficult, so we decided to make the move before the crucial deadline of 31/12/20.
So, here we are in Umbria… There’s been a delay in getting started, mainly because of Covid and the difficulties of running a business at this time. However, in 2022 I will be doing the same as I did in France – running day classes, weekend retreats, residential holidays, selling “Learn to Sew” kits, my own PDF downloadable pattern designs and a few of the products I’ve designed/made…
Come and stay with us… Use my studio… Enjoy the peace and quiet, the beautiful countryside… Visit the famous (Assisi, Siena) and not so famous (Castiglione, Passignano) local towns…. Be inspired by the calmness, the beauty, the vines and the olives… Take a step back from “real life”, and enjoy creating – whatever your previous experience – just like I did as a child…
The featured quotation is by Colin Greenwood, from Radiohead. I stumbled across it, and love the sentiment!
* Art and Design (Textiles) degree, PGCE in Textiles/Food for Secondary Education (11-18 years).
