Speaker Programme 2025

Kate will talk us through her creative process and some of

the experimental approaches she takes when developing her

work. She will share what inspires her and how she usesmaterials and yarns within her textile art.

Margaret will be showing us examples of her exhibition pieces. She will describe the techniques needed to create an item of couture millinery and giving us information about her background, training and inspiration.

Sarah Rakestraw is an acclaimed Goldwork artist and tutor and is the brains behind the UK's premier Goldwork supplies retailer Golden Hinde. She will be telling us the story of Golden Hinde and showing us examples of her late mother's work as well as her own.

Our own Wendy Skinner will telling us about how she got into textiles and how she creates her extraordinary free-motion embroidery landscapes.

Debbie Harding, from Doodle Craft, will be giving a talk about how she came to design blackwork kits, the types of designs she creates and showing us some examples of the kits she has designed. 

Alison Derbyshire is well know for her artistic textile creations on blown eggs and she will be showing us how to decorate goose eggs from hand blowing to final product.

Deb Cooper is a Mixed Media Textile Artist based in the North East of England.  Using natural dyes, ink, mark-making, and stitch, she combines small sections of recycled fibres, old papers, and vintage textiles, including deconstructed lace. Sometimes, machine embroidery is added to the mix, but the key element is hand stitch, which Deb uses to unite the layers. Deb has a love of aged and worn materials. The gentle colours and calm tones draw you in to view each piece more closely. 

Our own Kay Gardiner will tell us about how embroideries have been used in espionage and the how Mary Queen of Scots used her textile work to communicate with her supporters when in prison.