Begin
Your Creative Journey with the School of Stitched Textiles
For almost 20 years the School of Stitched
Textiles has been delivering textile craft courses to crafters and creators
across the world. From their humble beginnings as a needlecraft centre based in
a quiet Lancashire village, the School of Stitched Textiles has become a
globally renowned provider and one of the few centres delivering impressive
distance learning courses.
The School of Stitched Textiles’ creative
journey began back in 2000 when the now Head of Centre, Dr Gail Cowley
established the school. With a specialism in Designing Textiles and Metal and a
postgraduate cert in Education, as well as a PhD in e-Learning, Gail went about
combining her expertise in both education and craft to deliver City &
Guilds of London textile programmes in Embroidery and Patchwork.
After a few years the demand for courses far
outweighed the teaching space available so Gail went about designing City &
Guilds courses that could be delivered via distance learning - expanding their
remit and their reach. Today the School offers an impressive range of textile
based courses including knitting, crochet, hand embroidery, machine embroidery,
stumpwork, textiles, felting and patchwork & quilting, across varying skill
levels, making them the UK’s largest distance learning provider delivering City
& Guilds accredited textile courses.
Gail says, ‘it took us the best part of five
years to establish all of the courses we have on offer today because the approval
process is so stringent. But certificated, accredited courses are vital for
learning and expanding on correct techniques and encouraging creative ideas,
which is why they are so important for those who wish to prove their skill
level, either to themselves or to an employer or client. Our graduate students have gone on to teach,
author books, design patterns or go on to study further education. For
beginners we believe that a certified course provides the best possible
foundations for those looking to begin their creative journey.’
The accredited courses on offer are a serious
business. With the average course taking around one and a half years to
complete (depending on the speed you wish to tackle tasks) they definitely have
a lot to offer. Gail adds, ‘many modules on each of our courses encourage
students to use different techniques, experiment with ideas and play around
with their own creativity. More importantly, the courses are fundamental to
nurturing creative confidence, allowing people to take their craft to the next
level, whatever that may be.’
And it’s not just for serious artists and
crafters. The school has recently established a range of online courses for
absolute beginners which are all delivered through online videos. These promise
to be great introductions to new crafts as well as a fantastic opportunity to
meet the tutors, and gain an insight into the more advanced accredited courses.
Intake for the accredited courses is limited
and they only accept new students during enrolment which opens between 3 and 4
times per year. If you’re interested in enrolling you first need to express
your interest via their website which is the only way to be invited to enroll.
The School are also offering some Creative Bursaries for those that may not
have the finances to pay for an accredited course and these can be applied for
via their website, at https://www.sofst.org/bursary-application
and the deadline for applications is 15th April, but will offer more bursaries
towards the end of the year.
Whether you’re ready to begin something new or
really starting to go places the School of Stitched Textiles say they are ready
to help you on your creative journey.
