Our Tutors 2023
We bring together some of the UK’s leading textile specialists to host our Workshop, Talks and Lectures programme at The Festival of Quilts. We want you to learn from the best!
Alex Waylett
Alex uses the sewing machine as a tool, to draw, manipulate and form textural surfaces within and on fabric, creating predominantly artwork, but also luxury accessories for both interiors and for personal use. Her work combines applied inks/paint with stitch embellishment and has a strong illustrative narrative, coastal, natural forms and patterns and also floral themes. Alex has been teaching for over fifteen years, and loves passing on her skills to students and watching them develop into artists themselves.
Amanda Hislop
Amanda has a way of working beyond the restraint of woven cloth, using thread to draw images and integrate texture. Seasonal change, light and changing weather capture her imagination. Amanda works to commission and delivers talks and workshops.
Ami James
Anna Weatherley Hastings
She has been running block printing workshops for the past 10 years and has been lucky enough to travel to Indian many times to experience firsthand knowledge from the artisans and experts. Her passion is the outdoors and that is often represented in her style in block printing.
Website: www.theindianblockprintco.com
Andrew Ngai
With 26 years of experience in thread development and production under his belt, Andrew set up the Specialty Threads division in 2000 and now oversees the distribution of WonderFil by direct subsidiaries in Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, UK and the Netherlands.
Website: www.wonderfil.co.uk
Angela Daymond
She teaches a wide range of hand stitching and machine stitching workshops. Due to her vast experienced she can support the total beginner in her workshops whilst extending the skills of those with more stitching ability.
Anna Drittler
Currently she regularly holds classes in both quilting and dressmaking. She loves nothing better than introducing ideas and encouraging students to experiment and expand on them in their own way.
Annie Garner
Since retirement she has taught creative textiles from her studio and day workshops to quilt groups. Annie is an avid sewer, patch worker and quilter who loves creating fabric appliques and making picture wall hangings. Annie is passionate about the creative arts and keen to share her eclectic range of techniques and experience.
Annie Gianini
After learning through trial, error and more recently, expert advice in her own craft business, STITCHFINITY, she knows the value of support at the very beginning. Don’t just hustle, HUSTLE well.
Becky Preen
Based in her studio in Harlow she runs classes in a variety of sewing and crafts techniques.
Bianca Springer
Brigitte Garnett
She shares her life with a very indulgent husband and two dogs as well as several sewing machines. Bridgitte believes that you are never too old to learn something new and that you can never have too much fabric, wool, ribbon or charms and beads.
Cag Tyndall
She spends many happy hours turning white cloth into beautiful hand dyed fabric. I love to share my enthusiasm for dyeing cloth.
Caitlin Lisle
Cait loves playing with traditional piecing techniques to give them a new and modern twist and creating patterns that everyone from beginners to lifelong quilters enjoy making. She is regularly published internationally and offers bespoke technical editing services and custom quilt commissions.
Carolina Oneto
Caroline Barley
Caroline has lived in the UK, Japan and Germany and says that each move has given her the chance to reinvent and reassess what she does for work and for fun.
Carolyn Gibbs
Inspired by her collection of antique quilts, she also teaches how to draft quilting designs which fit and complement the patchwork perfectly.
Chris Harget
She has worked successfully teaching textile related workshops and weekly sewing classes throughout her working life. Chris remains in touch with many former students who like her attentive, enthusiastic approach to sharing her love of all things textile. She delights in discovering new ways of connecting to stitch and learning about different cultures and their rich textile histories.
Cindy Cloward
She and her husband, Bret plus a talented group of artists and a dedicated team of employees – have grown this family business into one of the leading fabric manufacturers in the sewing and quilting industry.
Debbie Harris
Using her creative skills and teaching experience, Debbie hopes to offer you a down to earth approach to sewing, knitting and crochet projects. By providing you with easy-to-follow patterns and kits, it makes it easy so that you can enjoy these amazing hobbies.
Debbie Shore
She began her career in television, as both a presenter and actor, though sewing was always a big part of her life. Debbie has developed her own range of fabrics, designed her own patterns and writes for several popular sewing magazines.
Delphine Brooks
Her journey has taken Delphine from studying Fine Art to discovering a passion for all things Textile. She loves creating designs that incorporate bold colours and patterns, using them to express the ways in which I see the world. She wants to make the textile arts accessible to people of all abilities, creating projects that will inspire other to embrace their own creativity.
Denise Labadie
Her quilts are known for their moody realism, and the use of hand-painted fabrics, assertive stone textures, varying appliqué techniques, color subtlety and gradation, and deep and strong shadowing and perspective.
Ekta Kaul
Her work is held in several permanent collections including at the Crafts Council, Liberty of London, Chiswick Library, the Gunnersbury Museum (London), Tatter Blue Library (New York) and those of private collectors in the UK, US and Japan.
Elizabeth Brimelow
She was originally an occupational therapist. After her family grew up she studied textiles, main subject embroidery, at Manchester Metropolitan University, BA and MA. She has been a prize winner at Quilt National, USA and at the Festival of Quilts in the UK.
The landscape in the Peak District is the inspiration for her work. Macclesfield where she lives is a silk town and she uses a lot of silk in her work. She manipulates cloth which she uses for its tactile quality, intimacy and substance.
Landscape is where she lives, what she looks at, what she draws and what she stitches.
Emma Jones
She says “I love how calming and relaxing hand sewing is and I want to spread this joy to others.” Emma specialises in English paper piecing and embroidery and loves combining both mediums to create beautiful pieces.
Fi Oberon
Her book The Natural World of Needle Felting has been translated into 4 languages and has sold 40,000 copies internationally. Fi’s work has been featured in magazines widely and exhibited internationally.
Fiona Hesford
Sewgirl is an indie sewing and dressmaking pattern company specializing in everyday clothing and accessories for the modern sewer. She regularly demonstrates on Sewing street TV and her projects are featured in leading sewing magazines.
Fiona Spargo-Mabbs
Fiona co-founded the DSM Foundation in response to the loss of her son Dan to ecstasy. In 2022 she was awarded an OBE for services to young people.
Gai Taylor
She is always looking for new techniques to teach and has been teaching Wool Felt Applique for the past 6 years. She has a love of bright colours and enjoysmixing colour and texture into her projects.
Gilli Theokritoff
Gilli also exhibits her quilts and has won several awards. She is known for her contemporary and modern quilts and use of colour. Gilli has been teaching at the Festival for over 10 years.
Gillian Cooper
She loves teaching, helping her students develop their own style and create things they never imagined possible. Her students have won many awards.
Gillian Travis
Her energy and enthusiasm for quilting shows in her art quilts and she loves to share her skills and experience in her teaching.
Gini Armitage
Gini is a founder of Gini’s Dorset Buttons. She calls herself a multi-crafter, as she enjoys to crochet, make clothes, embroider, x-stitch, draw, paint, lace-make, origami, bag making, weaving, felting. book binding, jewellery making….
Hazel Ryder & Terry Donaldson
Helen Moyes
Herma De Ruiter
Hilary Jackson
Hilary Jane Cheshire
Jane Haworth
Jane Renton
Janet Goddard
Patchwork, quilting and applique are her favourites. Janet is a qualified teacher, an author of six textile books and a prolific pattern designer for magazines and fabric companies.
Janice Croft
Jennie Rayment
International tutor, lecturer, author of many books/patterns, TV demonstrator, designer and innovator of multitudinous techniques for manipulated textiles. Jennie educates and enthrals, encourages and enthuses with dynamic folding and piecing designs.
Jessica Grady
Her colourful and contemporary work explores hand embellishment and embroidery with mixed media and zero waste materials. She is also a member of group Art Textiles: Made in Britain.
Jo Avery
Jo loves inspiring others with her colourful designs which perfectly blend modern and traditional aesthetics. As 1/3 of The Thread House she organises quilting retreats and an annual BOM Club. She is the author of ‘New Patchwork and Quilting Basics’ and ‘Modern Crewel Embroidery’.
Jo Westfoot
It’s truly rewarding to see people progress and have ‘lightbulb moments’. Most of her teaching these days is via her online sewing school where she teaches courses on various techniques, runs a membership club and regularly hosts Block of the Month programmes. Her style is fresh and modern and often features bright cheery colours.
Joe Cunningham
Judi Kirk
She lives in Kent with her “almost-perfect” husband, who also acts as her roadie.
Website: www.judikirk.com
Judi Mendlesshon
Jules Mayouf
As a Guest Designer on Sewing Street TV ,Jules enjoys demonstrating both her own patterns and those of other designers .Jules relishes mixing crafting styles and encouraging her students to develop their own individuality.
Julie Edwards
Karen Crookes
Her main passion is embroidery along with patchwork and quilting. When designing her quilts, Karen tries to to incorporate all of these into her patterns.
Karen Purdew
After a long career in education she has now chosen to use her teaching skills to pass on her love of quilting. Karen is passionate about the Accuquilt Cutting system and enjoys using dies in innovative ways.
Karla Gerome
She is the daughter of Grace Company’s namesake and is the sister to the Company’s owner Jim Bagley. Karla brings the same innovation of Grace Company products to her quilting and loves inspiring others to quilt in their own unique ways.
Katalin Horvath
She teaches her own developed applique technique called the Draw-Sew-Trim. She exhibits regularly on international venues and teaches her technique through a large variety of patterns combining it with other techniques.
Kate Haxell
Her leisure time is filled with delicious fabrics, yarns and haberdashery.
Kate Sandford
She has only ever followed two quilt patterns, preferring to create her own. Always colourful, she enjoys precision piecing and conversely wild improvisation. She believes that play is an important part of creativity and learning and incorporates it regularly into her studio time.
Katharine Wright
She loves to pass on her knowledge and passion through her workshops at Leicestershire Craft Centre, major Craft Shows and demonstrations on Sewing Street TV.
Kathryn Pellman
Her whimsical series of small, playful, single frame cartoons featuring long limbed and knobby kneed Fashionistas that invoke fashion illustration. Fashionistas mixed with some Word Salad combine fashion and quilting along with her passions and are a celebration and exploration of women and femininity, their lives, friendships and romantic relationships, real and imagined.
Kim Suleman
Laura Kemshall
She’s co-authored a number of books and as the co-founder of DesignMatters Art and Craft School she has over 20 years of in-person and online teaching experience.
Linda Seward
She has written twelve quilting books, including a complete update of The Complete Book of Patchwork, Quilting and Appliqué, considered by many to be ‘the quilter’s bible’ and The Ultimate Guide to Art Quilting.
Lis Binns
She loves using their thread and have used it alongside other brands since she discovered them in 2009, but now uses it exclusively for her creations and workshops.
L’Merchie Frazier
Liz Holpin
Louise Mabbs
Mary McIntosh
Mary offers workshops to groups throughout the UK in person and via zoom as well as in-person workshops in East Anglia.
Mary Taylor
Maryse Allard
Mick Stead
Molly Brown
After a 35 year career as an Occupational Therapist in the NHS, Molly changed direction in 2016. She now teaches a wide variety of skills, including shisha embroidery, indigo dyeing and clamshell patchwork. She also works on her own projects.
Nerrisa Pratt
The Bargello Edit is a brand that creates projects and kits for moderns makers excited to get to grips with the retro craft. Her debut book, ‘Bargello’ is also out now.
Website: www.thebargelloedit.com
Instagram: @nerrisapratt
Nicky Simpson
Her previous careers are as a senior director at a Fashion Print Agency, designing and creating seasonal fashion print collections for the international market. Nicky taught Fashion & Textiles for 12 years. She now co-runs the Textile Skills Centre as a textile consultant, developing and leading the delivery of textile workshops. Nicky’s own work is creating arts and craft with a heat press, featuring both machine and hand embroidery. Much of her work incorporates the flora found naturally in our beautiful English countryside. Her latest workshop was with the National Trust.
Pat Archibald
In her workshops, classes and talks, she creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere and encourages her students to develop lecture and workshop ideas to create their own unique art quilts.
Paula Steel
Paula enjoys working with bold colour combinations and geometric designs. Paula loves to pass on her knowledge and encourage quilters to try something new. Last year was a great year for Paula with her quilt “Spirit of Adventure” coming 1st in the modern category.
Penny Bicknell
She is also an accredited Quilt Judge. Basing her designs on traditional patterns Penny develops, alters and makes additions to produce unique one off designs. Penny sews by machine using speed techniques but adds detail with hand embroidery and embellishment.
Petra Donath
She has been working as as application specialist for a needle manufacturer for more that 15 years. She still sews extensively, with her main interests being patchwork and quilting.
Rona Herman
After teaching herself to quilt she began adding quilting adventures to her travels. Today Rona is a Travel Blogger, Vlogger, Author, Quilt Teacher, Pattern Designer and sharing her tips, tricks, inspiration and adventures with quilters the world over!
Rosie McKellar
When Rosie’s career brought her to the UK she decided to sign up for a course at the Royal School of Needlework. One thing led to another and she first completed a Certificate and then a Diploma in Technical Hand Embroidery. Rosie also holds a City & Guilds adult education certificate. Rosie’s style is heavily influenced by her love of history and her native country, New Zealand.
Ruth Ann Berry
She also has over 50 quilt patterns available at majordistributors and designs patterns for Northcott and Free Spirit Fabrics. She owns and operates a small-town quilt store and online business, Quilter’s Clinic. Ruth Ann travels extensively to exhibit and teach at guilds and festivals. For more information, visit quiltersclinic.com.
Sam Jones
Samantha Boot
Sandra Meech
Later when introduced to stitched textiles – photography, painting and collage with mixed media, on fabric and stitch became her new approach to creative expression.
Sarah Ashford
She is also an author of 2 books, Jump into Patchwork and Quilting and Rotary Cutting Basics.
Sarah Boardman
It helps her step back and take time to reflect andground herself. Sarah uses a combination of techniques and media to create her art; hand and machine embroidery, applique on fabric and paper in bold colourful designs.
Sarah Brangwyn
Sarah Humphreys
Although primarily a modern quilter, she embraces many contrasts in her work. She loves bright fabrics or monochromatic colour schemes. She enjoys accurate, traditional techniques as well as improvised patchwork and is passionate about both free motion quilting and meditative hand stitching.
Sarah Payne
She regularly appears on the Create and Craft TV channel representing international brands including Oliso, Brother, Singer and Cutterpillar, as well as her own range of quilt kits and patterns. Sarah draws inspiration from the world around her and designs fabrics for Craft Cotton Company. Sarah also shares her passion for sewing with subscriptions for a block of the month, and with quilt hampers released every 3 months. She teaches regularly at her own premises in Peterborough, and online with the Crafty Monkies. She is active on Facebook and Instagram and has an online shop too.
Sheena Norquay
She has exhibited and taught nationally and internationally and is an honorary member of the Quilters Guild of the British Isles.
Sheila Christensen
She started quiltng in 2008, and quickly became hooked. She is now an author, tutor and shop owner. Sheila’s specialty is designing quilts and blocks made with triangles and shapes with 60 degree angles
Steffi Stern
She owns The Makerss based in Gloucestershire, a craft retail business. Steffi feels passionate about teaching crafting skills and share her love for working with natural materials.
Sue Bouchard
Her passion is teaching and inspiring others on their creative journey. Sue has taught at many Quilt Guilds, Quiltcon, Domestic and International Festivals Craftsy and Craftours throughout the world. (USA)
Suzanne Boulter
She is City and Guilds trained and qualified last year as a Quilters Guild judge for the FOQ.
Tara Newboult
Moving to the UK in 2022 she is currently exploring embroidery and design at the Japanese Embroidery Center and the Royal School of Needlework.
Tracy Aplin
After having children she carried on making clothes and started making patchwork. Tracy started teaching sewing clubs at school and now teaches regularly at local shops and groups. She loves using bright colours, hand sewing and sharing her knowledge.
Trease Lane
She is now lucky enough to be able to inspire others to explore their creativity through exciting workshops and tutorials. Trease is also in the process of producing patterns for people to enjoy in their own homes.
Vendulka Battias
She is also a winner of Best in show 2021 at the FOQ.
Victoria Merness
She owns a small business that promotes mental wellbeing through embroidery. Victoria’s embroidery kits contain fine knitting wool because it is such a tactile material, it is so easy to do and the results are amazing.
Wendy Dolan
She regularly shows her work at exhibitions, craft shows and fairs across the country. Specialising in Freehand Machine Embroidery and Creative Stitching Techniques, she offers a range of textile courses, workshops, demonstrations and lectures.
Yvonne Pratt
