Studying smøyg in a museum in Norway
In response to my recent post about learning wherever knowledge is to be found, Robyn replied on Facebook:
So many are focused on credentials. We fail to acknowledge the wealth of knowledge that our parents and grandparents have that they pass on to our very lucky selves.
Although I am sure great information and techniques are to be gained from the School of this and the Society of that, I am always sad to hear a very accomplished stitcher, knitter, quilter or other artist or crafter apologize that they are self-taught or learned from a grandparent.
There is nothing to apologize for. In fact, I for one, value their way of acquiring their expertise.
Robyn is so right! We don’t need credentials: our work can speak for itself.
Apart from textiles at school, I am almost completely self-taught. I’ve taken one or two embroidery classes in my life. My needlework knowledge has come from books and the study of historical needlework, and using what I know to figure things out. I have even learned from my students.
At times I’ve lamented my lack of credentials. While I benefit greatly from my design degree, I know that “trained at x needlework school” adds sway for some. I cannot claim it because I haven’t trained at one. And really, is it that important? Not to me, because I have invested in years of far more relevant private study. My study of primary historical sources means I know far more about some needlework subjects than “formal” students, because much of what I have researched is not taught in needlework schools.
We who are self-taught should be proud of that. Those of us who have learned from our grandmothers, from skilled stitchers in our guilds, from friends, from mentors, or from books can be proud of that.
Being self-taught or informally taught does not mean your work will be of a lower standard. I know that there are myriad highly skilled needleworkers who have never had any formal training, and yet their work is of exceptionally high standard.
Be PROUD of being SELF-TAUGHT. Let’s celebrate it! Please tell me about the special people you have informally learned from. What books have been useful to you as you have taught yourself?
White Threads is the blog of Yvette Stanton, the author, designer, publisher behind Vetty Creations' quality needlework books and embroidery products.
I learned from Grandmama, and then Barbara Snook’s Embroidery Stitches, the Reader’s Digest, nineteen thirties “The Needlewoman” magazines, and – all in a bundle after I discovered stitching on the internet! – Tracy Franklin, Tricia Nguyen-Wilson, and Yvette Stanton.
I give an honourable mention to a Canon in the Church of England who’d embroidered his own vestments – gloriously – and gave a talk about it to my branch of the Embroiderer’s Guild. I think he may be partly responsible for the epic proportions of some of my projects!
What a lovely range of people and things who have helped you!
I am primarily a self-taught surface embroiderer. I’ve been stitching since I was a child (in the 70s) and learned embroidery stitches from the diagrams on commercial embroidery kits. That was no mean feat since I’m left handed. I still do ‘interesting’ things to various surface embroidery stitches! (By the way, I love your left handed book, Yvette!)
I was very content with my embroidery skills and efforts. I had to figure out a lot of things for myself and I think that’s a good thing. I took my first embroidery class about 25 years ago and I think classes are great. However, I think that being self-taught gives me the confidence to take or leave what I’m taught. I’ve refined my techniques over the years and I’ve learned all sorts of tips and tricks. I decided at one point that I wanted to learn goldwork but didn’t want to spend a lot of time figuring it out so I took a week long RSN goldwork class. It was well worth it and I think classes can be very useful when you are interested in a specific technique.
However, I’ve noticed that people who are only exposed to embroidery via an institution often do not question what they’ve been taught. For example, I think that the RSN does an excellent job teaching techniques, but they sometimes seem overly rigid to me. They are training interchangeable embroiderers which is understandable from their point of view, but if you’re not going to be one of those interchangeable embroiderers I think it’s good to look around see how other people do things. It’s OK to do your own thing!
I’ve never been tempted to work on a certificate, but if I was younger when I found out about them I might have been more interested (or perhaps not). At any rate, I’m very happy being a sort of hybrid embroiderer. My basic skills were honed on my own and then refined via classes. That has worked well for me.
Thanks Margaret. I think your comments on the RSN are interesting. I’d never have thought to express it as “training interchangeable embroiderers” but I think that expresses it very well. I too think that some of their ways are very rigid, but maybe that’s what they need for their interchangeable embroiderers.
I am glad that you have developed the confidence to do your own thing, and that that makes you happy!
I learned the basics from Mom, who learned it from possibly her Mom. Though I only saw crochet items Grandma made, no embroidery. Other than that, I’m mostly self taught, quite often using the instructions included in kits. I am taking a couple of on-line classes, neither leading to a certification of any sort, only my own satisfaction of learning. For the most part, self-teaching textile arts I’ve attempted has worked out OK. The only exception is knitting where I still can’t mix knit & purl stitches, and increases/decreases are a mystery. And I got only a blank look when sharing my excitement when I finally got bullion or French knots to look right.
The only books I recall referring to *often* while stitching was a Janice Love book and a Judith Montano book. That was for a needlework project for Mom & Dad’s 50th anniversary, that included some Hardanger and some ribbon work called for by the pattern. I had no clue how to begin even faking my way through those techniques.
Besides the many general stitch dictionaries, I also have books on specific techniques, however they seem to be mostly aspirational. I’ve never gotten around to making anything from those books, often stumped by lack of proper materials. I must confess, my overstuffed shelves make it easier to check the internet first, than to try and find a specific book.
Even though I’m right handed, I got a copy of your Left-Hand dictionary, as it crossed my mind “what if something happened and I can’t use my right hand?!”. Then bought another so I’d have it to loan/give to a frustrated leftie.