My formal qualifications

studying historical needlework samples

For some people, qualifications are very important. So as a needlework teacher and author of needlework books, what are my formal qualifications?

My training is in design. I have a Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication, and it helped me learn to think, problem solve and therefore be creative. While I didn’t much enjoy my time at university (I felt like a fish out of water), what I learned there has been absolutely invaluable to me. My degree included such things as typography, problem solving, the history of design, illustration and photography. The knowledge and skills I gained shape how I present the information in my books. After university, working for a non-fiction publisher, which presented information often in a step-by-step manner, instilled in me the importance of communicating clearly in both written and illustrated formats.

I do not have formal embroidery training and there’s a really good reason for that: no school teaches what I want to learn! I want to focus on lesser known forms of embroidery that are not taught formally, and often do not have a written record. I want to create that written record, and therefore the best place for me to learn is from historical items – primary historical sources. By studying a wide range of historical examples, I am able to understand my chosen style, and distill it down to clearly communicate it through word and image, and in-person teaching.

Some of my friends who are doing or have done PhDs have suggested to me that I could do further university training. I can’t really see any point in writing a masters or PhD thesis for the sake of gaining a qualification. My informal research, which I do for every book I write, is far more useful to me and to the audience for which I write my books. If I could see benefit from doing further formal education, I would, but so far, I have not found the circumstances where that would make sense.

And so, I will continue to forge my own path; doing my own thing, and doing it as well as I can.