embroiderers guild Archives

23rd August 202623rd August 2026

Beginners Embroidery In Person Workshops

The Embroiderers’ Guild has teamed up with Hobbycraft and a network of talented textile artists to share our skills and bring beginners embroidery workshops to venues across the UK. Whether you’ve never picked up a needle before or you’re looking to build a little more confidence with a needle and thread, these sessions are designed for you.

Spaces are limited and pre-booking is required to secure your place. All materials required for your workshop are provided so all you need to do is arrive ready to stitch.

I enjoy teaching so I’m delighted to be supporting the Guild this Autumn, running four sessions at the Crewe branch of Hobbycraft. Each workshop lasts two hours, and I’ll be teaching on the following dates:

Saturday 26th September 2026, 10.30am–12.30pm – Book
Saturday 26th September 2026, 1.30pm–3.30pm – Book
Saturday 17th October 2026, 10.30am–12.30pm – Book
Saturday 17th October 2026, 1.30pm–3.30pm – Book

Alongside the workshops, there are also dates to enjoy an up-close look at a curated selection of pieces from the Guild’s own collection, as well as sessions where textile artists explore embroidery in more depth. A full list of dates, venues and activities can be viewed and booked directly via the Embroiderers’ Guild.

Beginners Embroidery

Workshops are running from September 2026 through to March 2027.

Come along and join us. Sessions take place in the teaching area of each Hobbycraft store, and class sizes are kept small so everyone gets plenty of support. You’ll learn three to five essential embroidery stitches and create your own beautiful design, choosing from four stylish patterns. Fabric, threads, needle and patterns are all provided, so you’ll be ready to keep stitching long after the workshop ends.

Here are the dates for September.

Hannah Glossop @hg_textile_arts
Nottingham: 12th September, 11am – 1pm
Derby: 13th September, 11am – 1pm

Catherine Hill @catherine_hill_textile_artist
Crewe: 26th September, 10.30am – 12.30pm & 1.30pm – 3.30pm

Mae McCourt @stitchmaestitch
Bristol: 26th September, 11am – 1pm

16th July 202617th July 2026

The Creative Thread Issue 2

Earlier this year, The Creative Thread – the new magazine for members of the Embroiderers’ Guild – approached me to write a contribution. I was delighted to say yes. The result appears in Summer 2026 Issue 2, themed around Savouring Summer.

The Common Thread section brings together an experienced embroiderer and an emerging talent. Together, they explore how heritage, skills, support and ideas are shared. In this issue, I joined Lottie Mayland – a contemporary embroiderer whose beautiful hand-stitched napkins, aprons and personalised textiles draw inspiration from nature, vintage French linens and her parents’ kitchen garden.

Lottie looked at my work and I looked at hers. What followed was a genuinely generous exchange. She particularly loved the Lancashire Courting Cake and the Lancashire Rich Jam Cake. She noted the restrained colour palette and the quiet sense of a more unhurried time. Simple at first glance, but revealing layers of skill and storytelling on closer inspection. That means a great deal coming from a fellow maker.

In turn, Lottie’s work gave me much to think about. Her pieces carry an exquisite attention to detail. A wonderful balance exists between decoration and function. Her motifs feel both timeless and modern. As a result, I found myself thinking about how her practice could grow an even stronger personal narrative. Smaller bodies of work rooted in memory and place, alongside her existing commercial collections.

The exchange also gave me the opportunity to talk about my own process. Specifically, how I approach a set of napkins. How a sampling and experimenting book has become one of the most valuable things in my workroom. And why I always encourage makers to keep asking: what if?

Finally, if you are a member of the Embroiderers’ Guild, do look out for Summer 2026 Issue 2 of The Creative Thread. And if you are not yet a member – it might just be the nudge you need.

1st September 20251st September 2025

Butlins 1978

Butlins 1978 is my latest work inspired by a memorable family holiday to Butlins Skegness holiday camp in 1978.

Artwork: Butlins 1978

As soon as the schools broke up for the summer, we’d be off on our family holiday. I loved our annual seaside adventure and in 1978 it was extra special. I was nine years old, and we were staying at Butlins Skegness for the very first time. The campsite had everything I could wish for, all activities were free, and I had the freedom to roam and play on my own wherever I liked.

It was around late Spring each year Mum would start her preparations. She kept to a tight budget and planned everything meticulously.

Butlins 1978 - hand stitched embroidered words — Hand embroidered words

We had a wonderful time however the backdrop to this story is something I was completely oblivious to at the time. Money was extremely tight.

My parents were dealing with mortgage interest rates of 12% and rising. The UK was in the depths of a period of austerity and later that year the country would experience the ‘Winter of Discontent’.

Original words composed and stitched by Catherine Hill. Hand embroidered onto cotton cloth.

This artwork is part of a series of ‘Red Box’ pieces capturing stories from my childhood in 1970’s Lancashire.

Tag: embroiderers guild

Beginners Embroidery In Person Workshops

Beginners Embroidery

The Creative Thread Issue 2

Butlins 1978

Artwork: Butlins 1978

Get in Touch