TRANSFORM EVERYDAY OBJECTS INTO STITCHED STORIES THAT LAST

Looking at Historical Collections is your essential first step. You’ll learn how to slow down and really see what’s in front of you, using museum and cultural collections as a living resource for your own textile practice. Through observation, note-taking, and analysis, you’ll build a personal archive of ideas to return to, and a foundation for your contemporary folk art to grow. 

Here, you’ll learn to:

• Plan and visit museums and cultural centres with intention, gathering inspiration from historical collections.
• Capture visual notes and sketches that become practical references for your textile projects.
• Analyse collections by zooming in on specific details – materials, patterns, techniques – that can spark new creative directions.
  

Identifying Your Collections invites you to turn inward and work with what you already have. In this module, Anne shows how personal objects and gathered materials can become powerful starting points for making, helping you organise, observe, and begin shaping ideas through drawing and reflection.

You’ll develop the confidence to:

• Organise and work with personal collections of objects and materials as the foundation for new artworks.
• Use observational drawing to connect seeing, thinking, and making, loosening up and building familiarity with your materials.
• Identify themes and begin planning your project by translating collected objects into visual ideas.

In this module, ideas begin to take shape. You’ll focus on organising and refining your thoughts using visual planning tools that help clarify direction while leaving space for intuition and discovery. Through mood boards, mind maps, and idea trees, you’ll learn how to draw connections between your collections, observations, and emerging themes.

You’ll:

• Use mood boards, mind maps, and idea trees to organise ideas and plan your project visually.
• Learn how to select, edit, and arrange key elements from your collections to strengthen a central theme.
• Work alongside Anne as she demonstrates building a mood board from her own sample collections, offering a practical model for your process.

This module centres on layering, narrative and transformation. Working with elements from your collections, you’ll begin translating ideas into form through mixed-media textile work. Experimentation is key here, as you test techniques, build surfaces, and explore how materials can carry story and structure.

You’ll explore how to:

• Create a mixed-media, layered textile piece using fabrics, papers, and collected elements.
• Develop a small textile sampler as a space to test techniques before moving into larger works.
• Work with fabric backgrounds, paper patterns, architectural and background stitching, embellishment, and finishing details to bring depth and cohesion to your piece.

This module opens up the expressive possibilities of print. You’ll explore simple, accessible printing techniques that add depth, texture, and a handmade quality to your work, expanding how ideas can be translated across fabric and paper.

You will learn to:

• Work with easy print blocks and transfer your own designs for printing.
• Print on fabric and paper to build layered surfaces and visual interest.
• Incorporate printing into one or both projects using minimal materials, making it a flexible technique for small or shared spaces.
  

This module brings your collections together in a single, resolved object. You’ll work through the process of designing and constructing a mixed-media suitcase or decorative box, transforming personal materials into a functional, memory-holding form.

This module helps you to:

• Design and assemble a decorative box or suitcase to house your collected objects.
• Explore embellishment and surface techniques to add narrative, texture, and personal meaning.
• Combine materials and methods to create a finished piece that reflects memory, travel, and your individual creative voice.
  

In this module, you'll create folding textile books. They will be intimate, narrative-rich works, and bring meaning to your materials. Using treasured scraps gathered throughout the course, you’ll explore how small, considered pieces can hold memory, story, and personal significance.

You’ll:

• Design and create folding textile books using collected scraps and materials.
• Learn how to assemble and embellish your book to form a cohesive, personal narrative.
• Explore how handmade books can function as keepsakes, gifts, or quiet records of your creative journey.

This bonus module dives into the thoughtful, expressive process of creating a stitched portrait. You’ll explore how textile techniques can be used to honour and remember someone special, transforming an image into a deeply personal artwork.

You’ll learn how to:

• Prepare and plan a textile portrait from an initial reference image.
• Use photo transfer techniques, free-motion stitching, and fabric appliqué to build likeness and character.
• Combine technical skill with emotional sensitivity to capture the essence of your subject through cloth and stitch.