Home Distance Learning Talks,
Classes &
Residential
Public Art Projects Artists
Books
Furnishing Collections Galleries Exhibitions Shop

Talks and Workshops

I have a current CRB certificate and public liability insurance and am happy to travel or stay overnight should you want to book a talk or workshop.

Talks

Each of these talks takes approximately one hour and is in the form of a powerpoint presentation accompanied by samples and sketchbooks. The cost of each talk is £120 plus travel at 45 pence per mile.

Stories in Stitch

Many of my pieces have been inspired by text, whether it be illuminated manuscripts, a word such as Liminal", a haiku from which I made a series of kimonos, or a book such as Alice in Wonderland. See the hangings from the "Alice" exhibition together with the sketchbooks, the evolution of the ideas and examples from each of these series of work.

Diamond Stitches

Science meets Textiles, learn about my community outreach projects, "Designs for Life", "The Largest Diffraction Pattern in the World!" and work as Artist in Residence at Diamond Light Source, the UK's national synchrotron facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.

Guild Workshops

I have taught various design and textiles course for City & Guilds including embroidery, machine embroidery, natural dyeing, textile decoration, felt and beadweaving from beginners level upwards. I also work as a freelance tutor at Guilds, Art Centre and Societies.

These have been run at:- National Trust, Cornerstone Arts, Didcot, Ardington School of Arts, Fusion - Oxford's Community Arts Agency, The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury, Missenden Abbey, Sunrise Multicultural Centre, Banbury as well as Guilds and Shops around the country.

I am happy to tailor any of the classes to your groups requirements or extent to run over a weekend or as a series of classes. Costs are £220 plus travel.

Browse these workshops »

Residential Courses, Cornwall 2024

You will stay on the beautiful, working farm of Bodrugan Barton just a few miles from the "Lost Gardens of Heligan" on the South Cornwall coast. The farm has a heated indoor swimming pool, and sauna which you are free to use.

The cost of the course includes a single room with ensuite shower room. Local pubs and restaurants can provide evening meals and we will share the preparation of lunches.

The cost for the course is £470. You can pay by cheque, payable to Anne Griffiths, and send to 4 Gabriel House, Newbury Street, Wantage, Oxon OX12 8DJ, or email me for bank transfer details.

7th March - 14th March 2024 “Dress, Patterns, Notions and Ephemera ”

I will be running a one week textile design and stitch classes in Cornwall 2024. These have been inspired by my recent illustrations for the acclaimed author Sally Bayley's latest book The Green Lady and the imagary of old dressmaking patterns, button cards take the theme of Dress, dress patterns, notions and dressmaking ephemera. Do note, this is not a course to learn dressmaking!

My ideas and samples will be based around one of two themes, dress patterns and symbols, notions and ephemera such as buttons, or the fabric patterns and design of the Japanese kimono. These topics will provide a framework for each day and can be used as starting points for your own work. The days are my suggestions and provide a structure, however they may be switched around to suit your particular interests. Please feel free to email me or call to discuss any particular ideas or requests. The number of places is limited to twelve which means that there is plenty of time to spend with each student.

The course is suitable for all levels of experience, I will send a list of materials you can bring ahead of the course and there is an excellent fabric/haberdashery in Truro for additional purchases. It is always a very sharing group and positive group if there are materials you do not have, and I will, of course, bring things you can use.

This will be a week full of friendship, laughter and stitching with fantastic homemade food and several bottles of wine thrown in. There is also a pool and sauna on the farm for you to use free of charge.


Here are a couple of comments from previous students:-

— “I've really enjoyed the week, thanks for your excellent advice, it's been wonderful.”

— “What a lovely week - you have given me new confidence and inspiration. Thank you.”


Click on the thumbnails for an expanded view.


Friday


Arrive in the afternoon to get settled and meet around 17.00 to discuss plans for the week and look at samples over afternoon tea and scones.

Group dinner, could be a takeaway we can decide when we arrive.

Saturday


Making backgrounds on paper and fabric, collagraphs, printing block, stencils. I will bring a cricut machine to make blocks and stencils.

In the afternoon you can either continue with design work or begin stitching your papers or fabrics.

Sunday


Dressing the Body

Looking at basic body shapes and gestures, we will start by designing a body. We will then begin to add features, hair and manipulate fabrics to dress and style our body. This could be combined with the used or sentimental fabrics which have personal meanings. You can continue working on this throughout the week with help and guidance or take it away to complete at home.

Monday


Continue to work on dressing your body or begin looking at the dress of an entirely different culture. Japanese kimono's are constructed from a set of rectangular pieces of fabric. and mine were made to illustrate Japanese haiku, short seventeen syllable poems.

Using either fabrics that have a sentimental memory or your own painted and printed cloth, start your own miniature kimono, this will probably take a couple of days to complete and can be continued over the course of the week.

Tuesday


Free to explore The Lost Gardens of Heligan, St. Austell, St. Ives and maybe Tate St. Ives, Eden Project. If you prefer you can continue working in the studio.

Wednesday


Continuing to think about old garments, which could include a child's outgrown shirt or dress, a wedding dress or a pair of old Levis or something that belonged to a loved one, we will take elements such as labels, fabrics, buttons or zips and repurpose them into a small memory cushion, purse, badge or corsage.

We will look at the art of repair, traditional darning perhaps or the Japanese art of boro and use these techniques to bring new life to these scraps of fabric.

Thursday


Design and stitch your own dress pattern envelope or button card.

Taking an old dress pattern envelope as inspiration make a padded fabric envelope or replicate the style of an old button card in textiles. We will make Dorset buttons, or cover buttons in your personal fabric to decorate your figure, or display on your button card. New image to follow.

Consolidation of personal ideas and where to next.

Farewell dinner, could be another takeaway to be confirmed as a group.

Friday


Depart with Sketchbooks, Samples and Ideas!

Other Residential or Summer Schools

I have taught the following courses as residential or summer schools, unless otherwise specified they are all week long courses. They could be run in your own venue for private groups or as part of a larger arts event. I am very happy to work with you to combine subjects to create a syllabus that is relevent to your interests.

Natural Dyeing

Use a variety of pre and post mordants together with a range of natural dyes to create a portfolio of samples showing the full spectrum of colours, from yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue and green. The main dyes you will use are indigo, madder, cutch, cochineal and weld although time will also be allocated to use more readily available kitchen dyestuffs.

Computer Design for Textiles

Following the syllabus of City & Guilds level 1, use Paintshop Pro to create designs which you will develop into a portfolio of samples in your own craft. You are not expected to have any experience of Paintshop Pro, however it is a requirement you have basic computer skills and supply a venue with appropriate facilities (a library perhaps).

Introduction to Machine Embroidery

Follow the syllabus of the City & Guilds level 1 to produce a portfolio of samples showing surface decoration on a variety of fabrics using free machine embroidery and automatic patterns. Techniques covered on this course will include design, layering and cut through, appliqué, quilting, and working with soluble fabrics.

I am teaching the City & Guilds course at Denman College.
See samples for this course »

Gardens

Focusing on text, and machine embroidery.
See the programme and images from the course »

Trees

Using the colours, shapes and texture of trees and leaves, we will cover both hand and machine embroidery techniques combined with printing on a variety of materials.

See the programme and samples for this course»

Fruit and Vegetables

Focusing on still life and 3-dimensional work.
See the programme for this course »

Beach

Focusing on hand embroidery.
See the programme and images from the course »

Schools

I have taught in schools at all levels from foundation stage to 'A' level. Workshops can be anything from a half day to a week long residency. Details of Schools projects run with a variety of age groups.

I am interested in how the approach to teaching in schools has developed from formal learning by rote where students have no control or ownership of their learning. Today, creativity and the holistic approach to study has given a sense of relevance, and attention is given to soft skills developed as part of the education process.

It is with this in mind, that I have developed a workshop for Year 9 pupils that combines my experience with working at a large scientific installation with art, design and textiles.

Distance Learning - Machine Embroidery

This course has been developed from the City & Guilds 7822 course which I taught at Gloucester college and by Distance Learning. In college this was a one year course with 120 hours tuition time, taught one day per week. Unfortunately, due to funding cuts it is becoming increasingly difficult to take this course which is why I have decided to begin teaching it as a distance learning option again.

This course contains the same syllabus, as the City & Guilds, the only difference is that as I am no longer attached to a college, there is no certification available.

The course is suitable for those new to machine embroidery as well as those who want to develop there skills using a structured course. Information on this course »