Looking forward to another visit from Jayne Emerson
A few weeks ago I had a lovely catch-up on the phone with textile artist Jayne Emerson. I'd been meaning to get back in touch after hearing her interviewed on a podcast a couple of months ago. When we spoke, Jayne laughed and said she'd been a guest on several podcasts recently – they all seemed to have been released at the same time!
The interview I'd listened to was with business coach Kellee Wynne, where Jayne talked about finding her own unique creative path and focusing on serving a small, dedicated community of textile artists through her membership, The No Rules Textile Society. I have to confess, I'd love to join myself, but with the demands of family life and running Stitching Kitchen, I know I wouldn't be able to give it the time it deserves.
If you'd like to hear Jayne talking about her creative journey, you can find links to all of her podcast interviews here:
When Jayne and I chatted, we found ourselves talking as much about life as textiles. We both juggle creative businesses whilst raising teenagers as single parents, so there was plenty to compare notes on! Alongside running her membership, teaching workshops and online courses, Jayne is also busy writing another book. And of course, our conversation soon turned to the exciting question of how we could tempt her back to Stitching Kitchen.
The last time Jayne visited, we spent the day exploring water-soluble weaves and Gelli printing. It was such a fun and inspiring workshop. Jayne demonstrated techniques and shared plenty of ideas before encouraging everyone to experiment, play and develop their own unique samples. By the end of the day, everyone had created beautiful pieces that could be used in future projects or as starting points for exploring new techniques.
One of the things I love most about Jayne's teaching is her infectious enthusiasm. She has an amazing ability to encourage us to be fearless, combining unexpected fabrics, trims, textures and techniques in ways we might never have considered. She makes you look at the contents of your fabric stash with completely fresh eyes, and she's just the person to reignite your creative spark.
As Jayne says:
"For the past 30 years, I have created innovative textile samples that reimagine textile techniques and mix them up into 'fabric recipes'. These 'seeds of ideas' have sold to clients including Chanel, Calvin Klein, Nina Ricci, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Balenciaga. Now I am sharing my process, and encouraging experimentation and play via in-person workshops, online courses and my membership group."
We also chatted about one of her more unexpected collaborations. What began with her distinctive approach to patchwork developed into working with a garden designer, which in turn led to an artist-in-residence opportunity at Gardeners' World Live. It's such a wonderful reminder that sharing ideas can take you in the most unexpected and exciting directions.
It was Jayne's wonderfully unconventional approach to patchwork that really captured my imagination. Rather than following strict rules and precise measurements, her methods encourage creativity, curiosity and play. So I'm absolutely delighted that she's agreed to return to Stitching Kitchen next year to teach her No Rules Patchwork workshop.
During the day we'll be using fabrics, trims and sewing machines to develop ideas, explore new techniques and create a collection of patchwork-inspired samples, all with Jayne's distinctive "no rules" encouragement. I worked through the online version of this course a few years ago, and if you've visited the studio, you may even have spotted some of my own samples displayed on the wall.
I'm delighted to say the date is now set:
Saturday 17th April 2027
I honestly can't wait for this one. If you'd like to spend a wonderfully creative day with Jayne, I'd love you to join us. Places are limited, so if this sounds like your kind of workshop, do book your place soon!